This 13 Bean Chili is one of my favorite weeknight recipes. Perfect for an easy meal prep or freezer meal. Pair it with the cornbread waffles and wow your dinner guests!
This 13 bean chili can be made in the instant pot and is SO easy. It is the epitome of a dump and go recipe. Now, my favorite part of this recipe is that it uses a 13 bean mix. Using a variety of beans gives this chili great texture. I got my 13 bean mix from Bob’s Red Mill and have linked to the exact one I used here! I’ve also seen 15 bean mixes and that would work perfectly fine too! Just be sure to remove the seasoning package that it comes with.
Making the 13 bean chili in the instant pot:
Now all you need to do is sauté together the onion, bell pepper and vegan beef crumbles directly in the instant pot for about 10 minutes or until soft.
Then, add in the dry beans mixture (no soaking required) and remaining ingredients. Mix together and then twist on the lid! Set the Instant Pot to cook on Manual high pressure for 45 minutes and allow to cook hands free!
After the instant pot has naturally de-pressurized for 15 minutes, you can release the rest of the pressure. Once you remove the lid you might be thinking what I first thought when I made this…uh oh!
When I first made this and saw it look like this after removing the lid I immediately thought to myself, alright, I guess we’re having take out tonight! But don’t you worry!! It actually really is cooked. Stir it together and you will find that it is PERFECT. All of the beans are cooked well and all it needed was a good stir. At this point, add in 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 1 can of green chilis. Stir to combine. Afterwards, your chili should be looking something like this and is ready to eat!
Cornbread waffles..
The waffles are SO easy and basically fool proof. All you’re going to do is mix together the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Allow your waffle iron to preheat.
Once ready, scoop about ¾ cup of the batter onto the waffle iron at a time. I cooked mine on setting 5 on my waffle iron and they were crispy, yet moist on the inside! So delicious and much more fun than regular cornbread! Such a good recipe to wow any dinner guests.
13 Bean Chili with Cornbread Waffles
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion - diced
- 1 bell pepper - deseeded and diced
- 1 (12 ounce) package vegan beef crumbles - I used Light-Life Smart Ground Plant-Based crumbles
- 1 (20 ounce) bag 15 bean soup mix - Can substitute 2 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill 13 bean soup mix
- 2 (1 ounce) packets mild vegetarian chili seasoning - Equivalent to about 4 tablespoons. Can substitute with taco seasoning.
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (4 ounce) can fire roasted diced green chilies
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
Cornbread Waffles
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal - medium grind
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 flax egg - 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2 ½ tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅛ cup avocado oil - or other neutral cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
For Serving
- green onion
- The Best Cashew Sour Cream or plain vegan yogurt
- vegan cheese shreds
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions (6 QT Pot)
- Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot and heat a tablespoon of avocado oil in the bottom of the pot.
- Sauté the diced onion and bell pepper in the tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Scoot the onion and bell pepper to one side of the pot, then add in the vegan beef crumbles. Sauté the crumbles for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly browned and crispy. Once browned, press the off button on the Instant Pot to stop sauté function.
- Discard the ham flavored seasoning packet that comes with the soup mix. Then, in a fine sieve, thoroughly rinse and drain the beans. Next, add bean mixture directly to the instant pot (no soaking) along with remaining chili ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add Instant Pot lid, set valve to SEAL and cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes.
- Allow instant pot to de-pressurize naturally for 15 minutes before releasing rest of pressure.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Storage
- Chili will keep for 3-4 days in fridge in an airtight container. Flavor will deepen over time.
Cornbread Waffles
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 2 ½ tablespoons of water and set aside to allow flax egg to form, about 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat your waffle iron to setting 5 (medium high heat).
- In a large bowl, mix together the maple syrup, avocado oil, and soy milk.
- Next slowly add in the all purpose flour, corn meal, and baking powder.
- Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a batter is formed. Do not overmix.
- Finally, gently fold the flax eggs into the waffle batter.
- Once the waffle iron has pre-heated, scoop about ¾ cup of batter onto waffle iron and cook according to your waffle iron settings.
- This recipe should make about 3-4 full size waffles.
Notes
- Estimated nutritional information is for the chili only and does not include toppings or waffles.
- This recipe previously had a slow cooker option, however it has been removed because it is not recommended to cook kidney beans in a slow cooker for food safety reasons.
- These waffles also freeze well and can be made ahead of time. I just reheat them in the toaster!
- I do not spray my waffle iron with oil before cooking the waffles because my waffle iron is nonstick. If your waffle iron generally needs oil to prevent sticking, I would recommend spraying your iron with oil before cooking generously.
Note about salt
Please pay attention to the type of salt called for in the recipe (if applicable). Not all salts are made equal and cannot be substituted 1 for 1. If you are substituting table salt for kosher salt, you will need to cut the amount called for in the recipe by at least half.
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
We have now made this recipe a few times now and it gets better and better each time. It’s hearty, cozy, and delicious and makes the house smell so good!
So happy to hear this!