Chili is a winter staple and a game-day tradition at our house. This vegan mushroom chili recipe is simple and made from only vegetables in a rich and delicious broth. Make it in the crockpot, on the stove, or in the Instant Pot.
The Power of the Mushroom
Although mushrooms are considered a vegetable, they are a fungus. Mushrooms are a low-calorie food and pack a nutritional punch. I call mushrooms vegan meat because they can be used in so many recipes. Try a Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger, or turn portobello mushrooms into mushroom fries! Or stuff mushrooms with various fillings. Make a delicious Hungarian mushroom soup, or an elegant Vegan Mushroom Wellington.
Any way you prepare them, mushrooms are superstars!
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Chili cook-off competitions exist because there are unlimited ways to make a fabulous recipe. As many of you know, I make various vegan chili recipes, each with its magic ingredients. And each chili recipe tastes different. Mushrooms in chili are vegan meat! Therefore, this time, I was competing against myself to make the best mushroom chili recipe I could dream up.
Vegan Mushroom Chili Ingredients
- Mushrooms: Mushrooms are the vegan meat and the foundation for this chili recipe.
- Onion: Yellow onion is sweet and flavorful when combined with the other ingredients.
- Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic whenever possible.
- Celery: Celery is fresh and provides a bright crunchiness to the chili.
- Carrots: Carrots add crunch as well as sweetness.
- Red Bell Pepper: Red bell peppers are sweet and vibrant in color.
- Jalapeños: Be sure to remove the seeds and veins from them jalapeños, eliminating most of their spicy element. If you like it spicy, add some seeds to the chill.
- Vegetable Broth: I use sugar-free, low-sodium vegetable broth I buy in bulk at Costco.
- Crushed Tomatoes: I used canned crushed tomatoes.
- Rotel Tomatoes: Rotel makes different spicy tomatoes; I chose the ones with green chilies.
- Tomato Paste: Tomato paste thickens the chili and gives it more richness.
- Vegan Worcestershire Sauce: I like Wizards vegan Worcestershire sauce
- Chili Seasoning Packet: I took a shortcut and bought a vegan chili seasoning packet.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is the magical ingredient that makes the chili broth rich and decadent.
- Corn (Optional): I added corn this time; I prefer fresh organic corn from the market. I add it when I can find corn or leave it out if I can't find corn.
- Pinto Beans: Pinto beans are meaty, firm, and nutty in flavor.
- Dark Red Kidney Beans: Dark red kidney beans are large and firm in texture and meaty,
Vegan Mushroom Chili Ingredient Substitutions
- You can use any mushrooms you prefer or a combination of mushrooms.
- White or red onion substitutes yellow onion in recipes.
- Serrano peppers are less spicy if you want a milder option.
- Make your own chili seasoning blend.
- Choose any veggies you like or omit the ones you don't like.
- Any beans or combination of beans work well.
- Instead of unsweetened cocoa powder, try coffee as an alternative.
How to Make Delicious, Rich Mushroom Chili
- First, chop the mushrooms into small pieces using a food processor, vegetable chopper, or knife.
- Then, dice the onions, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, and jalapeños.
Cooking Options
My favorite vegan chili recipes are the recipes with different cooking options to accommodate any lifestyle.
Crockpot/Slow Cooker
- Add all the ingredients to the base of the crockpot.
- Stir to combine.
- Place the top on the crockpot.
- Set it low for 6-8 hours or high for 3.5-5 hours.
- Stir and garnish with cilantro, vegan sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapeños.
Instant Pot
- Heat Instant Pot to saute.
- Stir in onion, garlic, celery, carrot, jalapeno, and red bell pepper.
- Wait until the onion is soft (3-4 minutes).
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Chili/Beans setting and place the lid on the pot.
- Lock the lid.
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- Release the pressure either manually or allow it to release naturally.
- Garnish with cilantro, vegan sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapeno slices.
Stovetop
- In a large soup pot, saute the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent.
- Add the celery, carrot, red bell pepper and jalapeno.
- Cook for a few minutes.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and stir to combine. Allow the mushrooms to cook for a few minutes and release some moisture.
- Now add the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Top with garnishes: cilantro, vegan sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapeno slices.
Serving Suggestions
- I love to serve chili with cornbread.
- Serve with a Mexican Salad or Mexican Quinoa Salad.
- Or serve with pita chips and Mango Salsa or Tomatillo Salsa!
- More suggested garnished are avocado slices or guacamole.
- Some people enjoy vegan cheese or a drizzle of vegan nacho cheese sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Use 8 ounces of mushrooms to replace 1 pound of meat for meatballs and burgers or up to a 1-to-1 ratio for a casserole or sauce. Finely chopping the mushrooms is the key. A knife works, but a food processor is helpful if you have one. Cook mushrooms before eating.
Pretty much any edible, tasty mushroom will work. Cremini and Portobello mushrooms are often used as meat replacements, but that's because they're relatively cheap and not hard to come by.
Mushrooms are a low-carb, practically no-fat food with some protein. One serving is about a cup raw (a fist-sized amount) or ½ cup cooked. Though they're small and light in calories—one serving only has about 15—they're mighty in other ways.
Tips
- I love freezing extra chili in Souper Cubes. These convenient trays freeze soups and chili into 1-cup servings. The silicone makes single servings easy to pop out to thaw and cook.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- The chili will stay fresh for 5 days refrigerated.
- For spicy chili, add a few of the jalapeno seeds back into the pot of chili.
- Include more veggies such as zucchini and yellow summer squash.
- For a soupy chili, add more vegetable broth. For a thicker chili, add less vegetable broth.
Try this fabulous meaty vegan mushroom chili recipe! You will love the flavors!
Tasty Vegan Comfort Food
If you love this vegan mushroom chili recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to har from you!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Mushroom Chili
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 white onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeno deseeded, veins removed, diced
- 1 pound mushrooms diced
- 1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1 15 ounce can pinto beans drained
- 1 15 ounce can dark kidney beans drained
- 1 package vegan chili seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup corn (optional) canned, frozen, or fresh
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
Garnishes (Optional)
- vegan sour cream
- cilantro
- chopped tomatoes
- jalapeno slices
- vegan shredded cheese
- vegan nacho cheese sauce
Instructions
Crockpot/Slow Cooker
- Add all the ingredients to the base of the crockpot.
- Stir to combine.
- Place the top on the crockpot.
- Set it low for 6-8 hours or high for 3.5-5 hours.
- Stir and garnish with cilantro, vegan sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapeno slices.
Instant Pot
- Heat Instant Pot to saute.
- Stir in onion, garlic, celery, carrot, jalapeno, and red bell pepper.
- Cook until onion is soft (3-4 minutes).
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Chili/Beans setting and place the lid on the pot.
- Lock the lid.
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- Release the pressure either manually or allow it to release naturally.
- Stir and garnish with cilantro, vegan sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapeno slice
Stove Top
- In a large soup pot, saute the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent.
- Add the celery, carrot, red bell pepper and jalapeno.
- Cook for a few minutes.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and stir to combine. Allow the mushrooms to cook for a few minutes and release some moisture.
- Now add the remaining ingredients.
- Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir and garnish with cilantro, vegan sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapeno slice
Video
Notes
- I love freezing extra chili in Souper Cubes. These convenient trays freeze soups and chili into 1-cup servings. The silicone makes single servings easy to pop out to thaw and cook.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- The chili will stay fresh for 5 days refrigerated.
- For spicy chili, add a few of the jalapeno seeds back into the pot of chili.
- Include more veggies such as zucchini and yellow summer squash.
- For a soupy chili, add more vegetable broth. For a thicker chili, add less vegetable broth.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Kimbers
I made this last night and it is scrumptious! So rich and filling. This will become a staple in the coming winter months.
*Thanks for the tip on Souper Cubes too! I ordered a set and can hardly wait until it gets here!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kimbers, we love Souper Cubes for everything. They are the perfect size for single servings. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chili! Thanks for the feedback.
Carol
Recipe sounds fantastic! However, not sure how you came up with only39 calories a serving. I put all the ingredients into My Fitness pal and it showed 177 calories a serving.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Carol, the automatic calculator on the word press blog calculates it, so it is an estimate based on the ingredients included.
Diane
Love this chili. Hearty and filling! Thank you!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Diane, I'm so glad you enjoyed the mushroom chili. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Kristine Newman
Best chili. Loved it!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kristine, I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate it 🙂
Patti
Hi Kathy,
My daughter and her friend made this last night with a few minor changes - added sweet potato and skipped the corn. We used portobello and shiitake mushrooms. It was fabulous. It’s not summer any longer in Michigan.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Patti, I'm so glad they liked the chili. Those are great substitutes! I love sweet potato in chili. My sister lives in Holland, Michigan and said it was beautiful yesterday! I miss those gorgeous fall colors.
Christina D
This hit the spot for me! Long time subscriber, first time commenting. Thank you sooooo much! Your recipes are awesome and very helpful! I love how the chili is easy and super quick and tasty!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Christina, I'm so glad you enjoyed the vegan mushroom chili. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.
Stacey
Just made this and it is fantastic! Easy and quick to put together. The hardest part was waiting for it to cool down so we could eat it. I can only imagine how much better it will be tomorrow after flavor has had a chance to develop even more. I will definitely be adding this into the meal rotation. Thanks for the recipe Kathy!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Stacy! YAY! I'm so happy to hear you liked the mushroom chili. Yes, it will be even tastier the next day. I planned to freeze the extra, but it didn't last long enough to reach the freezer. Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to comment on and rate the recipe.
Lorraine
What is package of vegan chilli seasoning
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Lorraine, it's similar to the envelope of taco seasoning. Instead of making my own, I opted for a package of already-made vegan chili seasoning packets. Feel free to make your own if you like.
Shellie
We're having this tonight. I have homemade chili seasoning I'll be using. I'm just not sure how much equals one of the chili seasoning packets. Can you help with that please?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shelly 4 Tablespoons! Or 1.5 ounces. I hope you enjoy the chili.
Shellie
Fantastic recipe, Kathy. We loved it. I'll be making it again later this week.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shellie, I'm so glad you liked the chili. Thank you for taking the time to review the recipe and comment. I appreciate the feedback.
marcia siegel
you left the worchester sauce out of your recipee
Kathy Carmichael
Oops. sorry. 2 Tablewspoooons