Seitan Wheat Berry Chili

This is a revised vegan seitan chili recipe with wheat berries, canned pinto beans, jalapeño and more. Now, it uses less ingredients and is a little more efficient to put together. But I promise, it is just as hearty and delicious as the original! And it still tastes amazing loaded up with toppings, like avocado, cilantro, plant based sour cream, Fritos, hot sauce… really the sky is the limit.

This recipe serves ~4-6.

A few things..

・Use store bought or make seitan from scratch. Then, grind it up in a food processor.

・ All the jalapeño’s heat lives inside the seeds and the inner membrane. The more seeds and inner membrane that you add to the vegan seitan wheat berry chili, the hotter it will be. Adjust the heat to your tastes.

・Depending on the type of wheat berry, the cook through times will vary. Hard wheat berries take longer than soft wheat berries. Test the wheat berries after 40 minutes of cooking, and if they aren’t ready, add more time and a bit of water, if needed. They should be chewy.

・I recommend using a fake beef bouillon cube + 2 cups water for the broth, but you can also use 1 tsp red miso paste + 2 cups water. If you go the miso route, you may need to add a little soy sauce at the end.

・As a variation, make this a vegan seitan chili with no beans! Simply, omit the pintos and follow the rest of the recipe.
Explore additional UVK recipes, like Balsamic Potato Salad with Fresh Basil, Tomatoes and Wheat Berries, Cowboy Skillet Shepherd’s Pie with Seitan and Pinto Beans, Lemony Greek Wheat Berry Salad, Middle Eastern Wheat Berry Salad with Kale, Cucumber and Tomatoes, Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers, Seitan Fajitas and more.

Now, it’s time to make a delicious vegan seitan wheat berry chili 💚

A hearty vegan seitan chili recipe with wheat berries, canned pinto beans, jalapeño and more

Seitan Wheat Berry Chili

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped onion (OR ~1 medium onion, chopped)

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, finely chopped (if sensitive to heat, remove the seeds and inner membrane – see notes above)

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried Mexican oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

1½ Tbsp ancho chili powder

2 bay leaves

14.5 ounce can of no salt petite diced tomatoes

2 cups fake beef broth (OR 1 tsp red miso + 2 cups water – see notes above)

1 cup wheat berries (see notes above)

15.5 ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed (OR ~1½ cups cooked pinto beans)

8 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 ½ cups of water

2 cups ground seitan (store bought or homemade – see notes above)

1. First, sauté the aromatics for the vegan seitan wheat berry chili. In a large, heavy pot or dutch oven, add olive oil, onions and a pinch of salt. Sauté over medium-high heat for ~7 minutes or until golden. Then, stir in the garlic, jalapeño, smoked paprika, onion powder, oregano, cumin and chili powder. Stir around for a minute.

2. Now, it’s time to cook the wheat berries for the vegan seitan chili. Add the bay leaves, diced tomatoes, broth, and wheat berries. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat, cover, and continue gently boiling for 40 minutes or until the grains are fully cooked through.