You’ve never quite had a bowl of vegan white chili like this! It’s creamy, kicks up the heat, and hits all the right notes of comfort and satisfaction that you crave!
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Chili is one of the most fought about recipes on the planet? Don’t believe me, just tell someone to put apples in their chili or ask someone from Texas to compare their chili to someone from Cincinnati.
No matter your preferences in traditional chili recipes, this creamy vegan white chili will hit the spot every single time.
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Why You’ll Want to Try White Chili
No Tomatoes
We often get asked about substituting out the tomatoes in our traditionally based chili recipes, however, it usually takes away too much to be worth it. With white chili you don’t have to worry about that since there’s none in it!
Meal Prep
This recipe is a great meal prep option especially because the longer it sits, the more time the flavors have to marry together.
One Pot
No one likes cleaning up a ton of dishes. This entire recipe is made in one pot! This recipe is so easy to make and will not only be easy to make but easy to clean up as well.
Notes on Ingredients:
Cauliflower
Traditionally, white chili has chicken inside of it, however, we are using cauliflower in place of it to keep it plant based. We love the texture and taste variation that gives to the recipe while adding a filling component.
Substitute: Feel free to add a vegan chicken option either in addition to or in place of the cauliflower. You could also shred jackfruit and use that as a vegan chicken substitute.
White Beans
We are using cannellini beans for this recipe. They are a soft white bean that has a creaminess to it that works wonders in a white chili.
Substitute: You can use great northern or butter beans as well. Additionally, you could add in chickpeas for a different texture variation.
Full Fat Coconut Milk (Canned)
Coconut milk is thick and creamy and leads to not only a better sauce, but a creaminess that can’t be beat.
Substitute: Thicker non-dairy milks like soy and/or creamy oat will also work for this or a vegan heavy cream. Make sure whatever you use is unsweetened and unflavored. If it is thinner than a full fat coconut milk, it may take a bit longer to thicken up the recipe.
Aromatics and Spices
This recipe uses onions, bell and jalapeno peppers, garlic, cilantro and common chili spices like chili powder and cumin. This layers flavors from the beginning and helps to bring things together in the end.
Substitute: If you aren’t a big spice person, you can omit the fresh jalapeno.
Tips on spice levels:
This dish is definitely spicy between the fresh and canned chilis and the spicy seasonings. Here’s some tips to reduce it:
- Omit the fresh jalapeno and only add 1 can of mild diced green chilis. You can also reduce some of the chili powder and cayenne if you know you don’t like things spicy and add some of those back in after tasting towards the end if you want a little more. You will still get a great chili but not so much direct spiciness.
- If you already made the chili as written, and it’s too spicy for you, then you can add a teaspoon of sugar and another 1 cup more coconut milk. These will help mellow out the spice level. Additionally, you could eat it with an avocado which helps the spiciness left in your mouth after eating.
Other must try vegan chili recipes:
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Creamy Vegan White Chili
Ingredients
For the cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the chili
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 fresh jalapeno, diced
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (960g)
- 30 oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (240g)
- 8 oz diced green chiles (1 4oz can hot, 1 4oz can mild)
- 15 oz corn kernels
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (16g) plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 4 scallions chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F and grease a baking tray. In a large bowl, add cauliflower, drizzle with olive oil and stir. Then sprinkle evenly salt and pepper. Add to your prepared baking sheet in an even layer with the cut side facing down. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a fork pierces through easily.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and sauté 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and jalapeño and sauté 30 seconds longer. Add in cumin, oregano, salt, chili powder, black pepper and cayenne. Stir until fragrant about 30 seconds.
- Add veggie stock and bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer.
- Meanwhile, to a blender, add 1 cup of beans, ¼ cup broth from soup, 1 cup coconut milk, and both cans of green chilis. puree until nearly smooth**.
- Add pureed mixture, along with corn and remaining beans and stir well. Simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro, cooked cauliflower, and fresh lime juice. Let cook for 2-3 minutes or until everything is the same temperature.
- Serve with more cilantro, scallions, avocado slices and tortilla chips if desired.
Notes
Video
Frequently Asked Questions:
Coconut Milk is the only Top 9 Allergen in this recipe.
You can swap the coconut milk with any non-dairy milk, just noting it may take longer to reduce and will not be as creamy. We recommend opting for a creamier non-dairy milk like soy (if you can) or creamy oat milk. Make sure they are unsweetened and unflavored.
Additionally, for that creaminess, you can always add into the blend 1 tablespoon of flour or cornstarch to help.
Yes! Let cool completely and then leave in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes! Let cool and then put into a freezer safe container or bag and freeze up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before heating up.
Yes! We would still recommend baking the cauliflower 20 minutes before your chili is done. Add all your other ingredients to your crockpot except the fresh cilantro and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. When you put your cauliflower into the oven, add in the cilantro and stir. Before adding in cauliflower to your crockpot after baking, remove 2 cups of the mixture and blend in a blender. Add back in and stir, then add in your cauliflower.
This is so delicious, it doesn’t even make sense. I was concerned that the coconut milk would make it too coconutty, but it didn’t at all. I agree with other reviewers that it was a little loose, but simmering it for way longer than 12 minutes fixed that (eventually). One ask: I would appreciate an approximate serving size amount for this and other MIDF recipes; “serves 6” or “8 bowls” really tells me nothing when I’m trying to gauge if the amount a recipe makes will be appropriate for whatever it is I’m making it for.
Thanks for your feedback about the servings. So glad that you enjoyed this
I just made your white chili.
As usual your recipes are delicious.
I love the cauliflower.
I will definitely add this to my recipe rotation.
Thank you for sharing your recipes and videos!!
You’re so welcome!
I found this recipe on TikTok and it just stays open in one of my browsers since I make it every week! I also made it for Christmas with my extended family who are all meat eaters and they scooped it up! I typically add extra beans and the whole can of coconut milk and I use an immersion blender in the big pot to cut out a step and save dishes. Fabulous, 5-Star recipe!
Thank you so much! We’re so happy to hear that the whole family was able to enjoy this one when you made it at Christmas! And love the use of the immersion blender to cut down on dishes (genius!)
This chili was super tasty but watery.
Thanks for your feedback