We love a classic (tomato-based) chili, but a CREAMY chili? It’s hard to say no to! Mix up your chili rotation with this creamy vegan white bean chili with spicy green chiles, sweet corn, and nutrient-packed spinach or kale.
It’s a cozy, subtly spiced, nourishing meal that comes together in just 30 minutes. Let us show you how it’s done!
This EASY vegan white bean chili starts with a simple yet flavorful base of sautéed onion, garlic, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
Next, we add green chiles, white beans, and corn. The green chiles add lots of flavor, the white beans bulk it up with protein & fiber (20 g protein + 13 g fiber per serving!), and the corn adds a little sweetness.
Then we make it CREAMY with homemade cashew milk (just cashews blended with water in a powerful blender)!
The final ingredient could be optional, but why not include some greens (spinach or kale)? Not only are they packed with nutrition, but you’ll hardly know they’re in there, and they add a beautiful color contrast.
We think you’ll LOVE this white bean chili! It’s:
Super creamy
Comforting
Flavorful
Protein- & fiber-rich
Subtly spicy
Easy to make
& SO delicious!
With just 30 minutes required to make it, this chili is very weeknight-friendly. It also keeps well, making it perfect to meal prep and enjoy throughout the week.
More Creamy Vegan White Bean Recipes
- Vegan White Bean Pot Pie Soup
- Creamy Italian White Bean Skillet Meal (25 Minutes!)
- Cozy White Bean Mushroom Stew (Vegan)
- Creamy Vegan White Bean Queso
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Creamy Vegan White Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 cups water*
- 2/3 cup raw cashews*
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 1 cup diced white or yellow onion (1 medium onion yields ~1 cup or 130 g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4-1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne (plus more to taste)
- 2 (4-oz.) cans diced green chiles (we used hot // or sub 1/2 cup diced fresh roasted hatch chiles)
- 3 (15-oz.) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (we like cannellini // or sub ~4 ½ cups homemade)
- 1 cup frozen corn (or sub drained and rinsed canned corn)
- 2 cups baby spinach, baby kale, or chopped kale
FOR SERVING optional
- Perfect Vegan Cornbread (or gluten-free)
- Freshly chopped cilantro
- Thinly sliced green onion
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- CASHEW MILK: To a high-speed blender, add water and cashews. Blend on high until smooth and creamy (~1-2 minutes). Set aside.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil, onions, and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cumin, sea salt (starting with the lesser amount), black pepper, and cayenne. Cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant.
- Add the green chiles, drained and rinsed beans, and corn. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the cashew milk and bring the mixture to a light boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened, stirring occasionally. If the chili gets too thick, you can add water or dairy-free milk as needed.
- Once the 10 minutes is up, taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt for overall flavor or cayenne for heat. Once the chili is done cooking, remove it from the heat and add in your desired greens. Stir to wilt.
- Serve warm with cornbread, cilantro, green onions, and/or hot sauce (all optional).
- Leftover soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for 1 month (or longer). Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot, adding water to thin as needed.
Notes
*If your blender is less powerful, you can soak your cashews in hot water for 20 minutes before blending.
*Adapted from our Creamy White Bean Chicken Chili (1 Pot!).
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with lesser amounts where ranges are provided and without optional ingredients.
RSM says
I am counting my macros so thanks for the Nutrition information. How much would you say one serving will be? 1 cup?
Thanks!
Hi, we don’t have a precise measurement, but would estimate ~1 1/2 cups. Hope that helps!
Kimberly says
Was wonderful! Had to make slight modifications (how does anyone run out of cumin?) but I consider this recipe a fantastic blank canvas. You can modify it in so many ways! The secret ingredient that made it pop was Alphonso Mango Anchur from Burlap and Barrel – green mango powder! Added an extra punch much like the lime would. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, that addition sounds incredible, Kimberly!! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
KT says
Made it twice already! My husband asked for it again. Thanks again, Dana, you are a genius!
Whoop! We’re so glad you’re both enjoying this chili, KT. Thank you for your sweet words and lovely review! xo
dogwish says
Oh my goodness this was delish. Made as written with a few small subs: I didn’t have hot green chilis on hand so used regular ones, used fire roasted frozen corn, and upped the cayenne pepper. I still found it a little bland for my taste but was perfect after adding a bit of sriracha at the end. I’m a little intrigued with Beth’s suggestion of swapping the cashew mix with a silken tofu one and may give that a shot next time around. All in all, a wonderful recipe that is definitely going on regular rotation. Thank you. P.S. Don’t forget the corn bread as it’s also a great recipe!!!
We love your creativity with it! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Beth says
Great chili! I substituted silken tofu and unsweetened plant milk for the cashew mixture. I also used extra spinach and fewer chilies since I’m weak when it comes to heat. It was delicious.
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Beth! xo
Emilia says
what brand of chiles do you recommend? I am in middle Europe and we dont have much of a chili/peperoni cutlure. I roasted Pimientos de Padrón and added them but I think I missed out on the spicey- and tangyness. I feel like I can “taste” the potential of the recipe but was not able to realize it ;)
Hi Emilia, sorry to hear it wasn’t as flavorful that way! Hatch is an example of a brand we would recommend. Hope that helps!
Christopher Graham says
10/10! Definitely follow the recommendation to add an acidic punch like mentioned with the hot sauce! It takes it to another level and really brings out the flavors. Another thing I’d recommend is using a sweet hot sauce like a sweet habanero, as it really brings out the sweet corn flavor! If you can’t do the heat definitely do some lime juice for that acidic punch!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Christopher! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sheila says
Made this tonight….so good. Pretty much followed the recipe as is, just a little extra cumin. Quick, easy and delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sheila! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your extra addition! xo
Mary Ann says
This tastes so wonderfully rich and subtly spicy in this cold winter weather. Both of our teenage daughters are allergic to many varieties of nuts, but I realized I had some dry roasted macadamias in our pantry that both can eat. I substituted those for the cashews, and thought the result was delicious. I look forward to having this with cornbread for dinner tonight. I want to try substituting macadamias for many other recipes with cashews I haven’t tried before. Thanks!
We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Mary Ann! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications. xo
Coby says
This was amazing, and a nice change from a more traditional chili. It was perfect warm and cozy comfort food on an extremely cold day. I served it with your cornbread muffins for made for two, and it was a great combo!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Coby! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Latisha says
It was creamy and comforting. I wasn’t expecting my beans to have a bite. I was hoping for less texture. I will make it again and find a softer white bean or cook a little longer.
Thanks, Dana!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Latisha! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Lindy says
Creamy and comforting! Next time I will try to find the hot version of canned chiles, they weren’t available at the store I went to and the chili could have been more flavorful. I also might try doing broth instead of water with the cashews or adding a splash of tamari at the end to round it out more. It did help garnishing with hot sauce, cilantro, lime, & green onion as suggested.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Lindy! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
muneeba says
That was interesting. I will try this.
readerrita says
OMG. Made this tonight, and it was SO good. My husband is still raving about it. I am still raving about it! It is rave-worthy.
Our only subs were adding fresh Thai Chiles (which we had) instead of the canned green chiles and cayenne (which we didn’t have), throwing in a zucchini that needed to be eaten (we upped the onion and garlic a bit to compensate), using Maldon smoked salt because our frozen corn was roasted and we wanted to play that up, and giving it a squeeze of fresh lime to finish. That sounds like a lot of changes, but really it wasn’t, haha. Your recipe is seriously good!!!
We’re SO glad you both enjoyed it! All those additions sound like they really elevated it! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
readerrita says
Hubby is STILL talking about how good this was, days later! (Me too for that matter…) This recipe is absolutely going into dinner rotation. Plus, it’s easy and quick! Thank you again!
Yay! Thank you for the amazing review! xoxo
Elizabeth says
All I had were garbanzo beans. I am allergic to peppers so left them out. My husband e even liked this.
So glad you both enjoyed it, Elizabeth! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Emilie says
This was unbelievably, absurdly, incredibly delicious. I always love Minimalist Baker’s recipes, but this may be my new favorite. I made it as is, with the single exception of skipping the oil for sautéing, and it came out perfect. I’ll be making this all winter long.
Woohoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Emilie! Thanks so much for the support! xo
Jenny says
Made this two days ago and it was delicious. I used my homemade cashew yogurt for the cashews (I don’t strain the cashews for this so it’s similar in consistency to blended cashews) and also added roughly 1/4 cup nutritional yeast. Ate it with a warm tortilla the first day and last night used it as filling for burritos with some added soyrizo. Great recipe, thanks!
Sounds delicious, Jenny! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
JcG says
Wonderful recipe! I preferred it without the corn and used pb2 cashew to cut down on the fat. I served it over steamed rice. Filling, delicious, and a definite repeat!
Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications!
Jennifer F says
Delicious! I added kale and used Elmhurst cashew milk instead of blending my own.
So glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Sandra says
This was soooo good! Thank you. You make the most amazing recipes!
Sandra
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review, Sandra! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! xoxo
muneeba says
Exactly true
Jess says
Loved this recipe. I used full fat coconut milk and extra water instead of cashew milk and it still turned out amazing!
Yay! We’re so glad you loved it, Jess. Thank you for sharing! xo
J says
I made this last night, and YUM! I used chickpeas and a can of corn. I also left out the cayenne and swapped white for black pepper. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you for the lovely review! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! xo
Jackie says
I made this with the following modifications: one can of roasted chilies, soaked the cashew in boiling water before blending, subbed broth for water in the cashew milk, and added about a cup of cooked butternut squash. It came out perfect!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Jackie!
Emy says
“Delish” was how my 4.5 yr old described this! I didn’t have green chiles and will make it again with them. I added a tad more cumin and hot sauce to mine. Indeed delish!!
Yay! We love hearing your little one’s review :) Thanks so much for sharing, Emy! xoxo
L J Edmans says
Hi,
Do you think this would work with either fresh chilli’s or chilli paste instead of canned? (I don’t know that I’ve ever see canned anywhere – I’m in the uk)
Hi! Do you have access to fresh hatch green chiles? If so, you could definitely roast those and use them instead of canned. If not, perhaps roasting a mix of poblano chiles and a few spicy green chiles + adding a little lime juice might help create something similar? Hope that helps!
Pam says
Hi there! You can use canned (tinned) mild green chiles, from Ortega or La Preferida brands. I found you can purchase them on Amazon UK. Add additional cayenne if you want more heat. Hope that helps!
Ashley Joyce says
This was fantastic! My only swap was I cooked a pound of great northern beans and used those since the store didn’t have dried cannellini beans. Will definitely make this again! So comforting and nourishing.
Lovely! We’re so glad you enjoyed the chili, Ashley. Thank you for sharing! xo
Jennifer Zarcone says
I just made this recipe. It was so easy to make! It is definitely going to become part of my dinner standard rotation. It did need some more liquid when I was done and I mixed a little tamari, nooch and hot sauce in a cup of water and added that so it didn’t water down the flavor. I also sprinkled with chili powder and apple cider vinegar at the end. I might add some tofurkey chicken next time too. But it is great as is!
Yum, your additions sound amazing, Jennifer! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Pam in Sacramento says
The BEST white chili! Full stop. Period.
I had just cooked a pound of Rancho Gordo’s Ayocote Blanco white beans and was trying to decide what to do with them when your recipe popped into my inbox today! I had everything I needed (I love it when that happens). I used 8 oz of 505 Southwestern Hatch medium green chiles (my go-to green chiles) and frozen spinach. Hubby said definitely make this again. He wants it for Superbowl Sunday, too. Score! Thank you!
Whoop! Thank you for the incredible review, Pam! xoxo
Adrianne Peterson says
Thank you for sending this in my inbox! Was the perfect last minute dinner plan & a huge hit with the whole family! Didn’t have any corn on hand but didn’t need it. Great recipe – easy & usually have all the ingredients on hand. Will absolutely make again!
Yay! We’re so glad the chili was a hit with the whole family. Thank you for the lovely review, Adrianne! xo