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My one-pot white chickpea chili is ready in just 30 minutes with mostly pantry staples! Packed with chickpeas for protein and so much of that classic white chili flavor, it’s a hearty and delicious bowl of cozy. Prep ahead freezer instructions included in recipe card notes!
Pair it with a simple Kale Salad, or go all out with some Jalapeno Poppers!
save this recipe!Of course, a classic vegetarian chili is delicious, but we love chickpeas around here. So, I’ve taken the classic flavors of white chicken chili and made it vegetarian and faster (by using canned chickpeas instead of chicken). Let’s cook!
- No Animal Protein to Cook: This might be self-explanatory, but for traditional white chili, you must cook the chicken first or break down a rotisserie chicken. This takes time and energy that chili with chickpeas doesn’t.
- Protein and Fiber: Chickpeas and navy beans are both rich in protein and fiber, and as a nutritionist, I’m always trying to sneak extra nutrients into our meals!
Reader rating
“I made this last night. It was so delicious, and easy! Wouldn’t change a thing. It’s in my cooking rotation now!” —Amy
Key ingredients
It might seem like there are a lot of ingredients in this chili, but you probably already have most of them in your kitchen. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Flavor Base: To start the chili, saute a yellow onion and garlic in olive oil. A white onion will work, too, but yellow onions are a bit sweeter.
- Spices: Uuse spices familiar to taco seasoning like cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
- Flour: To help thicken the chili. A 1:1 gluten-free flour will work, too!
- Vegetable Broth: I make my own with veggie scraps, but store-bought is a good time saver.
- Chickpeas and Navy Beans: I like navy beans because they are creamy, but any white bean will work.
- Corn & Green Chiles: I keep cans of each on hand so I can always make this chili in a pinch.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk has enough fat to help mellow out the heat while also allowing you to taste the flavor of the chiles. Milk with less fat can also curdle under the heat, so it’s important to use high-fat milk or cream.
Make it dairy-free
It’s uber important to use milk or cream with enough fat to withstand curdling during the cooking process. In this white chili with milk, you can use vegan heavy cream or vegan cream cheese (or regular if not dairy-free) in place of whole milk. You can also soak cashews, blend them, and then add them to your chili to make it creamy!
for Thicker chili
I like to simply blend some of the chili to thicken it! This releases the starches in the beans, thickening the chili without additional flour or cornstarch. You can do this with an immersion blender in the pot or take some out, blend, and then add it back to the pot.
Change it up
- Different Beans: Don’t stop at navy beans! You can use another white bean like cannellini beans or lupini beans. It’s also tasty with black beans!
- Add Extra Veggies: If you have wilting vegetables lying around – toss them in this white chili with beans! I like to use stiffer vegetables like cauliflower, kale, and carrots.
- Make It Vegan: You can keep this vegan by swapping whole milk with vegan heavy cream, blended cashews, or canned coconut milk. Coconut milk can have a strong flavor, but it’s tasty if you like coconut!
30-Minute White Chickpea Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp each smoked paprika, oregano, salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 L
- 2 15-oz cans navy beans, or any white bean, drained, 425 g cans
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained, 425 g cans
- 1 15-oz can corn, drained, 425 g can
- 2 4-oz cans diced green chiles, I like to do 1 hot and 1 mild, 113 g cans
- 2 cups whole milk, 475 mL
- To serve: tortilla chips, shredded Monterrey jack cheese, diced avocado, cilantro
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add 1 medium yellow onion (diced), and 4 cloves garlic (minced). Cook until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
- Season: Stir in ⅓ cup flour, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp each smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and ½ tsp ground black pepper.
- Soup-ify: Stir in 4 cups vegetable broth, 2 15-oz cans navy beans (drained), 2 15-oz cans chickpeas (drained), 1 15-oz can corn (drained), and 2 4-oz cans diced green chiles (not drained). Cover and let simmer for at least 5 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
- Serve: Remove from heat. Optionally blend a little bit of the chili to create a thicker texture (either right in the pot with a handheld immersion blender, or by ladling about 2 cups into a countertop blender).Stir in 2 cups whole milk then serve with toppings like crushed tortilla chips, shredded Monterrey jack cheese, diced avocado, and cilantro!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!Dump & Freeze
To make the meal prep-able dump and freeze version of this chili as described in the recipe notes, watch the video below!
This is my go back to comfort food, anytime of year. Love all the flavors and so easy to make. Thank you Sarah!
I went off the script with this recipe. Lol I used white kidney beans, and didn’t add chick peas or milk. I added extra veggies. I added chicken or shrimp because that’s how I roll. Also instead of canned corn, I used frozen. Instead of canned chilies, I diced up a fresh jalapeno pepper. The flavours are on point!! Love it.
So happy you loved it, Lisa! Thanks for dropping in to let us know how it went!
Delicious! Couldn’t be easier.
Absolutely LOVE this recipe!!!!! Quick easy week night dinner!!! Love the protein in provides as well. Perfect for a cold snowy day. Will definitely be making again.
So happy to hear it was a hit! Enjoy!
This was delicious! Because I am celiac, I used a little cornstarch as the thickener and left out the milk at the end because of dairy sensitiity. We all thought it was amazing. Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
I am about to try the White Chickpea chilli recipe but can’t find the right size jars of diced chillies. What would be the alternative in fresh chillies and would I need to use more liquid with them?
Thank you
Hi Anne! Great question! If you can’t find the 4-oz cans of diced green chilies, you can easily swap in fresh chilies. For every 4-ounce can, you can use one medium-sized green chili (like Anaheim or Poblano for mild heat, or Serrano or Jalapeño for more spice). Simply dice them up finely before adding them to the chili.
Since canned chilies are packed in liquid, you might need to add a bit more moisture to compensate. I’d recommend starting with an extra 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable broth and adjusting as needed as the chili simmers. If you like a little extra acidity, a splash of lime juice can also help balance the flavors.
Let me know how it turns out—I hope you love the recipe!
Thank you for sharing this recipe
So glad you enjoyed it! 😀
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I try to avoid dairy as much as possible and made this with almond milk. It was still great!
I’m so happy you love the recipe, Brecken! Enjoy!!
I’m making it right now. The flavor is delicious! I will use the immersion blender like suggested to thicken it up a bit but waiting till the end to see if I really need to do that. Ok, maybe I will just so I can use it.
This recipe is so fast to throw together and definitely a keeper!!! I used low sodium navy beans, chickpeas and corn.
Thanks Sarah!
Thanks for cooking with me, can’t wait for you to try more!
Do you think you could make this with plant milk like almond milk instead of whole milk?
You can use a dairy-free alternative, just make sure it’s got enough fat to withstand curdling – for example, by using vegan heavy cream or by using soaked then blended cashews!
OMG, this is DELICIOUS!! I’m trying to be a vegan…trying, so I subbed the 2 c of milk for 2 c cashew cream (1c cashews, 1c water in Vitamix til creamy). I used cannellini beans instead of navy. The green chilis are SO good!! I did make my own veg broth. Thanks for that recipe as well!
Love hearing that, thanks for trying it!