Maple Bourbon 13 Bean Chili (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Fed up of the same chili over and over again? Try this vegan maple bourbon chili for a slightly boozy, subtly sweet variation. 

Remember the Marinate recipe competition I did over the summer? Well I had so much fun with it that I decided to take part again this month.

This week’s ingredients were a 13 bean soup blend, Maple Water & dried chili peppers. I knew I wanted to make chili but I was originally stumped by the maple water. Last time, I used it in these summer rolls, but I wasn’t sure how the flavour would work in a savoury recipe.

But then I remembered seeing maple bourbon chili on a restaurant menu once, so I thought I’d veganize it and give it a try with beans.

Vegan Maple Bourbon Chili

I’ve never cooked with bourbon before so I was a little skeptical, especially given my dislike of semi-sweet squash soups. But it turns out that whole rant really only applied to soups. Cuz this vegan maple bourbon chili is out of this world.

The deep flavours of the bourbon add a complexity to the flavour of this dish that take it from a weirdly sweet chili to something a lot more interesting. And I can definitely see myself enjoying this on a semi-regular basis over the coming winter months. Especially with with these cornmeal pancakes.

Strange? Yes. But oh-so-good.

That being said, I don’t think I actually prefer this variation to regular chili. It has a completely different flavour that makes it difficult to compare the two. But I highly recommend giving it a try if you’re ready to branch out from generic chili. Or if you’re just intrigued by the thought of cooking with bourbon, like I was.

The Challenge

If you’re a fan of this vegan maple bourbon chili, I’d love it if you could head over to Progressive Nectar’s IG and vote for me. If my photo gets the most likes I win a prize & you have a chance to win too.

Here’s how to vote:

1. Follow @progressive_nectar & @DRINKmaple
2. Like and comment on my photo of this chili on Progressive Nectar’s IG
3. If I win the recipe competition Progressive Nectar will randomly pick one of the commenters on my post & reward them with a prize too

What about you?

Have you ever cooked or baked with bourbon before? What did you make?

p.s. If you make this chili, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and rate the recipe or take a pic and tag it @ExSloth on Instagram!

More cold weather recipes:

• savoury pumpkin soup
• pumpkin sweet potato risotto
• mexican butternut squash tomato soup

Vegan Maple Bourbon Chili

 

Print

Prep time

3 hours

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

3 hours 45 mins

 

This 13 Bean Vegan Maple Bourbon Chili is a subtly sweet, slightly boozy variation of traditional chili.

Author: GiselleR

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: Vegan

Serves: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried 13 bean soup mix*, rinsed and soaked overnight**
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup maple water***
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup squash, cubed (optional - skip if you prefer a less sweet dish)
• 3 dried chilis (optional)
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 - 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 - 4 tbsp bourbon

Instructions

1. Rinse soaked beans and combine in a large saucepan with vegetable stock and maple water
2. Bring to a bowl over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer until beans are just tender (2 - 3 hours). Be careful not to overcook the beans
3. Once the beans are cooked, add the squash, stir in the spices and allow to cook for another 2 - 3 minutes
4. Increase the heat and mix in the dried chilis, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, maple syrup and bourbon, adjusting the maple syrup and bourbon to taste. If you prefer thinner chili, you can add more maple water, regular water or veggie stock at this stage
5. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender
6. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving with vegan sour cream or yogurt

Notes

*Can use 1 cup of dried beans of choice or ~3 cups cooked beans i.e. 2 15 oz cans
**If you can't soak beans overnight, add them to a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute them remove from the heat and allow to soak for at least 1 hour before cooking in vegetable stock and maple water
***Can substitute maple water for regular water or more stock
****If starting with cooked beans, skip the stock and maple water but remember to adjust seasonings to suit

3.5.3217

Liked this recipe? Pin it for later:

Want more beans? Try this: