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This Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili is cozy, hearty, and made from only 10 plant-based ingredients! A yummy Vegan & Gluten-Free entree for chilly days.
This Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili is a twist on a classic Chili, but will still leave you feeling full and satisfied! Plus, it’s made with only 10 plant-based ingredients and just over 30 minutes to cook.
Have you had White Bean Chili before? Typically I steer towards tomato-based varieties, but this recipe has me thinking I need to change that. I love Chili because it’s thick, hearty, and has great depth of flavor, typically from tomatoes and spices.
Well, this Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili still ticks all of those boxes, and then some! It’s creamy from the use of Butternut Squash and White Beans, plus it has amazing, deep flavor thanks to toasted Nutritional Yeast, Smoked Paprika, and Cilantro.
I mean, can you see that creamy factor? It takes this Chili to the next. level. I honestly love to eat a big bowl of this on its own, but it would also be great with some fluffy Brown Rice or some Crusty Bread for dipping.
Whether you serve it for a quick and easy dinner, make it for Meal Prep, or prepare it for Game Day, this Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili is sure to be a hit! It’s smoky, creamy, and will leave your tummy feeling extra happy, but won’t weigh you down.
A Few Final Thoughts:
- I used Navy Beans for this recipe, but another variety of White Bean will work as well, like Great Northern or Cannellini. If you’re in a pinch, you could also use Pinto Beans or Black Beans!
- This Chili is mild in spice as we are de-seeding the Jalapeños. If you’d like things to have more of a kick, leave a few of the seeds in and cook them into the Chili.
- All things in life are better with Cornbread, but Chili is especially better. Why not give my Easy Vegan Cornbread a try?
If you’re looking for more cozy recipes, you’ll also love this Slow Cooker Bean & Quinoa Chili and this Smoky Black Eyed Pea Soup!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintButternut Squash & White Bean Chili
This Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili is cozy, hearty, and made from only 10 plant-based ingredients! A yummy Vegan & Gluten-Free entree for chilly days.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 35 Minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
- 1 medium Yellow Onion, diced
- ½ bunch Cilantro, stems and leaves divided
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 2 large Jalapeños, deseeded and finely diced
- ½ tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 4 cups Navy Beans, cooked and rinsed
- 3 ½ cups Butternut Squash, diced into ¼” cubes
- 3 ½ cups Vegan “Chicken” Stock, divided (¼ cup)
- Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, toast the Nutritional Yeast. Add the flakes to a large non-stick pot and cook over Medium Heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. The flakes will darken, become fragrant, and start to “smoke” when they are toasted.
- Next, add the diced Onion and chopped Cilantro stems to the pot along with 1/4 cup of the Vegan Chicken Stock. Reduce the heat to Medium-Low, and sauté the Onion and Cilantro until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Then, add the Bell Pepper, Jalapeño, Cumin, and Smoked Paprika to the pot along with another small splash of Stock. Sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Finally, add the Beans, cubed Butternut Squash, and the remainder of the Vegan Stock to the Pot; bring everything to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes to help break down the Squash and make things nice and creamy. Add Salt and Black Pepper to taste, then divide into bowls, top with fresh Cilantro, and serve warm.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to one week, or can be frozen for up to two months.
Notes
- Navy Beans may be substituted for Cannellini Beans or Great Northern Beans
- Vegan “Chicken” Stock may be substituted for Vegetable Broth
- If you’d like this Chili to be spicy, keep some of the Jalapeño seeds in there!
Keywords: White Chili, White Bean Chili, Dairy-Free Chili, Vegan Chili
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yummy!!! i added some more veggie broth, some carrots, celery & onion and fresh thyme & rosemary. it had more of a soupy vibe- really really good!
★★★★★
Thank you, Summer!
I can’t eat nutritional yeast. Can i leave it out or is it required for the recipe?
You can leave it out 🙂
My supermarket didn’t have butternut squash today so I used sweet potato instead. If someone doesn’t like squash or, like me, just don’t have it, it was totally delicious!! I look forward to trying it with the squash, too 🙂
★★★★★
So happy you found it delicious, Leanne!
I loved this chili and will be making it often! It was a hit with friends and family. Thank you for another delicious recipe!
So glad you loved it, Eileen!
A new favorite! Love that there are minimal ingredients and maximum flavor and that it wasn’t difficult at all to prepare. Paired with corn bread. Perfect for this cold weather.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tyller!
Fab recipe! when do you add the nutritional yeast?
Hi Claire! It’s the first ingredient you add to the pot.
This chili was so yummy! I made it for dinner last night – I blended half the soup with an immersion blender at the end & topped it with diced avocado + cilantro. This is a new favorite & will definitely make again. Thank you for another delicious dinner!
★★★★★
This recipe is AMAZING! It has a nice almost cheesy texture and there is such a nice depth of flavor built up in such a short time. I didn’t have smoked paprika or a red pepper, but I added about a tablespoon or two of harissa paste I had in my fridge. I also added some tomato paste because… well, why not? In any case, a wonderful recipe that I’ll for sure save and remake for my family.
★★★★★
So glad you loved it, Nora! Thank you so much for the feedback. ♥
Very tasty soup! Perfect for this fall day. My only suggestion is to be more specific about how much cilantro stems to put in. I didn’t buy a bunch, I got it from my garden, so I had to guess on the amount. I will use only 3 cups of beans next time because that’s how many are in two cans and I think the 3 cans I used this time was too much. Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
We appreciate the suggestion and will take note of it for future recipes, Jessica!
This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except I made it in my instant pot. Sautéed nootch and veggies and then pressure cooked on high for 5 minutes. Came out perfect!
★★★★★
Glad it turned out great, Becky! Thank you.
This recipe is very yummy. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, Nat!
Absolutely delicious! I had never toasted nutritional yeast before & the smell made me anxious when I started cooking it. It turned out wonderfully though! My parents loved it as their anniversary dinner & it couldn’t have been easier. Definitely add the cilantro & jalapeños???? Thank you for the great recipe, I will be adding it to my cookbook ❤️❤️❤️
★★★★★
Toasted nutritional yeast does seem like it’s going the wrong way but it actually works really well! So happy you tried it and that your parents liked it as well; happy anniversary to them!
I made this mistake the hard way, but it would definitely have helped to have “cook the beans” as a listed step.
We tend to eyeball ingredients instead of scroll back up to read the ingredient list, so when it just said “add the beans” I just dumped them in dry.
We’ll have to wait a while for them to cook in the soup, so hopefully it turns out ok.😅