“A deep smoky tasty vegan chili made with warm spices stewed in a rich delicious tomato sauce and finished off with a squeeze of lime.”
This vegan chili recipe is packed with flavour, from its smoky spice mix to its special sofrito base, it is sure to become a family staple at your dinner table. You won’t find another like this out there on the internet.
This chili has a satiating ‘meatiness’ that comes from the mix of kidney beans, baked beans and red split lentils. When complemented with the warming smoky flavours of the smoked paprika, cumin and coriander it turns into a taste sensation!
Ingredients
fried tomato purée
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
the chili
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium white onions, chopped finely
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots, chopped finely
- 2 large ribs (stalks) of celery, chopped finely
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 200g dried red split lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1L vegetable broth (alternatively 1 stock cube in 1L of water)
- 1x 400g baked beans canned, drained and rinsed
- 1x 400g kidney beans canned, drained and rinsed
- 1x 400g chopped tomatoes canned
to garnish
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- 1/8 tsp lime zest
(* 1 Tsp = 5ml, 1 Tbsp = 15 ml, 1 Cup = 250 ml)
How to make vegan chili
1. Place a frying pan over a low flame and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil has warmed, add tomato purée and fry for 3-5 minutes, or until the purée has caramelised and turned a deep velvet red. Set fried tomato purée aside.
2. Next add olive oil into a heavy bottomed pot and set over a medium flame. Once the oil has warmed, add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and 1 tsp of salt. Sauté the mix gently for 7-10 minutes, until the vegetables have sweated down and reduced in density by half.
3. Then add the smoked paprika powder, dried oregano, cumin powder, coriander powder and bay leaf. Sauté the spices for 60-90 seconds until the spices begin to release their aromas.
5. To the chili add the washed red split lentils, baked beans, kidney beans, canned chopped tomatoes, caramelised tomato purée and vegetable stock. Stir the contents and cover the pot with a lid. Turn the flame down low and allow the chili to cook on a gentle simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the lentils have become completely tender.
6. Finish the chili by adding lime juice, lime zest and chopped coriander leaves. Remove from the flame and cover with a lid until the chili is ready to serve.
Tips on making a good bowl of chili
Blend or Chop – To give the chili a pleasant and thick texture, blend the onions, carrots, celery and garlic together in a food processor. Of course if you prefer biting into deliciously soft chunks of carrot and celery, then cut your vegetable chunks a little bigger.
Caramalise the Tomato Puree – Tomato puree straight out of the tube has a tart, mineral like taste that isn’t pleasant. So caramelising the tomato puree will concentrate the natural sugars in the paste and give the chilli a deeper and more complex flavour. Tomato paste is full of glutamates, which naturally enhance a dish’s umami, or savoury quality.
Mash the Chili – Once the chilli has been cooked, mashing half the contents gives the chilli a delicious and comforting creamy texture that will fool you into thinking it has been stewing for hours on end.
How to serve your vegan chili
You can serve your Chili with a number of different toppings. Here’s a full list of options:
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Sour cream or crème fraîche
- Sliced or diced avocado
- Tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
Alternatively, you could just have the chili on its own! The addition of lentils and beans makes this chili a hearty meal that is nutritious and satisfying.
Similar dishes that you could try
Is this recipe making you hungry? If so, check out some of these other vegan recipes too!
Flaky Beetroot and Potato Samosa
Comforting Winter Vegetable Curry
Vegan Green Lentil and Spinach Curry
Roasted Pumpkin and Curry Soup
Storing Suggestions
You can refrigerate your Tasty Vegan Chili in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Similarly, if you’re thinking of freezing the chili, when properly stored it will keep well for 3 months.
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Tasty Vegan Chili
Ingredients
FRIED TOMATO PURÉE
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
THE CHILI
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium white onions (chopped finely)
- 3 garlic cloves (chopped finely)
- 2 medium carrots (chopped finely)
- 2 large ribs (stalks) of celery (chopped finely)
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 200 g dried red split lentils (rinsed and drained)
- 1 L vegetable broth (alternatively 1 stock cube in 1L of water)
- 1x 400 g baked beans canned (drained and rinsed)
- 1x 400 g kidney beans canned (drained and rinsed)
- 1x 400 g chopped tomatoes canned
TO GARNISH
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- 1/8 tsp lime zest
Instructions
- Place a frying pan over a low flame and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil has warmed, add tomato purée and fry for 3-5 minutes, or until the purée has caramelised and turned a deep velvet red. Set fried tomato purée aside.
- Next add olive oil into a heavy bottomed pot and set over a medium flame. Once the oil has warmed, add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and 1 tsp of salt. Sauté the mix gently for 7-10 minutes, until the vegetables have sweated down and reduced in density by half.
- Then add the smoked paprika powder, dried oregano, cumin powder, coriander powder and bay leaf. Sauté the spices for 60-90 seconds until the spices begin to release their aromas.
- To the chili add the washed red split lentils, baked beans, kidney beans, canned chopped tomatoes, caramelised tomato purée and vegetable stock. Stir the contents and cover the pot with a lid. Turn the flame down low and allow the chili to cook on a gentle simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the lentils have become completely tender.
- Finish the chili by adding lime juice, lime zest and chopped coriander leaves. Remove from the flame and cover with a lid until the chili is ready to serve.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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If you love this tasty chili, why don’t you check out our other vegetarian recipes? Like these satisfying vegan black bean and fennel meatballs.
Recipes consulted during the making of this recipe: cookie+kate’s vegetarian chili, saveur’s vegetarian chili and the hairy bikers chili con carne recipe.
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