Another thing I love about this recipe is that the ingredients are very pantry friendly.
Canned beans, quinoa, veggie stock and spices can be kept in the pantry, and any corn or other veggies of choice can be frozen.
It’s so convenient and the only thing you really need that’s fresh is onion and garlic (if you’re feeling extra lazy, sometimes I even sub these for dried powders so I don’t have to chop anything!).
If you’re looking for a similar recipe, my Vegan Stuffed Peppers are stuffed with many of the same ingredients and baked to perfection!
How to Make Vegan Chili
Cooking the Base
To start making this yummy soup, start by placing the olive oil, chopped onion, garlic and pepper into a large pot over medium heat.
Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, and that’s your base!
Cooking Vegan Chili
Now add the remaining ingredients all at the same time (except for the corn).
Give it a good stir and cover.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa is soft and has cracked open.
Finally add the corn and cook another minute or two to heat through, and it’s done!
Serving Vegan Chili
This chili is delicious served plain, or you can add toppings like avocado, green onion, dairy-free sour cream, crumbled chips, dairy-free cheese or nutritional yeast for an extra cheesy flavor!
Easy and Delicious Vegan Chili Recipe
This easy soup recipe is a staple in my house, and especially during the colder winter months.
There’s nothing more warming and comforting than a fresh bowl of homemade chili!
Add olive oil, chopped onion, pepper and garlic to a large pot over medium heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Add the rest of the ingredients (except the corn), bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa is tender (you can tell it's done if you see the seed split apart too). Then add the corn and cook for a minute or two until soft.
Enjoy with toppings of choice!
Notes
*If you like your chili nice and thick, serve as is, otherwise you can add a splash of vegetable stock or water to make it more soupy.
**This chili is even better on day two and three after all the flavors have marinated together! I would eat this up by days four and five though for best taste.
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Instead of adding water to your chili, add some more flavor with chicken or beef broth, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, or even beet or wine. Each one of these options brings out different notes and levels of sweetness that will enhance your culinary creation.
Stir some puréed pumpkin into your chili just after sautéing your aromatics (onions, garlic, etc...) and before adding any liquid. This will deepen and sweeten its flavor, making it a great balance for all the chile peppers and heat.
Ideally, chili should simmer low and slow. This allows some of the liquid to evaporate and results in a thicker consistency and deeper, more complex flavor as the aromatics and spices release their superpowers.
If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.
Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.
Adding just a teaspoon or two of unsweetened cocoa powder like we do in our Instant Pot Chili (pictured above) will make your go-to recipe rich and flavorful.
Sometimes after a long simmer, your chili will taste wonderful be maybe missing one little thing you can't figure out. Try a tad bit of vinegar or a squeeze of lime! The acidity in vinegar & limes bring a good roundness to the pot and binds all the flavors together.
Chili cooks low and slow, so you need enough liquid to tenderize the meat and keep everything from drying out. That liquid should also add flavor to the chili, so use chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or beer.
This Vegan Chili is a moderately-spiced, tomato-y stew loaded with chunks of celery, onion, green bell pepper, and carrot. Spices like ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, and cayenne pepper add some body to the chili, while kidney beans and pinto beans give a hearty and creamy texture.
The best meat for chili depends on the type you're making, but professionals generally use a combination of ground chuck, brisket, short ribs, or diced tri-tip sirloin mixed with bacon and sausage to layer multiple textures and flavors.
If you don't have masa harina on hand you can use flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, or puree a can of beans. Just start with a tablespoon of the flour, cornmeal, masa harina, or cornstarch whisked with a little water, add to your chili and simmer 10 more minutes or so.
Cornmeal does an excellent job of absorbing extra liquids so adding a tablespoon of it to the chili will thicken the final dish. Mix 2 parts of cold water and 1 part of cornmeal, make it a slurry, and add this to the pot. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes after you add the slurry.
Add tomato paste: Use up to one can of tomato paste in the last hour of cooking to thicken a pot of chili. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. This is not only a thickener, but it also lends plenty of rich tomato flavor.
Although canned chili will already have some seasonings, fresh herbs and spices will add bolder flavor. You can upgrade your chili using ingredients you likely already have on your spice rack, such as chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.
The best chili meat is a combination of meats, often a mix of ground chuck, ground sirloin, brisket, diced tri-tip, and/or some bacon or sausage. Do your best to mix smaller pieces with larger pieces to stack textures and make it your own! Happy cooking!
Chili must: LOOK GOOD, SMELL GOOD and TASTE GOOD. If in a competition, it must do so lukewarm in a styrofoam cup. It also must look good on as small plastic teaspoon used for judging and tasting. Chili that doesn't win violates one or more of the three basics.
With only about 1 tablespoon per pot added toward the end of the cooking process, the vinegar will make the flavors more vibrant without overwhelming the dish with its biting tang. Through just a splash, everything becomes a little brighter, and the chili's flavors are more balanced.
Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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