I posted my recipe for low FODMAP Nomato sauce a few years ago now. I love that recipe, but I did develop it prior to pumpkin receiving a lower FODMAP threshold. Now that serves of pumpkin are less generous, it can be hard to incorporate vegetarian protein (namely tofu) into that recipe. With that in mind, I decided to develop this low FODMAP vegan Nomato chilli (sin carne).
This easy and delicious low FODMAP nomato sauce uses spring onion greens, coriander and dried herbs as the aromatic base. Carrot adds bulk and beetroot adds colour. The protein of choice here is tofu but I have added an option to use beans. Of course, you could surely use minced meat if you don’t need the dish to be vegan.
Recipe notes
- My main tip is in relation to the beetroot. 75-100g beetroot is enough to colour this chilli but it does depend on the individual beetroot you are using. In my experience, 100g was a little too pink in every test. However, this is easily toned down by adding some low FODMAP plant milk of choice. How much beetroot you decide to add is up to you.
- I highly recommend using an immersion blender/soup stick for this recipe. It gives you a slightly chunky but combined sauce that looks like a passata.
- On that note, this sauce absolutely needs to be blended. This is what gives it the right colour and texture.
- With rice and the bean inclusion, this chilli can easily serve more than 6. You can use it as a meal with rice, in burritos or tacos, on nachos – anywhere you’d use a chilli normally.
FODMAP notes
These thresholds are current as of April 2026. They will be periodically reviewed to ensure they remain up to date with Monash research.
Carrots are low FODMAP in serves of up to 500g per person which is why I use them as the base. I leave the skin on.
Beetroots are low FODMAP in serves of up to 249g per person. In 250g per person, they contain moderate GOS and fructan. We are using 75-100g total and dividing it between at least 6 serves.
Spring onion greens are low FODMAP in serves of up to 96g per person. In 97g serves, they contain moderate amounts of fructose. A bunch of spring onion greens in Australia weighs approximately 50g.
Pickled jalapenos are low FODMAP in serves of up to 500g per person. This is why they are our chilli of choice in this recipe.
Firm tofu is low FODMAP in serves of up to 174g per person. In 175g serves, it contains moderate amounts of fructan. We are using 500g total and this chilli serves at least 6.
Canned and drained black beans are an optional ingredient to bump up the protein and fibre. They are low FODMAP in serves of up to 51g. In 52g, they contain moderate amounts of GOS. More on this in a section below.
A note on the optional black beans
I am guilty of using soy as the protein in the majority of my low FODMAP vegan recipes. I know that some people need to avoid soy, which is why I wanted to include the black bean option.
As mentioned, canned and drained black beans are an optional ingredient to bump up the protein and fibre. They are low FODMAP in serves of up to 51g. In 52g, they contain moderate amounts of GOS. This recipe uses 1 X 400g can of black beans, which yields approximately 240g black beans once drained and rinsed.
240g black beans divided between 6 serves is 40g. This is under the Monash threshold of 52g serves per person.
The FODMAP Friendly app has a more generous maximum serve of 66g per person. Either way (accounting for the presence of GOS in large serves of beetroot too) we should be under the threshold.
Two things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to use canned black beans are your individual tolerances and what you intend to serve the chilli with. I can’t advise on your individual tolerances, but I can advise on the latter issue.
Of course, you will need to make sure you don’t serve the chilli (in large serves) with anything GOS containing. A pertinent GOS containing ingredient here is corn chips. Monash says that corn chips are low FODMAP in serves of up to 164g. In 165g serves, they contain moderate amounts of GOS. FODMAP Friendly says they are low FODMAP in a maximum serving of 93g.
If you intend to use both, you’ll need to serve the chilli in smaller serves per person.
Low histamine diet notes
This recipe is lower histamine than my low FODMAP chilli recipe because it doesn’t use tomatoes. However, there are still a few issues in terms of making it low histamine as opposed to just ‘lower’ histamine.
- Pickled jalapeños (and pickles and chillies in general) are not low histamine. It might sound odd, but I like to add spice to low histamine dishes by using lots of fresh ginger.
- Cumin is not low histamine. It is such a unique flavour that it would be hard to replace. I was going to suggest smoked paprika, but I double checked and that is high too. UGH.
- Tamari is not low histamine but you can simply salt the chilli to taste instead.
- A few more spanners: tofu and black beans are not low histamine, which is what makes doing the low histamine diet as a vegetarian so hard. You can look into freshly cooking your own beans, but that then changes the FODMAP equation.
More low FODMAP vegan recipes
- Low FODMAP vegan and gluten free lasagne
- Low FODMAP vegetarian Pad Thai (omit the egg for a vegan option)
- Low FODMAP marinated tofu
- Gluten free steamed buns (vegan with a plant based milk)
- Low FODMAP peanut tofu
Low FODMAP Nomato chilli
Ingredients
- 60 ml (3 tablespoons)* olive oil
- 1 bunch spring onion greens (approximately 50g in Australia)
- 1 large bunch coriander roots and stems
- 300 g carrots chopped (I leave the skin on)
- 75-100 g raw beetroot washed and chopped (see notes)
- pickled jalapeños chopped, to your tastes
- 2-3 tablespoons* cumin to your tastes (I used 2 tablespoons powdered and 1 tablespoon seeds)
- 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1-2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 750-1000 ml low FODMAP vegetable stock
- 500 g firm tofu torn into cubes
- 40-60ml (2-3 tablespoons)* Tamari to taste (see notes)
- 10-20ml (½ -1 tablespoon )* maple syrup or sweetener of choice for balance
- Up to 125ml (½ cup)* low FODMAP plant based milk only to dull the red colour if needed
- 1 X 400g can black beans (approximately 240g black beans once rinsed and drained) optional, see notes
- Cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil to a Dutch oven or large soup pot and place over a medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering add the spring onion greens, coriander roots and stems, chopped vegetables and a conservative amount of pickled jalapeño (you can add more later to your tastes).
- Cook for a minute or two until the spring onion is fragrant, then add the spices. Cook for a minute more to bloom the spices, then add the stock. Pop a lid on and allow the vegetables to cook through until the largest pieces can easily be pierced with a fork – 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the vegetables and the heat.
- Once the vegetables are fully cooked, use an immersion blender to completely blitz the carrot and beetroot to a puree. Your mixture should be the consistency of and look like tinned tomato. Continue to puree until all the vegetables have broken down into this consistency.
- Once you have blended the mixture, add the crumbled tofu and stir to combine. Adding it before blending will create a textural nightmare. Taste and add Tamari or salt as necessary. If you find your chilli is a bit too red, add the milk to soften the colour. Taste for spice and add more chopped pickled jalapeño if need be.
- Add the drained black beans to warm them through. You may need to add a little extra stock or water as the beans will soak up some liquid. You can simmer the chilli for as long as you like, but with canned beans you only need to heat them through.
- Season to taste and serve. I like to serve mine with plenty of rice, a mashed avocado with lime juice and salt, extra coriander, lactose free yoghurt and a few corn chips (see notes in body of post if you are using the black beans).
Notes
- How much beetroot you need for colouring depends on the beetroot you are using. In all the batches I tested, I found 100g to be a bit too red but easily toned down with some plant milk.
- I keep the skin on the beetroot as well as the carrot. Make sure the beetroot is thoroughly washed and any tendrils chopped off.
- Tamari adds umami saltiness and deepens the colour of a vibrant chilli. Add it to taste and gradually to ensure it doesn’t become too salty.
- Maple syrup often goes a long way in balancing out a recipe. You can also use brown sugar instead.
- See the FODMAP notes and black bean notes in the body of the post.
- I have a low FODMAP vegetable stock recipe here.
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