Bursting full of umami flavor that gives you that meaty satisfaction, full of spices and beans, this has got to be the best vegetarian chili ever! We love making this when we have friends to visit, serving a big bowl of chili, rice, and nachos, it’s perfect!
Why you’ll love this vegan chili recipe
Serve our chili with rice, nachos, sour cream and chives, and even sliced avocado, however you like it, it’s a real treat to eat.
This tasty chili recipe is outrageously good!
The flavor is incredible and what’s even better is that it’s also vegan if you use vegan chocolate!
We have served this to the most hardened of meat-eaters and even they have to admit that it’s one of the best chilies they’ve ever had.
Trust us. You’ll love it.
What can I put in chili instead of meat to make it tasty?
If you are looking to make a meat-free chili, then we have got a great alternative for you.
We use mushrooms as they have a wonderful umami taste, which is a meaty flavor.
These mushrooms do a wonderful job of replacing meat in our chili.
What is the best secret ingredient for chili?
You’re going to love this. A lot.
Our secret ingredient in chili is chocolate.
Yes, that’s right – chocolate.
Why do we put chocolate in our chili recipe?
Chocolate helps to reduce the acidity of the tomatoes and also the peppers.
Not only that, but it also gives the chili a wonderfully dark color and a far richer, deeper flavor.
How can I thicken my chili?
If you find that you have too much liquid in your chili, then try adding tomato paste, this will help thicken it up.
Do you simmer chili with the lid on or off?
You always simmer the chili with the lid off. This will help reduce the liquid.
The flavor of chili develops and tastes better the longer you can gently simmer it.
You can make this tasty vegetarian chili recipe a day ahead and the flavor will be fantastic!
Does celery go in chili?
Celery definitely does go in chili.
The crunchy texture that it brings to the dish is delicious.
What do I serve with vegetarian chili?
You can serve chili with rice, the traditional pairing that works very well.
Add a good dollop of sour cream and chives to your homemade vegetarian chili to cool the heat down.
You can also serve it with nachos.
Some people even serve it over a bed of mashed potato!
Leftover chili makes the perfect topping for a baked potato or a sweet baked potato.
Serve it with whatever makes you happy – there are no hard and fast rules.
More vegetarian recipes for you to try
If you like our veggie chili recipe, then you should give these recipes a try!
How do you make a tasty vegetarian chili from scratch?
Making our vegetarian/vegan chili is really easy. It’s most certainly worth the effort.
This vegetarian chili is so good, you won’t even miss the meat
Utensils
Ingredients
- 14 oz Mushrooms finely minced
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Pepper
- Olive oil
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Red onions diced
- 2 Red chilies seeds removed and sliced
- 4 tbsp Cilantro leaves separated from stalks
- 1 Red bell pepper stalk and seeds removed and diced
- 2 Sticks Celery cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup Red wine
- 28 oz Chopped tomatoes
- 14 oz Kidney beans
- 14 oz Black beans
- 3 tsp Dark chocolate
- 2 tsp Maple syrup
For the spice mix
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 2 Bay leaves
Instructions
- First, make your spice mix, place all the spices in a small bowl and mix to combine, then set aside1 tsp Chilli powder, 1 tsp Ground cumin, 1 tsp Smoked paprika, ½ tsp Cinnamon, ½ tsp Oregano, ½ tsp Salt, ½ tsp Pepper, 2 Bay leaves
- Ensure your mushrooms are clean and then put them into your food processor and blitz them until they are quite finely minced. You can do it by hand if you'd prefer, but this really does save a lot of time14 oz Mushrooms
- Add olive oil to your frying pan and make sure it gets nice and hot. Add your minced mushrooms, salt and pepper, and cook them for around 5 minutes. Transfer them into a bowl, you'll notice that there's an amount of liquid from your mushrooms – that's fine. Leave them to stand while you carry on with your prep.1 tbsp Olive oil, 1 pinch Salt, 1 pinch Pepper
- Add oil to your pan or Dutch oven and when it's hot add in garlic, onions and chilies, and coriander stalks (not the leaves). Cook for approximately 8 minutes and keep stirring.Olive oil, 4 cloves Garlic, 2 Red onions, 2 Red chilies, 4 tbsp Cilantro
- Now add your red pepper and celery to the pan and keep stirring. Now add the spice mix and stir so all of the vegetables are well covered. Stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and red wine. Turn the heat up quite high and you'll need to keep stirring until the liquid reduces by approximately two-thirds.1 Red bell pepper, 2 Sticks Celery, 1 tbsp Tomato paste, 2 tsp Soy sauce, 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar, 1 cup Red wine
- Add your chopped tomatoes and stir, simmer for 5 minutes. Add your kidney beans, black beans, mushrooms, chocolate, maple syrup, and stir.28 oz Chopped tomatoes, 14 oz Kidney beans, 14 oz Black beans, 3 tsp Dark chocolate, 2 tsp Maple syrup
- Simmer for at least 15 minutes, if you have time then leave it for longer as the flavors will really develop, you can always add a small amount of water if you need to, When ready to serve, remove both of the bay leaves. Stir in the coriander leaves.
- Serve immediately and garnish with coriander leaves and slices of fresh red chili. Phenomenal – enjoy!
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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Gretchen says
Could I make this in a slow cooker?
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
Apologies, we’ve just seen your question. I’m afraid we don’t use a slow cooker so can’t be sure. As soon as we find out, we’ll let you know.