White Bean Chili – Vegan and Oil Free

white-bean-chili

Our weather has been a bit indecisive lately. Do I want to rain, or do I want to snow? Do I want to be -10 degrees or a rather balmy 36. It decided to be the latter yesterday, right before it rained for several hours. Luckily, before that happened, my daughter and I snuck in some backyard hide and seek, several hundred under-dogs on the swing set, and rousing game of PJ Masks. I got to be Owlette. No, I don’t expect you to have any clue about that last one, unless of course you have little ones around the ages 3 – 5. All I know is that we were both excited to get out of the house, without our noses and fingertips turning into little icicles.

Winter can be a tough time in the Mid-west. Not just because of all the shoveling, windshield scraping, and slippery snow driving, but because you start to feel a bit shut-in. Especially with young children. We brave the cold and suit up in our snow pants and puffy coats… as long as it isn’t “frostbite in 10 minutes” cold. Since it’s been cold enough to lose your digits for a couple weeks, the old cabin fever has been settling in. Winter in the Midwest. It can sure be a real test of character. The only reward for all of our hardship? Cozy cold-weather food. I’m talking oatmeal, hot chocolate (or both together), soups, stews, and thick, spicy, hearty chili.

white-bean-vegan-chili

Chili is one of the dishes I know will put a smile on 2/3 of my family. My husband and I love it, but my daughter not so much. Too “picy.” Anything with detectable seasonings, whether there is heat or not, lands on my daughter’s too spicy list. Although this chili has plenty of spice and flavor, to my shock and amazement, my daughter ate this up! So when I suggest that this chili will be universally adored, I mean it. Even discerning/persnickety three and a half year olds approve.

The key to the coziness of this plant-based chili is the luscious addition of homemade cashew cream. In searching for inspiration for this dish, the creamy looking one’s kept catching my eye. When I found this recipe on the interwebs, I just knew I had to healthify/vegan-ize it. I also added frozen organic sweet corn, as it just adds another layer of flavor and extra heartiness. Feel free to add whatever veggies suit your fancy. If you really like your mouth on fire when you eat your chili, bump up the cayenne pepper or add some chopped jalapeno. I kept this one fairly mild so as not to completely freak out my little aforementioned spice detector.

Vegan White Bean Chili

If you’re already tired of winter, hang in there my friends. I heard next week it’s going to be in the 40’s… an absolute heat wave! Also, only 66 days left until spring! That doesn’t sound so bad, right? If nothing else, you at least have cozy winter food to get you through.

Happy chili days my friends!

White Bean Chili – Vegan and Oil Free

Prep time: 10 minutes (not counting cashew soak time)

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 32 oz vegetable broth
  • 4 – 15.5 oz cans, rinsed and drained (or about 7.5 – 8 cups cooked/drained) white beans, I used a combination of cannelini, navy, and garbanzo
  • 4 oz can of green chilis
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt (start low and taste, adjust if needed)
  • 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
  • optional – 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • optional, for extra heat – 1 small seeded and chopped jalepeno
  • optional – 1 cup of frozen white sweet corn

Cashew Cream*

  • 1/2 cup soaked cashews (soaked 2-4 hours)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

fresh cilantro to serve

Instructions:

Add 2 – 3 tbsp of water to a large pot and heat over medium until shimmering. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding an extra splash of water if needed.

Add remaining ingredients, except the soaked cashews and frozen corn, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover, continue to cook for about 40 minutes.

While the chili is cooking, make the cashew cream. In a high speed blender, combine your soaked cashews with 1/2 cup of water and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Blend on high until smooth, adding an extra 1/4 cup of water if needed.

At the 40 minute mark, stir in the frozen corn and cashew cream. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until heated through. Serve with fresh cilantro.

Notes:

*You can sub 1 cup of dairy-free sour cream in place of the cashew cream, or feel free to leave it out.

Healthy White Bean Chili - Vegan, Oil-Free, Gluten Free

50 thoughts on “White Bean Chili – Vegan and Oil Free”

  9. Hanna-Marie says:
    Reply

    I live in Utah and it’s 44 degrees and my son is losing his mind. I’ve got all the windows open because it’s been freezing outside and stuffy inside for weeks and weeks.

    I made this last night and it was amazing.
    I did sub some canned coconut cream for cashew cream because that’s what I had on hand in the pantry. I couldn’t taste the coconut and it was delicious and rich still. Just a note for people making this with random stuff in the cupboard! Haha

    Thanks for the cold weather recipes, I fear we’ll be needing them for awhile still.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Larice says:
      Reply

      Yay I’m so glad you liked it Hanna-Marie! And that is so good to know about the coconut cream, I’m going to add it to the notes of the post too, in case other readers have the same idea. Hang in there with the cold weather and cabin fever! We had 40+ temps today too and it was so nice. Spring can’t come soon enough for us!

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  11. Jenny Mette says:
    Reply

    Would it be possible to put all of the ingredients into a slow cooker? Maybe saute the garlic and veggies first and then put in the slow cooker for a few hours on low? What do you think?

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    • Larice says:
      Reply

      Hi Jenny, I think that should work great! I would just maybe wait to stir in the cashew cream until 15 minutes before serving or something like that. Let me know how it goes if you try it 🙂

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      • Jenny Mette says:

        Awesome – I actually didn’t have time to do it this morning so I’m just following your directions. Although I wanted more veggies so I added squash, carrots and mushrooms! Just did the cashew cream – is it supposed to be thick? Seems pretty thin. I did it in the Vitamix and had the cashews soaking since yesterday! I have it in the fridge while the chili is simmering. Smells delicious. I think when I add the corn, I’ll also add a bunch of chopped kale!!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Larice says:

        I love your veggie additions, it sounds delicious. Like a spicy veggie chowder! The cashew “cream” for this one is really more of a rich cashew milk, just to add a touch of creaminess to the chili, as opposed to the thick cashew creams I sometimes make for desserts or even sour cream substitutes (although you could make it that thick if you wish, by adding less water). Hope you enjoy! 😉

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  13. rhonda says:
    Reply

    Very nice! Nut allergies in the house so I just used an imersion blender to mush up some of the soup to thicken. Served with avocado slices and cilantro on top. Also good with roasted mushrooms and onions on top (using up leftovers…)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Larice says:
      Reply

      Rhonda, thanks so much for your comment, your adaptions and additions sound perfect! I’m so glad you made this work for your family and happy you enjoyed it! Next time I make it I’m topping mine with roasted mushrooms and onions too.. Yum! 🙂

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  15. kd12 says:
    Reply

    This is one of the best vegan versions of chili I’ve ever had. It is so full of flavor. I followed the recipe exactly — thrilled to have all the ingredients on hand when I got in the mood for chili (snow day here). The only thing I did on my own was to take a cup of the chili — before adding cashew cream — and blending it in the blender. I added it back into the pot with the cream and it was a gorgeous color, and of course the taste is spot on. It reminds me of my favorite restaurant veggie chili at a place called Hop Cat. Now I can have this yummy chili at home — and it is really simple to make. Thanks for such a great recipe 🙂

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    • Larice says:
      Reply

      Wow thank you so much for your kind comment; reading it just seriously made my day! So happy you enjoyed the chili, and that it hit the spot… and hey it’s a snow day here too! I’m thinking it’s about time for me to make a pot for my family! 🙂

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    • Larice says:
      Reply

      Hi Kathleen,
      I don’t normally calculate the nutritional data for my recipes, but if you’re interested there are some online such as myfitnesspal if that helps.

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  18. Michelle says:
    Reply

    I would love to make this in my instant pot with dried bean! I made a black bean soup the other day on high pressure for 30 min going to give it a try! Will add the cashew milk at the end.

    Liked by 1 person

      • Michelle says:

        Came out awesome ended up needing about 45 min high pressure with a quick release. I used one cup small white dried beans and 2 cups of dried Cannellini beans. I blended a cup or so to thicken it up. Hearty and delicious!

        Liked by 1 person

  20. Brit says:
    Reply

    I also made this with dry beans in my Instant Pot and loved it! I used the saute function for the aromatics and then added everything else in and cooked on manual. I used 1.5c of chickpeas and 1.5c of white beans so it needed to cook for 45mns with a natural release to make sure the chickpeas were tender.

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