Vegan Irish Chili

A hearty, delicious and vegan Irish Chili flavored with Guinness is the perfect recipe for comfort!

This vegan Irish Chili has tons of flavor from simple spices and a glug of Guinness. Meatless beef and two kinds of beans add lots of variety and texture, as do diced tomatoes, onions, celery and potatoes. Serve this for a delicious St. Patrick's Day lunch or dinner and you'll have everyone eating out of your hand! The recipe is soy-free and nut-free and it can be tweaked for gluten-free and low-carb diets.

If a warm, comforting bowl of chili is your thing, look no further than this exquisitely delicious and super easy vegan Irish Chili.

If you've read this blog for any length of time you know I love Ireland and I love Irish food. I've shared so many vegan Irish recipes or Irish inspired recipes with you, from my classic vegan Irish Stew to vegan Colcannon, vegan Guinness Pie, vegan Chocolate Whiskey Cake, vegan Irish Soda Bread, vegan Cabbage, Leek and Potato Tart and so many more.

This vegan Irish Chili is a wonderful addition to that tasty list. It is full of flavor, meaty, filling--and good for you. You can please anyone with this dish, vegan or omnivore or somewhere in between.

Why you'll love this vegan Irish Chili recipe

• It's so delicious. The spices, veggies and beans add so much texture and flavor to this recipe, and the Guinness deepens all those lovely flavors with a hint of its bitterness.
• It's easy to make. This is a one-pot recipe (although there's an optional trick I will show you to make this chili even thicker that would require a blender). Aside from chopping the veggies the only prep work needed is to open a few cans.
• It is healthy. There are 22 grams of protein in each 364-calorie serving, and 13 grams of fiber.
• It's everyone-friendly. The chili is soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. If you are eating low-carb, I'll suggest tweaks below to make this appropriate for your diet.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 16 oz meatless beef or meatless beef crumbles. I used Beyond Beef but any brand is fine, including Impossible Burger, Tofurky, Morningstar or Gardein. The quantities these are sold in vary (Impossible is sold in 12 oz packs, for instance), but don't worry too much about it. If you're using Impossible, just use the 12 oz package--you don't have to open another package to make up for the 4 oz difference). If you are soy-free or gluten-free pay attention to the labels.
• 1 large onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 4 cloves garlic
• Spices: 2 heaping tablespoons chili powder/seasoning (I linked to the brand I use in the recipe card below), 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne (use only if you want more heat), 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 2 teaspoons ground coriander.
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 pound potatoes. I used a mix of baby yellow, red and purple potatoes.
• 14 oz can pinto beans and 14 oz black beans. You can use one or the other or use red kidney beans.
• ½ cup vegetable stock or mushroom stock (if using my homemade mushroom stock reserve the mushrooms and I'll show you how to use them in this recipe to bump up the umami).
• 28 oz canned diced tomatoes with juices.
• 1 cup (8 oz) Guinness draught stout. Drink up the rest of the bottle--it's the cook's privilege! You can add the entire 11.2 oz bottle to the chili if you prefer more Guinness flavor but I find 1 cup is exactly right. Use Guinness blonde for a milder flavor. Guinness is not gluten-free (thanks to a reader for pointing out, but if you are gf you can use another gluten-free beer--there are several on the market).
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste.
• 4 scallions, optional, for garnish.

How to make vegan Irish Chili

• Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or saute pan. Add the meatless beef and saute over medium heat until lightly browned, about five minutes.
• Add the onions, celery and garlic along with a dash of salt and ground black pepper. Mix. Saute until the onion is softened.

• Add the potatoes to the pot followed by the spices--chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, and cayenne, if using. Add the oregano.
• Mix well.

• Here's an optional step you can add for more texture in the chili and to make it deliciously thick. Place half the black beans in a blender with ½ cup vegetable or mushroom stock. If you use my homemade mushroom stock, which I shared last week, add the mushrooms you used to make the stock as well. Blend into a smooth puree.
• Next add the puree along with the remaining black beans and the pinto beans to the pot. If you didn't make the puree just add the beans and vegetable stock to the pot. Mix.

• Finally stir in the canned diced tomatoes with all juices and the Guinness into the chili. Mix well, bring to a boil, then cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking the chili for five more minutes.
• Check salt before turning off heat.

What to serve with the vegan Irish Chili

• Serve the chili topped with shards of vegan cheddar cheese.
• You can serve the chili by itself or on top of cooked brown or white rice.
• Or serve it with a chunk of crusty French bread on the side.

Recipe FAQs

Storage and freezing instructions

• As a rule of thumb chili always tastes best the next day when the ingredients and flavors have had a chance to meld together. So this is a great dish to make ahead and reheat before serving, although it'll still be very delicious the day you make it.
• Leftovers will keep nicely in the fridge for up to four days.
• For longer term storage freeze in airtight containers for up to three months. Thaw and reheat.

More vegan chili recipes

• Vegan White Bean Chili
• Instant Pot Vegan Chili
• Vegan Chili with Avocado Crema
• Vegan Three Bean Chili
• Vegan Crockpot Chili