Holy Molé! It's Cinco de Mayo and do I have a recipe for you! Several fans have asked for a molé recipe so here is my version of a Vegan Molé Poblano. And no worries, I didn't fry a single thing.
Molé is truly a labor of love.
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What Is So Special About This Molé?
🐥Vegan & Oil-free: Mole is traditionally NOT vegan as it's usually made with chicken broth and pork lard. The majority of the ingredients are fried in oil or lard before being blended. While this recipe is not fat-free due to the nuts & seeds, it IS vegan & oil-free, and if you use gluten-free bread or tortillas - gluten-free as well.
🇲🇽Comfort Food: Molé is Mexico's signature dish and is called by many a "mother sauce". It has been around since before Columbus and has its roots in the Aztecs & Mayan civilizations. And it's a celebratory dish that is often served at weddings, baptisms, and of course - Cinco de Mayo.
🌶️Warm Complex Flavors: Traditional molé recipes can have as many as 80 different ingredients. It is NOT a 'hot sauce', nor is it a 'chocolate' sauce. It is a warm, comforting, feel-good sauce with many layers of flavor.
🌮Many Uses: Serve molé on your enchiladas, tacos, potatoes, beans, rice, or just on a tortilla for a quick, easy treat.
Ingredients for Vegan Molé
Chiles
The chiles you use are what will give your molé its unique and delicious flavor.
The holy trifecta of traditional Mexican molé is:
- Pasilla (Negro) chiles
- Ancho chiles
- Mulato chiles
Dried chiles can be confusing! Many stores sell bags of Ancho Pasilla Chiles - but all you get in the bag are anchos! Anchos are short and fat and are just dried poblanos. Mulatos are also dried poblanos but are left on the vine to ripen longer. Pasillas are a completely different chile and are long and skinny.
The best place to find all 3 types of chiles is a local Mexican market (supermercado) or of course, Amazon. Other chiles can be substituted but it will change the flavor as well as the heat level of the mole.
I have a complete Amazon list below.
Nuts & Seeds
Sesame seeds and nuts are traditionally used to make molé. I'm using almonds but you can also use peanuts. To make it completely nut-free you can use sesame seeds and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) instead.
Spices
I use whole spices in this recipe so I can toast them and then grind them myself. An old coffee grinder does the job well. Ground spices can be substituted but the amounts may vary. You will need:
- whole cloves
- whole peppercorns
- Mexican cinnamon stick (Canela)
- Anise seeds
- Salt
- Sugar (turbinado, brown, date, or piloncillo (Mexican cane sugar)
Fruit & Veggies
- white onion (not in photo)
- garlic (not in photo)
- 15 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
- raisins
- 1 slice of day-old bread
- some people add a plantain too
Liquids
Chicken broth is what is traditionally used to make molé, so I used a product from Better Than Bouillon® called No Chicken Base. You can substitute veggie broth if you wish but it will slightly change the flavor of the molé.
You will also need 2 cups of the water used to rehydrate the chiles.
Chocolate
And last but not least, you will need some Mexican chocolate. I've seen where people have used cocoa powder, but again - sticking to tradition - I used a 2 oz tablet of Ibarra chocolate I found at my local Walmart. Abuelita is another popular option.
Amazon List
I've added some of the harder-to-find ingredients here in an Amazon list. As an Amazon affiliate, I do earn a little commission on every purchase but at no extra cost to you.
* See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
How To Make Vegan Molé Poblano
Step 5
Blend
To the tomato mixture in the blender, add the rehydrated chiles, 1 cup of the chile water, the nuts & seeds, the ground spices, and the bread, and blend until you have a thick sauce. Add up to 1 additional cup of the chile water as needed to blend smoothly. Scrape contents into a large pot or Dutch oven.
Step 6
Finishing the Molé
With your heat on medium-low, add 4 cups of the no-Chicken broth, the chocolate, salt, and sugar. Mix well as the chocolate melts. Taste and adjust for salt and sugar. Then simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring often, until your molé is thick and bubbly.
Storing Your Molé
This recipe makes about 3 ½ quarts of Vegan Molé. Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer where it will last for several months.
Top tip
Be careful when toasting your chiles, nuts, seeds, and spices. If any of these burn your molé will taste bitter. In addition, taste the chile water before using it in the recipe, if it tastes bitter use clean water instead.
Recipe FAQs
About 3 ½ quarts, and yes it freezes fine.
Instead of almonds, you can substitute pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
No - but they will taste better.
3 whole cloves = approx. ¼ teaspoon ground. A 3" stick of cinnamon = approx. 1 teaspoon ground.
Dried chiles are available in many grocery stores. The BEST place to find them is at a local Mexican market but you can also buy them on Amazon. I included links.
All of the chiles I list in the recipe are milder than a jalapeno and with the additional sweetness of the raisins, chocolate, and sugar you probably won't even know they are there. Molé does not have to be spicy, although I've seen many recipes that do spice it up a bit.
More Mexican Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Vegan Molé Poblano Recipe
Prep Time: 60 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 4.5 pts 1x
Category: Sauce
Method: Stovetop, Blender
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Vegan
Description
Holy Molé! It's Cinco de Mayo and do I have a recipe for you! Several fans have asked for a molé recipe so here is my version of a Vegan Molé Poblano. And no worries, I didn't fry a single thing.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Instructions
- Prep the chiles by removing the stems, seeds, and any veins. Toast in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes and then place in a bowl and cover with hot water to let them rehydrate. We will want to reserve 2 cups of this water for later.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the almonds just until they begin to brown, then add the sesame seeds. The sesame seeds will only take a few seconds to change color. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
- In that same skillet, lightly toast the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, and anise seeds - just until they become fragrant. Then grind them into a fine powder. An old coffee grinder works well for this and freshly ground spices have much more flavor than preground spice powders.
- Saute the diced onion using a little broth if necessary, just until the onions soften. Add the garlic, raisins, and tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes. Then scrape into a high-speed blender.
- Remove the chiles from the soaking water and place them in the blender with the tomatoes along with up to 2 cups of the soaking water. Also add the nuts, seeds, ground spices, and a torn-up piece of day-old bread. Blend until you have a smooth and thick paste.
- Scape the contents into a large pot or Dutch oven, then add the 4 cups of broth, the chocolate, salt, and sugar. Stir well as the chocolate melts.
- Simmer for at least 30 minutes stirring frequently.
Notes
Like This Recipe? Your Tips & Donations Are Always Appreciated!
Keywords: vegan molé, vegan mole, vegan molé poblano, vegan mole poblano
