Ultimate Vegan Chilli

Large pot of vegan chilli topped with chilli slices and coriander.

5 from 10 votes

This ultimate vegan chilli con carne is packed full of fresh veggies, mixed beans and lentils to create quick, easy & wholesome family feast. Most delicious Mexican classic vegan style!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, British, Mexican

Keyword Chilli Sin Carne, Vegan Chilli, vegan chilli con carne

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings generous servings

Calories 371kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Ingredients

1 large onion peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped, minced or grated
1 celery stick finely chopped
2 carrots peeled and grated
1 red pepper deseeded and roughly chopped into chunks
1 courgette (zucchini) washed and coarsely grated
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 veggie stock cube + 250 ml freshly boiled water
1 tablespoon (heaped) ground cumin
1 tablespoon (heaped) ground coriander
1 tablespoon (heaped) dried oregano
½ teaspoon chili powder see notes
1 teaspoon (heaped) smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dark, unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder optional
2 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
1 400g tin green lentils drained and rinsed
1 400g tin black beans drained and rinsed
1 400g tin mixed beans (or kidney beans) drained and rinsed
1 340g tin sweetcorn see notes
small bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped
1 lime (juice of) to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in a large lidded pan and fry chopped onions, garlic, celery and carrots until softened but not coloured approx 5-8 min.
Add chopped pepper and grated courgette (zucchini) and continue frying for another 5 minutes until vegetables soften quite substantially.
Add all dried herbs and spices (with the exception of cacao/cocoa powder) and fry for a couple of minutes until nice and fragrant.
Add chopped tomatoes and rinse the tin with a little bit of water and add that too.
Crumble in your veggie stock cube and pour in 250ml freshly boiled water. Mix well and bring to boil.
Add drained and rinsed beans and lentils, mix well, cover and let it simmer for approx 20-30 minutes, giving it a little stir every few minutes and adding a touch of stock or water (but only if it looks dry).
Add teaspoon of cacao/cocoa powder (if using) and mix it in.
Next, using stick (immersion) blender give the chilli a brief blend (few quick pushes of a button will do). This way the chilli becomes lovely and thick as if it simmered on the stove for hours.
Add tinned or frozen sweetcorn and follow with another quick blend (optional).
Season chilli to taste with salt and pepper and follow with lime juice and fresh coriander. Use as much or as little as you like.
Serve with your choice of delicious sides and toppings!

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, per portion based on 4 servings and without sides & garnishes. It should be treated as a rough guideline only.
Cacao/cocoa powder can be left out completely or substituted with a square or two of good quality dark chocolate.
Chilli powder in the US is much less potent than the one used in the UK so adjust quantities according to your taste and type of powder you're using.
Tinned sweetcorn can be substituted with frozen which can be added at the same time and cooked until defrosted/warmed through.
Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

TIPS:

Batch cook it! If you've got some room in the freezer I would encourage you to make a double batch of this comforting chilli. It's so great to have it in the freezer for those days when you don't feel like cooking.

Make it in advance for even more delicious flavour! This quick vegan chilli tastes delicious straight away but even better the following day once all the flavour had some time to mingle.

Don't skip blending or mashing! It does make this chilli so much thicker, richer and even more comforting.

Feel free to ramp up the heat! I kept this chilli pretty mild because of the kids but you can always increase the amount of chilli powder or perhaps add some fresh chillies at the start of cooking if catering for adults only. Myself and hubby tend to garnish our individual portions with slices of fresh chillies to keep us all happy!

Nutrition