This Vegan White Bean Chilli is a great alternative to regular vegan chilli. It has a rich, indulgent sauce that still packs a punch. Get the recipe below.
What is a white bean chilli?
A White Bean Chilli is a dish usually made from chicken, green chillies and white beans. It's similar to a chilli con carne but much brighter and lighter.
Of course to make a vegan white bean chilli we don't use chicken (we just omit it altogether).
It has a much lighter and brighter flavour profile thanks to the jalapenos and lime juice.
But let's take a closer look at some of the other key ingredients.
Which white beans work best?
"White bean" is not particularly descriptive so what white beans should you use for a white bean chilli?
My preferred bean for this recipe is the cannelini bean. They are sometimes referred to as white kidney beans as they have a similar shape and texture. Given that kidney beans are the traditional bean of choice for a regular chilli, it makes sense to use cannelini beans here.
If you don't have cannelini beans you could alternatively use haricot beans (aka navy beans).
For variety I also like to include butter beans in my recipe.
What are tomatillos and where can I buy them?
Tomatillos, like tomatoes are a fruit. They look like green, unripe tomatoes encased in a dry, leafy husk.
Although they look very similar to tomatoes they actually come from a different family of plant altogether.
Tomatillos are easy to grow, even in the UK. But, if you aren't growing your own then you can buy them tinned online. La Costena is the brand more readily available. Some supermarkets stock them but you can get them on websites like Sous Chef and even Amazon.
You only need 4 tomatillos for this recipe but don't worry, the rest can be used in other recipes like salsa.
Can I use other chillis, rather than jalapenos?
If you can't get hold of jalapenos then you can substitute with another mild-medium heat chilli. Just note that they will turn the sauce more of a brown colour than the green you see in my photos.
If you can't get hold of fresh jalapenos, consider using the jarred kind as a topping.
Will lemon juice work in place of lime? How about lime juice from concentrate?
If you don't have fresh lime you can replace it with lemon at a push. It won't have quite the same zingy flavour and I'd recommend using just half a lemon. Squeeze a little in and adjust to taste.
You can sometimes buy lime juice in the baking aisle of the supermarket. I stay away from this as it's so concentrated it often feels artificial. If it's all you can get hold of then add it sparingly. Just like with the lemon, add a little and adjust to taste.
The recipe
Now we've got all of the ingredients we need, let's cook!
Vegan White Bean Chilli
Equipment
- 1 high speed blender
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and diced
- 2 sticks celery diced
- 1 jalapeño seeded and diced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 4 tomatillos diced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 bunch coriander including the stalks
- 1 tin cannelini beans
- 1 tin butter beans
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 1 lime juice only
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat before adding the onions, celery and a pinch of salt.
- Cook for 5 minutes until just starting to soften before adding the green pepper and jalapeno.
- Cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the garlic and tomatillos.
- Once all of the vegetables are cooked, take 2 ladles and add them to a blender along with half of the stock, the coriander stalks, and ⅓ of the beans.
- Process until you have a thick liquid.
- Stir in the cumin, oregano and chili powder and cook 1 additional minute.
- Add the white beans along with the liquid from the blender and the remaining stock.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.
- Add the lime juice to taste.
- Serve with the coriander leaves.
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
The white beans make this a really hearty, filling dish. But, if you're looking for some carbohydrates to serve alongside then I'd choose fluffy white rice or corn tortillas.
In terms of toppings, consider grated cheese, pickled jalapenos, diced avocado or yet more coriander leaves!
More white bean recipes
More vegan recipes
For the full range of vegan recipes including everything from savoury snacks to sweet treats, check out the vegan recipe archive.
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