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
• 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

Chipotle Beef Chili

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Creamy White Turkey Chili