This chili (or soup) is soul satisfying and delicious any time of year but especially in the chillier months. Although I love a traditional red sauce based chili as much as anyone, this version featuring white northern beans and vegan “chicken” hits different. It’s lighter in a way but creamier with the addition of vegan cream cheese.
You can make this chili as thick or as soupy as you’d like by adjusting the amount of vegan broth you add to it. I like using a vegan “chicken” style broth (there are a bunch out there) that’s in powder form that I reconstitute in water as I can then control the intensity of the flavor. Some boxed broths are quite light in flavor so you may want to use a powder or bouillon cube or paste style broth. You can also use any vegan protein you’d like but I prefer a shredded vegan “chicken” style one. I used Daring Foods brand but any plain style will work as well as TVP pieces or even soy curls! I prefer to cook the chicken separately to brown it then add it at the end as it adds more flavor and color to the finished chili.
Use your favorite cream cheese for this. I used Tofutti brand but choose a thicker denser variety. I also used great northern beans but cannellini beans are great as well. You could probably use butter beans or chickpeas too. Frozen corn is the easiest and most available option during the cooler months but if you have fresh corn off the cob, definitely use it!
Cilantro is optional to add to this. I personally cannot handle the taste of it but others adore it so add as much or as little as you’d like! You can also adjust the heat in this by adding more cayenne pepper and leaving the seeds of the jalapeño in for added zing. I like a milder heat so I made the recipe as is and removed the seeds from the pepper.
There’s two options for blending this together. One is just using an immersion hand blender and blitzing some of it together while still leaving it chunky (the option I chose) or you can take a cup of the canned beans and process then in a blender or food processor with a little broth until smooth then add that back into the pot.
This would be great served over some plain rice or with my amazing easy vegan cornbread! Here are some other topping options:
- Dollop vegan sour cream on top!
- Add fresh jalapeños or other chopped peppers.
- Add chopped green or red onions.
- Add your favorite hot sauce.
- Add shredded vegan cheese!
Whether you call this a soup or chili, just call me for dinner when you make it!
Vegan White “Chicken” Chili Soup
4
servings15
minutes20
minutesA delicious, creamy all vegan white “chicken” chili that’s quick and easy to make!
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion , diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced fine and seeds removed if you don’t want heat
2 poblano peppers, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy!)
2 cups chicken style vegetable broth (or more if you want it soupier)
8 oz vegan cream cheese
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
2 15 oz cans white northern or cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups vegan chicken pieces (cooked separately – see notes)
juice from one fresh lime
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot (I prefer a cast iron enameled pot) over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 4 minutes. Add peppers and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.
- Add all dried spices to the pot and sauté to cook them for a minute. Add vegan broth and bring mixture just to a small boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes. If using frozen corn, add it now to the pot with the diced green canned chilies (no need to drain) and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. If using fresh corn, add it with the beans in the next step.
- Drain and rinse beans in a fine mesh strainer or colander then add to the pot if using the immersion blender method of mixing in the next step. If you prefer to purée some beans first as a thickener, measure out 1 cup. Set whole beans aside, transfer 1 cup beans to a food processor along with 1/4 cup broth from soup, puree until nearly smooth and add to pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add Vegan cream cheese to soup along with the remaining whole beans and stir well. Simmer 1-2 minutes longer but don’t boil again as the cream cheese might separate. If using a blender to purée, either use a hand immersion one and blitz a little so that it’s a bit smooth but chunks remain. If using a regular stand blender, remove a cup of the solids from the pot along with some broth and purée until a bit smooth but still with some texture. Add it back to the pot.
- Stir in your prepared vegan chicken and fresh lime juice and cilantro if using. Serve with vegan sour cream, chopped peppers and green onions and whatever other toppings you’d like. Vegan Monterey Jack cheese would be an excellent choice.
- Store leftovers in the fridge. This will also freeze well just let it defrost in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe Video
Notes
- I sautéed my “chicken” in a little olive oil until nicely browned. You could also bake it but cooking and browning it separately adds more flavor. I then shredded mine somewhat before adding it to the chili.
- There’s lot of vegan cream cheese options out there just use a denser style and make sure not to boil the chili again after it adding it as it might separate.
- You can control the heat and the “soupy-ness” of this by adding more cayenne or broth. I like it thicker like a chunky soup but feel free to adjust to your particular taste.
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Made this last night for dinner and it was fantastic! My husband (who isn’t vegan) couldn’t even tell the difference! Definitely the best white chicken chili recipe I’ve tried! I served it with cornbread!
Thank you so much for the review and I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it! I love when no one can tell when you’ve veganized something. Cornbread is the way to go. 💛
Delicious recipe! I love spicy food, but I used the amount of cayenne written in the recipe, and with all the peppers, I thought the level of spice was spot-on for me. I used soy curls for my chicken, and I added corn chips as a topping.
So glad you liked it! Spice and heat levels are so personal but I’m glad we have similar taste!
Amazing recipe! I’ve made this a few times now and it never dissapoints. Absolutely delicious, great work 😋
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Always hits the spot for me too!
Just made this soup on an 80 degree day! Outstanding! My only modifications were 1 can of beans replaced with red pepper & 1 can of corn replenish yellow pepper. So yummy!
Thanks for the awesome review! I still eat soup in the summer too lol.
Was trying to wait until it got colder in Florida to make this but it sounded sooo good I couldn’t wait! This was so flavorful packed with savory, spicy, creaminess! Followed recipe exactly as written and had no issues. Thanks for this great tasty fall dish!
Where do you find vegan chicken
I mention a lot of brands in the post and most supermarkets carry at least one of them or more. I suggest looking via Instacart or just perform a web search to find options near you. Tofu or tempeh would also work if cooked separately like I recommend or you can also just use all veggies! Mushrooms are meaty and would work great in this. Hope that helps!