Description
Creamy vegetarian white bean chili loaded with corn, green chiles, and lime. Vegan, GF, and packed with protein. Ready in 40 minutes!
Ingredients
Units
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- 1 small yellow onion
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 6 15-oz. cans white beans, drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 8 oz. canned green chiles
- 16 oz. frozen corn
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 1 lime
- Toppings: tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, avocado slices, jalapeno, lime wedges, cilantro, sour cream
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add onions, season with sea salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 6-8 minutes.

- Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika to the onion mixture. Stir to coat onions and toast spices.

- Add white beans, green chilis, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

- Blend some of the soup with an immersion blender or transfer it to a blender and then add it back into the soup. (This helps make it creamy, without adding any cream!)

- Stir in corn and simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Right before serving, stir in lime juice and cilantro.
- Taste the soup, add more salt to taste, and serve with a variety of toppings.

Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat. The chili may thicken as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water when reheating. You can freeze this chili in freezer-safe containers for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Ingredients: Great Northern beans are ideal for their creamy texture, but you can substitute white navy beans, cannellini beans, or white kidney beans. If you can’t find canned green chiles, use salsa verde or roasted poblano peppers. Fresh corn off the cob works beautifully in summer, but frozen or canned (drained and rinsed) corn works year-round. For the broth, vegetable broth keeps it vegetarian, but chicken broth adds richer flavor if you’re not strictly vegetarian.
- Prep ahead: You can chop the onion, mince the garlic, and measure out your spices up to 2 days in advance. Store in separate containers in the fridge. You can also make the entire chili 1-2 days ahead, just don’t add the lime and cilantro until right before serving to keep those flavors fresh and bright.
- Tools: You’ll need a large soup pot or Dutch oven, and an immersion blender, or a regular blender if you don’t have an immersion.
- Serve with: This chili pairs perfectly with cornbread, tortilla chips, or warm flour tortillas and a variety of toppings.