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This decadent vegan chocolate chilli is nothing short of amazing. Packed with pumpkin, beans, and mushrooms, with a little chocolate to give an extra layer of richness and depth of flavour, this spicy, rich, smoky chilli hits all the spots.

All the spots.

No spots are left un-hit.

Do you ever have times when you make something so delicious that you just want to eat it every day? Last week was like that; as well as a big pot of chocolate chilli, I made tons of tom yam and phad Thai - thanks, I suspect to binge-watching the new Netflix show, Street Food, which is all kinds of wonderful. I have such a bad yearning to return to SE Asia!

Back to this chocolate chilli though...

When I first made this chilli, I thought I'd invented it. No, really. I honestly had no idea it was a thing until recently!

Stop laughing, you at the back.

Years ago, I discovered Rococo's chilli chocolate, and I fell in love with it (they also used to make a cardamom one which was to die for). I loved how the warm bite of chilli so perfectly complemented the velvety richness of the dark chocolate. It was a veritable mouthgasm. Truly. After that, I felt I needed to experiment with adding chocolate to chilli. And guess what? It totally worked.

But of course, you knew that already. Apparently, I was the only person on the planet who didn't know.

You can't really taste the chocolate in this chilli but it gives it a certain je ne sais quois. Rather like with chocolate beer and stout, you can't taste the chocolate but they have an added depth of richness because of it. And of course, Mexican mole is made with chocolate too.I also didn't know that all those years ago.

So anyway, while I may not have been the first person to have the bright idea of adding chocolate, I can honestly say, with hand on heart, that there is definitely room in the world for one more chocolate chilli recipe.

Especially when it's mine. 😉

Decadent Vegan Chocolate Chilli

Is...

rich
spicy
smoky
comforting
filling
gluten-free
soy-free
nut-free
high in protein and fibre
low in calories
packed with Vitamin A and Iron
insanely delicious and more-ish

This vegan chocolate chilli is nothing short of amazing. Why not make it yourself, and see?

📖 Recipe

A bowl of chocolate chilli and rice on a wooden table with an assortment of vegetables.

Decadent Vegan Chocolate Chilli

Print Pin Rate

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Diet: Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Nut-Free: Yes

Soy-Free: Yes

Gluten-Free: Yes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Makes (slide to adjust): portions

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Nico

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion finely sliced
8 large cloves garlic smashed
2-4 large red chillies split and bruised
500 g pumpkin cubed
150 g mushrooms sliced
250 ml vegetable broth
250 g passata
2 tablespoon tomato paste
300 g cooked beans
1 tablespoon cumin seed bruised
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Chipotle en Adobo Paste
50 g 60% dark chocolate
Sea salt to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the oil for around five minutes, until it becomes translucent.
Add the garlic and the chillis, and continue to cook for another couple of minutes, until the raw garlic smell has gone.
Add the pumpkin and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, for a further five minutes.
Mix the broth with the passata and tomato paste, and add to the skillet.
Add the beans, cumin seed, paprika, liquid smoke, and chipotle paste, and stir well.
Turn down the heat, cover, and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin has cooked.
Break the chocolate into small pieces, and stir into the chilli.
Simmer for another five minutes, and then serve.
Any leftovers can be kept in a lidded container in the 'fridge for up to a week and a half.

Notes

If you like more chilli, use more peppers, or add some chilli powder. Or do both. No judging here!
In Britain, tomato paste is called purée (just in case there was any confusion).
If you use smoked paprika, you can omit the liquid smoke altogether. Unless you like it really smoky, of course.
Instead of using the paste and fresh chilli peppers, you could just use chipotles in adobo.
If you're not making your own vegetable broth, I recommend you use a low-sodium variety.
Use whichever beans you like - I do!
The reason I use whole, bruised chillis is because it's easier to whip them out if the dish starts to get too hot (I learned this when I was living in Thailand). By all means, do feel free to chop them up though if that's your thing.

Nutrition Facts

Decadent Vegan Chocolate Chilli

Amount Per Serving

Calories 335 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 4g20%

Sodium 203mg8%

Carbohydrates 48g16%

Fiber 10g40%

Sugar 14g16%

Protein 14g28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe?Do mention @yums0me and/or tag #yums0me - I'd love to see how yours turned out!

DisclaimerMeasurements in parenthesis are approximate; it is beyond the scope of yumsome to be able to provide pinpoint-accurate ingredient quantities for every type of measuring utensil. As a guideline however, I make the assumption that: