Chili is probably my favorite way of eating beans.
Even a typical chili recipe has quite a bit of protein, and you’ll see a few on my page of over 150 vegan recipes high in protein.
This is a simple recipe that’s hard to screw up, and makes a huge batch so you’ll have leftovers for at least a day or two.
What Makes This Chili High in Protein?
If you take a look at my bean nutrition comparison page, you’ll see that both kidney beans and black beans are high in protein.
With 3 cans of beans and a ground beef substitute, this recipe includes some of the best vegan sources of protein.
While it’s not the most common, you can also add mushrooms to add a bit more protein. Just add them near the start with the onions.
How To Make High Protein Chili
Almost all chili has a decent amount of protein, but this recipe takes it to the next level for vegans.
There aren’t too many ingredients, and they’re all cheap and easy to find at any grocery store (except for the Beyond Beef crumble potentially).
Like most chili recipes, start by dicing your onion and throwing it into a large pot or dutch oven with some oil.
Stir it occasionally, and once the onion is starting to cook, continue to toss in your diced red pepper, celery, and some salt.
When the onion is translucent, add the spices and cook until fragrant (just a minute or so). Then you can throw in the diced tomatoes along with the beans.
While bringing this mixture to a boil, start cooking the Beyond crumble or any ground beef substitute in a frying pan. You’ll add this to your chili whenever it’s browned and ready.
Once the chili is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes and stir every once in a while.
In the last few minutes, add some lime juice along with a few tablespoons of coriander.
What to Serve Vegan Chili With
If you’re really concerned with the macros, you can certainly eat the chili by itself.
Otherwise, stick to classic pairings like:
- Garlic bread
- Avocado
- Plant-based cheese shreds
- Vegan sour cream
High Protein Vegan Chili Recipe
High Protein Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper chopped
- 2-3 stalks of celery
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 4 tomatoes cubed (optional if you want a stronger tomato flavor)
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 3 cups water
- 1 pack Beyond Beef or alternative, about 300 grams
- 3 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Add oil and all vegetables to a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Once the onions are translucent, add all the spices: salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano.
- After a minute, add the diced tomatoes and beans (drain and rinse first).
- Add the water and then raise the heat to high until it boils.
- While you wait, start cooking the plant-based beef crumble in a separate frying pan.
- Once the chili pot starts to boil, reduce heat and maintain a simmer for 30 minutes. If you feel like there’s too much liquid, leave the lid off.
- Add in the crumble whenever it’s fully browned and ready, it’s not particularly time sensitive.
- After the 30 minutes is up, add in the cilantro and lime juice. Cook for another 5 minutes and serve with anything else you’d like.
