Take your chili to the next level with spicy, sweet, umami-packed gochujang. This plant-based chickpea chili is quick, easy, and so flavorful!
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What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chili paste made from gochugaru (red chili peppers), rice, fermented soy beans, salt, and sometimes sweeteners. It’s a thick, sticky, dark red paste often sold in small tubs at grocery stores now. Gochujang packs a ton of spicy, sweet, salty, and savory flavors, making it a perfect condiment to season soups, stews, sauces, and stir fries. Do note that it’s not meant to be consumed as a condiment as-is but rather used as a base ingredient for sauces, etc.
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Key Ingredients
- Gochujang* ⟶ Instead of the typical chili powder often used in chili, this recipe uses gochujang to add spicy, sweet, and savory notes all in one.
- Tomatoes/Tomato Paste ⟶ Gochujang and tomatoes are the perfect flavor pair!
- Chickpeas ⟶ You can also use other beans/protein of choice (see FAQ below).
- Spices ⟶ Cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and cocoa powder (trust me).
- Veggies ⟶ Onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and mushrooms.
- Mushrooms add umami and a chewy, “meatier” texture. I highly recommend shiitake mushrooms if you can find them, otherwise crimini mushrooms are second best.
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What to Serve with Gochujang Chili
This chili is delicious paired with rice, bread, or cornbread. I recommend garnishing the chili with cilantro, green onions, (vegan) sour cream, (vegan) cheese, avocado, pickled jalapeños, or pickled onions. You can also serve it with a side salad or steamed/roasted veggies for extra nutrients and fiber.
Gochujang Chili FAQ
Is gochujang gluten-free?
Gochujang is often made with wheat so be sure to purchase a gluten-free gochujang* if this is an issue for you.
How do I make this chili gluten-free?
Simply use a gluten-free gochujang and gluten-free soy sauce alternative such as tamari.
Can I swap chickpeas for another bean/protein?
Of course! Lentils, cubed or crumbled tofu/tempeh, or a combination of your favorite proteins would all be good. Finely chopped walnuts also sound delicious (and would add heart healthy fats!).
Cooking Tips
Use a food processor to chop veggies ⟶ If you want to save 10 minutes of prep time, pulse the veggies in a food processor to finely chop them. Of course you can chop by hand, but it does take a bit of time.
For a crunchy texture, add bell peppers near the end ⟶ The recipe card says to sauté all the veggies first. I wrote it like this because if you are using a food processor, it’s just easier to pulse all the veggies together. But if you want a little crunchy texture in your chili, chop/pulse the bell peppers separately and add them in the last 5 minutes of simmering. This way they will cook to a crisp-tender texture rather than soft. You can also add crunchy texture with garnishes like green onions, pickled onions, jalapeños, or crushed tortilla chips!
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More Gochujang Recipes!
- Gochujang Potatoes
- Sticky Gochujang Cauliflower
- Spicy Bean Sprout Miso Soup
- Vegan Bibimbap with Spicy Tempeh
- Spicy Edamame Noodles
- One Pot Spicy Miso Ramen
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If you try out this gochujang chickpea chili, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Gochujang Chickpea Chili
Ingredients
Spices
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
Chili
- 1 small onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery
- 6 shiitake mushrooms
- 1 bell pepper
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp
gochujang* - 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3 cups (2 cans) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 green onions, sliced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Add spices to a small bowl and set aside.
- Roughly chop onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Place in a food processor and pulse a few times until finely chopped. OR you can finely chop the veggies by hand but this will take longer.
- Heat olive oil in a deep pan or pot over medium high heat. Add finely chopped veggies and garlic and cook about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Stir frequently.
- Add spices and stir for 1 minute to toast the spices.
- Add gochujang and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and stir another 30 seconds to combine.
- Pour in tomatoes, including the liquid in the can. Use the back of a large spoon to crush the tomatoes into chunks.
- Pour in vegetable broth and chickpeas and stir well. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking on the bottom.
- Once the chili has thickened, turn off the heat. Stir in soy sauce and lemon juice.
- Garnish with green onions and cilantro just before serving.
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Hi there! When are you supposed to add in the spices? I wasn’t sure based on the instructions, so I just dumped them in at step 7 with the vegetable broth and chickpeas. Still turned out delicious, but would be helpful to clarify above 🙂 Thank you!
Whoops, sorry for the confusion! Thanks for pointing that out. I just updated the recipe card to include adding the spices after step 3. Glad it still turned out tasty for you!