Vegan Chili Recipe with Black Beans

This vegan chili recipe takes just 15 minutes to make and is filled with all your favorite flavors along with black beans and split red lentils. It's loaded with over 50% of your daily fiber in each serving and filled with fresh flavors. This chili will fill you up and fuel you through your busy day!

You Will Love This

• It's filled with pantry ingredients! Most of the ingredients in this easy vegetarian chili are pantry staples and spices that you've likely got on hand, which makes this a stress-free meal!
• This easy vegan chili recipe has all the classic chili flavors you love - minus the meat! If you're trying to eat more plant-based meals or (like me) just enjoy a veggie-loaded dinner once in a while, this lentil chili is for you! It's so hearty that meat-lovers in your life won't even miss the ground beef. And the fiber and protein from the beans and split red lentils will fill you up and leave you satisfied.
• If you loved this black bean chipotle chili, be sure to check out my 20 Minute Instant Pot Chili, my Creamy Vegan Chickpea Chili, or my One Pot Creamy White Bean Soup.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Spices - Chili powder and ground cumin are pretty obvious ingredient for chili. Chili powder is where a lot of the that smoky "classic" chili flavor will come from. Cumin combines with the chili powder to give this chili a warm earthy flavor.
• Diced Tomatoes - You could also use crushed tomatoes or even canned tomato sauce in place of the diced tomatoes in this recipe.
• Chipotles in Adobo - This is the brand of chipotles in adobo that I use in my kitchen. I like that it comes in a glass jar so you can store in the fridge for months. If you don't have these on hand, you could add more chili powder or smoked paprika with a pinch of cayenne pepper but I highly recommend giving these chiles a try!
• Black Beans - You could switch out your favorite beans for the black beans in this recipe if you'd like. Pinto beans or kidney beans would also be delicious too!
• Split Red Lentils - I like to use split red lentils for this recipe because they cook so quickly. You could use other lentils in place of the split red lentils, but keep in mind that you'll likely have to increase the cooking time significantly to allow the lentils to cook through.
• Tomato Sauce - For this recipe you'll want to use canned tomato sauce (not pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce). You could also replace the tomato sauce with V8 or any brand of tomato based vegetable juice.
• Vegetable Broth - You could use any kind of broth in place of the veggie broth in this recipe.
• Lime Juice - If you have a fresh lime on hand, fresh squeezed is always best but if we also like this brand of lime juice that comes in a bottle.

Instructions

Sauté onions with salt and pepper in a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven.

Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and cook for another minute, stirring frequently (this is my fave wooden spoon).

Stir in tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, black beans, lentils, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. 

Then add tomato sauce and 2 cups vegetable broth. Cover and heat over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until lentils are cooked through. Add additional broth if desired.

Stir in the juice of 1 lime and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with tortilla chips, sliced avocado, crumbled vegan Cotija cheese, and fresh chopped cilantro. 

Variations

• You can use whatever beans make you happy! I could eat black beans until the cows come home, but if you're not a big fan of black beans feel free to use whatever beans are your favorite. Some great options include:
  • chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • pinto beans
  • light kidney beans
  • dark kidney beans
  • Great Northern beans (white beans)
• If you're not worried about this black bean chili recipe begin vegan you can also add ground beef or ground ground turkey.
• I love to bulk up this vegetarian chili recipe with diced bell peppers, minced jalapeño, frozen corn, or cooked diced sweet potatoes as well.

Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

• Make Ahead: If you like to spend Sunday afternoons prepping your lunches for the week - you are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE this vegan chili recipe! The flavors just get better with time so you can grab a bowl each day for lunch and dig in guilt-free because you know you're fueling your body with a fiber-packed lunch!
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Freezing: Vegan black bean chili will stay good in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow frozen chili to thaw in the fridge overnight.
• Reheating: Reheat chili in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. You can also pop it in the microwave to reheat it as well.

Tips

• Don't let the chili simmer for too long. Just 5-7 minutes is long enough to get the lentils nice and tender. Any longer than that though, and they will likely end up mushy. Which isn't the end of the world - if anything it will just make the chili a bit thicker and more creamy.
• Be sure to stir the chili every minute or so while it's simmering. This will loosen any black beans or lentils that may try to stick to the bottom of the pan and make sure that the lentils cook evenly.

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This post was originally published in February of 2019. It was updated in March of 2020 to include process shots, step-by-step instructions, and tips for making the best vegan chili every single time.