Nutrition
Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.6g | Protein: 36.5g | Fat: 10.2g | Fiber: 19.6g
This pumpkin high protein chili is the perfect meal for a chilly, Fall day! It has 39% protein because of all the beans, tofu, and nutritional yeast; it is also has a ton of fiber! This is a pretty easy recipe to make because you mostly wait for stuff to cook, and it’s great for meal prepping because it makes 6 servings. We used a few different types of beans, but honestly, I think you could use any beans you have in your pantry and it would taste about the same. If you want it to taste extra tasty, be sure to sprinkle on some vegan shredded cheese and tortilla chips!
Servings
Ingredients
Tofu Crumble Topping
- 32 oz Super/Extra Firm Tofu
- 4 tbsp Soy Sauce low sodium
- 6 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 2 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Chili
- 1 Sweet Onion, medium finely diced
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 14.5 oz Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes canned
- 30 oz Black Beans, low sodium rinse and drain excess liquid
- 15 oz White Kidney Beans, low sodium rinse and drain excess liquid
- 15 oz Butter Beans rinse and drain excess liquid
- 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
- 2 cup Vegetable Broth
- 3/4 cup Yellow Corn frozen
- 4 tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
Making the Tofu
- Preheat oven to 350º F (177 C).
- Cover two to three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, crumble both blocks of tofu with hands; these should be very small crumbles. Add the soy sauce, nutritional yeast, chili powder and pumpkin pie spice to the tofu crumbles. Mix well with hands until it has evenly covered all of the tofu (you could also use a spoon to do this if you’re feeling bougie).
- Distribute the tofu across your baking sheets - you want a thin layer. Put in the oven for 25 - 30 mins; flip the tofu halfway through for even baking. Tofu should be fairly dry and crumbly when it’s ready!
Cooking the Chili
- Add diced onion to non-stick skillet (medium heat) - saute until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Keep stirring constantly so this doesn’t burn.
- You’ll want a large crockpot for this; high heat.
- Add your onion and garlic to the crockpot, followed by all of the other chili ingredients listed above. Mix well.
- Allow to cook for 3-4 hours in the Crockpot, occasionally stirring.
Serving the Goods
- Serve however you want, but my preference is to stir the tofu into the chili only when I’m ready to eat it. I also recommend sprinkling on some extra nutritional yeast, and if you want an extra cheesy flavor - I like to add violife shreds. This chili turns out super thick and chunky so it’s an excellent chili to enjoy with tortilla chips!
Equipment
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Notes
Track this on My Fitness Pal searching:
PDV High Protein Pumpkin Chili
This can keep in the fridge for 4 - 5 days
Did you make this recipe?Mention @proteindeficient.vegan
Soy-free Option
- Instead of regular tofu, use a soy-free tofu option such as Fava Bean.
- Use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Gluten-free Option
- Substitute the soy sauce with coconut aminos.
This High Protein Pumpkin Chili is literally the perfect Fall meal prep! It makes 8 servings, so you can feed a large family with it or feed yourself 8 times! 🙂
If you want a high protein chili recipe but aren’t feeling the pumpkin spice vibes, you could also check out my High Protein Vegan Chili or High Protein Southwestern Chili recipes!
Ingredients
Tofu Crumbles
- Super/Extra Firm Tofu – you can use super firm or extra firm tofu. With the super firm tofu, you won’t need to press it. The extra firm tofu will need to be pressed, but it’s significantly cheaper than super firm. A non-soy tofu is another option if you’re making this soy-free.
- Soy Sauce – you can also use coconut aminos if you’re making this gluten-free or soy-free.
- Nutritional Yeast – this is a shelf stable ingredient used in a lot of vegan cooking. It adds a savory, cheesy flavor, and it’s also very high in protein!
- Chili Powder, Pumpkin Pie Spice – the chili powder is pretty obvious because this is a chili recipe but the pumpkin pie spice pairs really nicely with the pumpkin – lots of Fall vibes!
Chili
- Onion – I used a sweet onion, but other onion types will work too.
- Garlic – I prefer fresh garlic because I think it tastes better.
- Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes – I prefer the crushed tomatoes over the diced variety because you end up with tomatoes in every bite!
- Beans – I used Black Beans, White Kidney Beans and Butter Beans and felt like it was a good variety and the flavors went together well. If you’re having trouble finding one of these, just sub it for another one. I like to use canned beans because it’s easier. Admittedly, the canned variety is much more expensive than the dried beans.
- Pumpkin Puree
- Corn – I used frozen.
- Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, Salt – classic spices for a chili.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice, Nutmeg, Cinnamon – these are more Fall flavors; I think they pair well with the pumpkin. If you’re more interested in a standard chili, check out this High Protein Chili.
- Vegetable Broth – this adds flavor and moisture. If you like your chili more soupy, add more vegetable broth. If you like it even more thick than shown in the picture, add less.
- Maple Syrup – adds a bit of sweetness.
- Cocoa Powder – adds a richness and balances the acidity.
- Salt – adjust to taste.
Instructions
Making the Tofu Crumbles
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F (177 C).
- Cover a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper – we’re using two blocks of tofu so I usually end up with three baking sheets. The more the tofu can spread out, the more moisture can cook off of it and the more meaty the texture ends up.
- In a large bow, crumble both blocks of tofu and mix in the soy sauce, nutritional yeast, chili powder and pumpkin pie spice. I just do this with my hands, but it can be kind of messy (you’ve been warned). Make sure you mix in the spices really well so the tofu crumbles are evenly coated.
- Distribute the seasoned, crumbled tofu across the baking sheets. It should be a thin layer so that the water can cook off more easily.
- Cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Flip the tofu halfway through for even baking. The tofu should end up dry and crumbly when it’s done.
Making the Chili
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
- In a non-stick pan (on medium heat), saute the diced onion until it’s translucent. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes, and stir regularly to avoid burning.
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning.
- In a large crock pot, on high heat, add the cooked onion and garlic, and all of the other ingredients under the chili ingredients section. I like to add the vegetable broth, pumpkin puree and crushed tomatoes first, followed by all of the spices/seasonings and stir really well with a spatula until all the flavors are well distributed. I add the beans and corn last and stir again.
- Put the crock pot lid on and cook for 3-4 hours. Stir occasionally.
Serving the Chili
- You can serve this however you want, but I prefer to add the crumbled tofu in when I’m ready to eat the chili. This keeps the texture of the tofu nice and meaty. I even store the chili separately from the tofu when I have leftovers.
- This is a pretty thick chili, so if you like your chili thinner, be sure to add some more liquids (vegetable broth/water) to it in the beginning or during the cooking process if you see it’s too thick for your preference.
Silly Little Haiku
Tofu and some beans
High Protein Pumpkin Chili
Serve it with some cheese
Author
Protein Deficient Vegan
