Equipment
- stove, dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil, water, or veg broth for sautéing
- 8 oz tempeh
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 small sweet potato, cut into small cubes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large orange bell pepper, diced
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt and pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire powder
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- 7 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (more or less for desired spice - these babies are hot!)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp unsweetened raw cacao powder
- 14 oz can kidney or black beans, drained
- 14 oz can pinto beans, drained
- 1 cup yellow sweet corn
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
To Serve Ingredients
- 6 almond flour or corn tortillas, cut into 1/4" strips
- ½ cup plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt or sour cream
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
Method
- Place the tempeh and walnuts in a food processor and pulse 8-10 times until finely crumbled (similar texture to ground meat). Preheat the oven to 350.
- Heat oil, water or broth in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in tempeh and walnuts and sauté for 4-5 minutes until golden on the edges. Add in the sweet potato and a generous splash of water or broth. Cover, reduce heat to low and steam for 5 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 more minutes until the onions are tender, adding more water or broth as needed to deglaze. Add in the peppers and cook for 2 more minutes before adding in the spices and tomato paste, stirring until spices are fragrant for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the tomatoes, broth, adobo peppers, maple syrup, cacao powder and coconut aminos and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in beans and corn and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
- While chili is cooking, spread the tortilla strips on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking frequently towards the end, until they become golden and crisp.
- Taste the chili and adjust to your liking, adding the chili garlic sauce if desired for some extra spice. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro and heat through.
- Serve hot topped with yogurt, avocado, tortilla strips and green onion!
*Macros are provided as an estimate for convenience. Your final numbers will vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and how you portion the recipe.
10 Responses
Omg! I just made this for Super Bowl tonight and had to sample as it smelled SO good and it is delicious! A must try and repeat, repeat, repeat! Dinner for the week!
So thrilled you enjoyed it, Julie! Happy Super Bowl!
Hello,
I wish I liked the taste of tempeh. Can I substitute with tofu, or leave it out or do you really not taste it it if I leave it in? I’m imagining you can’t taste it when it’s cooked with all these other amazing flavors…
Thank you!
Hi Gina! I think you would really enjoy it in this recipe. The tempeh absorbs the bold flavors of the chili very nicely. If you’d like, you can leave it out entirely or replace with tofu, but tofu would not be as meaty or hearty.
Just made this chili recipe for supper tonight and it is was delicious! My husband scraped his bowl after he had seconds! We will be adding this one to our regular food rotation!
It’s a great one to have on rotation! I absolutely make it more times than I can admit and it freezes amazingly! Thanks Julie
Made this tonight and the whole family loved it! I’ve been searching for the perfect chili recipe for a while now and I’m pretty sure I found it!
Love that this is the one for you and the family! Thanks for trying the best vegan chili!
I made your chili recipe today and it is the best chili I’ve ever made! I will now try more of your recipes. Thanks!!
I’m so glad you liked it! Let me know what else you try 🙂 Thanks Sandy!