Spicy Southwest Vegan Chili

This Spicy Southwest Vegan Chili has rich depth of flavor, complex variety of pepper flavors, and the option to make it as fiery hot or even as mild as you’d like! Hearty, delicious, and delightfully nutritious! I recommend using an Instant Pot but cooking on the stovetop works as well. Garnish with cilantro, avocado, and sliced red onions, then finish with a dollop of vegan sour cream. I love to serve this chili over a bed of rice, along with a side of tortilla chips or crusty bread for a stunning, flavorful bowl of chili!

Using dried beans in the Instant Pot

If I plan ahead, I like to use dried beans instead of canned! Everything is the same except you’ll want to soak dried beans overnight: ½ cup pinto beans, ½ cup black beans, and ½ cup red beans. When ready to cook the following day, use strainer to drain soaking water and rinse beans well. Follow directions for sautéing and adding ingredients, then seal Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 55 minutes. Allow a full natural release.

Tips for success

• Prep everything before you begin cooking! The prep takes the most time and once you start cooking, everything comes together quickly so you don’t want to be caught trying to open cans or chop ingredients frantically while other veggies are scorching in the pot. Being prepped is key here!
• Toasting spices helps release flavor. The dry heat brings the spice’s oils to the surface and intensifies the aroma and flavors of the spices. But it’s important to only toast about 30 seconds; if the spices burn, they will be bitter! Toasting whole spices is more effective, but I like to toast ground ones briefly! If you aren’t comfortable toasting spices, feel free to just skip this step.
• Canned tomato quality counts. You really can taste a difference and it’s worth spending a little more on a quality brand of canned tomato products.
• Garnishes matter. Garnishes serve two purposes: making food look more appealing which does matter since we naturally analyze our food with our eyes before eating. Food will taste better if it’s vibrant and served with a beautiful presentation versus, say, a sloppy poured bowl of brown slop. Garnishes also add a little complimenting flavor as well as a different texture to dishes. It’s worth the extra few minutes to chop a few things to garnish the finished meal with!
• For an even heartier chili, serve over a bed of rice. While the chili is cooking, I like to prepare a pot of basmati rice to serve the chili over. For 2 servings I’ll use a ½ cup dried rice and for 4 servings I use 1 cup. If you’ve never tried chili over rice, they go so well together!

Are canned beans less nutritious?

Nope! You’ll get all the same bean benefits from popping open a can! I cook beans a couple times a week but I always keep cans on hand just in case I want to make a bean-based meal spur of the moment. Fresh cooked beans are definitely more flavorful but none of the nutrients are lost during the canning process. Read the label and make sure the only ingredients are beans, water, and maybe salt. Nothing else needs to be in there! And remember to rinse canned beans in a strainer before cooking.

How spicy will this be?

You can make this as fiery or as mild as you’d like! The more seeds from the peppers you add, the hotter it will be. You can omit all the seeds if you prefer and enjoy a hearty, robust chili without the spicy kick!

Spicy Southwest Vegan Chili

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: The Wandering Veggie
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This Spicy Southwest Vegan Chili has a rich depth of flavor, a complex variety of pepper flavors, and the option to make it as fiery hot or mild as you’d like! Hearty, delicious, and delightfully nutritious!

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium-sized carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped
• 1 small jalapeño, minced (omit half or all seeds)
• 6–8 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 – 15.5 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed *if using dried beans, see notes below
• 1 – 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 heaping Tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 – 15 oz cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt (more to-taste)
• juice of 1 lime (2–3 Tbsp)

For serving (optional)

• avocado slices
• chopped cilantro
• dollop of vegan sour cream
• thinly sliced red onion
• cooked rice *see notes below

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Prep all veggies and have cans opened and ready to go. Measure out spices in a small bowl and have veggie broth measured out as well.
2. In Instant Pot, press “sauté” and heat pot (or heat large pot or stockpot on medium heat on the stovetop). Sauté onions, carrots, and celery in a drizzle of water or oil until onion becomes transparent. Stir in poblano, jalapeño, and garlic and cook another minute or two, stirring occasionally.
3. Turn Instant Pot “off” and push veggies to the side of the pot, making space in the middle. Pour in spices (2 Tbsp chili powder, 2 Tbsp cumin, 2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp rosemary, 2 tsp thyme) and “toast” spices for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently so spices don’t burn. Pour in 2 cups vegetable broth and stir thoroughly, making sure no spices are stuck to the bottom.
4. Add in 1 cup frozen corn, all the beans, 2 heaping Tbsp chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and 1 tsp salt. 
5. Seal Instant Pot. If using canned beans then cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes and allow a full natural release. If using soaked dried beans, cook on High Pressure for 55 minutes and allow a full natural release. If cooking on the stovetop with canned beans, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer and cover with a lid and cook 55-75 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. If making rice, this is a good time to start it! 
7. When chili has finished cooking, stir in lime juice. 
8. Serve with optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, vegan sour cream, sliced red onions with a side of crusty bread/tortilla chips and/or served over a bed of rice. Enjoy!

Notes

*If using dried beans, soak beans overnight: ½ cup pinto beans, ½ cup black beans, and ½ cup red beans. When ready to cook the following day, use strainer to drain soaking water and rinse beans well. Follow recipe directions for sautéing and adding ingredients, then seal Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 55 minutes. Allow a full natural release.

*Basmati rice is my favorite to serve chili over! I use ½ cup dried rice for 2 servings and 1 cup for 4 servings.

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Soup and Chili
• Method: Instant pot, stovetop
• Cuisine: American, tex-mex, southwest

If you enjoyed this Spicy Southwest Chili, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below! 🙂