I love to make chili in the winter. I haven’t made chili in a long time, so I decided to try something totally different. The other chili recipe I love is a healthy crockpot chili using ground turkey. This vegan chili recipe using chorizo, which gives it a great rich and slightly spicy flavor.
Replacements for Soy Chorizo
If you can’t find soy chorizo, you can replace it with another vegan option. You can use any soy replacements, such as soy crumbles, which mimic more of a beef or ground meat flavor. You could also use soy chicken, if you like the texture of chicken chili.
Other Ingredients To Add To Your Vegan Chili
The original recipe I found included bell peppers and jalapeño pepper. I didn’t have either of those on hand, so I decided to use a can of green chiles. If you prefer fresh veggies, then you could definitely add in bell peppers and jalapeños for that fresh crunch. This recipe calls for sweet potatoes, but if you don’t like sweet potatoes, you could leave them out. I really liked the added sweetness against the spicy chorizo.
Toppings for Your Vegan Chili
To keep it a vegan chili recipe, you definitely will want to look for vegan cheese or sour cream, if you want that creamy texture. I added avocado for that creaminess along with a little bit of vegan cheese.
Easy Vegan Chili Recipe
Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 4oz. can of green chilies
1 tablespoon ground cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
12 ounces soy chorizo (I used Trader Joe’s®)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 (14.5 ounces) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juice
2 (16 ounces) cans tri-bean blend, drained
1 (14 ounces) can vegetable stock
1 large sweet potato (or two small), peeled and diced
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add green chilies, garlic, cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, and adobo sauce and stir.
Add soy chorizo to the pan and break it up with a spatula or spoon until crumbled. Add beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and sweet potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soften, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Serve this vegan chili with toppings of your choice (I used avocado and vegan cheese), vegan crackers or vegan corn bread.