Vegan Chili & Southern Cornbread

Name: Vegan Chili & Southern Cornbread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed; 1/2 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 packet vegetarian chili seasoning; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; Dash of black pepper; 1 lb plant-based ground beef (Beyond Beef, Impossible, or similar); 1 Tbsp neutral oil, for sautéing; 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup sugar; 2 Tbsp baking powder; 1 1/2 tsp fine salt; 1 cup vegan sour cream; 1 vegan egg substitute (e.g. Neat Egg), prepared per package; 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted; 1 (16 oz) can creamed corn

October 3, 2026MainsBy Carlos + Dominique

Serves 6Prep 15 minCook 35 minTotal 50 min

Prep and cook times are estimates — every kitchen moves at its own pace. Chili simmers while the cornbread bakes — about 50 minutes start to finish.

Jump to Recipe

This is the chili from the video — smoky, beefy Beyond crumbles, kidney and black beans, cayenne warmth — but the cornbread got a promotion. The old version leaned on two boxes of Jiffy mix. This one is from scratch and eats exactly like it: sweet, buttery, golden-crisp on top and pudding-soft inside. The trick is that the Jiffy flavor was never in the box — it's the sour cream, the creamed corn, the butter, and the sugar. Keep those, build the dry base yourself, and nobody misses the mix. (Team Jiffy? The old version with 2 boxes of vegetarian Jiffy mix still works great — no judgment here.)

Note: the original video called for a package of frozen Beyond Beef Crumbles, which have gotten hard to find. Any plant-based ground beef works here — Beyond, Impossible, Gardein — just brown it and crumble it yourself. Frozen Gardein or Lightlife crumbles are a direct swap, and TVP does the job in a pinch.

Watch it made

Directions

Chili — build the base: heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion 4 to 5 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
Chili — brown the plant-based ground: add the plant-based ground beef, breaking it up into crumbles with a spoon, and cook 5 to 7 minutes until browned at the edges.
Chili — season: stir in the chili seasoning packet, cayenne, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Toast 1 minute until fragrant.
Chili — simmer: add both cans of beans plus a splash of water (about 1/2 cup). Bring to a gentle bubble, then lower the heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick.
Cornbread — heat the oven: set to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with vegan butter.
Cornbread — mix the dry base: whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Cornbread — mix the wet: in a second bowl, whisk the vegan sour cream, prepared egg substitute, melted butter, and creamed corn until smooth.
Cornbread — combine: pour the wet into the dry and fold until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Overmixing makes it tough.
Cornbread — bake: spread into the dish and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden on top and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter). Cool 10 minutes before cutting.
Serve: ladle the chili into bowls and hand everyone a thick square of warm cornbread. Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge — the cornbread reheats beautifully wrapped in foil.