Easy Vegan Chili with Gochujang
Feb 02, 2023 • Updated Aug 21, 2023
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An easy, hearty, vegan chili recipe that’s a mashup of classic ingredients and Asian flavours. Tender veggies, butter beans, and vegetable broth meet Korean red pepper paste (gochujang) for a chunky, cozy stew. Ready in under 30 minutes and made with simple ingredients, you will love this flavorful dish!
What Makes This Recipe Great
I haven’t met a dish that isn’t better with a little gochujang. If you’ve tried this popular red pepper paste, you’d probably agree. It’s versatile, and delicious, and adds tons of flavour to anything it touches!
I set out to make a vegan chili with simmered beans, sauteed veggies, and a deep, flavorful tomato broth with gochujang. Served with rice and lots of fresh herbs on top, or with crusty bread, this is one of those cozy, filling, meals that are perfect for these cold winter months.
Even better, it’s made with simple kitchen staples and is ready in 25 minutes. The perfect meal prep recipe that will feed you all week long!
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: Or the neutral oil of your choice.
- Yellow onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic or a jar of minced garlic.
- Gochujang: Use storebought gochujang or make my homemade gluten-free version!
- Tomato paste: I like to use double-concentrated tomato paste. You can find this in the aisle with tomato sauce and paste. It adds a richer, deeper flavor than standard tomato paste.
- Verjus or White wine: You can omit this if preferred, though it adds even more depth of flavour. Verjus adds complexity without alcohol, so if you would prefer a non-alcoholic option, verjus is a great one.
- Diced tomatoes
- Vegetable broth
- Butter beans: You’ll need two cans, drained and rinsed.
- Bay leaf
- Salt & pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add oil to your pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add celery and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Next, add onions and sauté for another 2 minutes until translucent and tender. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste and gochujang to the pan and cook down, stirring constantly, until dark in colour and caramelized. About 2-3 minutes. Deglaze using verjus or white wine if desired.
- Finally, add the diced tomatoes, butter beans, vegetable broth, and bay leaf to the pot and bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Beans: If you want to add additional beans, or swap out the butter beans for a different variety, you can.
- Spice: Use more or less gochujang depending on your spice preference. If you make my homemade version, you can customize it to your taste.
Serving Tips
- I’d suggest serving this one two ways: with rice and lots of fresh herbs on top, or as a stew served with crusty bread.
- If preferred, you can also add vegan sour cream to give it creaminess.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover vegan chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat over the stovetop, adding a little more vegetable broth or water to thin it out.
Recipe FAQs
You can use a little bit of flour or tapioca starch to thicken the chili. To thin out the chili, use more broth or water.
Lucky for you, this recipe already has it! The gochujang adds a depth of flavour to the chili that it otherwise doesn’t have.
You can always add more beans to make vegan chili heartier, though I believe you will find this to be satisfying as written in this recipe. Some people also like to add soy crumbles or a meat alternative.
Try These Hearty Vegan Soups…
Korean Sundubu Jiggae | Korean Tofu Stew
Korean Kale and White Bean Soup
If you make this Vegan Chili Recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Easy Vegan Chili with Gochujang
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced, large
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2-3 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp tomato paste double concentrated
- 1/4 cup verjus or white wine
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cans butter beans 15 oz
- 1 bay leaf
- salt more to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add oil to your pot over medium heat. Once hot, add celery and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until tender. Next add onions and sauté for another 2 minutes until translucent and tender. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste and gochujang to the pan and cook down, stirring constantly, until dark in colour and caramelized. About 2-3 minutes. Deglaze using verjus or white wine if desired.
- Finally, add diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth and bay leaf to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil then lower to a simmer. Let cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and enjoy.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Beans: If you want to add additional beans, or swap out the butter beans for a different variety, you can.
- Spice: Use more or less gochujang depending on your spice preference. If you make my homemade version, you can customize it to your taste.
Serving Tips
- I’d suggest serving this one two ways: with rice and lots of fresh herbs on top, or as a stew served with crusty bread.
- If preferred, you can also add vegan sour cream to give it creaminess.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover vegan chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat over the stovetop, adding a little more vegetable broth or water to thin it out.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
