Chilli Non Carne: A Plant-Based Powerhouse for Every Occasion

There are dishes that warm your body. And then there are dishes that warm your soul. For me, chilli non carne belongs firmly in both categories.

This is one of those recipes I find myself coming back to, season after season, adapting and reinventing it, yet always staying grounded in its bold, rich, and comforting essence. At Dito’s Table, I want to share not only how to make a delicious bowl of chilli, but how to make it your own: flexible, nutrient-dense, and deeply satisfying.

What Is Chilli? And Why Is Everyone Obsessed?

Let’s start with the basics. Chilli is a stew-like dish typically made with a mixture of beans, spices, and meat, slow-cooked to perfection and often served with rice, cornbread, or tortillas. It’s smoky, spicy, and hearty: a comfort food staple in kitchens from Texas to Tbilisi.

The most well-known version? Chilli con carne: literally, “chilli with meat.” A culinary icon of Tex-Mex cuisine, chilli con carne traces its roots to 19th-century San Antonio, where it was sold by “Chili Queens” at outdoor stands. Over time, it became a cultural and political symbol, with fierce debates about what constitutes a “real” chilli. Beans? Tomatoes? Ground beef or pork chunks?

But here’s the twist: some of the most exciting chilli variations don’t contain meat at all.

Why Veggie? The Case for Chilli Non Carne

If chilli con carne is about tradition, chilli non carne is about transformation: a modern, conscious, and deeply satisfying take on an old favourite.

Here’s why I made the switch:

1. Health Benefits

Plant-based ingredients like beans, lentils, and sweet potatoes provide high amounts of fibre, vitamins, and complex carbs, while being easier to digest and lower in saturated fats. Add in mushrooms, and you’re getting natural umami and anti-inflammatory benefits in every bite.

(you can check more on this at my Slow Carb Plant-Based Eating regimen post)

2. Environmental Impact

Eating less meat is one of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. A veggie chilli uses significantly fewer resources to produce, without compromising on flavour.

3. Flavour + Creativity

Without the anchor of meat, you get more room to play: spices, textures, fusions. It’s not a “sacrifice” at all; it’s an upgrade.

My Favourite Chilli Non Carne Recipe

Here’s my tried-and-tested version. It’s smoky, spicy, and slightly sweet, with a touch of cocoa to deepen the flavour and my signature chipotle en adobo paste to round it all out.

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

Chilli Non Carne

Author: Dito Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 40 mins Rest Time 5 mins Total Time 1 hr

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Servings

• 300 sweet g potato (or butternut squash)
• 100 oyster g mushrooms, chopped small
• 150 vegan g mince (basic type, not Beyond Meat)
• 6 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp chipotle en adobo paste (see additional recipe card)
• ¹⁄₂ tsp chilli powder
• ¹⁄₂ tsp crushed mustard seeds or mustard powder
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garliccloves, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¹⁄₄ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 200 g cooked beans (black, kidney, or pinto)
• 300 g crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
• 30 g cocoa powder (or dark chocolate)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Aromatics

   Sauté onions and garlic in sunflower oil until soft.

2. Start adding veggies

   Add the mushrooms and sweet potato. Cook for 5–10 minutes.

3. Add remaining aromatics

   Stir in all spices and herbs. Let the aroma bloom.

4. Add veggie proteins

   Add vegan mince, chipotle paste, tomatoes, beans, cocoa powder, and sugar.

5. Let the flavours marry

   Simmer gently for 30–40 minutes, until everything is rich and thick. Adjust seasoning.

Keywords: chili, chilli, vegan, plantbased

Swap & Experiment: Make It Your Own

This chilli is forgiving and fun to experiment with:

• Mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms are excellent for their texture. Can’t find them? Try cremini or portobello.
• Vegan Mince Alternatives: Don’t like mock meats? Double the mushrooms. Or try green lentils, soya chunks, or seitan crumbles.
• Sweet Potato Substitutes: Butternut squash, pumpkin, or even carrots work great.
• Cocoa vs. Chocolate: If you’re out of cocoa, add a square or two of dark chocolate for the same richness.
• Corn: This recipe doesn’t use corn as I believe it already has got a lot of ingredients, flavours and textures; however, corn being such a Mexican staple, you can add it, potentially removing something like mushrooms.
• Sweet peppers: Some chilli recipes call for diced sweet red peppers; again like with corn, I haven’t added it here. I find the skin a bit too tough, so ideally, I’d like to add it when charred, de-skinned and then chopped into chilli – it adds additional sweetness and vitamin C; though it is a fiddly process.

The key is to get a mix of textures, you want that chewy, chunky, satisfying spoonful. Too many soft ingredients make it dull. Contrast is king.

Notes:

Oyster mushrooms are quite meaty and work very well; if you don’t want to make my chipotle in adobo paste, you can substitute with 1 tsp of chipotle powder, though I recommend you don’t! 

If you can’t find sweet potato, you can go with butternut squash. 

You can also easily substitute cocoa and sugar with dark chocolate. 

For meaty texture and protein, I am using quite basic vegan mince (not Beyond Meat as I find it too flavourful for chilli, and these flavours do not match that great). I invite you to experiment. Other good options are: doubling on the mushrooms, adding green lentils, using seitan crumbles or soya chunks (both seitan and soya are very neutral in flavour and will soak up some chilli flavours, making them so much tastier). I didn’t like the idea of firm tofu, to be honest. 

The choice makes a lot of difference because with the absence of meat it is not just about protein, but that chewy texture to make the dish more exciting (after all sweet potato or pumpkin would be quite mushy, so are the beans). 

Talking about beans. You can use canned ones, it’s just so simple! Yet I invite you to cook from scratch – check out my Beans article.

Make It a Star with Homemade Chipotle en Adobo Paste

This is what takes your chilli from good to show-stopping.

What is Chipotle en Adobo?

Chipotle chillies are smoke dried jalapeños, and when blended into a tomato-based, herby, vinegary sauce, they become magic. My version uses both cider and balsamic vinegar for depth and sweetness.

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

Chipotle en Adobo paste

Author: Dito Cuisine: Mexican

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 30 mins Rest Time 5 mins Total Time 50 mins

Servings: 30

Ingredients

Servings

• 200 g dried chipotle chillies (may substitute for the chipotle minced)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 head of garlic
• 3 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 175 ml cider vinegar
• 175 ml balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 150 g Demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp salt

Instructions

1. Prep chipotles

   Wash and snip the stems of chipotles. Simmer in water ~20-25 mins till soft.

2. Make an onion & herbs paste

   Blend half with onion, garlic, herbs, spices, and some water.

3. Flash fry

   Fry the paste in hot olive oil for 3 minutes.

4. Add remaining ingredients

   Add vinegar, tomato paste, sugar, salt, more water, and the remaining chillies.

5. Simmer, blend and again simmer

   Cook, blend again, and simmer 10 more minutes until thick and glossy.

Note

This paste isn’t just for chilli, I add it to stews, dips, dressings, even vegan chipotle mayo.

The indicated 30 servings is based on 2 tbsp requirement for the chilli non carne recipe.

Keywords: chipotle, spicy, sauce, paste

Note:

You’d need quite a large package of dried chipotle peppers. If you do not have it, you can substitute it with a jar or can of minced chipotle peppers. I always have a few to make this paste with ease!

Endless Applications

Chilli non carne is a meal in itself,  but don’t stop there.

Classic Bowl

Serve over rice or quinoa. Top with fresh coriander, lime, avocado, and vegan sour cream.

Burrito Filling

Add it to your burrito with shredded lettuce, salsas, and traditional Mexican rice.

Taco Time

Spoon into soft corn tortillas. Add pickled onions or slaw for crunch. Top with coriander, red salsa and avocado slices. I’m a taco addict, remember?

Want to make your own taco shells / tortillas? Check my thorough guide on wheat and corn tortillas here.

Empanadas

Here’s how to do it:

Empanada Dough (makes 6 large)

• 200g flour
• Pinch of salt
• 80g butter
• 1 egg
• 30ml cold water

Mix, chill for 2 hours, then roll out and fill with 2 tbsp of chilli non carne. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for ~20–25 minutes.

Chilli non Carne Fusion Ideas

• Ukrainian Style: Add beetroot cubes: earthy, sweet, vibrant purple. It’s like a chilli borscht.
  
• Georgian Style: Throw in cubed aubergines and chopped walnuts. Some traditional Georgian dish with Mexican twist to it.
  
• Pozole Remix: Stir into cooked hominy corn for a pozole – chilli fusion.
  
• Asian Flair: Use as a bao filling or spoon into lettuce wraps.
  

Chilli Non Carne – A Nutritional Powerhouse

This dish isn’t just about taste, it truly fuels you:

• High in protein: from beans, vegan mince, and mushrooms
• Rich in fibre: supports gut health and satiety
• Loaded with antioxidants: sweet potatoes, cocoa, spices
• Low in cholesterol and saturated fat: heart-friendly comfort food

It’s a great meal prep option, too: the flavour improves overnight. And you always have a nutritious and delicious homecooked meal when you need it!

Make Your Own Chilli non Carne!

Chilli non carne has become a cornerstone of my cooking, not just because it’s delicious, but because it’s adaptable, healthy, budget-friendly, and deeply rooted in global food culture. From Mexican soul food to Eastern European remix, it’s a dish that travels well, just like us.

Whether you’re after a cosy weeknight dinner or a showstopper fusion dish, chilli non carne has your back.

So go ahead: spice it, stuff it, wrap it, bake it.

And remember, it’s not about what’s missing. It’s about what you’ve created.