Easy Vegan Tofu Chili Recipe

Name: Tofu Chili Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 14 oz. Extra-firm tofu; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 3 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (minced); 4 teaspoons tamari; ½ teaspoon mushroom powder; ¼ cup water; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 cups onion (diced); 1 cup red bell pepper (diced); 1 tablespoon garlic (minced); 1 ½ teaspoon Mexican chili powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon oregano; 14 oz. canned black beans (drained and rinsed); 14 oz. canned kidney beans (drained and rinsed); 2 cups unsalted vegetable stock; 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes ((preferably fire roasted)); 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 5 teaspoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar); 4 teaspoons natural cocoa powder; 1 ½ teaspoons salt (or to taste); ⅓ cup vegan sour cream; ¼ cup red onion (minced); 1 avocado (diced); ¼ cup cilantro leaves

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This tofu chili can be made in one pot, doesn't call for any wild, hard to find ingredients, and packs so much protein you are going to become a giant muscle lord who can walk through brick walls without flinching. I mean, maaaybe not. But it surely is flavorful, healthy, pretty quick to whip up, and just an all around crowd-pleaser.

A bowl with tofu chili topped with avocado slices and cilantro, served alongside orange Mexican rice. A fork and knife rest on the bowl’s edge. Nearby are cornbread, chili in a pot, lime slices, and dried peppers.

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Here's the thing about tofu that most people sleep on: it's basically a flavor sponge in disguise. When you shred it, sear it until it's got that gorgeous golden crust, then hit it with a chipotle-adobo-tamari sauce, it transforms into something so smoky, savory, and actually meaty that your brain is gonna short-circuit. Chewy, caramelized, slightly crisp at the edges. It's the same tofu beef technique I use for my easy vegan picadillo, tofu tacos, and vegan taco salad topping, and you aren't going to be even a wee bit disappointed.

And it's not just the tofu doing all the heavy lifting. This chili is layered AF. Fire-roasted tomatoes, two types of beans, a dialed-in spice blend, AND cocoa powder. Yes. Cocoa. In the chili. You are looking at a seriously high-protein bowl that actually keeps you full for more than 20 minutes. Plant-based protein that delivers in this economy? Well, I'll be darned.

And let me tell you, this thing gets better the next day. The tofu soaks up even more of that gorgeous sauce overnight and turns practically chewy-perfect, which makes it a slam dunk for meal prep. One pot, feeds a small army, tastes like you were in the kitchen all day even though it only took about 30 mins.

Jump to:

🥰 Why you'll adore this tofu chili recipe
🌶️ Tofu Chili Ingredients
🤯Variations
📖 How to make tofu chili
💡Serving Ideas
👉Top tips
🤷‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
✌️You'll also love these vegan Tex Mex recipes
Tofu Chili Recipe

🥰 Why you'll adore this tofu chili recipe

✊ Vegan AF & GF: You know how every time you see a majestic field of wheat blowing gracefully in the breeze it makes your skin itchy and you get mad? Well, this is one of the gluten-free vegan recipes that doesn't feel like even a little bit of a compromise.

🫕 Built For Meal Prep: Day 2- this vegan chili recipe is on a whole other level once the tofu has soaked up all the flavors overnight. Make a big pot, park it in the fridge, and your week just got several degrees yummier.

🛒 No Weird Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt: Everything here is regular grocery store fare, no ordering insane nonsense from out of the back of the Sharper Image catalogue. You are not driving to four different shops or standing in the parking lot Googling what the heck something is.

✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Over 1,000 home cooks from around the world put my vegan recipes through their paces before I hit publish.

Image of a promotional graphic featuring the text "100% Free Vegan Mexican Cooking Guide" with images of vegan tacos, jalapeños, and sauces on a gray background.

💣 Learn the bomb vegan Mexican recipes

This guide to my most popular vegan Mexican recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰

🌶️ Tofu Chili Ingredients

Chipotles in Adobo Sauce

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce makes the tofu beef smoky and deep tasting. If you don't want to make your own, I recommend getting some from La Morena or La Costeña. But pretty much any brand that doesn't have weird crap in it will do.

Mushroom Powder

Okay mushroom powder bumps up the savory meaty quality of the tofu something fierce without noticeably tasting like mushrooms at all. Go for one with porcini in it if you can. Nutritional yeast is a solid swap if you cannot track it down.

Vegetable Stock

I make my own stock by simmering onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns together and it is cheap and freezes well. Sometimes I throw in whatever random veg scraps I have kicking around like broccoli stems, shiitake stems or kale stems because nothing goes to waste around here.

Storebought works totally fine though, just know that finding completely unsalted stock is kinda tricky. So if yours has any salt in it, just ease up on the added salt and taste as you go.

Canned Diced Tomatoes

Fire roasted diced tomatoes make chili taste better, and I will die on that hill. Regular diced tomatoes work fine too though, just like, not 100% as awesome.

Optional: Vegan Sour Cream

I put optional but between you and me it is really not. My vegan sour cream recipe is fast and doesn't rely on a zillion ingredients. Storebought faves are Tofutti, Kite Hill and Forager. A big cool creamy dollop on top of this smoky spicy chili is heaven on Earth.

*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.

🤯Variations

Assorted vegan chilies with toppings like avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheese, served alongside cornbread, rice, and beans on a gray surface.

Seitan Chili (uh, in a God-forsaken hat)

Chili out of a bowl? Are you an actual scumbag? A fedora, a bucket hat, a beanie with a pompom. Come on, level it up and eat your vegan chili the real way already…

Pinto Bean Chili

This pinto bean chili recipe is soy-free, and is a lovely, more classic-style chili that goes amazing as part of a vegan burrito bowl.

📖 How to make tofu chili

Well, well, well. Look who decided to make a real hearty meal instead of ordering from one of those apps where a soggy burrito costs 47 dollars. Good for you, my kindhearted chili tofu pony. Follow along with the step-by-step instructions below, or scroll to the recipe card if you just want to get the darn thing made already.

Collage of four images: dry lentils in a jar above a tofu block; shredded tofu on a grater; cooked, seasoned shredded tofu on a spoon-perfect for Tofu Chili; and a hand pouring soy sauce into a bowl with other sauce ingredients.

Step One

Meet the Press:

Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place something heavy on top. Let it press for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture.

Step Two

Grate Expectations:

Using a box grater or a food processor fitted with a grating disc, shred the pressed tofu into a bowl.

✅ If you don't have a grater, you can also just crumble to tofu by hand for a similar enough texture.

Step Three

Tofu Legit to Quit:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, about 90 seconds, add the tofu and spread it out evenly to maximize contact with the pan.

Cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until the underside is golden, then sauté for another 4 minutes, stirring and flipping frequently, until lightly crisped and golden throughout.

Step Four

Livin' La Vida Adobo:

While the tofu cooks, use a fork to whisk together the tomato paste, minced chipotle peppers, tamari, mushroom powder, and water in a small bowl until smooth.

A four-panel collage shows Tofu Chili being made: sautéed onion and red pepper, a spoonful of browned tofu with spices, assorted spices and chopped garlic added to the pot, and beans simmering with tomatoes in sauce.

Step Five

Tofu Wong Foo:

Pour the chili sauce into the tofu and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has absorbed and the tofu is lightly caramelized. Remove the tofu from the pan and set it aside.

✅ Give the pan a quick wipe if you are going to use it again to cook the chili, so you don't end up with any burnt little specks of tofu in your chili, which will make you mad and then you will scream.

Step Six

Saved by the Bell:

In the same pot you just cooked in, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, about 60 seconds, add the onion and red bell pepper and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Step Seven

Cumin to America:

Add the garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and oregano directly to the pot. Stir constantly for 30 to 45 seconds until the spices are fragrant and toasted.

Step Eight

Beans, Beans the Musical Fruit:

Add the black beans, kidney beans, vegetable stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, lime juice, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ground tofu, red kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, and onions cooking in a pot, topped with cocoa powder and a mound of salt, being prepared to make tofu chili.

Step Nine

Tofools Rush In:

Stir the tofu ground beef into the chili and season with salt to taste.

A bowl of tofu chili topped with cilantro, diced avocado, and sour cream sits on a wooden table next to cornbread, a plate of chili with rice, and half a lime. A striped napkin and pepper shaker are also visible.

Step Ten

Chili Bob Thornton:

Ladle the chili into bowls and top with a dollop of vegan sour cream, red onion, diced avocado, and cilantro.

💡Serving Ideas

A big warm hunk of vegan cornbread on the side is just the way chili is supposed to be done, unless you are eating it with a steaming pile of vegan Mexican rice instead. My vegan corn casserole is another great option that the whole family will love.

Use this chili as the base for vegan Frito pie or vegan Tamale pie and just try to keep your senses calm as you are whisked away into Tex-Mex comfort food extract.

👉Top tips

Cast Iron Maiden: Cooking this in cast iron is not super-ideal because the acid from the tomatoes reacts with the pan and gives everything a metallic flavor that sucks. An enamel coated Dutch oven or thick bottomed stainless steel pot is the way to go here.
Go Wide or Go Home: A wider pot means more surface contact between the tofu and the pan, which means more of that gorgeous golden crust that will become beefy and chewy once the marinade caramelizes in.

🤷‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

What type of tofu is best for a hearty tofu chili?

Extra firm tofu is awesome, but if its available to you, SUPER-FIRM tofu is even better and really crisps up nicely in the pan. Drier crispy tofu absorbs the flavors better and ends up having a more naturally chewy mouthfeel (ugh, I hate that word) in the chili.

How should I store and reheat Tofu Chili?

🧊 Refrigerating
Allow the tofu chili to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

❄️ Freezing
Place the cooled chili in freezer-safe containers, leaving a little room at the top for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months.

🌡️ Thawing
Transfer the frozen chili to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight before reheating. If you're short on time, you can gently thaw it in a saucepan over low heat.

🔥 Stovetop Reheating
Add the chili to a pot or saucepan over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until heated through. If it has thickened too much in the fridge, add a splash of vegetable stock or water to loosen it up.