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)
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made this last night. I only used one jalapeno, though, and added in some Boca crumbles and corn. It was a little spicy for my liking. but overall, I thought it was great. I’ll definitely be making this again – just with a little less heat.
This is a wonderful creamy recipe for vegan sour cream. I have made sweet cream with cashews but not a sour cream for enchiladas or chilies.
I pinned it so I will always have the recipe at my fingertips.
how long does the vegan sour cream last in refrigerator?
Im not positive but I would guess 1 week or so.
That looks delicious!! I make a versious on this, but I have never tried to make my own sour cream, can’t wait to try it out for dinner tonight!!
Oh wow!! This chili looks fantastic! I’ve recently decided to go vegetarian, so I’ll definitely be using this as it gets colder!
Made today for lunch. I added a chipotle pepper and done adobo sauce. Gave if a nice smoky taste. Yum!
The sour cream was delish! My mom even enjoyed it in our chili and she is a Dairy Queen! I recently dove into the vegan lifestyle and am sincerely enjoying cooking and tasting all these delicious flavors!
Me and my husband just got done eating this and it was awesome! I did leave out the heat so I can’t comment on that. The “sour cream” was amazing stirred into to soup. It seriously tasted like real sour cream mixed in. We aren’t vegan either, just trying to eat better so this review is for everyone…..not just eaters “used to” vegan food. This was awesome ! I also pre-ordered the cookbook and can’t wait until March!
Hey Sarah, So glad it was a hit! Thanks for your feedback. :)
I hope you enjoy the cookbook!
Hi Angela,
Have you ever tried making sour cream/yogurt by using water kefir grains. I just soak a cup of cashews overnight, blend them with a bit of water and then just throw in a teaspoon of water kefir grains and a bit of sugar. In about 12 hrs (I live in India) I get a really nice tangy probiotic yogurt. I have read that you can use water kefir grains only with water for them to grow and be strong, so I just discard these grains after making the yogurt. I also use excess grains for bread in place of commercial yeast turns out pretty awesome.
I haven’t yet, but I’ve been meaning to! Thanks for the tips :)
I made this tonight and my husband said this was the best tasting vegetarian chili he has ever had. I had a little trouble making the sour cream in my Vitamex. Would you recommend a hand blender to get a more creamy texture? Thanks for another fabulous recipe! Perfect for the cold weather.
Hi Angela!
Beginning in January, I have made dinner (and desserts, of course) using your recipes exclusively. I made this chili and sour cream for dinner tonight, and it was a SLAM DUNK. Amazing. My beau and I will bring it for lunch tomorrow too. I FINALLY GOT A VITAMIX!! It has opened up a whole new world of culinary possibilities. My green monsters have never been so velvety. Thank you for your constant inspiration. :)
Homemade sour cream?! Are you serious??? I love the Tofutti stuff but feel a little guilty eating processed stuff more than a couple of times a week. This will be a new staple in my house ;)
This is great! I made it tonight, it was so easy and really delicious. I went easy on the chili and cayenne, but still would be a bit more conservative with it in the future (we had some runny noses). But I love it. The perfect go-to chili recipe. Thanks so much!
I made this chili last night. I wanted a quick, simple recipe to make after working all day. I was excited to see a new recipe on your website Angela! However, I was completely blown away by the “Vegan sour cream”. Easy to prepare and tasted even better than Tofutti non-dairy sour cream! Thanks again for another great recipe. I only have a tiny bowl of chili left for lunch today with a teaspoon of the vegan sour cream. I may have to make another batch!
I am so glad I saw your post in my email box before I left the office last night! After a cold, rainy day in Redondo Beach, I headed straight to the market, bought all the ingredients and made the yummiest chili! Thanks so much for the inspiration :)
I made this Vegan Chili last night and it was delicious. My British husband cannot eat anything too hot so I had to tone down the spices. :)
Our kids are grown and it is just the two of us so we had lots of leftovers. I froze some for later which I really like doing for no cook days!
I used some Tofutti sour cream that I had on hand but I will try your sour cream recipe in the future. I love using cashews for dips and creams.
Thank you Angela!
Absolutely love this chili! And that cashew sour cream sound fantastic!
This is wonderful! I’m making this now! I’m always looking for a good chill recipe. And thanks for the note about what kind of tomato sauce and pastes you use!
Yum, this is absolutely perfect for our weather today, I never get tired of trying vegan chili recipes. Thanks!
This is sooo yummy, like all of your recipes!
Thanks!