Healthy food meets comfort food, with this delicious & homemade buffalo chickpea chili.
It’s playoff hockey season again, which is one of my favorite times to try out new comfort-food recipes.
This week last year, I first made the Creamy Spinach Tomato Pasta.
And the start of another playoff season seemed like the perfect time to finally try this buffalo chickpea chili.
After all, what could possibly be more perfect for game time than a big bowl of spicy homemade chili?
The completely meatless chili is full of wholesome ingredients, such as carrots, onions, tomatoes, and chickpeas, giving you the perfect excuse to feel less guilty for all the beers and chips that might be consumed alongside!
To show just how easy it is to make, I posted a video below of the process:
Tip: If you have a Trader Joes near you, I like to buy the diced mirepoix vegetables to use in this chili recipe. Not only does it take care of all the chopping, it also doesn’t leave you with a zillion leftover pieces of celery you have no idea how to use.
And any time I don’t have to cut up an onion, my eyes are inordinately grateful for it.
Serving suggestions include sliced avocado, tortilla chips, or Vegan Cornbread.
The BEST part about this healthy chili?
Leftovers freeze well, so you can portion extra servings into containers—I use pyrex as opposed to plastic—and freeze for a day when you’re pressed for time but want a home-cooked meal.
The recipe can easily be cooked in a slow cooker, and you can change it up by using different vegetables or trying it with your favorite source of protein. I used kidney beans, but crumbled tofu or tempeh would also work nicely.
The chili was adapted from my Vegetarian Chili Recipe.
Buffalo Chickpea Chili
Ingredients
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 15 oz chickpeas, cooked or canned
- 15 oz protein of choice
- 1 cup chopped or diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- optional 1/2 cup corn
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3-4 tbsp buffalo sauce or hot sauce
- 4 oz cream cheese, or vegan cream cheese or cashew cream (can be omitted)
Instructions
- If you just want regular (non-spicy) chili, simply omit the buffalo sauce. To add a little extra depth of flavor if desired, you can start by sautéing the onion with a little oil or buttery spread for a few minutes. Combine all ingredients in either a medium pot or a slow cooker, and stir well. If cooking on the stove: bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook uncovered for 35 minutes. If carrots are still too crunchy, cover and cook 10 additional minutes or until vegetables reach desired softness. If using a slow cooker, set to low and cook 6-8 hours. (Time may vary, depending on your slow cooker's size and settings.)*Two readers have commented to say this works in the instant pot if you combine all ingredients, set to high pressure manual for 10 minutes, then do a natural release. Thanks to readers Susan and Vicky C for trying the recipe and leaving a comment to let us know how to make it in the instant pot!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Recipe Of The Day:
This looks like the PERFECT lunch and dinner recipe! I absolutely love Trader Joe’s as well!
This chili is AMAZING! It is so flavorful, has great texture, and it freezes really well. It has the perfect amount of spice. I used sweet potatoes instead of carrots cuz that’s what I had on hand, and it was absolutely delicious. The buffalo wing sauce is brilliant. It’s even better after it’s been frozen! Thank you!
Hello,
I made this over the weekend for my weekday work lunch, and I used the kidney beans, Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce 4T., no corn, and used light cream cheese. I also used Trader Joe’s mirepoix, wow, that sure cut out some serious chopping time! But I would cook the mirepoix a little longer before adding everything else, but otherwise, it’s really delicious!!
This was great! I replaced 1/4 tsp. of the paprika with smoked paprika and used Frank’s medium wing sauce. I cooked it in the pressure cooker on the soup/stew setting and it turned out just right. I added the cream cheese after it was cooked because I didn’t know how that would work in the pressure cooker.
Hands down my favorite chili recipe ever! I added a bag of Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles for the “protein of choice” and got rave reviews. I love that this freezes beautifully in individual containers for quick meals. Later this week, I’ll be making my 2nd batch this month!
This is absolutely delicious! I can’t get over how good it tastes. I make a big batch and freeze in small portions. It freezes really well. You have to try it!
I think the WW SmartPoints calculation is for making the recipe without added protein. When I run it through the WW with an added chicken protein and no cream cheese, it comes up much higher than what’s listed in the nutritional info for this recipe.
I have made this twice in the past month and lived it!
Loved it ?
+1 for the Instant Pot version! I added diced sweet potato to up the veg. Didn’t have chili powder on hand so I doubled the paprika, cumin, and added a dash of cayenne. As I typically do with my IP soups and stews, I used the saute function to get the mirepoix nice and browned (onion, carrot, celery, and spices) before adding everything else and putting to 10 minutes high pressure. Natural release takes quite a long time for this volume of liquid, but it’ll be worth it. 🙂
I think the Weight Watchers Smart Points should actually be 0. Each of the individual ingredients are 0 point foods (except for the cream cheese).
You’re right! I think Weight Watchers changed to freestyle points after Katie posted this recipe back in 2017, and now beans and chickpeas are free foods on their new freestyle plan. We are changing it, thanks for the heads up!
Jason (media relations)