Winter’s Not Over Yet—Get Cozy With This Vegetarian White Chickpea Chili

It’s been a cold, snowy week in the Midwest and as I head into a long weekend indoors, I’m thinking about how many meals I can make from what’s in my pantry. My guidelines? Minimal dishes to clean, with ultimate flavor. Enter, this vegetarian white chickpea chili recipe.

I’ve made many batches of vegetarian chili in my day—this lentil chili recipe is always my go to for cozy winter nights, and Camille’s sweet potato black bean chili has been in my recipe rotation for years. And that’s because these vegetarian chilis bring all the hearty satisfaction that you would get from a beef or chicken chili recipe, with all the flavor I’m craving as well. This version is packed with plant based protein from the beans and crumbled tofu, and topped with all my favorites. Best part? It all comes together in one pot and the leftovers are just as delicious.

Here’s What You’ll Need for this Vegetarian White Chickpea Chili

I usually have all the ingredients for this recipe on hand, which makes it the perfect pantry and fridge clean out meal.

Yellow onion. Chopped up, it’s the base for our flavors.

Cumin, coriander, chili flakes, oregano. A blend of spices that come together to add some depth and warmth to this chili.

Jalapeno. You can swap with a serrano if you like extra heat, but one big jalapeno chopped up with the seeds works for me. 

Poblano. I love the smokey flavor of a poblano, but if you don’t have it you can omit.

Green bell pepper. Consider this optional, but I’m always looking for ways to sneak in more veggies.

Garlic. Use the amount of garlic your heart desires.

Corn. Again, optional, but I like the slight sweetness that corn kernels add to this chili.

Chickpeas and cannelini beans. You can use one or the other, but this will add the main texture to our chili.

Vegetable broth. Store bought or homemade, you can also use chicken broth if you want.

Milk or cream. For just a bit of creaminess, I use whatever I have in the fridge. To make this vegan, use your favorite plant based milk.

Preparation and Storage Tips

Here are a few few tips and tricks to make this one-pot meal even easier.

Chop and prep your ingredients ahead of time. Having your mise en place ready to go means just having to add everything to the pot without worrying about chopping and organizing while cooking.

Caramelize your onions and peppers for extra flavor. Letting these ingredients break down and caramelize a bit with the spices adds a nice depth of flavor this chili. Especially with vegetarian recipes, spending a little extra time with the different components of the recipe make a huge difference.

To add creamy texture, I blend a portion of the chili before I add the tofu. Beans like cannelini beans and chickpeas blended up with a little bit of cream help add that creamy texture and thickness to the chili without needing to add a ton of cream for a lighter recipe. But if you prefer it extra rich, just add some heavy cream!

To store leftovers, just keep the chili in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in a stovetop pot with a bit of broth. This will keep in the fridge for a few days so makes for great meal prep.

How to Customize this Chili Recipe

The best part about a recipe like this is how easy it is to make it your own and adjust it based on your own tastes and what you have on hand.

For extra spice, you can add some cayenne or pickled jalapenos while you’re sauteeing the onions. You can substitute the beans with what you have on hand as well. Sometimes I’ll add pinto or black beans if I have them! And if you don’t like tofu, you can obviously sub shredded chicken. 

The toppings are where you can have even more fun! I like all the chopped herbs, but will also add pickled onions, charred corn, salsas or pico, and anything that you prefer!

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