Vegan Mushroom Chili Sin Carne

Slightly sweet, smoky, and bold – just exactly how I love my chili. This chili will give you the textures and flavors of your traditional chili con carne, but without the meat. We’re going sin carne here. 

Besides, a little challenge never hurt anyone at Plant Based And Broke. 😉 

To achieve a chewy, robust, meaty texture in our vegan mushroom chili sin carne, we will be pan-frying the tofu over high heat. Additionally, we’ll be cooking up our chopped mushrooms until the liquid has been cooked off and it darkens to a deep golden brown. Because, you know, maillard reaction makes everything taste better. 

Feel free to adjust this recipe to your liking. Just remember the basics: 

• To balance out the acidity, use a pinch of sugar. 
• To bring out a umami flavor, add soy sauce, mushroom umami seasonings, or salt-based seasonings. 
• To thicken up the chili, add a dash of all-purpose flour. 
• Taste throughout the cooking process. 
• Get familiar with dry, pantry seasonings and how they can better serve your tastebuds. 

To complete this dish, I used Tofutti’s vegan sour cream and boxed cornbread mix (because I am very lazy and I just didn’t want to make that from scratch). 

Just keep in mind that some boxed cornbreads have lard or animal-based products. Check the ingredients label.

Btw: if you’re wondering on how you can make boxed cornbread without dairy or eggs – just use dairy-free milk and leave out the eggs. That’s it. I just added a bit more melted vegan butter to the batter to introduce more moisture and flavor. 

Ready to eat the entire pot of chili? Good. Catch up. Because I already finished mine. 

Vegan Mushroom Chili Sin Carne Recipe 

Recipe Notes:

1. Be sure to use regular firm tofu. Silken tofu will not work for this recipe. 
2. Common white mushrooms were used in this recipe, but brown mushrooms will work too. 
3. I chopped everything up by hand, but if you’re fancier than I am, use that food processor. 

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz white common mushrooms, chopped 
• 1 package firm tofu, drained + pressed 
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained + rinsed 
• 1 can white kidney beans, drained + rinsed 
• 1 tablespoon chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder 
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped 
• Mushroom umami seasoning 
• ¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar (optional to bring out more depth in flavor) 
• ¼ teaspoon sugar (optional to balance out acidity from tomatoes)
• Oil 
• Salt 
• 4 cups water

Directions: 

1. First, add 1 teaspoon of oil to a non-stick pan. Set temperature to high. 
2. Then, crumble the tofu and it to the pan. 
3. Add a dash of salt + cook  until water has been cooked off and there are golden bits. Set aside aside once done. 
4. In the same pan, lower temperature to medium. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and chopped mushroom.
5. Cook mushrooms until liquid has been cooked off and has browned. Remove from pan and set aside. 
6. Switch out the pan for a large pot or a dutch oven. 
7. Add a teaspoon of oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook until nearly translucent and tender. 
8. Next, add the dry seasonings to the pan (chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, 1 teaspoon of mushroom umami seasoning). 
9. Mix together and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
10. Throw in the roasted tomatoes and mix everything together. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
11. Pour in the red kidney beans and white kidney beans.
12. Add 4 cups of water and increase heat. Once at a boil, lower heat to simmer. 
13. Optional: add red wine vinegar and more salt to taste.
14. Finally, add the cooked tofu and mushroom. Simmer the chili for 1 hour with the lid slightly ajar. 
15. Optional: to balance out the acidity, add a dash of salt. To thicken the stew, add a bit of flour, 1 teaspoon at a time until it’s thick enough to your liking.

Optional: 

Once done, add a pinch of sugar (¼ teaspoon) to balance out the acidity from the tomatoes. Additionally, if you want your chili thicker, add about a teaspoon of flour. 

I added a pinch of soy sauce and red wine vinegar to add a layer of robust flavor – it’s not necessary, but it helps. 

Pro-tip: serve your Vegan Mushroom Chili Sin Carne with a dollop of vegan sour cream and a side of corn bread. SO GOOD!

Warm Up Your Soul With These Recipes: 

Vegan Beef Stew 

Lentil Soup With Kale And Rice 

Vegan Shahi Paneer 

Did you try out this Vegan Mushroom Chili Sin Carne recipe? Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it or tag a picture @plantbasedandbroke on Instagram and hashtag it #plantbasedandbroke. Show off that creation with us.