Creamy Vegan White Bean Chili
This 30 minute vegan White Bean Chili is on a mission to prove that white chili can be filled with flavor and that vegan chili can be super hearty. It’s a quick meal for a busy weeknight or a simple meal prep recipe!
You Will Love This
- It’s bursting with flavor! If you (or your family) have ever been skeptical about white chili really measuring up, try this one. The blend of spices hits all the chili notes, cannellini beans add an earthy heartiness, the salsa verde kicks it up a notch, and a fresh lime tops it off. White chili does not have to be bland chili! If you’re looking for other vegan chili recipes be sure to check out my Black Bean Chili, Three Bean Chili, or Vegan White Chickpea Chili.
- It’s a hearty meatless meal! This vegetarian white bean chili more than makes up for the lack of chicken and will leave even your biggest eaters feeling satisfied. And a full serving of rich white beans means your family is still getting the protein they need.
- It’s fast and simple! This easy white bean chili is on the table in 30 minutes or less, because it requires minimal prep. It all comes together in one pot, which means cleanup is a breeze as well! If you love 30-minute meals as much as I do, check out a few other family favorites like One-Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup, 30 Minute Vegan Black Bean Soup, or Creamy Vegan Tuscan Pasta.
Instructions
Saute onion and green pepper in a large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano and cook, stirring frequently for another minute.
Add a splash of vegetable broth and deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom.
Add cannellini beans, corn, salsa verde, coconut milk, and vegetable broth along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
Stir to combine, then simmer. Stir in fresh lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with your favorite toppings – don’t forget the homemade fried tortilla strips – and enjoy!
Tips
- For a thicker texture, try mashing or blending a portion of the soup. I tend to prefer a creamy broth in my white bean chili recipe, but white beans blend really easily with a high-speed blender or immersion blender so it’s simple to make this soup thicker if you prefer.
- Use whatever white beans you have on-hand! Great Northern beans are often used in white chili and are sometimes confused with cannellini beans. Cannellini beans and Great Northern beans are not technically the same legume, but they are pretty interchangeable. Cannellini beans are generally larger than Great Northern, with a hearty, earthy flavor and texture that does a bit better in chili.
- Store leftovers or make ahead! Chili is always a good option for meal prep, because it stores so well. And/or leftovers make a great lunch later in the week. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for up to two months! Warm it on the stove with an extra pinch of salt when you’re ready to enjoy it again!
FAQ
Great Northern beans are one type of white bean often used in white chili. u0022White chili beanu0022 is not a specific type of bean, but can refer to any white bean used in white chili. Some brands of canned beans refer to Great Northern beans as u0022white chili beansu0022, which is probably where the confusion comes from.
White chili is generally made of chicken, white beans, corn, and green chiles. It is a lighter take on traditional chili, which gets its dark red color from spices, red beans, and tomatoes.
There are a couple ways to thicken up your white chili. The first is to scoop part of the chili into a high speed blender or use an immersion blender to puree part of it. The second way is to make a simple cornstarch slurry. Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold water, making sure there are no chunks, and then stir it into your simmering chili. Let simmer for 10 more minutes, and you’ll notice it thicken up. How much cornstarch? Start with 2 tablespoons and you can always make more slurry as needed.
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Vegan White Bean Chili
This 30 minute Vegan White Bean Chili is on a mission to prove that white chili can be loaded with flavor and that vegan chili can be super hearty. It’s a quick meal for a busy weeknight or a simple meal prep recipe!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
- 16 oz. salsa verde (green salsa)
- 1 (13.5 oz.) full fat coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Serve with:
- tortilla strips
- sour cream
- crumbled cotija cheese
- fresh chopped cilantro
- sliced jalapeno
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Add onion and green pepper along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano and cook, stirring frequently for another minute.
- Add a splash of vegetable broth and deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom.
- Add cannellini beans, corn, salsa verde, coconut milk, and vegetable broth along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in fresh lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with your favorite toppings – don’t forget the homemade fried tortilla strips – and enjoy!
Notes
For a thicker texture, try mashing or blending a portion of the soup. I tend to prefer a creamy broth in my white bean chili recipe, but white beans blend really easily with a high speed blender or immersion blender so it’s simple to make this soup thicker if you prefer.
Use whatever white beans you have on-hand! Great Northern beans are often used in white chili, and are sometimes confused with cannellini beans. Cannellini beans and Great Northern beans are not technically the same legume, but they are pretty interchangeable. Cannellini beans are generally larger than Great Northern, with a hearty, earthy flavor and texture that does a bit better in chili.
Store leftovers or make ahead! Chili is always a good option for meal prep, because it stores so well. And/or leftovers make a great lunch later in the week. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for up to two months! Warm it on the stove with an extra pinch of salt when you’re ready to enjoy it again!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 361
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 1058 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 10.6 g
- Protein: 15.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This is a 10/10 recipe for me, I make a batch at the beginning of the week for meal prep and am always still excited to eat it even by day 6! It’s perfect exactly as written, which is very rare for me with recipes, I always want to change something!
Thank you so much for the glowing review, Liz! This white bean chili is one of our family’s favorites too! 🙂
Wow! Definitely 5 stars! Made a few modifications, due to not having enough of all ingredients… For example, I added a mashed-up a can of drained, rinsed garbanzo beans and some white miso paste (for added depth). I think my wife wants to add some chopped turkey and cilantro to hers – but I’ll take mine as-is! Super great. Well done!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it and thank you for sharing your modifications! This is such a versatile recipe!!
This recipe is on repeat all
Year round at my house. My wife and I Love it, our toddlers love it, I even shared some with a neighbor and she’s asking when I’m making it again : ) – this one’s a winner!
Woohoo! Love to hear that, Vanessa!
My son doesn’t like corn so he requested a can of fire roasted green chili instead. I didn’t have coconut milk, so I substituted Greek yogurt. I know it’s not vegan, but it was a big hit.
Woohoo! Love to hear that, Denise! 🙂
Oh my gosh, this is so good!! Just finished my second bowl. Husband and 10 yr old loved it also. Only thing I changed was only using 1/2 a lime, otherwise loved it exactly as written!
I’m so glad to hear that your family enjoyed this white bean chili! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
Excellent and easy! I used my immersion blender for a few seconds to thicken it up a little bit. Going into the rotation!!! Thank you.
Great idea to use the immersion blender, Ann! So glad that you enjoyed this white bean chili recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
I’m confused. Your recipe says it’s “Chili “ but it’s not. It’s a soup. Wish I knew that before I made it.
It’s definitely got a chili vibe to me. Have you looked up the definition of chili? Cause it’s got everything but the meat – because it’s vegan!
I think it is totally a chili and it’s delicious!!! I added chicken, I know it’s not vegan but oh so good!
Thank you for this amazing recipe. This chili stays in my frequent rotation. I love soups for packed lunches and this is a favorite all year round. The only modification is that I only put the juice of half the lime in, because the green salsa brand I’m using already has a lot of acidity.
Great white chili recipe that all my non vegan friends and family love also! On my regular rotation.
This was delicious and very healthy! My vegan husband approved! Thank you!!
I’ve made this a few times now. The consistency is like a soup, not dense. But flavors are really tasty!
Welllllll I just won First Place in the Death Valley National Park Employee Annual Chili Cookoff using this recipe. I did add one extra can of PURÉED white beans because it seemed a bit thin. I doubled the seasonings. Thank you for getting me to The Gold!!!! I’m a winner!!!! 🏆🥇🏅🌟
That is so awesome!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations on your win!
Hello, I made your vegan white bean chili with a few modifications as I am following the low fodmap; I used garlic and shallot infused OV(1/2 of each), butter beans, Fody Salsa Verde, and the greens of green onions, but followed the rest of the ingredients, I really enjoyed this dish and even my son and his girlfriend liked it too. I was only going to make half cause I’m the only vegan in the family, but to my surprise I have a sm bowl of leftovers.(although I was a little bit piggy and had two bowls myself lol). Thank you for sharing I really enjoyed it and will be making it again,
This is a very quick soup to make and is it ever flavourful! I had to have a bit of trust to put in a full container of salsa verde, but it worked out and added great flavour. I will definitely make this again.