Vegan Chilli "con carne" may sound like an oxymoron but thanks to soy based mince you too can make this hearty, spicy dish. Get the recipe below.
What is chilli con carne?
Chilli con carne (or chilli for short) means "chili with meat". In it's simplest form it's a mince meat stew that gets it's heat and spice from chilli peppers, sweetness from tomatoes and is bulked out with kidney beans.
The dish originates in Texas and is now well established in Tex-Mex cuisine. In the south of Texas chilli is of huge cultural importance with families having their own unique recipes and chilli cook-offs and competitions taking place!
Chilli is now enjoyed all over the world - in the UK it's often enjoyed with fluffy white rice or over a jacket potato in the cold winter months.
I didn't want to miss out on one of my favourite winter warmers just because I became vegan, so I set out to creat a vegan chilli con carne that had all the depth of flavour and meaty-ness of the usual dish without being made with traditional beef mince.
How do you make chilli con carne without meat?
To make vegan chilli con carne you meat a meat substitute. I love a three bean chilli as much as the next person but for a plant based chilli that is as close to the original as possible, fake mince is essential.
I prefer to use either a soy based mince or a mince made with pea protein as I find these are usually the most realistic in texture and flavour.
My favourite brands are:
The benefit of using a pea protein based meat substitute is that it will also be suitable for anyone who cannot eat soy based products.
The trick to getting deep flavour is using a vegan Worcestershire sauce, smoky chipotle chillies and a little miso for a real umami kick.
How to spice vegan chilli con carne
Although the dish gets its name from the chilli pepper which is an essential ingredient, it's important to add a range of spices for a more complex flavour.
Cumin, coriander, oregano, onion and garlic are all added along with chipotle chilli and red chilli flakes for heat. The result is layer upon layer of spice.
You can adjust the heat of the chilli by increasing or decreasing the amount of chilli flakes you use.
Serving with avocado or vegan sour cream is also a good way of helping to cool down a super spicy vegan chilli con carne.
The recipe
Vegan Chilli Con Carne
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g vegan mince meat
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon brown miso paste
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chilli paste
- 1-2 teaspoon hot chilli flakes to taste
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoon plain flour
- 400 ml vegan beef stock or vegetable stock
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 400 g red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoon tomato purée
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the diced onion to a large sauce pan along with the oil and a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes on a medium heat until just soft and turning translucent.
- Next add the vegan mince meat and garlic to the pan. Cook with the onions for 5 minutes, breaking up any lumps as and when they form.
- Add the miso, chipotle chilli paste, chilli flakes (depending on how hot you like your chilli), and the cumin and coriander to the pan.
- Cook for another 2 minutes to bring out the flavour of spices before adding the flour.
- Cook for another 2-3 minutes then add the stock, tinned tomatoes and kidney beans as well as the the tomato purée, vegan Worcestershire sauce, caster sugar, oregano and bay leaf.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the sauce has thickened season to taste and serve.
Nutrition
More winter warmers
If you like my Vegan Chilli Con Carne, you'll love some of these other hearty dishes which are perfect for cold winter nights. (The Vegetable Stew with Dumplings is one of my all time favourites!)
More vegan recipes
For more vegan recipes, check out the vegan recipe archive.
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