Coconut milk chili is packed with nutrients from sweet potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, peppers, and corn! Skip the cheese and yogurt garnish to keep it vegan.
As much as I love baking, it can’t all be about Nova Scotia oatcakes, buttermilk quiche, and brown butter chocolate chip cookies. I mean, I have to actually feed my family vegetables once in a while (insert nervous laughter here).
I’ve been a fan of Renée Kohlman from sweetsugarbean for years now. When I saw her post for white bean and chicken chili I knew I wanted to make it. The only problem? I didn’t have all of the ingredients! After some configuring (including the addition of crushed tomatoes to satisfy the traditional chili lovers) this coconut milk chili was born.
The chili is delicious, and trust me, if it wasn’t, my three year old daughter would let me know. My version as written is vegan, however, we like to garnish ours with plain yogurt and shredded cheese. Renée has suggestions for alternative chili toppings in her white bean and chicken chili post, including Tabasco Green Sauce, which I definitely recommend checking out!
Ingredients You Need To Make Coconut Milk Chili:
- neutral tasting oil
- onion
- garlic
- cumin
- dried oregano
- salt
- sugar
- chili powder
- vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer and have it on hand)
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 sweet pepper
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 19-ounce can chickpeas
- 19-ounce can lentils
- 14-ounce can coconut milk
- 12-ounce can corn
- cornmeal
- fresh cilantro, both chopped and whole leaves
- plain yogurt and shredded cheese for garnish (optional)
Why You NEED To Make This Recipe
- It’s cheap!
- You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry.
- It’s really fast to make. I make it late in the morning to have ready for lunch.
- It’s customizable! Swap in any beans, legumes, or veggies you prefer, or have on hand. Or visit Renées post and make her original White Bean & Chicken Chili without the tomato sauce or coconut milk.
- You control the spice level. I only use ½ teaspoon of chili powder in the coconut milk chili which gives a bit of heat, but no so much my kid can’t eat it.
- The chili tastes better as it sits. I swear it’s even better the second day!
- It tastes freakin’ delicious.
Best Way To Store, Freeze, And Reheat Coconut Milk Chili
- To Store – I always store chili in the fridge, in the cooking pot with the lid on top, for the first night. That way we can still easily help ourselves to a small bowl if a craving strikes. After the first day, I portion the chili into glass serving containers with lids and keep a few in the fridge. The chili will keep, stored this way in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze – After a couple of days, when we’re tired of eating chili constantly, I place the portioned-off sealed containers in the freezer. The chili will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat – To reheat chili directly from the freezer I let one of the containers sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to take the chill off of the glass. I place the container in the microwave and either use the defrost option, or cook it for a few minutes at a time at half power. My partner Chris hates the microwave so he prefers to heat the chili gently in a pot on the stove until all of the frozen chunks are broken up and the chili is heated through.
Recipes That Go Great With Coconut Milk Chili:
Whole Wheat Cheese Biscuits With minimal ingredients and effort, these cheesy biscuits are amazing with chili!
Skillet Amaranth Cornbread A delicious gluten-free cornbread featuring the earthy, nutty flavour of amaranth.
Easy Spelt Naan Bread A vegan flatbread made with whole wheat spelt flour and a handful of other ingredients.
Coconut Milk Chili With Sweet Potatoes & Chickpeas
Coconut milk chili is packed with nutrients from sweet potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, peppers, and corn! Skip the cheese and yogurt garnish to keep it vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral tasting oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1-¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped into ½-inch chunks
- 1 sweet pepper, de-seeded, chopped into ½-inch chunks
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- One 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- One 19-ounce can lentils, drained and rinsed
- One 14-ounce can coconut milk
- One 12-ounce can corn, drained
- ¼ cup (33g) fine grind cornmeal
- fresh cilantro, both chopped and whole leaves
- plain yogurt and shredded cheese for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large deep-sided skillet over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until they are fragrant, and the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the cumin, dried oregano, salt, sugar, and chili powder to the pot. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the stock and sweet potato. Turn up the heat heat up and bring everything to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chopped sweet pepper, crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, coconut milk, and corn to the pot. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cornmeal evenly into the chili and cook it for 5 minutes more to thicken. Remove the chili from the heat and stir in both a handful of chopped cilantro, and a handful of whole cilantro leaves. Serve the chili hot, garnished with plain yogurt and shredded cheese, or your other favourite chili toppings.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 295Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 1228mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 10gSugar: 10gProtein: 13g
DISCLAIMER - NUTRITIONAL DATA IS PROVIDED BY A CALCULATOR AND IS A ROUGH ESTIMATION OF THE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION IN THIS RECIPE.
[…] Coconut milk chili with sweet potato and chickpeas – This is packed with nutrients from sweet potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, peppers, and corn. You probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry so super frugal. […]