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.
Thanks for the recipe!
My dish turned out very much like soup, not thick or creamy. I had to double/triple up on spices and add an additional 15oz can of beans and still wasn’t able to achieve the level of creaminess desired. Next time I will use 2-3 cups veggie broth instead of 4 and add potato. Also there are a few discrepancies btwn the recipe and the ingredients; veggie broth or veggie stock/ coconut cream or coconut milk.
Crushed up tortilla chips were definitely a great addition!
I really happy you got to try this one out. I love when making a recipe for the second time because you already know what things you want to do differently, which really helps.
The reducing in step 3, typically helps the liquid evaporated and become more concentrated. While the blender ingredients added after help thicken the chili up even more. Although some folks skip this, resulting in a more soupy texture. But I certainly agree if you start with a little less liquid, you can add as you go!
Also, thanks for the heads up on the words. While things like broth and stock are interchangeable here, you’re right that clarifying will help reduce any confusion.
Yum! I accidentally used a whole can of coconut milk so it could have been even creamier. Don’t skip the blending part, so good. I used hot hatch chiles so came out super spicy, just how we like it. Thanks for another hit!
Your comment made me smile—thank you!
Delicious! This goes in the rotation. Everyone in the family loved it!
It’s so rewarding to know everyone loved it—thanks for letting me know!
Creamy goodness! Great flavor with simple ingredients.
Yay! That’s exactly what I love to hear. Thanks for sharing!
I just found you two — I bet you didn’t even know you were lost 🙂 — thanks to the YouTube video for this recipe. I made it last night and it was so good that I’m now looking through your recipe catalog to pick something to make tonight. I wish I could add an extra star just for the vinegar & water bath suggestion for the cauliflower, which is new to me. I’ve roasted cauliflower probably hundreds of times, but it’s never been this good. The only difference was the vinegar. Amazing!
In case other people are interested, I made the following choices, based on what we had on hand and our preferences: great northern beans, yellow bell pepper, both cans of diced chiles were mild (because jalapeno was large), and almond milk (I make my own, just water and almonds, and it’s on the thick side because I mostly use it as cream for coffee and tea… this worked really well in the chili, but I don’t know if results would be the same with store bought almond milk). I used frozen corn, which probably could have been thrown in the pot as-is, but I didn’t want to drop the chili temperature so I poured hot water over the frozen corn a few minutes before adding it to the pot. Topped with avocado, scallions, and cilantro. Really, really good.
I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes! I appreciate the details included in, and the layout of, your recipe pages — the substitute suggestions, FAQs, etc.
Sorry for the article-length comment! Giddy first timer with a lot to say.
Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot! I hope you love all the other recipes too!
Delicious! Whole family wants this recipe to be in our regular rotation. Recipe shared with my sister. Thank you!
The best when that happens!
What othered color bell pepper could work here since I don’t like green bell?
Any!