This vegan chili recipe has won 1st place at a chili cook-off competition competing against non-vegan recipes!
Bursting with gorgeous spices, the double-bean action makes for a scrumptious heartiness, the rich simmered tomatoes, and that chewy, totally addictive tofu will make this chili super meaty. That's why this is The Best Vegan Chili Ever!!!
It has been nose-nipping, fingertips feel like they're falling off, wonder why I don't own snow pants, scarf wrapped high enough to meet my hat so that I just have a wee slit to see through, kinda cold this week. That and I seem to have one of those never-ending colds that don't want to go away, no matter how much I ignore it. (I admit there are better cold remedies).
So between the two colds, all I wanted was something insanely delicious, hearty, satisfying, a big ol' pot of warm me up from the inside. And then it happened, I made The Best Vegan Chili Ever!!!
See what I mean? Don't you just want to bite that spoon!?
No really, this is serious stuff, friends. This isn't the first pot of vegan chili that I've ever made. I've cooked up many of those three-bean type chili recipes in the past, which are good, but they never feel particularly special to me. They were missing that oomph.
The secret to the best vegan chili:
Tofu. Yes, tofu. Trust me on this. The secret is that the tofu is seasoned and then dried out in the oven. Then when you stir it into the sauce, it gets this gorgeously chewy, amazing, can't-stop-eating texture.
Just with all chili recipes, this vegan chili was delicious freshly made, but it was even better the next day. The tofu stays perfectly chewy and the flavours deepen and get even more flavourful.
To make the best vegan chili ever: Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent and just begins to brown. Add the tomatoes, beans, water, and all of the spices. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and continue to simmer for 1 hour. If the chili gets too thick, just splash in more water to reach desired consistency.
In the meantime, prepare the tofu crumbles for the vegan chili. Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil together in a large bowl. Open and drain the tofu (no need to press it), then break off chunks and crumble with your fingers into the bowl. Do this with all of the tofu until you have a large bowl of crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the nutritional yeast mix.
Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for about 45 mins, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. Make sure you use extra-firm tofu (and not firm or medium tofu), as extra-firm will have the greatest yield and best texture. My go-to is Sunrise Extra-Firm Tofu.
You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of textures. Mmmmmm tofu crumbles. I can't help but eat a few right from the pan, but I seriously have to control myself as I may eat them all!
When the chili and tofu are both prepared, stir in the tofu crumbles and continue to cook the chili for another 5 minutes. This will allow the tofu to absorb the sauce and get gloriously chewy.
Serve hot with a dollop of vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of chives if desired. And don't forget a piece of the Easiest (and most delicious) Vegan Cornbread. The best vegan chili ever!!! I'm so excited, I need to make another pot ASAP.
Common Questions:
- How long does this chili last in the fridge? If kept in an air-tight container, chili can last up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Can I freeze chili? Yes, you can. As long as the chili is kept in air-tight containers, chili will last up to 2 months in the freezer.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
The Best Vegan Chili Ever!!!
Ingredients
For the Chili:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 19 oz can black beans (2 cups) , drained and rinsed
- 1 19 oz can kidney beans (2 cups), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup water (plus more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
For the Tofu:
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 350g block extra-firm tofu
Instructions
- For the Chili: Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent and just begins to brown. Add in the tomatoes, beans, water, and all of the spices. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer and continue to simmer for 1 hour. If the chili gets too thick, just splash in more water to reach desired consistency.
- For the Tofu: In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan.
- Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil together in a large bowl. Open and drain the tofu (no need to press it), then break off chunks and crumble with your fingers into the bowl. Do this with all of the tofu until you have a large bowl of crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the nutritional yeast mix.
- Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for about 45 mins, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.
- When the chili and tofu are both prepared, stir in the tofu crumbles and continue to cook the for another 5 minutes. This will allow the tofu to absorb the sauce and get gloriously chewy. Serve hot with a dollop of vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of chives if desired.
Ester says
Very excited to try this recipe. Has anyone made it using the instant pot?
Kim says
Can this be made in the crockpot?
Barbara Gilday says
I did. I was gone all day. I added the tofu for just the last few minutes. It was great.
Ruth Barnes says
Great recipe! Whether your vegan or not (we aren't), it is delicious. It was also fun to make our own protein substitute ...and see it come out so "meat like" and tasty! We'll be exploring using tofu in various other forms and dishes, so thank you for turning us on to this. As for this recipe, we used 2 cans diced and 2 cans crushed tomatoes for less tomato chunks and added 1 tea. baking cocoa for added complexity. We also added 3 - 15 oz cans of beans (1 great northern), so any way you want to "move this recipe around", it'll work fine so have fun with this. Looking forward to exploring more of Sam's recipes!
Shauna says
This chili is really good, but SUPER spicy if you use the full 2 tbsp of chili powder. I love spice, especially in chili, and am typically the person that adds hot sauce to everything. This makes my eyes tear up and would not be tolerated well by anyone who is sensitive to spice. I cut the chili powder in half and it still packs enough heat.
Eliane says
I think it really depends on what chili powder you use. The one I have is a mix of various spices, not just powdered hot chillies, so when I make this recipe it comes out just great, even my little kids can handle it. If your chili powder is 100% chillies, that would explain it! 🙂
Terri says
I don't have time to do the tofu crumbles. Can I just pan fry some Beyond Burger with the onion and add that to the bean/tomato mixture?
Ruth says
Terri, it won't matter. If you haven't already made it, go for it. This recipe is so forgiving you can use it for a base and make substitutions as you see fit. (Although it was enlightening to see how easy, and tasty the tofu turned out). Enjoy!
Mary says
Absolutely delicious! So far, this is the best vegan chili I’ve had. Thank you so much!
Sarah R. says
Made this last night - super easy and DELICIOUS! I only had crushed tomatoes, so used those instead (and just went with one can) and added some frozen corn and a can of pinto beans. This will now be a staple in our house!! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it, Sarah!
Alecia says
Merry Christmas Eve! We just finished an evening full of family, cornbread and the best vegan chili ever!! This is our go-to recipe for comfort food and an easy delicious meal that can be prepared ahead of time. I’ve made this about 10 times and it hasn’t failed me once. Thank you Sam! Happy New Year and cheers to more great vegan recipes.
Beata says
Hey Sam! Here's your best non vegan fan, lol. I'm sure you are praised for this chili over and over but I'm going to add my praise anyway! Been making this chili on repeat for I don't know, the past 2 years, and I have yet to get tired of it. It really is THE BEST CHILI EVER - and I'm soaking 4 kinds of beans right now to make your chili again in a day or so. I've been using diced tomatoes with green chilies recently to up the kick (I use 5 or 6 10 oz. cans of regular spiciness level diced tomatoes, depending on how thick I want the chili to be) and I add more chili powder as desired on any given day. I also play with the tofu seasonings as I see fit. My boyfriend LOVES this chili and ALWAYS gobbles it up (along with me!)Thank you!!! This is an absolutely perfect recipe!!!
BTW, even though I'm not vegan or vegetarian, I really prefer the taste of nutritional yeast to grated parmesan now, lol. Thank you for helping facilitate that change, too!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful! So thrilled this is your go-to Beata! And wonderful that you are including more plant-based meals in your life 🙂
Carolyn Clark says
This is delicious! I love many of your recipes because they are simple to follow and turn out well. I do think your prep times should be doubled though. The tofu crumbles are to die for. Like you wrote, it's hard to stop eating them to save to add to the chili! This is my new favorite chili! I had it over a small amount of white rice (the way we had it growing up) with a dollop of homemade cashew sour cream on top.I feel very satiated right now. Thank you!