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
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So amazing! I added a little of the “taco meat” from the lettuce wraps it was delicious!!!!
Finally tried this recipe last night. It was the perfect meal for the weather. Another champ dish from this site! :)
Heading to the grocery store to buy the ingredients :) Can´t wait for dinner tomorrow!
My son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts… is there anything I could substitute for the cashews in your vegan sour cream recipe? Thanks! :-)
I was wondering if anyone has done this in a crockpot? I’m thinking of making it tomorrow and would love to throw it all in and let it cook.
I made nachos with this recipe for my family and they all LOVED it! I was especially excited to try the sour cream that was a great substitute! Thank you Angela :)
#3 was one of the first vegan recipes ever made!! I am soooo happy it is one of the most popular because it is delicious!! My hubby loves it, which came a s a total surprise!! Happy New Year Angela!
This recipe is very close to one I’ve come up with on my own over the years and love but it has a few nice additions I will try. I have found that adding chick peas in addition to the beans in this recipe adds a nice flavor.
My husband and I just made this amazing meal for dinner! I have never seen us sit so quietly and gobble everything down to the last bite! I wondered if you have ever attempted freezing this meal and what the results were? I am hoping to stock up for an easy dinner :-)
Oops! Just re-read your post and answered my own question :-)
Just made this recipe. I am so pleased. Turned out great and is delicious! It’s so tasty, especially on a cool night. I didn’t use as much salt, I probably used 3/4 of what they suggested to use. I replaced the pinto beans for chick peas ( maybe it’s the same thing) I’m not sure. I added a dash more lemon to the sour cream as well. When I ate the chilli, I mix the sour cream completely into the chili and it tastes amazing. Great recipe!
my fiancé made this for us over the weekend and it is fantastic! Reminds me of the chili I used to have growing up, except back then I picked out the beans and there was meat in it. We added extra veggies and used a bit of tomato sauce since we didn’t have paste, so it was a bit thinner than supposed to be, but it has wonderful flavour. Thank you for the recipe! It will be a staple for the rest of the winter for sure :)
Is this recipe easily doubled? Should I change anything when doubling it? Thanks!!
5 Stars! the best meal of the year so far for me. Thank you. I ate double portions – its that good.
This is such an awesome vegan chili, it beats all my previous recipes…thank you! I had another recipe with quinoa that gave sort of a minced meat texture. I’ll try to add that next time. This makes for the best freezer meal ever, only problem is I won’t cook anything else if I know I already have this available!! Love it!!
This recipe was a hit! I made it tonight for the National Champion game. Super easy and delicious. We like a little kick so left in the jalapeno peppers which worked perfectly. Thanks again for all the amazing recipes!
I love this recipe! Im from Australia, and my family never ate “chilli” for some reason, but I now love it!!! The warm hearty vegetables and little kick of spice with some greek yoghurt is now one of my favourites. And this vegan recipe is amazing, I added tuna to mine because I only had 1 can of beans and added peri peri sauce instead of chilli powder :)
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
Just made this this evening, and it was FANTASTIC! Added a dash of Worcestershire sauce too. Great recipe!
This was an easy and perfect winter meal. I made this on Wednesday and even took in leftovers to share with some coworkers and it was a hit. I thought I was going to make my own pinto beans so when I did my shopping on the weekend, I didn’t pick up a can. I should have known better-never got around to crocking the beans so I wound up using a can of white cannellini beans place of pinto beans, but still came out fantastic. I think with the cashew cream next time I would add less salt & add a bit more sour-maybe extra lemon or vinegar, but in the chili it just added creaminess so I was happy that to have it. As a stand alone sour cream, I would have needed adjustments.
Can we give this chili 6 stars instead of 5? This was just delicious! I make one chili in my house, and only one – a sweet potato chili that my husband, friends, and I go crazy for. But, I tried this anyway, and I loved it. It has the right combonation of beans, veggies, and spices. I put it in the crock pot in the morning and just let it cook all day. I didn’t try the sour cream yet, but that is next! Making it again this weekend for a birthday game night! Can’t wait to share with friends! Thanks!
Just made this! Didn’t have chili powder, so I use a little sriracha. Perfect food as I’m sitting through the Juno blizzard (which is a little underwhelming so far). Thank you for this yummy recipe! :)