This healthy no bean chili recipe is a delicious gluten free, high protein, low carb dinner recipe that vegans and carnivores alike will want to grab seconds of!
So winter has always been a real doozy here. I’m sure if you’re reading this from your balcony in LA you’re probably like “WTF is this chick talking about?” but for the rest of us east coasters or Canadians, the struggle is REAL. Honestly, sometimes the only thing that gets me through the cold nights is a warm meal (sorry salad, you’re out). This is where this delicious no bean chili recipe comes into play.
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Why This Recipe Works
While a lot of vegan chili recipes rely on beans to bulk it up, this is a no bean chili recipe as I know some people aren’t a fan of beans or can’t have too much beans in their diet. So this no bean chili recipe helps hit that craving without sacrificing that thick, hearty texture.
There is so much flavour in this beanless chili. You’ll never even guess that this is vegan. It tastes even better than a traditional chili.
This recipe also makes for the best leftovers. Some recipes tastes even better when reheated and this is definitely one of them.
Key Ingredients
Flavour boosters – We’ve got garlic, cinnamon, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle in adobo, and unsweetened cocoa powder to make this the most flavourful no bean chili recipe you’ll ever have!
Vegetables – In this vegan chili, we use celery, zucchini, green bell peppers, mushrooms, and diced tomatoes. These extra vegetables really help bulk up the chili and give them that hearty and thick texture. Plus, tomatoes and bell peppers are rich in lycopene which is an amazing antioxidant.
Soy Meat – Soy meat is another ingredient to give our chili that cozy hearty feel to it. Your meat loving family or friends won’t even taste a difference!
Walnuts – Walnuts are such a heart healthy ingredient, since they have about twice as many antioxidants as other nuts, and they pack both monounsaturated fats and omega 3s. When crushed really fine, walnuts actually have a similar texture as ground beef but without the saturated fat!
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery and cook for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, and paprika and stir until fragrant, about another 2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the chipotle, tomato paste, tomatoes, water, coconut milk, soy meat, walnuts, and cocoa powder. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until thick and the vegetables are soft.
Step 4: Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top the no bean chili with avocado, radishes, and cilantro.
Expert Tips
Adding chocolate to chili might be an odd thought at first but it actually adds a lot of depth and richness to our no bean chili recipe, making it both more savoury.
This chili has 10 grams of net carbs, 28 grams of fat, and 353 calories per serving making it the perfect high protein low carb vegetarian keto recipe. If you’re looking to substitute any ingredients, keep in mind that it’ll change up the end result.
This chili tastes amazing when reheated, making it great for meal prepping. When reheating the chili, due to how thick it is, I recommend giving it a stir at the halfway mark to help the chili reheat evenly.
A heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven is my go-to for making chili in as it distributes heat evenly.
Recipe FAQs
I use avocado, radishes, and cilantro. You can also add tortilla chips, shredded (vegan) cheese, (vegan) sour cream, red onions, jalapeno peppers, and more!
You can! Simply let the no bean chili cool and then transfer to an airtight freezer safe container before freezing. When ready to eat, allow the chili to fully thaw in the fridge before reheating it in the microwave or stovetop.
You can serve chili with whatever you please! Typically chili is served with a starch, like quinoa, rice, cornbread, or tortilla chips but you can also serve it with a hearty salad such as a healthy lentil salad or tofu.
You can either make a double batch (one to enjoy now and one to enjoy throughout the week for lunch) and store the extra in meal prep containers in the fridge for the next 4 days or just make a single batch for the week!
More Recipes You May Like
If you liked this no bean chili recipe, you may like:
- HEALTHY PIZZA SOUP
- VEGAN ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH PARSNIPS
- VEGAN YELLOW BEET COCONUT CURRY SOUP
- VEGAN ROASTED FENNEL TOMATO SOUP
What’s your favourite meal for staying warm this winter?
No Bean Chili Recipe (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive Oil
- 5 stalks celery finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 peppers large chipotle in adobo minced
- 2 green bell peppers finely diced
- 2 zucchini diced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms minced in a food processor
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 2 1/2 cups soy meat crumbled
- 1 cup raw walnuts minced
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
- 2 tbsp Fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 2 tbsp Sliced radishes
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery and cook for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin and paprika and stir until fragrant, about another 2 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the chipotle, tomato paste, tomatoes, water, coconut milk, soy meat, walnuts and cocoa powder. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until thick and the vegetables are soft.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with avocado, radishes, and cilantro.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Tammi says
For a few years now, I have been making this chili for guests of an annual Christmas party. Whether vegan or omnivore, they ALWAYS praise it. Even with minor changes (eg, forgot the coconut milk, ran out of celery so added carrots), the results are top notch. Thanks for creating and sharing this!
Julie Manners says
I love it.
Jess says
So good!!
Sara says
Love this recipe, it is one of my go-to’s! I make it about every other month. Thank you so much. Is the calorie count excluding the toppings, and what is the serving size? Thanks in advance
Jenn says
Hi there,
This looks delicious! For the soy meat, did you buy tofu and add flavor to it or how did you make it? It looks darker than regular tofu so I was trying to figure out if it was tofu or prepared tofu. 🙂
Thank you!
Abbey Sharp says
You can just use any vegan imitation meat
Kenny says
I love the recipe and definitely make it again and again. Thanks for sharing it!
Tammi L. Coles says
I‘m no vegan but our household has a couple of meat—free keto meals each week. Just made this and am wholly impressed by the texture and flavor! I used celery root because that was readily available in my freezer; I used dry ground chipotle because that’s alll that ins the pantry; and even in the half batch used a whole can of tomatoes. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Tash says
One of my go-to dinners!
Chelle Thompson says
Thank you! I didn’t have all of the ingredients, so I used a regular tomato and red bell pepper. Tastes pretty good! I will definitely try again.
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks Chelle!
Becky says
Looks and sounds great. Will prep this soon and report.
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks Becky! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Mulimbiyi says
Hi Abbey,
Thanks for this recipe! It’s honestly so good but it was a little spicy and I didn’t add that much chilli powder. But the flavor combinations were like WOW in my mouth! ?
Abbey Sharp says
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Samantha says
How nice to have a meatless low carb dinner recipe! Thanks for thinking to share this, looks delicious!
Abbey Sharp says
Thanks for the rating Samantha! 🙂 Glad you liked the recipe.
Megan says
Abbey this chili tastes absolutely AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been vegan for 4 years and just decided to try Vegan Keto. This is a recipe I would make even not doing Keto! Definitely a keeper!
Abbey Sharp says
i am so glad to hear!! please leave me a star review if you can!
Megan says
Abby this chili tastes absolutely AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been vegan for 4 years and just decided to try Vegan Keto. This is a recipe I would make even not doing Keto! Definitely a keeper!