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Easy Vegan Chili Recipe

vegan chili in white bowl topped with vegan sour cream and green onions
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★★★★★

4.9 from 79 reviews

This easy Vegan Chili Recipe is healthy, hearty, and a perfect cozy meal for chilly days! It’s packed with protein and fiber thanks to beans & veggies.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 green bell peppers, diced
  • 3 ribs celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 small carrots, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons ancho chili powder* 
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin 
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional) 
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 15-ounce (425 g) cans red kidney beans, drained
  • 2 15-ounce (425 g) cans pinto beans, drained 
  • 2 28-ounce (793 g) cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup (235 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
  • Optional Toppings: green onions, nutritional yeast, vegan sour cream, etc.

Instructions

  1. Base Flavor: Warm a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup (80 ml) of water (see notes for oil version) to the pot and add the onion, celery, and green pepper to a large nonstick pot. Cook until all the water evaporates, stirring occasionally. Once the pot is “dry” and the vegetables start to turn golden brown, deglaze the pot with an additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water. This process should take around 10 minutes total. 
  2. Spices: Reduce to medium heat and add the garlic, and carrots to the pot along with the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and optional cayenne pepper. Sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes, adding a small splash of water if things start to stick. 
  3. Simmer: Finally, add the kidney beans, pinto beans, crushed tomatoes, and the vegetable broth to the pot. Bring everything to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to create a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and cook uncovered for 5 to 7 additional minutes, until the carrots are tender and the chili reaches your desired thickness. Stir this mixture occasionally, to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. 
  4. Serve: Serve warm, and top as desired. Leftovers can be store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days and reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. You can also store this vegan chili in the freezer for up to one month.

Notes

  • Chili Powder: Your chili powder should be pure ancho chili powder for better flavor, not a “blend” of various spices and salt. If you use a spice blend with salt, reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, adding more as necessary.
  • Beans: You can swap out the pinto beans or kidney beans for black beans, if you’d like. Or check out my Chipotle Black Bean Chili! 
  • Oil Version: Sauté the onion, celery, and green pepper in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring only occasionally so they stick to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the 1/4 cup of water as instructed in step one, scraping the bottom of the pan as necessary. Continue with the recipe as written.
  • Make it Meaty: sauté the vegan “ground” or chopped sausage along with the garlic and spices in step 2.

Keywords: Vegan chili, easy vegan chili, vegetarian chili recipe, healthy vegetarian chili, gluten free chili

Find it online: https://frommybowl.com/easy-vegan-chili/