Vegetarian White Chili
Vegetarian White Chili is delicious vegetarian chili made with great Northern beans and cannellini beans, diced green chiles, corn, cheese, chili powder, cumin, and sour cream and so full of flavor! It's the perfect vegetarian chili to satisfy that craving without the meat!
When September rolls around, I start craving soups and chilis all. the. time. It's funny how the weather can control our appetite so much! The same goes with wine. All summer I don't think twice about a cabernet but whenever the faintest chill in the air rolls around, I'm all about the red wine. But, back to soups and chili.
The thing I love about chili is how many different varieties there are. There's the typical beef chili which can be made a million different ways with all different kinds of meats, slow cooker chili, instant pot chili, vegetarian chili, white chili, chili with beans, chili with no beans....I could go on but I think you get the point.
When it comes to white chili, I love my white bean chicken chili and my creamy white turkey chili, but I was wanting a vegetarian soup. This Vegetarian White Chili is an adaptation of my creamy white turkey chili, and it totally hit the spot!
Ingredients in White Vegetarian Chili
- Olive Oil
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Spices - this recipe uses chili powder, cumin, and optional cayenne pepper for some heat.
- Canned Beans - a combination of northern beans and cannellini beans are the white beans used for this white chili.
- Frozen Corn
- Diced Green Chiles
- Vegetable Broth
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Avocado, green onions - for topping
- Tortilla chips - for serving
How to Make Vegetarian White Chili
This vegetarian white bean chili recipe is pretty simple to make, but there is one step at the end that really needs to be followed.
Saute the onion. In a large pot or dutch oven, add the olive oil and saute the diced white onion over medium to medium-high heat.
Add the spices. Next, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, and stir well to combine. Cook another minute.
Add broth. Add the beans, corn, and broth, and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat a little, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the sour cream. This step is important because you don't want to sour cream to curdle when you add it. My trick is to combine the sour cream and 1 cup of the broth in a separate bowl, whisking to combine them. If you don't do this, you run the risk of the sour cream curdling, which just isn't appetizing! It doesn't really affect the taste, but it won't look as good.
Once the sour cream is combined with some of the broth and stirred well to incorporate into each other, you can add that to the pot with the rest of the soup, and stir well to combine!
Add the cheese. The last step is adding the cheese, which just gets stirred in until it's melted.
Serve. Now it's time to eat! Ladle the creamy chili into bowls and top with your favorite toppings. This creamy white chili is delicious topped with diced avocado, diced green onions, chopped fresh cilantro, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, and some tortilla chips! A squirt of fresh lime juice or serving it with some lime wedges would be delicious, too.
Storage. Store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
White Vegetarian Chili Variations
Like many chili recipes, this creamy vegetarian white chili recipe is adaptable and flexible. Here are some of my favorite variations.
Add peppers. If you like some spice, you can add jalapeño peppers. If you like things more mild but like the flavor of peppers, add some diced bell pepper or poblano peppers with the onions.
Make this vegan. If you'd like to make this a vegan chili, you can use coconut milk or vegan cream cheese instead of sour cream, and vegan cheese.
Different types of beans. This recipe would work well with other types of beans like pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, or chickpeas.
Add diced green chiles or salsa verde. Both of these would add a delicious flavor to this chili! Add 4 ounces of diced green chiles or the salsa verde when you add the beans.
Like this recipe? Check these out, too!
Southwestern Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Vegetarian White Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ white onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional! This will add some spice so add accordingly. I omit when making this for our kids.
- 2 cans cannellini beans
- 1 can Northern beans
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- diced green onions, avocado slices, and tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the olive oil and set stove to medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using), and cook one more minute.
- Add the beans, corn, diced green chiles, and broth, and stir well to combine.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low to let the chili simmer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, add 1 cup of broth to a bowl. Stir in the sour cream until smooth.
- Add the broth/sour cream mixture to the pot and stir well to combine, then add the remaining 3 cups of broth.
- Stir in the cheese until melted.
- Serve topped with diced green onions, avocado, and chips!
This was delicious and so quick and easy to make! I added two 4 oz cans of diced green chilies. I didn’t add the sour cream; instead, I blended about 2 cups of the beans/broth and added back in to add creaminess. Otherwise, followed the recipe as is.
Thanks, Jodi!
Hi! I cant wait to make this vegetarian white bean chili!!! Can I make ahead and freeze?
I'm always bothered when someone posts a recipe without nutritional information.
I have added nutritional information, LouEllen.
Made this tonight. Super easy recipe and delicious! I added a chopped apple when I added the garlic and spices. The description says chopped green chilis but they aren't included in the recipe list?
Recipe has been updated 🙂 The addition of apple is so unique! Glad you enjoyed it!
I saw 4 cups of broth in the list but in the recipe you say 1 cup. I guessed on the broth 🙂
Still delicious!
Used non fat Greek yogurt as a sub for sour cream