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This is the only vegan chili recipe you need. It has a bold, rich flavor, and a velvety consistency. Perfect for meal prep and made with wholesome ingredients. {Gluten-Free}
How we ended up stumbling upon the only vegan chili recipe you need
Earlier in the week, my wife was whipping together a soup for a quick lunch. It was intended as an easy vegetable soup. But things led to things, and she took some creative liberties to jazz it up. Cumin, smoked paprika, and chile powder brought a nice well-rounded spice base. She added some chopped veggies – mushrooms, celery, and potatoes. However it was the secret ingredient, which I’ll tell you about later, that made all the difference.
Even before tasting the soup, we knew it was almost chili by how it smelled. The smoky spiciness was unmistakable. Stirring the soup, you could tell it had a thick consistency uncommon in a quick veggie soup.
We enjoyed this experimental soup, and from that point, my wife handed the project to me, to turn it into a full-blown vegan chili recipe. I spent time over the next several days testing different combinations of spices, vegetables, and accompaniments. The outcome of this experimentation was a spot-on general chili that was as tasty as any I’d ever had. It had that perfect, rich thickness. The flavor spicy and smoky but not overpowering. No single ingredient stood out – it just tasted like chili.
The only vegan chili recipe you need is simpler than you think
The cooking process takes some time, but probably less than you’re expecting. (I remember chili needing half a day when I was growing up. Time seemed to pass really slowly back then, anyway.) Once you have everything chopped and prepped, things move along quickly. The actual cooking time is around 30 minutes.
The general workflow goes like this. Saute onions, carrots, and tomato paste in olive oil. Add garlic and some spices. Deglaze. Add vegetable stock, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, and the secret ingredient. Simmer 5 minutes. Add chickpeas. Simmer 10 minutes. Brown the optional vegan chorizo in a skillet. Combine, garnish, serve. Devour. Repeat
The versatility of this recipe
Like I said earlier, this chili really just tastes like chili. It contains mushrooms, onions, and chickpeas but doesn’t taste especially mushroomy, oniony, or chickpea-y. As such, you can pretty much add whatever you want to this basic chili foundation. Throughout the experimentation, we tried okra, summer squash, potatoes, green beans, and baked tofu and they all worked wonderfully.
Feel free to use this chili base however you like, adding whatever vegetables, beans, or roots appeal. We haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure the leftovers would make a great tortilla soup. Just dilute it with a bit of vegetable stock, add salt as needed, and top with diced avocado and tortilla strips.
I can confirm that it is a great chip dip – thick enough to coat a chip well, but not so thick that it breaks the chip. 🙂 When I develop a vegan queso dip recipe, I’ll be sure to link back to this one because I know they’ll be perfect together.
Now, how about that secret ingredient?
OK, I know I’ve been stalling on this. The secret ingredient is a soup base made from two simple things – dried mushrooms and nutritional yeast. The mushrooms are briefly rehydrated and then blended together with the yeast, then added to the chili in the middle of the cooking process.
The dried mushrooms create an unbelievable earthiness that lays a really solid foundation for the flavor of the chili. That’s the only way I can explain it. And the yeast lends its signature savoriness. Blending them at high speed creates a velvety texture that takes over the whole pot of chili once added. And trust me, with the bold seasonings, you won’t taste the mushrooms. It’s well-rounded like that.
Some cooking notes before you get started
In the recipe, you’ll see “chile powder” called for. This is a deep red powder that contains only ground, dried peppers. It is not the “chili powder” that contains some combination of peppers, cumin, garlic, onion, etc. The powder I recommend may be labeled “New Mexico” or “California”. Please be aware of this distinction. It will affect the flavor of the chili greatly.
The smoked paprika is also important. Be sure it is smoked. And not a spicy variety. It may be labeled “Spanish” or “sweet” or some combination thereof.
I call for dry sherry to deglaze the pot. If you don’t have sherry you can use Japanese sake (or Chinese Shaoxing wine if you’ve got it). You can replace the sherry with vegetable stock, too. Just be sure you have enough on hand.
The dried mushrooms I used were a mix – oyster, portobello, black trumpet, and porcini. I got a giant tub of them at Costco and they are fantastic. If you’re going to create your own combination I would recommend using mainly those listed above or similarly mild mushrooms. Limit shiitakes to 1 total (they are strong).
For toppings, browned vegan chorizo and shredded vegan cheese are included. If you want to keep it whole-food, no sweat! The chili is great without them.
These three are examples of great companions to the chili
Vegan chorizo
The chili is also highly compatible with bean pasta. For example, chickpea macaroni and black bean spaghetti (pictured above).
Feel free to switch it up on the beans. Black and pinto are great alternatives to the chickpeas. You can also skip the beans if you’re Texan.
Other Recipes you might like
- Vegan Enchiladas
- Vegan Tonkotsu Ramen
- Curry Tofu Scramble
- Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Portobello Mushrooms (Oil Free)
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @gastroplant on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
The Only Vegan Chili Recipe You Need
This is the only vegan chili recipe you need. It has a bold, rich flavor, and a velvety consistency. Perfect for meal prep and made with wholesome ingredients.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Author: Thomas
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound onions diced (about 1 large onion)
- 1/2 pound carrots peeled and diced (about 6 medium carrots)
- 4 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 pound garlic minced (about 8 cloves)
- 1/4 cup dry sherry (see note)
- 4 cups vegetable stock may need less, depends on desired consistency
- 1 pound mushrooms fresh, diced
- 15 oz canned tomatoes diced
Spice Blend
- 3 Tablespoons mild chile powder CAUTION - SEE NOTE
- 3 Tablespoons smoked paprika
- 3 Tablespoons ground cumin
Mushroom Soup Base
- 1 cup dried mushrooms assorted
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Toppings (Optional)
- 15 oz canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1/2 pound vegan chorizo for topping
- 1/2 cup vegan cheese for topping
- 2 green onions chopped finely
Instructions
Before prepping any other ingredients, soak dried mushrooms in 1 ½ cups hot, but not boiling, water.
Prepare all the ingredients while the mushrooms soak.
When the mushrooms have soaked at least 10 minutes, add them into a high-speed blender with the nutritional yeast. Blend on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 2-3 minutes, until evenly blended and smooth. If any solid pieces of mushroom stick to the sides of the blender, slowly add a bit more water.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, tomato paste, and salt. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are slightly translucent.
Add garlic. Saute 2 more minutes, stirring.
Add chile powder, paprika, and cumin. Saute for 2 minutes.
Add sherry. Use spatula to scrape any stuck bits from the pot.
Add 2 cups of the vegetable stock, the fresh mushrooms, the canned tomatoes, and the blended mushrooms and nutritional yeast. Stir.
When the liquid starts to boil, reduce to a simmer. Stir again to ensure there is no scorching on the bottom of the pot. Add more vegetable stock if the consistency is too thick. The chili should be slightly runny at this point.
Add chickpeas. Stir. Continue to simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, still stirring, until chili reaches desired consistency.
If using vegan chorizo: heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chorizo, spreading it into an even layer across the skillet. Wait 2-3 minutes before stirring, so the chorizo is browned. Continue to brown like this twice more, until the chorizo is heated through and has been browned three times.
Serve the chili in bowls. Top with some chorizo, a sprinkle of vegan cheese, and some green onion.
Notes
A recent review advised that 3 tablespoons of chile powder made the dish inedibly spicy. Please start with a smaller amount, 1/2 Tablespoon or so, and add more in Step 11 to taste.
The smoked paprika is also important. Be sure it is smoked. And not a spicy variety. It may be labeled “Spanish” or “sweet” or some combination thereof.
I call for dry sherry to deglaze the pot. If you don’t have sherry you can use Japanese sake (or Chinese Shaoxing wine if you’ve got it). You can replace the sherry with vegetable stock, too. Just be sure you have enough on hand.
The dried mushrooms I used were a mix - oyster, portobello, black trumpet, and porcini. If you’re going to create your own combination I recommend using mainly those listed above or similarly mild mushrooms. Limit shiitakes to 1 total (they are strong).
For toppings, browned vegan chorizo and shredded vegan cheese are included. You can skip these if you prefer.
You can substituteother types of beans for the chickpeas. Or skip the beans altogether.
