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.
FAQ
I like to drain canned beans any time I use them. I find that the liquid can have a bit of an odd flavor, not to mention that it will add more liquid and more sodium to whatever you’re making. I prefer to drain and rinse my beans so that I am more in control of how much salt and flavor in is my dish.
Chipotles in adobo is my go-to ingredient to boost the flavor of my chili recipes. It gives a delicious smoky flavor, with just a hint of spice. I prefer to buy diced chipotles in adobo that come in a glass jar because they’ll stay fresh in the fridge for months and you’ll use just a few teaspoons at a time.
YES! And you should! Kidney beans are great for a classic chili recipe, but black beans are best for black bean chili. And if you’re a fan of black beans – you are going to LOVE this chili recipe!
Try these easy soups next!
Did you love this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star rating and review below!
Vegan Black Bean Chili
This Vegan Black Bean Chili 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!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons diced chipotles in adobo
- (3) 15–ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup uncooked split red lentils
- (2) 15–ounce cans tomato sauce
- 2–3 cups vegetable broth
- juice of 1 lime
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish:
- Fritos
- vegan sour cream
- fresh chopped cilantro
- sliced jalapeno
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion along with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
- Stir in diced 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, turn heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low for 5-7 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring frequently. Add remaining cup of broth if desired.
- Stir in the juice of 1 lime and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with Fritos, sour cream, and fresh chopped cilantro.
Notes
- 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.
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.
Hey, for 1 (8 servings) it calls for 3 cans of 45 ounces of beans… is that correct?
Hi Jo! The recipe says three 15 ounce cans of black beans which equals 45 ounces of beans total. Hope that helps!
Great recipe. Cooking time is closer to 20 minutes to soften the split red lentils.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you leave the seeds in the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce? Thank-you!
I usually get the ones that are diced so everything is kind fo mixed together! Hope that makes sense 🙂
Hello would like to try and make I am in the uk what is the tomato sauce used?
I am not an expert on UK ingredients but I think passata is similar to what tomato sauce is in the US.
Ive made your chili for my family lots of times! They love it more than non-vegan chili. My question is if it can be made in the crockpot? Has anyone tried it?
Very good recipe. I only needed to make a couple changes. I only had to can of black beans. So added a can of corn and a small diced red pepper. I also, used chipotle powder in place of the garlic and chipotle in adobo. I loved this chili and surprising, liked it even better the second day. This is the second one of your recipes I have made, I have loved them both (mmm…your stupendous Vegan Mushroom Stew). Thanks for the great recipes! I certainly will be trying more of your recipes.
This was delicious. It will go in my regular rotation. I eat whole-food/plant-based and this fits the bill. Full of nutrients, great tasting, and fills you up. My kids all ate it, too. I served it over brown rice.
Thank you for this recipe.
Excellent recipe! My family loved it! And, there is enough leftover to make black bean tostadas. Definitely won a place on our meal rotation!
I just made this in a pressure cooker and it was so easy and is delicious! Thank you!
Hi, I’ve cooked the chili twice as long and the lentils are still hard. They are not stale so it’s not that! I’m hoping continuing to cook it until they soften isn’t a problem. The kitchen smells heavenly and I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
Hi Kathi! Are you using split red lentils or a different kind? Split red lentils cook super quickly but other kinds of lentils will take MUCH longer. Brown, green, or whole red lentils are going to take at least double if not more time to cook, especially since you’re cooking them along with other ingredients in the chili. Hope that helps!
This was delicious, easy and begs for things to hep clean out the fridge. I added some left over corn, extra chili powder and shredded zucchini and carrot from the garden that i had frozen. This will go in the Taco Tuesday night rotation. Thank you!
Absolutely amazing! I added tofu for extra protein. Huge hit in our home. Thanks so much!!!
Best vegan chili I cooked! The entire family with 3 young adults wolved it down. Will definitely try some of your other recipes!
Really tasty & easy to make
I’m so glad you enjoyed this vegan chili Alanna! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
The recipie says 1 tablespoon cumin and chili powder. That seems like a lot more than most recipes. I’m making it as I type this so hope it’s correct or my guests mouths are going to explode.
That is correct, Julie. You are welcome to adjust the seasoning to suit your taste!
The chipotle in adobo combined with the lime is truly the highlight of the dish. Great recipe! We topped with avocado and crushed corn chips.
Couldn’t agree more, Rachel! Love your toppings!!