Creamy, comforting, lightly spiced and super flavorful white bean chili is given a vegetarian makeover with butter beans! We build amazing flavor here with simple ingredients and I can’t wait to show you how easy it is. While I think butter beans make the most perfect filling thanks to their substantial size and creaminess, you can use any white bean you like!
It took me a very long time to get around to trying white chili, a Tex Mex dish which typically contains chicken and white beans in a creamy spiced broth, but now I am thoroughly enjoying this new to me discovery! It’s the perfect meal to showcase my favorite butter beans, which are large and substantial enough to carry a meatless version of this dish.
White chili can be enjoyed in the same way a tomato based chili would – in a bowl or with rice, with lots of toppings, cornbread, tortilla chips, or as a way to feed a big group! You can scale the recipe up to suit your needs.
It’s incredibly easy to make, though with one caveat: the beans you use make a big difference. Well salted freshly cooked beans are amazing in this, but if you need to use canned beans we can certainly make that work.
What to Know About the Ingredients
- You can use any white beans, or a combination of beans – they don’t have to be butter beans. I will always vote for cooking your butter beans from dried (I use my instant pot for this) but canned will work too!
- I like to use a vegetarian chicken style broth for this, rather than a straight vegetable stock, but either will work.
- The canned diced green chiles add lots of that signature Tex Mex flavor, so there’s no easy way to swap them out. In the UK, they’re available on Amazon or in specialist Mexican retailers. Or you can experiment with using some jarred green chilis which you chop yourself (add some of the liquid from the jar too if you do this) but I have never tested this myself. Those chilis can be a lot hotter than the ones I’m using, so you might also want to reduce the amount.
- I love to use cumin and fennel seeds to give a deep complex flavor to the broth. Just make sure to take the time to lightly crush the seeds with a pestle and mortar – this doesn’t take long but will help the flavor to release from the seeds into the broth. If you don’t have any of these seeds, just use 1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin instead.
- We then use ground oregano, smoked paprika and ground coriander to round out the flavor. You can add another 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder if you’d like this to have more of a spicy kick to it.
Top Tips from the Test Kitchen
- Season this well! This is especially important if you’re using canned low sodium beans (in the UK, all canned beans are low sodium). Add lots of salt and pepper and don’t use a low sodium stock or broth. Beans really benefit from salt and seasoning to stop them from being bland.
- How textured do you want this? Mashing some of the beans will give you a thicker sauce and a chunkier varied texture, as pictured. However – I only recommend this if you are using home cooked beans that are flavorful and well salted. I have done this with blander canned beans, and it just zapped the flavor out of the sauce.
The Best Toppings for White Bean Chili
The right toppings are crucial for making this dish shine! Here are some ideas:
- Pico de gallo is the perfect topping if you want to add some freshness and color. But you don’t have to go find a recipe and make it precisely if you don’t want to. You can just throw some chopped cherry tomatoes or diced large tomatoes, finely diced red onion and chopped cilantro (fresh coriander) in a bowl, add some salt, pepper and lime juice, and that will do nicely.
- Avocado slices or chunks are a delicious way to amp up the creamy factor even more.
- Grated or crumbled cheese (either a cheddar or a cotija / feta style cheese) is always a welcome addition.
- Crumbled tortilla chips add a nice crunch.
Serving Suggestions
- Cornbread is the classic pairing for white chili – this easy cornbread recipe from Budget Bytes would be perfect.
- For an easier option, I love to make the cheesy mini quesadilla dippers from this recipe.
- Smaller amounts of leftovers would be a great topping for baked sweet potato halves.
- If you want to add a salad to the table, this Vegetarian Taco Salad or this Roasted Corn Salad would fit in well.
More Easy Dinner Recipes with White Beans
Vegetarian White Bean Chili
Creamy, comforting, lightly spiced and super flavorful white bean chili is given a vegetarian makeover with butter beans! We build amazing flavor here with simple ingredients and I can’t wait to show you how easy it is. While I think butter beans make the most perfect filling thanks to their substantial size and creaminess, you can use any white bean you like!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (500 g) cooked butter beans , from 1.25 cups dried beans OR from two 14oz (400g) cans
- ½ large white or red onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsp canned diced green chiles, don't drain
- 1.5 tsp cumin seeds, crushed – you can swap for 1.25 tsp of dried cumin
- ½ tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 3 cups (700 ml) vegetable stock or imitation chicken stock
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy (double) cream
- 1 lime, for juice and wedges
- 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander), chopped
Instructions
- In a deep saute pan or soup pot, heat a little oil and saute the onion until soft. Then add the garlic and mix through, just until the fragrance is released.1/2 large white or red onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Push all the onions and garlic to the side of the pan. Add the cumin and fennel seeds to the middle and allow them to toast until fragrant. Then add the ground spices and mix through the pan. Add some extra oil to the pan if it is getting too dry.1.5 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp dried oregano
- Add the butter beans and green chiles and mix through. Saute over a low heat for a minute or two to bring all of the flavors together.If your butter beans were cooked from dried, reserve 1/4 cup of the bean cooking water.3 cups cooked butter beans, 4 tbsp canned diced green chiles
- Add the vegetable stock to the pan and allow to simmer, partially covered, for at least 15 minutes. The broth will reduce and thicken up in this time. If you have bean cooking water, add that in too – reduce your stock by the same amount, so 1/4 cup of bean water and 2 3/4 cups of stock.3 cups vegetable stock or imitation chicken stock
- Optional: If you want a thicker, more varied texture you can mash some of the beans, and let it simmer for an extra 5 minutes.
- Squeeze the juice of half of the lime into the pan and mix through (save the other half to cut into wedges for serving). Add the cream and cilantro. Stir through and keep on the heat until it is just warmed through again and starting to bubble, then immediately remove from the heat.1/3 cup heavy (double) cream, 1 lime, 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander)
- Let sit for 5-10 minutes, covered, before serving.
- Serve into bowls with your chosen toppings and lime wedges for squeezing. Enjoy!
Calories: 256kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 1258mg, Potassium: 641mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 928IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 230mg, Iron: 6mg
Hi there, looking to try out this recipe this evening and just wanted to check that there measurement of half a cup of fennel seeds is correct?
Thanks!
Nooo 1.5 teaspoons! I’m so sorry about this, that was a typo. I’ll try to fix it right now (hoping I can do it on my phone, I’m away from home right now)