This Easy Vegan Pumpkin Chili is 1 pot, ready in 30 minutes, oil-free and meatless. It is so hearty with seasonal pumpkin for body and creaminess that is accented with spicy, smoky chipotle peppers for a warming, full-on flavored meal.
VEGAN CHIPOTLE CHILI
There is no turning back, pumpkin is looking at you from every corner. While most are in the sweet corner, today I’m sharing with you a savory pumpkin recipe. I love, love soups, stews and chilis. I also especially love spicy food. I don’t like things excessively spicy, but more like a good kick of heat that is undeniable, but that won’t have you sweating. This Vegan Pumpkin Chipotle Chili does just that. It has a good spicy flavor, but is totally manageable by how much chipotle you add.
This chili has amazing flavor. Using pumpkin in this chili gives it some extra thickness and body, as well as creaminess. No need for nuts, oil or fat! The chipotle peppers are a nice smoky compliment and add an extra depth of flavor alongside the chili powder and cumin.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 8 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- Chili beans: You can buy cans labeled this or do 3 cans of your preferred beans. I like red kidney, pinto and black beans.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chili powder: I used the chili powder pictured below for this recipe. However, I’ve also used my homemade chili powder recipe and it’s phenomenal. Mine is not as brown/dark as the Sprouts brand, so your chili may vary in how dark or red it is based on the chili powder used. Just make sure to be using a standard American chili powder and salt-free.
- Cumin: Cumin is classic in chili, as it adds another layer or flavor and subtle smokiness. A little goes a long way.
- Chipotles in adobe sauce: This is what takes this vegan pumpkin chili up a notch. It is spicy, smoky and has amazing flavor.
- Pumpkin puree: This replaces oil and helps to thicken the soup. Do not worry, you don’t taste pumpkin.
- Tomato sauce
- Coriander: Optional
VEGAN SOUR CREAM
As if the chili wasn’t delicious enough, I created a super tangy Lemon Cream Sauce to drizzle all over the top. 100% vegan, oil-free and creamy heaven, thanks to magical cashews. This is totally optional, but because the chili is smoky and spicy, the lemon cream really tastes incredible with it. Before I was vegan, I always loved sour cream on my chili, so this is kind of the same concept. While I didn’t create it to be a “sour cream” originally, it certainly has a similar taste and texture and works great as a vegan sour cream replacement.
I had the pleasure again to create something for the Sprouts brand. This is my favorite grocery store to shop at, the staff is always incredibly friendly and I love all of the vegan options.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PUMPKIN CHILI
Step 1: Start by chopping your veggies and cook them until soft.
Step 2: While the onions and garlic are cooking, gather your remaining ingredients so they are ready to go.
Step 3: Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt, chipotle peppers and sauce and tomato sauce. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients plus 1 cup of water and stir well, bring to a boil and then simmer about 20 minutes until thickened. If you’d like it thinner, add a tiny bit more broth or water.
This Vegan Pumpkin Chipotle Chili is so good. Seriously. Every Christmas it is tradition at my house to hold the Christmas Eve party, and without fail, I always make my 30 Minute Mexican Chili. Nobody in my family is vegan, except my husband, daughter and I. Regardless of that fact, all the meat-eaters love and devour every bite of the Mexican chili. But now it’s got some competition.
You will likely have extra Lemon Cream Sauce too, so that could be used on tacos, burritos, enchiladas…really anything that a tangy sauce would compliment. Enjoy!
MORE VEGAN CHILI AND SOUP RECIPES
- Vegan Cocoa Black Bean Chili
- Vegan Pumpkin Red Lentil Chili
- Hearty Vegan Buckwheat Chili
- Lazy Red Lentil Curry Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry Soup
- Lazy Day Vegan Tomato Bisque
- Tomato Rice Vegetable Soup
- Healthy Potato Carrot Tomato Soup
A big thank you to Sprouts for sponsoring this post and their continued wonderful relationship and products!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Pumpkin Chili (Oil-free!)
Ingredients
FOR THE CHILI
- 1/2 cup (120g) water or low-sodium veggie broth
- 1 1/2 cups (235g) finely diced white onion
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced (16g or 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon standard American chili powder (use store-bought or my homemade blend
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
- 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons salt (this will vary depending on your tomato sauce or broth)
- 2-3 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used 3 tsp, add as little or as much to desired heat level. Make sure to remove the seeds if you don't like super spicy)
- 1 1/2 cups (360g) tomato sauce/puree
- three 15 oz low-sodium cans of chili beans, drained & rinsed well (or 1 can each of black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans)
- 3/4 cup (180g) pumpkin puree
OPTIONAL LEMON CREAM SAUCE (this really goes amazing with the smoky spice!)
- 2/3 cup + 2 heaping tablespoons (140g) raw cashews
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons (45g) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- If making the lemon cream sauce, you will need to make it the day before wanting to eat the chili, as it needs overnight to firm up in the fridge. Simply add all the ingredients to a power blender and blend until completely smooth. It is very runny after making it, but firms and thickens a lot in the fridge, similar to a sour cream consistency. I did not soak my cashews since I have a vitamix, but if you don't, you will need to soak your cashews overnight to soften, drain and rinse, then blend in a food processor as smooth as you can get it along with the other ingredients.
- For the chili, add just the 1/2 cup water/broth to a pot with the onion and garlic over medium heat. Once it starts simmering, cook about 8 minutes until the onions are very soft and the liquid has evaporated.
- Get your remaining spices and ingredients ready while the onions are cooking.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt (I started with 1 1/2 teaspoons), chipotle peppers and sauce and tomato sauce. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients plus 1 cup of water/broth and stir well, bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes until thickened and the flavors have deepened. I like to put it on very low heat and let it gently simmer for 30 minutes to really deepen the flavor, but you can get away with just 20 minutes if needed. If you'd like it thinner, add a tiny bit more broth or water. Taste and add any more salt if needed or more chipotle if you'd like it spicier.
- Serve with lemon cream and fresh cilantro, if desired. The cream really does go amazing with the smoky, spicy flavor!
Notes
Nutrition
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This chili is beyond incredible! LOVE!! I haven’t made chili in a long time, and this was perfect. Definitely a recipe I’ll be making 1-2 times every month. I added smoked paprika because it’s my favorite. I also added shiitake mushrooms because I had some and didn’t want them to go bad. Thanks for always creating the best!
Yay! So very happy to hear that Jessica! Thank you so much as always for your feedback, it really means the world to me!
So yummy and easy! Perfect on a cold night with some sourdough bread!
So happy to hear that Kim, thank you for the feedback!
Thank you Brandi for this recipe. I made this last night, with the lemon cream, and it was a hit. I added a little lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg to chili just because I love the flavor of this combo. Scrumptious!
Wonderful Nicole! So happy to hear that!
Brandi this is the BEST chili I’ve EVER had! I am so glad I have this meal prepped for the whole weekend!
Wow, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! You made my day!!
I made this last night and it was incredible. My husband, who generally dislikes both chili and pumpkin, asked me if I could make it again next week. I didn’t notice the note about making the cream ahead of time, but did make it a few hours in advance. It thickened up plenty in those three hours. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yay! Such wonderful feedback and I am thrilled your husband loved it too! Thank you Bromley!
This looks so delicious and comforting, Brandi! Just perfect for chilly fall days! 🙂
Thank you so much Sina!
Made this tonight. It is very good and so simple too! I enjoyed it over the freshly baked potato. Was lazy to make the cream but maybe will do the next time since I’ll definitely make this again. Need to use up the leftover pumpkin and tomato purée ☺️ Thanks Brandi for the recipe.
Just got some feedback from hubby “That chili was awesome !!! Like really really good”. Enough said 👌🏻
Woohoo, awesome!
Great idea to add it over baked potato! So glad you enjoyed it Milda, thank you so much for the feedback!
Hi, Brandi, I just served this to my husband for lunch. We both thought it was fantastic – the lemon cream was such a nice touch. Ryan went for seconds, not because he was hungry, but because he just wanted to enjoy it some more. He’s not even vegan. I was surprised to find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in our small Canadian city, but sure enough, the grocery store had them. Incidentally, for dessert, we had your pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookie cake, which I have made twice now. I’m crazy for it (but of course, I make it with my beloved blackstrap molasses, and it’s delicious). Thanks for both recipes, they have been added to the regular rotation.
So wonderful to hear all this Regan! So glad the chili and the cookie cake are both hits, thank you so much for the feedback!
Mmmmmmm!!!! Bring on the savory pumpkin dishes! What an incredible bowl of comfort and flavor. I LOVE chipotle and have added it to pumpkin soup in the past, but pumpkin chili is something I haven’t tried yet! So hearty and perfect for these cool/cold evenings. That lemon cream sauce looks like a wonderful addition, too. I love that you have that tradition of making chili for your family on Christmas Eve – I bet they would all go crazy for this version!! ❤️
Thank you so much Mandy! This is my first time ever having pumpkin chili, and the idea just sounded so good and adding chipotle was an idea that I thought would make it extra special. It turned out so delicious! I hope you are well, thinking about you!
This looks like my kind of meal. Chili is my absolutely favourite. I make it at least once a week and I love that you used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They have such a deep spicy flavour. We go through rather a lot of them here!
Just made this for lunch,it’s simply delicious!!!!!!
Yay! So very happy to hear that Darlene, thank you very much for the feedback!
Chili is my absolute favorite fall/winter food. Looking forward to trying it with pumpkin instead of sweet potato.
Pumpkin chili sounds so good right now especially because the weather is starting to get cold! Brandi, your recipes never cease to amaze me, love the addition of the lemon cream sauce to go with the spiciness of the chili, how fabulous! Thank you for sharing, pinning this to make for later 🙂
You are so sweet, thank you Rachel!
Oh yeah. Chili every day of the week! Another gorgeous recipe!
This looks delicious mama!! I love how simple it is and of course you had me at chipotle. Double it up! Love the comfort that this oozes. I’d totally cuddle up to this….if it EVER gets cold again!!! LOL And yes to the lemon cream. Obviously that is needed along with loads of cilantro. YUM!
Thanks babe!! Hey, we are getting in the 50’s tonight!! I’m SOOOO excited, can you hear me screaming?! hahaha. I seriously could have handled probably double the amount of chipotle pepper, but I didn’t want to kill my family, LOL!
HAHAHA!! We just had the hottest week of the year. UGH
A big bowl, please, Brandi! This looks super delicious, I’m so ready for fall and this is my kind of recipe! That lemon cream sauce yes I know I would dizzle it about anything, yum! And for real I love how much garlic it has so much flavor!
Thank you Florian, oh yeah, I added lots of garlic in this one, hahaa!
I love pumpkin in chili. I make a lentil pumpkin chili that is my favorite. Love the added chipotle here! You know I feel about smoky flavors!! 🙂 And I used to load up my chili with sour cream before I went plant based too. Yet again, our taste buds are very similar. HaHa! I wish we had a Sprouts here…sounds like an awesome store.
Thank you Jenn! Lol, seriously, were we separated at birth?? We love all the same things food-related, lol! It’s called good taste, hahaha.
This recipe looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it as soon it cools down in LA!
Awesome Michelle, can’t wait to hear what you think!
Oh wow girl seriously this sounds sooooo amazing. Yeah I need this in my life. Because I am a riceaholic I totally would serve this with rice. Yum I can’t wait to try this. I can’t get over how amazing and creative you are. This just looks like absolute perfection. And your pictures have always been amazing but I am really liking your new picture style lately where you can see a little bit of you in the pic. It adds a personal touch to the pics. Its like they have more personality or something. I don’t know but I love it. An d you have such awesome aprons. 🙂 I have never seen chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. Does that come in a jar? A can? is it available at Sprouts?
Thank you so much Christina! So glad you said that, because a more personal, rustic approach is exactly what I want. I finally have my photography setup and tripod with my props (in my living room, lol!) so I’m able to just grab my food and accents and use my tripod so much more now. It’s allowing me to really do more of the photos I really want to do. It’s a lot of fun too 🙂 Oh, thank you! I buy most of my aprons from Home Goods, they are the best and super cheap!
Yes, the chipotles should be at any grocery store, they come in a can and there are many brands. I got mine at Sprouts but they are everywhere. They should be in the Mexican food isles near the chiles and things like that. They are super spicy, but have a really deep smoky flavor, so good!
Ooh this looks like a perfect fall meal!
That’s a slick answer to a chellanging question
Now this is the kind of pumpkin recipe I could never pull off, but man does it look amazing! The color is so rich and deep and I am sure the flavor matches. I love all your in-action shots too, like you are serving up a bowl just for me haha 😀 I always appreciate that the heat level is adjustable, but I really think that Lemon Cream Sauce would help immensely for me to handle the heat. The contrast between the two sounds delicious! Very cool of Sprouts to partner up on all these pumpkin posts 🙂
You are so sweet Natalie, thank you! Yes, I was making that bowl for you girl, haha! This can totally be tailor-made to your spice liking, definitely. Add as little or as much as you want of the chipotle and that lemon cream sauce just turns it into a dream chili full meal!
I love that chili season is here, and I love how creative this recipe is!
So sweet of you, thank you Dianne!
I made my first pot of chili last week. There’s a can of pumpkin in my pantry just waiting to be added to my next batch. Great idea! Chili is always made on Halloween in my house, this will be perfect.
Thank you Linda! It is so good in this chili!
Another one after my own heart, chili? Yes! Smoky? Yes!
I could eat a big bowl of chili every day I think, with a few fat free tortillas of course.
I love your lemon sauce idea but I’m not doing ‘nuts’ right now. Do you think tofu would work as a sub for the cashews?
Thanks Brandi. 😎
Hi Angela, thank you! I have no idea since I don’t ever use tofu, but I guess it’s worth a shot! I would have no clue how much to use, so let me know if you try it 🙂
Love pairing pumpkin with spicy! The pumpkin evens the spice out and makes a dish so yummy!