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A thick and hearty vegan Chili packed with chorizo, black beans, salsa, and warming spices. Ready in 30 minutes with only 9 simple ingredients!
It’s chili season, baby! Today I’m sharing this Hearty Vegan Chorizo Chili – it’s comforting, it’s cozy, it’s flavor-packed, and it’s surprisingly budget-friendly, too.
Whether you love to cook up a giant pot of this goodness for game day, a weeknight dinner, or meal prep, it’s sure to impress.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN CHILI
As an added bonus, you only need 9 plant-based ingredients to make this recipe! Here’s the lineup:
- Vegan Chorizo: I used the Vegan Chorizo from Trader Joe’s; it’s a soy-based Chorizo, and I believe a few other brands sell something similar. If you can’t find chorizo near you, a close substitute would be to use a vegan ground beef and add 1 tablespoon of chili powder to the chili
- Black Beans: I know beans in chili can be….controversial, but I personally love them! They add the perfect bite of heartiness and creaminess, plus an extra boost of plant-based protein
- Salsa: this is my secret weapon in Tex-Mex flavored chili — adding a jar of salsa adds SO much extra flavor! There’s just something about that jar of pre-roasted tomatoes, onions, and peppers that adds that special something
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: to bulk up the chili, and add a little more tomato goodness
- Red Bell Pepper: I love the subtle sweetness of diced bell pepper in chili, though a diced green bell pepper would add a nice pop of earthy flavor too!
- Onion, Garlic, Cilantro, & Cumin: these aromatics and spices add the perfect amount of seasoning to our chili to help pack in that flavor
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHORIZO CHILI
You only need around 30 minutes to make this chili, and most of it is hands-off time:
- Fry chorizo, garlic, and cilantro stems together in a pan until the garlic is golden, then stir in the cumin. I found that the chrozio had enough fat it it to fry the garlic without extra oil.
- Toss in the salsa, beans, bell pepper, and tomatoes and give it a good stir. Add in extra water, then bring to a boil over high heat.
- Simmer for 10-12 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Serve warm, topped with cilantro.
I like to serve this Hearty Chorizo Chili with tortilla chips on the side because the flavor just works! You can also enjoy your chili as-is, or serve over rice. In terms of leftovers, this chili will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, and can also be frozen for up to 2 months!
If you’re looking for more vegan chili recipes, you’ll also love this Easy Vegan Chili, this Vegan White Bean Chili and this Butternut Squash Chili!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
Hearty Vegan Chorizo Chili
A thick and hearty vegan Chili packed with chorizo, black beans, salsa, and warming spices. Ready in 30 minutes with only 9 simple ingredients!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340 g) vegan chorizo
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems finely chopped and leaves divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 15-ounce (425 g) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
- 16-ounces chunky salsa (mild, medium, or hot based on preference)
- 1 28-oz (794 g) can of diced tomatoes
- Optional: tortilla chips, to serve
Instructions
- Cook the Chorizo: add the chorizo, onion, garlic, and cilantro stems to a large nonstick pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin to the pot and cook for an additional 60 seconds.
- Get Saucy: toss in the bell pepper, black beans, salsa, and diced tomatoes. Fill the salsa jar with water, give it a cook shake, and add that to the pot as well. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer.
- Simmer & Serve: simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Divide the chili into serving bowls, then top with the cilantro leaves. Serve alongside tortilla chips, or as desired. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- If you can’t find vegan chorizo near you, you can replace it with a vegan ground beef alternative and add 1-2 teaspoons of taco seasoning, to taste. You can also finely chop some mushrooms, or use cooked lentils instead!
Keywords: vegan chili, hearty vegan chili, healthy vegan chili, vegan chorizo chili, soyrizo chili, tex mex chili, vegan chili recipes
I’ve never left a comment on a recipe before, but I made this for my office’s annual chili cook off and it WON!!! People loved it. I used a medium salsa (a real Mexican brand, rather than Tostito’s or something) and it turned out really spicy. Great with sour cream and corn chips. People were generally surprised it was vegan too—the chorizo adds a great, meaty texture.
Wow that’s amazing! Congrats on the win, Abbie!
This was really good. Even my omnivore husband said I should make it again “exactly the same way”! We’re not big fans of cumin, so I reduced the cumin to 1/2 tsp. and added 11/2 tsp. chili powder. I also had some cooked from dry black beans on hand, so I used 2 c. of those instead of the canned beans. And we topped ours with Cashew Cream and cilantro, and served with corn bread and coleslaw. Yum! Thanks for the quick and easy recipe.
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Laurie! Glad you and your husband enjoyed it.
I made this with vegan meatballs instead of chorizo, half a zucchini instead of bell pepper, and added in some maple syrup to balance out the acidity. Served over rice with green onions. Very tasty! I didn’t have tortilla chips, but I bet they would make a great combo.
★★★★★
Fall is here and we like chili in the fall. We made this yesterday and will make it again. While my wife and I are not vegan or vegetarian, our diet has a lot less meat in it than it once did. Our daughter is vegan and when she is back from school we will make this again. This recipe made a lot and chili always seems filling so we froze the rest for another meal.
We happened to have some Trader Joe’s soy chorizo on hand. We don’t have a TJ’s nearby but whenever we’re there we usually stock up on tempeh and soy chorizo. We also like to buy TJ’s Cuban black beans (similar to El Ebro brand) but they have not been in stock lately. The next time we make this we may use Cuban black beans if we have them on hand. Also, we did not have a whole red pepper on hand so we used 1/2 of a red pepper and 1/2 of a yellow pepper.
I grew up always eating cornbread with chili so we made that. The cornbread we make has eggs and milk so it is not vegan. We also use cheddar cheese. This would be great without the cheese and with tortilla chips but it is just our preference to eat it how we do.
Thank you for another good but easy recipe.
★★★★★
Good for you guys and supporting your daughter!
I love this recipe. It’s very easy and flavorful. Thank you!
I almost left off tortilla chips, as I forgot I had bought them, but they are a great addition to the chili.
★★★★★
Thank you for the feedback, Cindy! Glad you loved it!
I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for a while, and this was perfect! Chili often takes soo long to simmer and cook and this was super simple, quick, and delicious! Best chili I’ve had in a while.
★★★★★
Love this recipe! Easy, delicious, hearty & makes a ton (perfect for leftovers) 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much!
Made this and was so very delish! Added some hemp hearts for a little extra protein. I am Vegan almost a year now, hubby is not but he is eating what I cook and he said was so good! Thank you! Next up will be the pumpkin curry!
★★★★★
Awesome! Love that you’re able to share meals together!d
Loved this recipe – super easy and full of flavor! Plus lots leftover to have for lunch/dinner throughout the week!
Thanks so much!
Great recipe! I had a package of TJ’s Chorizo that I needed to use up so this recipe came to me at the perfect time! It turned out amazing and smells so good while cooking! I did leave out the fresh cilantro because I didn’t have any but I have a bit of cilantro rice leftover from another recipe so I am going to serve it over that! (one note, you have adding the bell peppers to the recipe twice in the recipe!) Thanks Caitlin for another great recipe that is perfect for fall!
★★★★★
Yay! What a happy coincidence. Serving over cilantro rice sounds awesome! And thanks for heads up on the bell pepper!
Just made it!! So good. I put one can of kidney beans and one can of black beans.
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks for being one of the first to post about it! Sounds like a good combo!