I grew up helping my dad make his “famous” chili for special occasions like Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. If there was a holiday party going down you can be sure his chili was the main event (often paired with his “famous” Caesar salad and garlic bread – his 3 staple recipes that we ate time and time again). A love of chili is definitely in my blood and rarely does a winter go by when I don’t make a couple batches of it. Of course, my versions are free of animal products, but I can promise you they are just as tasty as the originals (you can also find my version of Caesar salad in my cookbook, by the way).
I have a couple chili recipes on the blog already, but this one is my favourite by far. I see recipes as works in progress; I’m always tweaking and improving the flavour and the method each time I make them. A recipe is never the final word even if it feels that way at the time. Isn’t that what makes cooking fun? I think so. Plus, it gives me a chance to try and improve upon the last batch of photos!
This time I served the chili with a homemade vegan sour cream and now I can’t believe that I’ve been eating my chili without it for all this time. It’s like a creamy ribbon of heaven dispersed throughout the bowl, taking a bit of edge off the spices. Where have you been all my life?
I’m always asked about recipes that freeze well and chili is definitely one of them to prepare in bulk and freeze. It’s also packed with protein and fibre so you really don’t need to serve it with much else if you don’t have time. Sometimes just a crusty roll or crackers will do. It’s a meal that leaves you feeling satisfied for hours and hours.
If you are like us and caught in winter’s wrath yet again this week (nooooooo!), I hope this dish brings you the comfort it’s brought us during this snow storm. Stay warm!
My Favourite Vegan Chili
Yield
8 small servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Hearty, satisfying, and veggie-packed, this vegan chili will leave you feeling full for hours. I recommend pairing it with a big scoop of my Cashew Sour Cream for the ultimate chili experience.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups (280 g) diced sweet onion (about 1 medium/large)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 large cloves)
- 2 medium jalapeños (80 g), seeded (if desired) and finely chopped
- 1 cup (115 g) finely chopped celery (about 2 large stalks)*
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced**
- 1 (28-ounce/796 mL) can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1 cup (250 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 6 tablespoons (90 mL) tomato paste
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can pinto or navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
Toppings:
- Cashew Sour Cream
- Chopped green onions
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions
- In a large pot, sauté the onion and the garlic in the oil over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and stir.
- Add the jalapeños, celery, and bell pepper and sauté for another 5 to 7 minutes or so, until softened.
- Now add the can of diced tomatoes (with the juice), broth, and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans, along with the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Simmer the mixture, uncovered, until thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the cayenne and hot sauce to taste, if using. Taste and season with additional salt if desired.
- Serve with Cashew Sour Cream, chopped green onion, and cilantro leaves, if desired.
Tip:
- * I recommend finely chopping the celery so it cooks faster.
- ** Try swapping the raw red pepper for jarred roasted red pepper. It makes the flavour simply out of this world!
- A few of my go-to jarred or canned bean and tomato products are as follows: For canned beans I buy Eden Organics, for canned diced tomatoes I buy Ontario Natural Food Co-op, and for tomato paste I try to buy it in a glass jar whenever possible (Bioitalia is one brand I use). I try to buy glass jars for tomato sauces and pureés too.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
I’ve just got this simmering on the stove now. I’ve had a quick taste and think this is the best vegan chilli I have made so far. Thank you. Oh and your cookbook just arrived this week. So I will be trying out some of those recipes soon. Think I’ll start with the burgers! So much to choose from and they all sound so delicious!
My husband has always loved his mother’s chili, and I have been using her recipe since we were newlyweds several years ago. It is a traditional recipe that uses ground beef. I just tried this recipe and it is on par with any chili I’ve made before, I did not miss the meat at all. My only adjustment was that I added ground clove, because I wanted it to taste as much like my mother in laws as possible. It is wonderful!
Tried this last night and it was wonderful. My husband only got a small bowl, saying he wasn’t real hungry. Two bowls later, he said he loved it! I am a new reader on your blog and was tickled to hear about your good news this morning. Love your blog and recipes.Take care.
I made this chili recipe and it was extremely spicy with 3 tablespoons of chili! Did you been paprika or perhaps my taste buds are too sensitive! :-)
I made this chili recipe and it was extremely spicy with 3 tablespoons of chili! Did you mean paprika or perhaps my taste buds are too sensitive! :-)
Hi Carrie,
Thank you so much for your recipes! I’ve been looking for ways to cut dairy (especially since I’m lactose intolerant) and that recipe looks like it’ll do just the job. I do have a question for you, though. I have a bunch of allergies and think I’ve come up with ideas for replacements for all except for bell peppers. Do you have a suggestion for a bell pepper substitute for someone with nightshade allergies?
Thanks!
Joyclyn
Wonderful chili!!!! Very good spice to it, and loved the al dente texture. I did not make the homemade sour cream, but instead topped it with Toffutti Sour Cream, cilantro, and green onions. Served it up with some blue corn tortilla chips. Now I am excited for football season!! I FOUND MY CHILI!!! This was so scrumptious! Thanks again!
My son and I have recently changed our diet. I am making the Vegan Chili for the third time. It’s delicious. Thank you!
I’m allergic to cashews! Do you think the sour cream recipe would work with almonds?
Today I made the sour cream & my daughter made the chili. We doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers after the three boys attacked it. I had my doubts about the sour cream, but was amazed with the dreamy texture and flavor. The chili had a spicy kick to it, but the sour cream cooled it down. We will definitely be making these again!
I made this chill tonight – yum! Even my boys loved it! I didn’t have the ingredients for the sour cream..but can’t wait to try it next time!
I made this sour cream today because I’m on a 28 day dairy cleanse and I made tacos… I added half jalapeño, cumin, chili powder, garlic, lime and cilantro to the cream then used it as a dressing for shaved Brussels sprouts and carrot slaw to go in the tacos. :) thanks for the recipe!
Hi Angela,
I am just wondering when you make the sour cream if it is a still a little gritty from the cashews? I soaked them for 8 hours and then used a food processor but can’t get it perfectly smooth.
Thank you for all you do!
Oh my gosh! This was the best chili I have ever eaten, there wasn’t any leftovers.
Just had this for tea and loved it. Put a bit too much cayenne in though so blew my head off a little! Looking forward to trying the cashew sour cream next. How long does it last for?
Hey,
Just wanted to drop by and say that I made the chili last night, and I’m just eating it for lunch today and it’s AMAZING! My boss is having some too and she loves it :)
Thanks for a delicious recipe.
Amy
Have you ever tried to do with recipe with walnuts? Just curious because I love walnuts.
LOVE LOVE your blog! I cook almost every day something from it. I’m ukranian and I think you will enjoy Borsh (it’s a traditional Ukrainian soup). I always make it vegan, I think you should make your version:)
Do you have a recipe for the vegetable broth? :)
Hi Angela (et al)
I love your website, book, and recipes! I have a question about the vegan sour cream and most of your cashew cream-based sauces. My husband is severely allergic to cashews (tragic, I know), which makes it impossible for me to make most of these recipes on a regular basis. I’ve tried sunflower seeds as an alternative, but the taste of sunflower is quite strong and often doesn’t work.
Do you have any recommendations? A nut free alternative would be amazing (maybe too good to be true?)
Thanks!
That looks so yummy! Is one cup of vegetable broth really enough? Just wondering – don’t want to screw up my first attempt at this! :)
We made this for dinner tonight, complete with the vegan sour cream and we made some vegan cornbread from another blog to have on the side. It was absolutely beautiful and DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I cooked this today and it was thee best chili I’ve ever had :)
Hi,
I am really enjoying all of your recipes in an effort to eat more healthy things. I tried the cashew cream and fear I have done it wrong. It isn’t very crreamy, but rather gritty. Could someone help me figure out what I did wrong? Thank you!
Hi Reanna, Some blenders wont get the cashew cream super smooth unfortunately. I use a Vitamix and it works great for sauces. I would suggest adding a bit more liquid and seeing if that helps?
I’m making this right now:) Is there a reason you use canned beans? I’m cooking beans and wonder if there is a big difference.
My daughter is allergic to cashews. Is it possible to make this with another nut? Say, almonds?
Thanks for the chili recipe. Can’t wait to try it out.
Jen
This has been my favourite recipe on ohsheglows for ages now (a tough pick!) and tonight I added a few drops of liquid smoke to the recipe as it was simmering- SUCH a good decision! Definitely upped the comfort factor on a chilly winter night :)
Made this last night and it was AMAZING! Decided to make this the morning of, which gave me plenty of time to soak the cashews. In the evening I didn’t feel like turning on the oven so I toasted the walnuts in the pan before I sautéed the peppers and onions. The nuts were a beautiful golden colour and sent a wonderful aroma through the kitchen. Served the tacos with Fresh is Best Salsa. Omgosh, so GOOD! My guests devoured them. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I’m not even a vegetarian and I loved them.
oops…in my exuberance, I posted the comment to another recipe. My bad. I was referring to the Ultimate Green Taco Wraps.
Thanks!
I just made this the other day, and while it was healthy, good, and filling, it wasn’t great. I think it’s because the cumin and/or the chili powder overpowered a majority of the other flavors. I couldn’t taste any of the subtlety. The cashew “sour cream” was so good when I sampled it alone! I was shocked how tasty it was! But I couldn’t taste it at all with the chili. I think next time I’ll use half of those two spices and see if it helps.
I agree about the cumin. It was a cumin punch to the face. I think maybe 1/4 of what it calls for and I might have been able to taste the rest of the ingredients. Lesson learned though. Wouldn’t have known without trying it.
Just made this in preparation for a get-together I’m having tomorrow, and the spoonful I tasted was great! I used one spicy pepper, though, and boy – what a kick!
Note: The chili didn’t thicken as much as I wanted it to though… even after an hour on the stove, so I added some corn starch.
Im in the process of cooking this right now sour cream and all! Plus I found a vegan cornbread recipe. I had a question though. Can I just boil the cashews for 10 min prior to making the sour cream? I did a vegan fettuccine sauce the other night that said it was ok to boil the cashews if u didnt leave them im water over night. Thank you!
This was so simple and SO delicious, Angela! Along with some gluten free corn muffins, it made a perfect autumn equinox dinner last night (and a great first day of fall lunch today). Thank you! And huge congratulations on your beautiful new family member. :)
Oh my Gosh, I made the sour cream today, and it’s a killer. Better than the real one! Thank you, Angela!
Hi Angela! Made this last night and I have to say I was SO impressed. It is a chilli deserving of being anyone’s favourite! I made it pretty much the same but threw in a couple of extra shakes cumin, cayenne and chilli and omitted hot sauce. Mouthwateringly Flavoursome! Not at all bland which seems to sometimes happen to my curries/chillis.
Will remember to garnish next time instead of eating from the pot.
I just made the chili and love it. Thanks for the recipe. I added meatless beef crumbles and placed the chile on top of spaghetti squash. Wow! Do you ever use morning star products or similar brands?
This sour cream is delicious!!! I’m newly vegan, and your website has been amazing to help with the transition (from vegetarian). I’ve made about 10 of your recipes in 2 weeks. I have made this sour cream at least 3 times, and it’s went on your lentil walnut tacos and holiday soup. Also, congratulations on the birth of Adriana!! She’s beautiful! I’m a first time mommy myself. My son, Colt, is 3 1/2 months old.
Oooh, I love chilli! But since going vegan earlier this year I haven’t had sour cream and I’ve missed it. Tried blending up my soaked cashews this morning, but I can’t seem to get it super smooth. :( any tips?
So I made the sour cream and it is yummy, but still seems powdery and nutty/sweet. I soaked the cashews for about 20 hours in the fridge. Was that too long? Maybe this would be good as a white bean sour cream? any suggestions?
OMG!!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Seriously, the chili is so great and makes the absolute best left overs :) and that sour cream?? UNREAL!
I have made this for both vegans and non-vegans and everyone cannot get enough. My grandpa is even using the sour cream in place of mayo!!
What a great recipe-you are amazing! Just ordered the cookbook and I cannot wait!!!
My husband and I work through a batch of this stuff in an embarrassingly short amount of time. This is an amazing substitute. Thanks so much! =)
Thanks so much for this recipe. I made it over the weekend (although I tamed the spices right down!!) I think it has to be the BEST chilli I have ever made and, to top it off (excuse the pun), the sour cream recipe is absolutely wonderful! Unfortunately I couldn’t get the sour cream mixture smooth, but next time I will double the recipe and see if that helps … if it doesn’t well, what the heck, I still have a wonderful mixture to freeze for next time.
My friend and I made this tonight and we LOVED it! We left out the jalapeno & cayenne since we’re wimps and can’t handle heat, but it was delicious none the less! Such a quick & easy meal to throw together :)
Oh yum! Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! Two out of three kids (the third one is the pickiest kid ever) enjoyed it too. My husby and I both felt the “sour cream” was much tastier than the real thing. Definitely will be making again!
I am LOVING your blog!! Thank you!! your recipes are amazing and delicious! I am grateful for you and for my sister in law for telling me about your website :) My husband is allergic to cashews, so all these amazing vegan recipes that use cashews to make a creamy base are out for us. Is there anything I can substitute?
Hi, I love this recipe for sour cream. I’ve been trying making vegan non-soy yoghurt, but apart from the yoghurt taste, I can’t get the texture right. My little boy loves yoghurt but he’s having a dairy problem, and I don’t think soy yoghurt is a good alternative. Do you think this sour cream will be a good replacement for the yoghurt? I know it’s not fermented, but I’m talking taste and texture…
Hi, Since I had all ingredients at hand, I just decided to give it a try. The result: the taste is far away from yoghurt (or sour cream, for that matter), but my little boy loved it, ate two large portions of it combined with granola, didn’t complain that it tasted different than his oh so beloved yoghurt… So I have found myself an easy vegan non-soy yoghurt replacement, thanks!
Made this last night. I admit I was a bit sceptical about the cashew cream but it was fab with the chilli. I replaced some of the chilli powder with smoked paprika to give a smoky taste and it was delish. A great winter warmer dish, thank you :)
About how many cups does one recipe yield?
I made this today. Very Good. It’s my lunch for the week.
Thanks.
Hey,
I know this is an old recipe. I just wanted to say I made this recipe with sour cream and all for myself and my dad. It went down a treat with both of us. Thank you so much. Not only did it do us for dinner for 3 days but my dad who is a self proclaimed nut hater loved the sour cream. Admittedly, I didn’t tell him it was made from nuts.