Vegetarian Cashew Chili Recipe - Dairy Free & GF (2024)

This cashew chili recipe made with cashews, almonds, beans, and vegetables is full of flavor and creamy, thanks to the blended cashews and almonds. The vegetarian chili with cashews is perfect for enjoying at the end of a cold day as the Mexican spices will help to warm you up.

This healthy cashew chili contains a mixture of almonds and cashews soaked and blended for a thick and creamy vegan chili soup that fills you up after a hardworking or active day. I used a combination of cashews and almonds as my friend who shared her recipe with me used both, but you could also only use cashews, and I am sure it will taste just as good.

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I love the creamy texture of blended cashews and almonds in this cashew chili recipe. I find myself adding blended cashews to many of my soup and chili recipes as it always combines all the flavors and makes it taste better!

Ingredients for the cashew chili recipe

• 2 cups dry mixed beans soaked for 8-12 hours
• 1.5 cups equal parts cashewsandalmonds soaked for 8 hours
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups mushroom
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 red pepper
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup sundried tomato
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
• 2 tbsp Mexican chili powder
• 1 400 gram crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 3 tbspnutritional yeast
• 3 cups of water
• 1.5 cups water for blending cashews and almonds
• 1 tbsp olive oil

How to make vegetarian chili with cashews

Eight hours before making the vegetarian bean chili soak the 2 cups of mixed dry beans in a bowl covered with water. In another bowl, soak the cashews and almonds in water as well.

If you have a pressure cooker, place the beans in the pressure cooker covered with water and heat up until the whistle blows, then turn off the heat and let cool before opening the lid. Once cooled, open the lid, strain the beans, and place them into a slow cooker with an additional 2 cups of water.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker; place the beans into a large pot or slow cooker to cook on high with 3 cups of water until soft. You may need an extra cup of water at the end as this recipe depending on how much water is lost during the slow cooking of beans.

Finely dice all the vegetables and saute in a frying pan on low heat with the spices and herbs for ten minutes. Once softened, transfer to the slow cookerand add coconut sugar, nutritional yeast, tamari, and crushed tomatoes.

Mix the soaked almonds and cashews with 1.5 cups of water in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add into the chili and let all the ingredients simmer together. The longer it simmers, the tastier it gets this hearty vegetarian chili gets!

Benefits of soaking beans before cooking

If you don’t tolerate beans or notice that they make you gassy, it can be due to how they are prepared or an indication of an enzymeneed. Beans contain phytic acid and anti-nutrients that can make them difficult to digest.

Soaking beans for a minimum of 8 hours before cooking helps to reduce the amount of phytic acid and anti-nutrients, making them much easier to digest. If you are preparing your beans properly and still find that they make you gassy, you might want to take digestive enzymesupport.

​Seeking Health’s Pro Digestion Intensive is a comprehensive enzyme supplement with the additional enzyme support of alpha-galactosidase and beta-glucanase to help break down vegetables, beans, and grains along with your other standard enzymes to breakdown protein, fat, and starch.

Soaking the beans before cooking also significantly reduces the cooking time of the beans. So be sure to soak your beans!