Author: This vegan chili recipe is a plant-based twist that tastes better than meat chili!!! You read that right. This vegan chili recipe has won 1st place at a chili cook-off competing against non-vegan recipes! đ Packed with protein and fiber this award-winning vegan chili is not only perfect for game day or entertaining but also easy to make, full of good-for-you ingredients, and freezes beautifully for meal prep.
FEATURED COMMENT:
Oh my goodness! We made this for a family gathering. We have vegans and meat eaters. Everybody loved it. They scraped the pan clean. Our house smelled delicious long after it was gone. I've never been a chili fan and I loved it! It's the best I've ever tasted. Thank you for a chili recipe we all love! - Lisa
I've made my fair share of three-bean vegan chilis in the past, and while they're good, they never quite hit the mark. So when creating this recipe, I made sure it had that meaty chewy texture that makes chili so yummy, all while keeping it 100% plant-based.
The secret? Tofu crumbles. If you're new to this technique, get ready for a delightful surprise! I developed this technique in 2015, it involves taking extra-firm tofu, crumbling it, seasoning it, and baking it until crispy. Stirring these dried tofu crumbles into your chili adds an amazing chewy, meaty texture by absorbing some of the moisture. Trust me, once you try making tofu crumbles, you'll be hooked!
Now that you've mastered the tofu technique, the next key to perfection is to season this vegan chili recipe properly. No bland chili here-this recipe ensures a burst of gorgeous spices, hearty beans, rich simmered tomatoes, and perfectly seasoned tofu for that meaty chew. Plus, it can be made gluten-free and oil-free if preferred.
This easy vegan chili isn't just delicious; it's also incredibly simple. I love having a pot simmering away on the weekend for a week-long treat. Whether you're a seasoned vegan, a curious vegetarian, or a die-hard meat lover, you're in for a treat. Enjoy it on a cozy rainy day, freeze it for later, or bring it to a potluck-this vegan chili recipe is perfect for all occasions.
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.
What is in this vegan chili recipe? Black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, tofu (for that meaty texture), and a ton of spices including chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.
What is the best secret ingredient for 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.
Can I add red or green peppers to the chili? Absolutely. Personally, I am not a fan of the texture of peppers in chili, but if you enjoy them, chop up one bell pepper and add it along with the tomatoes and beans.
Can this be made in a crockpot? Yes. Sauté the onions and garlic in your crockpot on the sauté setting. Then add the tomatoes, beans, spices and cook it on the low setting for approximately 6-8 hours or on the high setting for around 3-4 hours. Add the tofu crumbles in at the end and continue to cook for another 5 - 10 minutes.
What is chili powder? Chili powder is a spice blend commonly used in Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisines, featuring ground chili peppers, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika. It provides a warm, savory flavor with mild to moderate spiciness and is versatile in dishes like chili, tacos, and stews.
How to make the best vegan chili recipe:
For the Chili: Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent and just begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, water, and all of the spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer and continue to simmer with the lid off for 1 hour, giving it a stir every now and then. If the chili gets too thick, add water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
For the Tofu Crumbles:Â Preheat your oven to 350â (180â). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
In a large bowl, mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil. Break the tofu into a few large chunks and add them to the bowl, then us a potato masher to mash the tofu into crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in nutritional yeast mix.
Want to learn more about tofu and all the cool ways you can use it? Check out my full Tofu 101: Easy Tofu Recipes & Guide.
Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, 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 nicely browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's good because it will provide a variety of texture to the chili. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Once the chili has simmer for an hour, stir in the tofu crumbles into the chili and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. This will allow the tofu to absorb the sauce and become chewy. Serve hot with toppings of choice and a side of cornbread if desired. See notes for storage.
To make this vegan chili recipe gluten-free simply swap the soy sauce for tamari or another gluten-free alternative. To make it oil-free, check the recipe notes for instructions.
This vegan chili recipe is...
- meaty, chewy, and smoky
- filled with good-for-you ingredients
- spiced to perfection
- an award-winning recipe! đ
What to Serve With Chili:
- Easy Vegan Cornbread
- Vegan sour cream or plain vegan yogurt
- Tortilla chips or corn chips
- Vegan cheese shreds
- Chopped avocado or My Favorite Guacamole Recipe
- Chopped green onions or cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Chopped tomatoes or salsa
- Pickled or fresh jalapeno slices
- Rice or quinoa
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
The Best Vegan Chili Ever!!!
Servings: (makes 8 - 10 cups)
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Ingredients
For the Chili:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 cans (28 oz/796 ml each) diced tomatoes, (6 œ cups)
- 1 can (19 oz/ 540 ml) black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked beans)
- 1 can (19 oz/ 540 ml) kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked beans)
- 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
- Œ - œ teaspoon cayenne powder, (optional for spice)
For the Meaty Tofu Crumbles:
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 block (12 oz/ 350 g) extra-firm tofu, drained (no need to press it)
Instructions
- For the Chili: Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent and just begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, water, and all of the spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer and continue to simmer with the lid off for 1 hour, giving it a stir every now and then. If the chili gets too thick, add water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- For the Tofu Crumbles: Preheat your oven to 350â (180â). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- In a large bowl, mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil. Break the tofu into a few large chunks and add them to the bowl, then us a potato masher to mash the tofu into crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in nutritional yeast mix.
- Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, 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 nicely browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's good because it will provide a variety of texture to the chili. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Once the chili has simmer for an hour, stir in the tofu crumbles into the chili and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. This will allow the tofu to absorb the sauce and become chewy. Serve hot with toppings of choice and a side of cornbread if desired. See notes for storage.
Henry Lord says
I made a most delicious meal from this recipe tonight. It was so good I had to have seconds. There is enough for a few more meals so I can hardly wait until tomorrow's supper. I was low on chili powder and tried to purchase some yesterday from Walmart but they had absolutely none except for the Chipotle Chili Powder. It was spicy enough that I didn't need the cayenne pepper and I like spicy dishes. This is differently a meal to make again and again this ever so cold winter.
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Henry đ
Rachel says
I have been meaning to write some comments here for a while. This blog is my go-to for vegan classics. This chili is AMAZING, the longer you cook it the better. Also, be sure to include the tofu crumbles, they are the heroes in this bowl of goodness. I doubled the sugar and the salt (what can i say, iŽm a spice fiend) and topped with some homemade vegan sour cream, avocado, and shredded myokos šmozzarella" (freeze it first, then shred away!) SO good I literally have eaten this for like 4 meals straight and can not stop.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you so much, Rachel!! Thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much đ
Liza says
Can't wait to try this! Very new to vegetarian eating and I've only used tofu 3-4 times, so I'm looking for new recipes. What is the purpose of coating the tofu in nutritional yeast? Is it for flavor or does it change the texture of the tofu?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Liza, glad you're looking forward to it! The seasonings are to provide a gorgeous flavour. Trust me when I say, you will likely find it hard to resist nibbling on the crumbles before they even make it into the chili! Haha. Enjoy! đ
David says
I just made this. I've only been vegan for 10 months and if I had been told it was beef chili I would have been completely fooled! Excellent!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!!! SO happy to hear đ
Monika says
This really is the BEST vegan chili ever! I am impressed. My husband also loved it and said it could win a chili cookoff! Thank you for the recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Monika! I've actually heard from several different readers that they entered this chili into competitions and it has won! Haha đ
Patricia Knollman says
Can this recipe be frozen?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, I believe it should freeze just fine. Enjoy!
Gina Caracci says
Yes! I freeze it all the time!
Bill Fox says
Hi Sam,
I made this recipe last night and it turned out great. I never know how to handle vagueries like "stir the tofu every now and then." I'm no chef. My education is in engineering do I need things to be more concrete... so that recipes don't turn out like concrete! đ So I set the timer for 10 minutes and that worked out well.
HINT: After the first 10 minutes in the oven, I noticed that the tofu at the back of the pan had browned significantly more than the rest. So I rotated the pan 45 degrees to have the pan's longest dimension oriented left-right and pulled it a little more to the front of the oven. Every 10 minutes thereafter, when I went to stir the tofu, I also rotated the pan 90 degrees
Cheers,
Bill
Sam Turnbull says
You did exactly the right thing, Bill! Everyone has different ovens so keeping an eye on it and adjusting it so it doesn't burn is exactly right. đ
JP says
This was my second time making this recipe and... I learned from the first and doubled it up this time! It's so tasty it's a shame not to have leftovers so I definitely needed a bigger batch. I do add extra veg to mine, peppers, courgettes, and maybe frozen sweetcorn (because you can never have too much veg!) but the recipe is just great. The chewy tofu bits are just genius! They really make the chili. Thank you Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! I'm so happy it's such a favourite! I might have to make this again myself tonight... omnomnom!
Kelly says
Followed the recipe exactly and was very pleased. So flavorful. The tofu crumbles really make the dish.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you loved it so much, Kelly đ
Lisa says
Hey Sam! I just wanted to let you know that your nutrition values are off. I posted this on reddit and someone pointed it out. I ran your recipe through myfitnesspal.com and this is what I got:
Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 620mg | Potassium: 898mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 95% | Vitamin C: 28% | Calcium: 38% | Iron: 18%
Just figured I'd let you know - Love this recipe, btw.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Lisa, you're absolutely right! I ran my nutrition program again and it came up wich results like yours. Thanks for pointing that out! đ
Crystal P. says
Hi, I would love to make this for dinner tonight in my Instapot. Can someone who has had success with this in their Instapot share how long they pressure cooked it and if I need to add any liquid like veg broth/water.
Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Crystal, I don't have an Instapot so I'm afraid I can't be much help, but I hope someone is able to chime in an help you đ
Farah says
Hi Crystal, did you end up trying this recipe in your Instapot? I'd love to hear what you did and how it came out đ
Courtney says
I made this tonight in my Instant Pot. I sautéed the onion, garlic and some other veggies (celery and peppers) first, then added the spices, beans, tomatoes (only one can), 1 sweet potato and 1.5 cups of water. Pressure cooked on high for 9 min then natural release for a bit (maybe 15 min). Then added the tofu.
It turned out amazing!
Crystal Partida says
Sorry I missed your response. I did try this in the Insta Pot and sauteed the veggies and followed the rest of your recipe. I pressure cooked on high for 10 min. it came out AMAZING!!! Your recipe is outstanding!!! This is going to be a staple vegan chili in our house. Sweet potatoes sound interesting. I think I'm going to try that next time. I've been wanting to experiment with sweet potatoes since they're really good for you, but I've never really been of fan, maybe I'll like them this way. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe with us Courtney!!! <3 I look forward to the next recipe! đ
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved it!
Shannon says
I made this recipe in my Instapot; I did the first steps on sauté and when it was time to let it cook, I did about 25 min on soup. However, I think this was too long because the kidney beans had dissolved. I also like very spicy food but I think that it's too much chili powder if I'm going to cook it in the Instapot because it seems like it didn't cook out as much, and my husband could barely eat it. I think next time I'm either going to just stick to cooking it on the stovetop or reduce the chili powder a bit, or replace it with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Mary says
This recipe is magnificent!!!! So full of flavor, I added celery and frozen corn (heated in the microwave and then added to the chili). To be honest I don't think the corn really did much but I'm just on a corn kick at the moment. This is the 4th time I used tofu, made your tofu taco crumbles twice and the 3rd try at tofu was someone else's recipe which ended up in the compost. I honestly will no longer look around for tofu recipes, I'm just going to use yours! I'm just glad your recipe (both) turned out great, if I had tried someone else's first, I would not have bought tofu again. Thank you for sharing wonderful recipes!
When the chili was done, I had a quick taste, said to my husband its missing something (it wasn't I just wanted him to taste it lol) he tasted and said it needs salt, funny part is I noticed he had a small piece of tofu on his spoon which he ate. He said he would never eat tofu, I have the leftovers in containers on the kitch counter, just waiting to see if there will be a spoon in 1 later lol
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! That's awesome, Mary!! So happy you love my tofu recipes so much đ You can always adjust salt as needed. Enjoy!
Jennifer says
This chili and the tofu recipe have become a staple for me and my bf. It's our go-to easy but super yummy, last for ever, tons of left overs meal!! We make it in our big slow cooker and add some mushrooms and broccoli or whatever other veggies we happen to have! Always comes out perfect and delicious! đ
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!!! So happy you're both such a fan! đ
Catherine says
I'm not vegan but I made this for my vegan bf last night & it went down a treat. Added lots of veg and loved the texture of the tofu - never going back! Served it with a roasted sweet potato, oatly creme fraiche, vegan cheese & corriander. So yum! Thank you đ
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you loved it so much, Catherine đ
Elizabeth McManus says
Delicious! The only thing I changed was adding extra veggies.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Laura Rowe says
I'll do this tomorrow! Mmmm.
Still snowing in Ottawa. April Fools!
(Btw, snowpants was one of the smartest clothing purchases I ever made. I highly encourage them. When it's super cold, wear them inside instead of a sweater when you're working in the kitchen and don't want long sleeves etc in your way.... It works! )
Sam Turnbull says
Haha!! Love it. đ
Cara says
Making this for the 4th time since I discovered it in January! Itâs enjoyed by our family. Of 4 non vegans including semi picky kids and husband. I change it up a little each time but always use the recipeâs tofu method as itâs amazing!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy it's become a go-to recipe for you, Cara đ
Abby says
One of my all-time favorite recipes. All of your recipes are amazing. Keep up the great work!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Abby đ
Pamela says
This truly is the vegan chili I have been searching for forever! This is so delicious and the tofu crumbles have changed my world (I know it sounds a bit dramatic). My family (who are not vegan) loved this recipe so much and could not get enough. I am so glad to have found your website. So much gratitude!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! I love it!!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Pamela đ
Melissa says
This really is the best! And although I canât stand when people tweak recipes a ton I did add frozen sweet corn to it. And since Iâm lazy I added TVP instead of tofu. And of course I doubled it! The spices are spot on thank you for this recipe
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, that's awesome, Melissa! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much đ
Ashley Ortiz says
I have been meaning to try this recipe for a while now ... seeing it on Instagram and since it is national Chili day, I had to make it! The whole family loves it! Only wish I didnât wait so long to make it. Thank you Sam for yet another amazing recipe!!!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww you're most welcome, Ashely! Thrilled you loved it so much đ
Zoe says
This is now my "Go To" Chili. It is so good!
My whole family really enjoy it, along with a big chunk of cornbread. My son(16) said last night that it's his favourite meal I make. My daughter(15), who is an absolute pain it the arse to feed) actually said "Yeah!" when I announced what I was cooking for dinner...I nearly fell off of my chair!!!
Thank you! x
Zoe says
Forgot to rate.
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Love it!! So thrilled you and your family love the chili so much, Zoe đ