8 Homemade Vegan Chili Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making good chili? ›

Only Add Flavorful Liquids

Instead of adding water to your chili, add some more flavor with chicken or beef broth, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, or even beet or wine. Each one of these options brings out different notes and levels of sweetness that will enhance your culinary creation.

This Vegan Chili is a moderately-spiced, tomato-y stew loaded with chunks of celery, onion, green bell pepper, and carrot. Spices like ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, and cayenne pepper add some body to the chili, while kidney beans and pinto beans give a hearty and creamy texture.

How Long Does Vegan Chili Last? If you want to make a large batch of vegan chili for meal prep, you can store it in the fridge for three to five days or freeze it in jars for two to three months, making sure to leave at least an inch of headspace in each jar. Defrost vegan chili in the refrigerator overnight.

Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.

Cooking is often about finding a balance between these basic taste sensations, which is why apple cider vinegar can be exactly what you need to make your pot of chili a little brighter. Acids enhance the salty, umami-rich flavors already present in chili, and round out the sweetness, adding intricacy to the dish.

You can use polenta, arrowroot powder (a gluten-free vegetable root flour), or masa harina as a thickening agent if you don't have cornmeal. In Latin American cooking, chefs use masa harina—a type of cornflour—to make tamales and tortillas.

Many brands, including Cholula, Frank's RedHot, Tabasco, Tapatío, and most Sriracha brands are vegan.

The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.

Sometimes after a long simmer, your chili will taste wonderful be maybe missing one little thing you can't figure out. Try a tad bit of vinegar or a squeeze of lime! The acidity in vinegar & limes bring a good roundness to the pot and binds all the flavors together.

What to add when chili is missing something? ›

Stirred into the pot right before serving, a spoonful of vinegar brightens up the finished product, and gives it that full, rounded taste that was missing. Even if the chili recipe you're using doesn't call for vinegar, go ahead and add it anyway.

What is the best meat for chili? The best meat for chili depends on the type you're making, but professionals generally use a combination of ground chuck, brisket, short ribs, or diced tri-tip sirloin mixed with bacon and sausage to layer multiple textures and flavors.

Keep the chili in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the chili in a pot over low heat, stirring often.

For an extra tangy, rich bite, incorporate a dollop (or five) into your batch. This is already common practice in many white chili recipes (which, ironically, are often made with green chiles), but a dollop of stirred-in sour cream can benefit red chili, as well.

Though it may be an unusual choice, coffee adds an earthy richness to the existing flavors and plays well with spices like cumin and cayenne pepper. Plus, it's a flexible ingredient – while we typically reach for instant espresso powder, you can also add in brewed coffee, making this dish the perfect use for leftovers.

Oregano is an important herb in chilli con carne. The oregano that you'll most commonly find is the Mediterranean kind, commonly found in Greek and Italian cooking.

The best chili meat is a combination of meats, often a mix of ground chuck, ground sirloin, brisket, diced tri-tip, and/or some bacon or sausage. Do your best to mix smaller pieces with larger pieces to stack textures and make it your own! Happy cooking!