Our original Chipotle Adobo Instant Pot Chili is an omnivore’s dream, made with ground turkey. But what about the plant eaters? We love you, too, and you’ll love our Vegan Chipotle Adobo Instant Pot Chili. Pintos make it rich and creamy, red and white (cannellini) kidney beans provide a hearty body, and our homemade chipotle adobo sauce seals the deal with smoky, tangy goodness.
Yeah, we know people say you can make no-soak beans in an Instant Pot, but we’re proponents of soaking for several reasons.
- Soaked beans maintain firmer skins and creamer centers for outstanding texture, especially in meatless dishes.
- No-soak Instant Pot beans can be rife with blowouts. Soaking prevents the beans from splitting and results in more even cooking.
- Speaking of blowouts, soaking for at least 12 hours, with a few water changes, reduces the complex sugar content that cause the unwanted side effects of eating beans (everyone knows it was you in that elevator, BTW). Leave the blue whale calls to our ocean dwelling friends and soak those beans overnight. Make sure they’re fresh, too.
Vegan Chipotle Adobo Instant Pot Chili
Vegan Chipotle Adobo Instant Pot Chili
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 Servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Beans
- 1 cup dried pinto beans, measured then soaked
- 1 cup dried kidney beans, measured then soaked
- 1/2 cup dried cannellini (whit kidney) beans, measured then soaked
For the Sauce
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), seeded and chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 lime, halved
- 1 can tomato paste (no sugar added, 6 oz)
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into bite sized cubes
- 4 cups unsalted vegetable broth or stock
- 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes (14.5–15 oz), with liquid
- 1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with chilies (original or mild, 10 oz), with liquid
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp homemade chipotle adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
For the Beans
- Measure dried beans then soak in separate bowls of cold water overnight, or up to 24 hours.
- Drain, rinse, and change water every 2-3 times, when possible. Drain and rinse well again before adding to Instant Pot.
For the Sauce
- If you don’t have a freezer stockpile already, prepare the homemade chipotle adobo sauce. If you choose to use a store brand, we’ll forgive you. This time. But seriously, make the sauce.
- Combine Ro-Tel tomatoes, tomato paste, homemade chipotle adobo sauce, diced carrots, and juice from half a lime to a blender or food processor. Use 1/4 cup of the water to swish around and get all the tomatoes from the can.
- Pulse until pureed and set aside.
For the Vegetables
- Cut the remaining lime half into wedges and prep onions, bell peppers and sweet potato and set aside separately. Combine all spices and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté and add the oil and onions. Cook until onions brown and caramelize to preference (5-7 minutes). Add garlic and continue cooking just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze with a splash of broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Hit cancel to turn pot off.
Putting it Together
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes (use remaining 1/4 water to swish around the can and add to pot), tomato puree mixture, peppers, beans, and spice mixture.
- Pour about a cup of the broth into the blender or food processor bowl that contained the tomato puree mixture (we want every drop of that stuff). Pulse, then pour into the Instant Pot. Repeat if necessary, add all remaining broth to the pot and stir well to combine and distribute spices.
- Set Instant Pot to Manual/High for 20 minutes (make sure “keep warm” is turned off). Allow pressure to release naturally. Once the pin drops, remove the lid and stir.
- Serve immediately with lime wedges. Liquid will thicken as the chili cools and is stored.
- Optional: cauliflower rice, red or green onions, cilantro, avocado slices, plain coconut or almond milk yogurt, vegan cheese, lime wedges, cassava tortilla chips – whatever you want.
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cool completely then freeze in airtight containers or zip top bags for up to 6 months. If using bags, try smaller freezer bags and divide the chili into to 1-2 serving portions for quick meals and lunches. Fill the bags and remove any air, then lie them flat on a baking sheet while freezing to make them stackable.
Total time does not include bean soaking time or Instant Pot pressurizing/release time, which varies by model and pot size (we used a 6-quart Duo).
Nutrition Estimate Per Serving (~1 CUP) – Calories: 202, Fat: 1.7g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: .3g, Monounsaturated Fat: .9g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 386mg, Potassium: 751mg Carbohydrates: 36.4g total/28.4g net, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 6g, Protein: 11, Vitamin A: 69%, Vitamin C: 112%, Calcium: 7.5%, Iron: 19.5% (based on 2,000 calorie diet).
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Entrée, Main Course
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Plant-Based, Tex-Mex
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: VEGAN CHILI, CHIPOTLE VEGAN CHILI, CHIPOTLE ADOBO, MEATLESS CHILI, VEGAN, PLANT-BASED, PLANTBASED, MEATLESS, VEGETARIAN, LOW-FAT, THREE BEAN CHILI, INSTANT POT
