Vegan White Chickpea Chili
This White Chickpea Chili is a vegan twist on the ever popular white chicken chili. It’s loaded with veggies, beans and plenty of spice in a broth of coconut milk, vegetable broth, and salsa verde. Make room in your monthly meal rotation for this 30 minute dinner!
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You Will Love This
- If you’re a chili lover like me, it’s fun to try something a little different than your traditional tomato-based chili recipe. Although I enjoy classic red chilis (as evidenced by the wide variety of chilies on my site including Shredded Short Rib Chili, Creamy Enchilada Chicken Chili, and Vegan Black Bean Chili) but I love the unique flavors that this white chickpea chili has and it’s fun to switch it up with some plant-based meals.
- You won’t even miss the chicken, I promise! This type of white chili is typically made with chicken breast, but in this recipe, I’ve replaced the chicken with chickpeas, and I’m telling you – it’s AMAZING. Chickpeas can literally replace any meat in any of your favorite dishes and they really shine in this chili. A few of my other favorites that showcase chickpeas instead of meat include my BBQ Chickpea Sandwich, Creamy Chickpea Noodle Soup, Greek Chickpea Gyros, Sheet Pan Chickpea Fajitas, and BBQ Chickpea Pizza. If you’re looking to add more vegan meals to your family dinner rotation – try switching out the meat in the dish for chickpeas!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Yellow Onion – You can use white or red onion in place of the yellow onion if you prefer.
- Red Bell Pepper – You can use any color of bell pepper for this chickpea chili. I love the flavor of red bell pepper.
- Jalapeno – You can omit the jalapeno if you don’t have any on hand but it adds delicious flavor. If you like a real spicy chili, don’t remove all the seeds and ribs.
- Garlic – I like to use fresh garlic but if you don’t have any in the pantry, you can use about 3/4 of a teaspoon or more in place of the fresh garlic.
- Spices – Cumin, chili powder, ground coriander, and dried oregano combine to create a delicious layering of flavors.
- Garbanzo Beans – Also known as chickpeas, the garbanzo beans replace the chicken breast that is usually used in white chili.
- Pinto Beans – You can use any type of bean for this recipe – black beans, kidney beans, or even Great Northern beans, but I love the flavor and creamy texture of pinto beans.
- Salsa Verde – I like to use green salsa (salsa verde) for this recipe because it has a little kick. You could also use red salsa in this chickpea chili recipe.
- Coconut Milk – The coconut milk is going to give this chili a deliciously creamy texture. If you aren’t worried about this soup being vegan, you can substitute about half the amount with heavy cream.
- Vegetable Broth – If you aren’t keeping this chili vegan or vegetarian, use chicken broth in place of the veggie broth.
Instructions
Sauté onion, red pepper, and jalapeno in oil along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper for 5 minutes.
Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, coriander, 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 garbanzo beans, pinto beans, 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 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!
Tips
- This chickpea chili has a bit of a kick to it! Our family enjoys the amount of spice, although for our daughter we added a scoop of sour cream and mixed it in just to mellow it out a bit. If you’d like a more mild chili, try using mild green salsa and omitting the chili powder.
- If you like a thicker chili, try adding less vegetable broth. The coconut milk will make the chili super creamy and then the vegetable broth helps to thin that out a bit, but if you want a creamier chili, add less vegetable broth – you can always add more later!
- Be sure to moderately salt this chili! The ingredient list is simple, and while it does have a few spices in it, salt is going to go a long way in boosting the overall flavors of the dish. I recommend using Kosher salt to season as you have more control over how much you add. It’s easy to get heavy handed with traditional table salt and add too much.
Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing, Reheating Instructions
- Make Ahead: This chickpea chili is a delicious make ahead meal! It’s perfect for Sunday night meal prep and will taste great throughout the week!
- Storage: Store this chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Before eating, thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheating: I like to reheat this chili in a saucepan over medium heat. You may need to add a bit of broth to loosen it up. Cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Try these easy soups next!
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Vegan White Chickpea Chili
This White Chickpea Chili is a vegan twist on the ever popular white chicken chili. It’s loaded with veggies, beans and plenty of spice in a broth of coconut milk, vegetable broth, and salsa verde. Make room in your monthly meal rotation for this family favorite!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
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- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, petite diced
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 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, red pepper, and jalapeno along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, coriander, 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 garbanzo beans, pinto beans, salsa verde, coconut milk, and remaining 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 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!
Just made! I am not a fan of coconut milk but tried it and it’s very good in this recipe! I followed recipe as written but did not need the broth added (just used the splash for deglazing). I can’t wait to eat it for dinner (although I am full from tasting it so much!!!) Thank you.
I made this tonight for the first time. My husband and I LOVED it! Definitely on my go to list! Thanks for sharing.
One of my favorite Sunday night recipes. One night I added Trader Joe’s soy chorizo and it is a great addition! It does make it much spicier. With or without the chorizo, this is amazing!
Yum! With a few modifications to fit my tastes this soup is absolutely delicious!!! I used Siete green enchilada sauce because that’s what was in my fridge. I also doubled the spices and the onions because I like lots of flavor. And to really bring out the flavors I let it sit on the counter for a couple hours! 100% recommend! So yum, thanks! 🙂
Making this for the 4th or 5th time today. So hearty and so tasty!
I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed this recipe, Beth! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
This is in my regular rotation! I typically use a lot less jalapeno and chili powder because it can get too spicy for me, but otherwise the broth is great and doesn’t need too many toppings other than cilantro in my opinion!
So glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Anne! Thanks for leaving a review!
Has anyone trying to add tomatoes to this recipe?
SO stinking delicious!! I came across this trying to use an abundance of garbanzo beans in my cupboards and am so pleased! It’s not too spicy and perfectly hearty. You don’t miss the chicken at all. I will be coming back for more recipes!
This is simply amazing, especially considering how easy it is to make. This is a keeper in our family. Thanks for the great recipe!
I love this recipe. It might be that we’re coming into soup season and I’ve been missing my chilis, but I’ve made this three times in the last two weeks.
I have been missing chili too! This is one of my favorite chickpea chili recipes 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
One of my favorite recipes!
This recipe does not state when to add the sliced garlic
Hey Linda! Check out step 3 – it states, “Add garlic…” Hope that helps!
Any advice on how to make this in a crock pot?
You could definitely make this in the crock pot, Jessica – great question! You could either sauté the veggies (which will give them the most flavor) and then add them to the crock pot or just add them raw. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir. I’d recommend cooking it for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low. These cooking times are just an estimate, so you may need to add a bit more time. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out if you try it!
This chili is absolutely scrumptious! The only things I changed were to use homemade cashew cream in place of the coconut milk and I added a can of fiesta corn. I will be saving this recipe and it will become a staple in my home. Thank you!!!
This recipe became a fall / winter staple for me last year.
Can’t wait for these cooler days to hit again for perfect Chili weather.
Thank you for this incredible recipe! Making your spinach dip recipe today to enjoy during football 🙂
I am counting down the days to fall as well. I’m ready for cozy soups and football season too 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review, Katherine. I really appreciate it!
One that is in constant rotation. No changes made most times but maybe extra veggies might be nice.
I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed this chickpea chili, Sabs. Thanks for leaving a review!
I made this with a green pepper instead of red, and way less coconut milk. I added a can of corn to add bulk. It was AMAZING!! Will make again and will probably add more beans. The recipe only made about 4.5 bowls.