This quick and easy black bean chili recipe is packed with hearty flavor and ready in under 30 minutes on the stove! It’s made of almost all pantry staples, with just 6 easy-to-find ingredients, making it perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
I’ve been on a real chili kick lately, making this epic vegetarian chili and this equally epic chili seasoning mix (among all of my other chilis like this healthy white bean chili and this sweet potato chili).
So today I’m sharing my latest creation in the world of epic chilis. Black bean chili! It:
- Is ready in 30 minutes
- Uses almost all pantry staples
- Has just 6 ingredients
- Has a secret trick that makes it SO thick and rich
So if you’ve been craving a hearty black bean chili (or just an easy weeknight dinner), I’ve got you covered. Let’s cook!
Black Bean Chili Ingredients
You’ll just need 6 ingredients for this one.
- Oil: Provides the base for sautéing the onions, adding a subtle richness to the chili.
- White Onion: Our flavor base for the chili!
- Chili Seasoning: Elevates the dish with a blend of spices, including chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and more, ensuring a well-balanced, robust flavor (here’s our easy McCormick Chili Seasoning Copycat Recipe!)
- Black Beans: The star of the show! Throw in the entire contents of the cans – no draining the beans for this recipe! That juice adds flavor and thickens up the chili as it cooks.
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Brings a smoky flavor to the chili, adding depth and complexity to the overall flavor. Use diced tomatoes if you can’t find this type, or make your own fire roasted tomatoes!
- Roasted Red Peppers: Finish it off with a drained can of roasted red peppers, which you’ll cut into bite sizes. You can also roast the peppers yourself instead.
Don’t Drain Those Beans!
The element that sets this black bean recipe apart is we’re not draining the beans! The juice in the cans of beans adds flavor and thickens up the chili as it cooks, while also eliminating the need for vegetable broth or water.
How to make Black Bean Chili
This chili is ready in 30 minutes or less thanks to a few genius shortcuts.
- Create a flavor base by cooking the onions and adding the spices
- Assemble everything by in a big pot
- Optionally blend about a cup of the chili, then add it back in to the pot to make a thick and creamy consistency
- Serve hot with your favorite toppings!
Customize It
This chili is incredibly customizable to whatever you have on hand or are craving!
- Different Beans: While we love black beans for this recipe, most types of beans work well (pinto and kidney beans are classics!
- Add Veggies: You can also throw veggies into this chili, like cubed sweet potato or bell pepper!
- Make It Spicy: For the spicy food lovers, add a pinch of cayenne or a sliced jalapeno at the same time as the onion!
Storage
This chili is great for vegetarian meal prep, as it lasts well in the fridge for up to a week. This chili can be frozen, but the black beans become much softer when thawed out (this can easily be balanced out by throwing some crunchy toppings onto the reheated chili, like crushed corn chips!)
Best Toppings For Chili
No good chili is complete without the toppings! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Diced avocado
- Cilantro
- Crushed corn chips or tortilla chips
- Cilantro
- Fresh of pickled jalapeños
- Fresh of pickled red onion
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Serve It Up!
Chili is a fun recipe because it can be the dish, or it can be a topping! Here’s how I like serving up this black bean chili (grab our full list of what to serve with chili here):
- On baked potatoes (or air fryer potatoes!)
- On hot dogs (have you tried my viral carrot hot dogs?)
- On nachos (vegan nachos for the win!)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil 30 mL
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 1 1.25 oz packet chili seasoning click for easy homemade recipe
- 3 15 or 16-oz cans black beans do not drain
- 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes do not drain
- 1 12-oz jar roasted red peppers drained and chopped
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and a bit translucent, about 4 minutes. Add chili seasoning and cook for another 1 minute.
- Assemble: Add cans of black beans and fire roasted tomatoes (do not drain them – add it all). Drain and chop the roasted red peppers, then add them in. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes*.
- Blend (optional): For a rich texture, ladle 1 cup of the chili into a countertop blender. Do not fully close the lid (it can be very dangerous to blend hot liquids, steam must be able to escape). Blend until smooth, then add it back to the main pot of chili and stir well.
- Serve hot topped with your favorites, like avocado, cilantro, diced onion, and crushed corn chips!
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