Chipotle Black Bean Chili

With bright colors & bold, smoky flavors, this easy vegan black bean chili packs a flavor punch. It’s inexpensive, easy to make, and can be made on the stove, in the Instant Pot, OR in a slow cooker!

Gather Your Ingredients

I’ve got to say, one thing that makes this best black bean chili recipe for me is how simple the ingredients list is. It’s mostly pantry staples! Here’s what you’ll need for this easy vegetarian chili recipe:

How To Make Black Bean Chili, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

Stovetop Instructions

1. Saute Veggies. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers and saute 5-7 minutes, or until translucent and tender.
2. Build Flavor. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir 1 minute.
3. Combine. Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and make sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stirring periodically, simmer chili at least 20-30 minutes, to allow flavors to blend.
5. Garnish & Serve. Stir in fresh cilantro and serve chili with your favorite toppings. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days or freeze up to 2 months.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Black Bean Chili

Toppings To Try. To keep this as a vegan black bean chili, serve with extras like tortilla chips, lime wedges, sliced jalapeno peppers, diced avocado, more diced red onions or more cilantro. (You can also add dairy-free options like vegan cheese shreds (like Daiya) or vegan sour cream.) Or, for a vegetarian option, serve your bowl of chili with a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt and a sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese!

Can I Add Meat To This? Absolutely. I developed it as a vegetarian black bean chili recipe for Meatless Monday, but it tastes delicious with some ground beef added in. Ground chicken or ground turkey also work! If you’re adding ground meat, I recommend browning it BEFORE adding the onions & bell peppers.

How to Freeze Leftover Black Bean Chili. This homemade black bean chili freezes and reheats like a DREAM. Divide into freezer-safe bags and lay flat to freeze or use an freezer-safe container (make sure to leave room at the top for expansion!). I love using leftover chili for rice or quinoa bowls, scooping over a baked potato, or for making chili stuffed spaghetti squash. So good!

Chipotle Black Bean Chili

4.80 from 5 votes

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life

With bright colors & bold, smoky flavors, this smoky black bean chili packs a major flavor punch. It's inexpensive, easy to make, and can be made on the stove, in the Instant Pot, OR in a slow cooker!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 8 cups Chili

Calories: 200kcal

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Diced Red Onion (1 small onion)
• 2 cups Diced Bell Peppers (I like using one red pepper and one green pepper)
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 (14 oz) cans Black Beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 (14 oz) can Diced Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz) can Tomato Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder*
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth

Instructions

STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS

• Saute Veggies. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers and saute 5-7 minutes, or until translucent and tender.
• Build Flavor. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir 1 minute.
• Combine. stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and make sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stirring periodically, simmer chili at least 20-30 minutes, to allow flavors to blend.
• Garnish & Serve. Stir in fresh cilantro and serve chili with your favorite toppings. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days or freeze up to 2 months.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS

• Soften The Veggies. Press SAUTE mode and add olive oil to Instant Pot. Add onion and bell peppers, and saute 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
• Build Flavor. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir 1 minute.
• Combine. Press CANCEL to end SAUTE mode, then stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and make sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Pressure Cook. Cover Instant Pot with lid and double check that the steam release handle is set to SEALING. Press PRESSURE COOK and set timer for 10 minutes. (It will take about 15 minutes to come up to pressure.)
• Quick Release Steam. After 10 minutes, carefully perform quick release by switching steam release handle to VENTING. Allow pressure to release until pressure seal (float valve) drops down.
• Garnish. Carefully open Instant Pot, stir in fresh cilantro and serve with your favorite toppings! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days or freeze up to 2 months.

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine. Add all ingredients except cilantro to slow cooker. Stir to distribute evenly.
• Slow Cook chili on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 5-6 hours.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with your favorite toppings. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days or freeze up to 2 months.

Notes

• *MAKE IT MILD, MAKE IT HOT. If you’re spice-averse, start with 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of chipotle chili powder. You can always add more later!
• WHAT IF I MADE IT TOO SPICY? Most people use cheese or sour cream to temper the heat of their chili. If you’re dairy free (like us) or vegan, I love using diced avocado or a dollop of this avocado ranch to cool things down a bit. They both really help. If you tolerate dairy, load up on the cheese/sour cream!
• HOW TO FREEZE. This homemade black bean chili freezes and reheats like a DREAM. Divide into freezer-safe bags and lay flat to freeze or use an freezer-safe container (make sure to leave room at the top for expansion!). 

Video

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chili

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup Chili | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.8g | Protein: 10.8g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 874.5mg | Potassium: 805.1mg | Fiber: 13.7g | Sugar: 5.2g | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 93.5mg

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.

Find it Online:

https://www.onelovelylife.com/chipotle-black-bean-chili/

Recipe originally shared February 2018. Updated with improved recipe notes, step by step photos & video and republished October 2026.