Description
Instant Pot Spicy Vegan Chili is hearty, flavourful and comes together in less than an hour. It’s loaded with vegetarian taco meat, as well as black beans and peppers, so you get a dose of fibre with a spicy kick!
Ingredients
For the vegetarian taco meat:
- 2 cups raw walnuts, halves or pieces
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-sized red onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp crushed chipotle peppers
For the remainder of the chili:
- 6 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 can (796 ml) diced tomatoes, no-salt added, drained
- 1 can (540 ml) black beans, no-salt added, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (398 ml) tomato sauce, no-salt added
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Add the walnuts and mushrooms to a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture is crumbly.
- Grease the Instant Pot insert with cooking spray. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté and adjust the time to 8 minutes. Add the oil and let the Instant Pot heat up for 45-60 seconds.
- Add the crumbled walnut and mushroom mixture, along with the rest of the vegetarian taco meat ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Cook for the remainder of the time selected, stirring constantly to ensure the taco meat does not burn (see note).
- Add in the remaining chili ingredients and stir to combine. Select the chili/bean option and cook on high pressure for 18 minutes. Vent for a quick release of pressure.
- Serve with sliced jalapeños, fresh cilantro or chopped avocado.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-4 days.
Notes
- The taco meat may burn on to the pot a little bit, but in my experience, the insert comes clean after soaking in a little soapy water. To prevent excessive burning, spray the Instant Pot insert with cooking spray in addition to adding extra virgin olive oil before cooking. Stirring the meat constantly while it sautés will also help prevent burning.
- This chili only cooks for 18 minutes on high pressure. This amount of time ensures that the vegetables don’t over-cook. If you prefer your veggies a little softer, you can always cook the chili a little longer, up to 25 minutes.
- The peppers cook faster than the celery, so I like to cut the peppers in bigger chunks and the celery in smaller pieces
- To prevent the chili from turning out watery, it’s important to drain the liquid from the can of diced tomatoes.
- This recipe was inspired by Pinch of Yum’s recipes for Cauliflower Walnut Taco Meat and Instant Pot Pumpkin Walnut Chili.
