This hearty vegan white bean "chicken" chili is made with jackfruit, which is a fabulous chicken substitute for chili, and it's guaranteed to fool your carnivorous friends. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, and meat-free with just the right amount of heat. Serve it with our easy vegan skillet cornbread or our homemade vegan biscuits.
Easy White Bean Chili Recipe
Our vegetarian white bean chili recipe is so easy to make.
It's perfect for a simple fall or winter dinner, or to feed a crowd at your next football party.
Made with great northern white beans, onions, celery, peppers, garlic, savory spices, and jackfruit, it's full of wonderful flavors and texture.
What is Jackfruit and Why is it a Great Chicken Substitute?
Jackfruit is an exotic fruit that grows in tropical locations and can grow up to 100 pounds.
When it’s young (not ripe) it has a neutral flavor that makes it great for savory dishes.
Ripe jackfruit is sweet, so it's not suitable for savory dishes.
We buy canned jackfruit packed in water, not brine, to reduce the salt.
Because it has such a neutral flavor, it absorbs the flavors of the spices and marinades that you cook it in.
It's texture is similar to meat and it shreds like chicken and pork does.
Our BBQ shredded jackfruit is a dead ringer for pulled chicken or pork. Only nothing died from farm to table. Win-win!
What are the Benefits of Jackfruit?
JACKFRUIT BENEFITS
Here are some of the benefits of jackfruit:
Low in calories
Fat free
Sodium free
Good source of vitamins A, C, and potassium
A great way to get fiber.
Where Can You Buy Jackfruit?
You can find jackfruit in most Asian supermarkets, some Trader Joe's, some conventional supermarkets, or on Amazon.
We buy ours by the six pack on Amazon so we always have it available.
How to Make it
STEP ONE
Start by sautéing the onion and celery. You know how good that smells!
Cook the onion and celery until the onion begins to look translucent.
Add the shredded jackfruit, jalapeno pepper, and the bell pepper and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften.
Now add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
NOTE: SHRED THE JACKFRUIT WITH YOUR HANDS (OUR PREFERRED METHOD) OR WITH A KNIFE OR FOOD PROCESSOR.
STEP TWO
Add the spices and the beans and stir into the vegetables until combined. Cook for 2 minutes.
This releases the oils in the spices for more flavor.
Add the no-chicken or vegetable broth and the water and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 2 ½ hours, or until it thickens.
Stir often to avoid scorching.
STEP THREE
Stir the Bob's Red Mill corn meal and water together and stir into the chili.
This will thicken the chili even more.
Salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the fresh cilantro and serve with cubed avocado and squeeze of fresh lime juice.
How to Make it in a Slow Cooker
Although we prefer to cook the old fashioned way (on a stove), there are times when we can't watch over our food, so we make chili in a crockpot.
You can add all of the ingredients to the crockpot and turn it on, but for the best flavor, we suggest the following:
Saute the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, jackfruit, and the spices in a pan, as instructed for the conventional chili recipe.
Add the sauteed veggies and beans to the crockpot with the broth and water, and cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 4 hours.
Add the cornmeal mixture and salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine. Cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Pro Tips
- Make sure to sauté the onion, celery, and peppers until they're softened before adding the beans and water. This will develop the flavor and make the chili taste amazing.
- If you don't like a lot of spice, add it slowly, taste, and then add more as desired.
- Simmer the chili and stir it every fifteen to twenty minutes to avoid scorching the bottom of the chili.
- If you like a super thick chili, make sure to add the cornmeal according to the instructions.
More Vegan Chili Recipes You'll Love
HEARTY VEGETARIAN CHILI CON CARNE
Make our vegan white bean "chicken" chili recipe and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
Let’s connect on Instagram and Twitter. You’ll get a peek into our everyday lives in our stories and see what we’re sharing in our feed.
And, don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the blog so you never miss a recipe. Scroll below the recipe or in our side bar to become a Veganosity subscriber.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. Read our Privacy Policy to learn more.
Vegan White Bean "Chicken" Chili
Equipment
- stove
- crockpot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large Vidalia onion finely chopped
- 4 celery ribs finely chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper seeds removed and chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 60 ounce cans of Great Northern white beans drained and rinsed well
- 1 quart no-chicken or regular vegetable broth
- 3 to 5 cups water If you like a thick chili, start with 3 cups of water and add more as necessary.
- 3 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground sea salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried ground oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried ground sage
- 1 teaspoon dried ground parsley
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 16 ounce jackfruit in water Drained well and shredded (See Note)
- ¼ cup cornmeal + 6 tablespoons of water stir until smooth
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
TOPPINGS
- cubed avocado
- lime wedges
- cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large stock pot on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and celery and cook until they begin to soften. Approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the jackfruit, bell and jalapeno peppers and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir occasionally.
- Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beans, the 3tbsp cumin, 1 teaspoon ground oregano, 1 teaspoon grounds sage, 1 teaspoon ground parsley, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper, and stir. Cook for 2 minutes so the spices release their oil. This creates the best flavor.
- Add the 1 quart of broth, 3 to 5 (see note in ingredients) cups of water and stir until combined. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for approximately 2 ½ hours, or until the liquid reduces and the chili thickens. Stir every 15 to 20 minutes to avoid scorching.
- Add the cornmeal and water mixture and salt and pepper to taste, stir well. Cook for another 15 minutes, or until the chili thickens. Add the cilantro and stir. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Sean Meara says
Is 60 oz of beans correct?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Sean, yes, we like a lot of beans in our chili. If you want to reduce that you can add three 15 oz cans, instead.
Carla says
Can this be made in the Instant Pot? If so, for how long should it cook?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Carla, we haven't tried making it in an Instant Pot. We did a little research on cooking chili in an Instant Pot and we recommend using the saute mode to cook the onion, celery, and peppers, first. The beans setting is probably best for making the chili. It looks like people cook it from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how thick you want it to be. Maybe add the broth first to cook, then if you need to add water, go ahead and do that and cook for another 5 minutes. Let us know how it turns out.
Abigail says
This recipe is delicious! I read through the comments and noticed that someone had asked about the copious amounts of liquid - I wish I had listened to my intuition on that one and used only the quart of broth, omitting the extra *five cups* of water. I followed everything exactly, cooking in the slow cooker, and this is simply not chili, it's soup. Very delicious soup, but a little weird considering how brothy it is. My brain isn't wrapping around how the photos show a thick chili but the recipe calls for 9 cups of liquid.
I will definitely be making it again but thicker so it's heartier like a true chili. The cumin and herbs are delicious though and I found the seasoning level to be perfect.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Abigail, thank you for taking the time to comment. We're so sorry that it didn't thicken for you. We checked the recipe card and realized that the cook time was not correct. Chili should simmer for at least 2 hours to thicken and develop its flavor. We're not sure why the recipe card read 45 minutes, but we've corrected it. We really hope you make it again, as it's one of our favorite chili recipes.
Have a great day!
Lind and Alex
Caroline says
Hi! This recipe sounds amazing but I read above that there is a cup of white wine in the recipe but do not see it in the ingredient list. Am I missing something? Look forward to trying this with plant based chicken instead of the jackfruit. Can't wait!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Caroline, I'm assuming that you read that there's wine in the recipe from one of the comments? If that's correct, we omitted the wine when we updated the recipe. We just didn't feel that it was necessary, and we have a lot of readers who don't drink wine, so we didn't want to complicate the recipe. You can add the wine to deglaze the pan before you add the broth and water. 🙂
peter says
I live in northern climate what can i replace Jackfruit with?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Peter, you can omit the jackfruit, it's only there for texture. If you can't find jackfruit in your local supermarket, you can order it on Amazon. Have a great day!
Janice Kraft says
Hi! Recipe sounds great. I'm thinking about making it today. Have you tried it without the wine? Can this be eliminated without sacrificing flavor?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Janice, the wine does add a bit more flavor, but you could use a splash of white wine or apple cider vinegar to get a similar flavor. Enjoy!
Harmony says
Do you think something else could be substituted for the corn meal? I try to stay away from corn. I was thinking maybe almond meal? What do you think?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Harmony, the cornmeal is used to thicken the chili, it's not a necessity. You could use a flour roux or just omit it and cook the chili a little longer until it thickens to the consistency that you like. Enjoy!
Jessie says
I'm so excited to try this recipe. Thank you for the nutritional info at the end. This recipe brought me to your website! Can't wait to see what others you have 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hi Jessie! Thank you for the nice email. We're so excited that you found us. 🙂 Enjoy the chili.
Monica M says
Do you drain the water from the can of jackfruit before adding?
So excited to make this! It looks amazing!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Monica! Thanks for asking. Yes drain and rinse the jackfruit. I just updated the recipe. 🙂
Susan says
It sounds great. Is it really 10 cups of liquid? Seems too little spiced for that amount.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Susan, thank you! Yes, there are about 4 cups of vegetable broth, 5 cups of water, and 1 cup of white wine. With the pepper, 5 cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons of cumin, and the rest of the spices, it's quite good. Of course, everyone has different tastes, so feel free to doctor yours to your liking. Let us know what you think. 🙂
Brittany says
This recipe looks great! Going to try it tonight. Curious though-did you mean cornmeal or corn starch?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Brittany! Thank you, it's one of my favorites. Cornmeal is the correct ingredient. It makes a wonderful thickener and adds a nice flavor. Let me know what you think. 🙂