Ultimate Vegan Chili

January 20, 2020

Wow, is this the BEST vegan chili! It’s bursting with flavor and is totally plant based. Dollop with vegan sour cream and load with toppings!

Looking for delicious, filling plant based recipes? This vegan chili is for you. Yep, this one is our best chili recipe yet and it’s totally plant based! Alex and I love finding ways to make vegetables delicious that go over well no matter what your personality or diet choices. And this chili is that: it’s hard to find someone who will turn it down! It’s full of savory flavor starring beans, quinoa, and a hint of adobo sauce for complexity. Top it with our vegan sour cream and some pickled jalapenos and well: it’s out of this world good.

What are the secrets to the best vegan chili?

Good question. Alex and I have been making vegan chili recipes for quite a while. Actually, many of the chili recipes on this website are vegan, though they don’t say it! Our Vegetarian Chili is vegan, but we like to top it with cheese. Our Sweet Potato Chili and Mango Black Bean Chili, and even our Quinoa Chili are also vegan. But we wanted to create a Classic BEST EVER Vegan Chili that would outshine them all. And then load it up with all the vegan chili toppings.

Here are the secrets to this best vegan chili:

Secret veggie blend. You’ll blend together tomatoes with parsley, carrot, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and adobo sauce to create the body for this sauce. Oddly enough, it was inspired by a chili we had once with V8 in it. But we wanted to make an all-natural version!
Adobo sauce! Adobo sauce adds smoky, tangy complexity to this chili that cannot be substituted! See the section below for more on this magic sauce.
Vegan sour cream. It’s just a topping, but it truly makes for that classic chili experience.

What is adobo sauce?

Adobo sauce is our secret weapon to add meaty, smoky flavor to our vegetarian and vegan recipes. Chipotles in adobo sauce are sold in most major grocery stores here in the US, available in the Mexican products section. The can includes two things:

Chipotle chiles: smoked and dried jalapeños that then are rehydrated and canned
Adobo sauce, a puree of tomato, vinegar, garlic, and some other spices.

Most of our recipes use only a small amount of the adobo sauce because the chiles are super potent! You can freeze the remainder of the chipotle chiles and adobo sauce for future use.

Serve with vegan sour cream!

Sour cream is our favorite chili topping. So for this vegan chili, we went the extra mile and created a Vegan Sour Cream for dolloping! Oddly enough, it has a texture and richness just like the real thing! It’s impossibly creamy, but only has a few ingredients: cashews, tofu, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Blend them up, and it comes together into something so sour-cream like, you’ll want to dollop it on everything!

Pickled jalapenos add a zing! (Or use pickled onions.)

The other topping that’s key here is the pickled jalapenos! Our Homemade Pickled Jalapeños are perfect, and only take 10 minutes to make. Or, you can use store-bought. Why are they important They add just the right tangy flavor and back-end heat. If you can’t handle spicy foods, no problem! Our Quick Pickled Onions also add that signature tang without the heat. They’re quick to make, too. That said…let’s talk toppings!

10 best vegan chili toppings

One of the best things about chili is the toppings, right? With a vegan chili, you have to get creative without the use cheese and sour cream. Here are all the best ways to top a vegan chili:

Vegan Sour Cream It’s rich and creamy, with just the right texture! A must make.
Chopped chives or green onions: A classic!
Pickled Jalapeños Adds a spicy, tangy kick.
Easy Quick Pickled Onions Bright pink slivers add color and zingy flavor.
Roasted salted pepitas: Add a salty crunch.
Vegan Nacho Cheese Brings a gooey, cheesy essence
Thinly sliced radishes: Add a peppery bite.
Diced avocado: Brings richness and makes it more filling
Cilantro: Adds a bright green color and freshness
Crushed tortilla chips: For a crunch!

What to serve with vegan chili

There’s one side dish that everyone thinks of when it comes to chili! (Yep, it’s our number one too.) But there are many more sides that go with chili. Here’s what we’d accessorize with it, vegan style:

Easy Vegan Cornbread You may not have thought cornbread was life changing…until now. This tender, moist vegan cornbread tastes the Jiffy box, but 100 times tastier.
Best Tossed Salad Colorful and fresh, this salad features colorful veggies, crunchy homemade croutons, and a variety of salad dressing options. Try it with our Vegan Ranch Dressing or Creamy Avocado Dressing.
Fennel Orange Salad Here’s a refreshing and easy side dish: fennel orange salad! It pairs juicy orange and the subtle licorice essence of fennel with a citrus vinaigrette.

This vegan chili recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant based, dairy free and gluten free.