Chilly weather calls for chili. We don’t make the rules! This black bean chili has all the hearty satisfaction you know and love about chili, with a new smoky chipotle twist. YUM.
This fiber-packed dish is the perfect plant-based meal for cooler days, or any time you’re craving a warm bowl of nourishment! Just 1 pot and 30 minutes required!
This hearty, 1-pot black bean chili begins with a naturally sweet and savory base of sautéed onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
Then we add cumin, smoked paprika, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for serious smokiness and flavor. Salt enhances it all.
Next come canned black beans to make this super easy and weeknight-friendly, but you could also make a batch of homemade beans in the Instant Pot and then use them in this recipe. After a quick simmer to infuse the beans with flavor, dinner is served!
We hope you LOVE this chipotle black bean chili! It’s:
Hearty
Nourishing
Smoky
Satisfying
Subtly spicy
& Perfect for chilly (chili 😉) weather!
We love it as an easy weeknight meal, freezer staple, and delicious way to meet fiber goals (20+ grams fiber per serving!).
This chili is delicious on its own, in our Smoky Black Bean & Quinoa Chili Bowl, or topped with cashew cream (or jalapeño cashew sauce) for cheesiness, tortilla chips or strips for crunch, diced avocado for richness, and cilantro for freshness.
More Delicious Black Bean Recipes
- Cornbread & Black Bean Enchilada Bake
- Black Bean & Plantain Arepa Sandwiches
- Baked Quinoa Black Bean Falafel
- Refined-Sugar-Free Turtle Brownies (GF) — yes, brownies with black beans (TRUST)!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
1-Pot Chipotle Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado or olive oil (if oil-free, sub twice the amount of water)
- 1 medium onion, diced (any color // 1 onion yields ~2 cups or 250 g)
- 1 large red or orange bell pepper, diced (1 bell pepper yields ~1 ¼ cups or 165 g)
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or store-bought // or sub water)
- 1 (14.5-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- 2 Tbsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo // plus more to taste)
- 4 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained (or sub ~6 cups homemade beans)
FOR SERVING optional
- Cashew cream (or Creamy Jalapeño Cashew Sauce)
- Tortilla chips, slightly crushed (or tortilla strips*)
- Avocado
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the broth (or water), tomatoes, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and drained black beans and stir well. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat slightly and allow to cook uncovered at a gentle boil for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
- Taste and adjust as needed, adding more salt for overall flavor, adobo sauce for smokiness, or chopped chipotle peppers for heat.
- Serve warm topped with cashew cream (or jalapeño cashew sauce), tortilla chips or strips (see notes), diced avocado, and/or cilantro (all optional). It's also amazing in our Smoky Black Bean & Quinoa Chili Bowl.
- Store leftovers separately in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The soup will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*For a creamier texture, you can purée the soup partially with an immersion blender, or transfer half of the soup to a blender and purée until smooth.
*Loosely adapted from our Easy 1-Pot Black Bean Soup and Smoky BBQ Bean Tacos.
Erika says
I don’t have access to fire roasted tomatoes and are too lazy to roast fresh ones in the oven. If I use regular canned tomatoes, should I make any adjustments?
Hi Erika, it won’t be as smoky, but should work! Maybe some more smoked paprika and/or sauce from the chipotle peppers in adobo would help? We’d say taste and adjust, as needed!
rubina rodrigues says
Best chili ever! I add mushrooms and it’s just insanely delicious. I could eat until it comes out of my ears!!
Ooo that addition sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing, Rubina! xo
Leslie says
Delicious chili and so easy to make. I’d suggest adding at least 1 cup (or even a little more) veggie broth because otherwise it’s way too thick. Also if you have heat-sensitive eaters in your family, you can halve the amount of chipotle chiles and adobo sauce and it’s still deliciously smoky and tasty, just not as spicy.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Leslie! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Emily says
Partway into making this pot of smoky deliciousness I realized we were out of cumin. Face palm. I subbed chili powder and a pinch of cinnamon and of cloves for it, went light on the adobo bits (three kids under six), and threw in a can of corn at the end. We topped with chips, quick pickled onions, sour cream, squeeze of lime, and cilantro. Groan-worthy good! My three year old who barely eats looked up from his bowl and said, “I LOVE this.” Dinner win!!!
Yay! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Emily! Thanks so much for sharing your modifications as well!
Kristin says
I love this soup and have made it several times. So quick and easy and is delicious with quinoa and avocado. Thank you!!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying it, Kristin. Thank you for sharing! xo
Laura says
Very yummy. Had leftover crushed tomatoes in the fridge so used those. Served with leftover coconut rice. Easy recipe, common pantry staples. Comes together very quickly.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Laura! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Jill says
This meal was easy to make and very delicious.
I used the attached recipe for the beans and I only used half of the chipotle and adobo and it was perfect for my family. Still some heat, but mild enough for children.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jill! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Kelly Goedicke says
Have you tried making this with Tofu instead of cashew cream (the Creamy Cashew Jalepeno Sauce)? I’m allergic to cashews :'(
I do love all your recipes that I’ve tried (so do my 5 children – ages 9 to 20! and husband too)
This one is for tomorrow! My black beans are soaking now.
Hi Kelly! You might be able to substitute silken tofu for the cashew jalapeño sauce. We haven’t tried it but it should work. Thanks so much for the support! We hope you enjoy. xo
Nicole says
I found the chili nice and very easy to make but not too exciting on its own, although it’d make a great base to get jazzed up with lots of yummy toppings and sauces like in the photos. I opted to halve the recipe, make it in a cast iron skillet and use it as the filling in the Cornbread & Black Bean Enchilada Bake, which was a fantastic combo.
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Nicole!
Suee33 says
Made this tonight, I used canned black beans, I was a tad lazy tonight. Homemade beans in the Insta- pot fresh ones are the best. I can do that next time, if I choose.
This was delicious, used chipotle chile powder instead of canned, my can had expired and I feel it was excellent, not too spicy hot.
Used vegan sour cream instead of the other recipes – I ate so many small bowls, ha I also cooked in the Inst-pot for 6 minutes. Worked very well and so easy.
Thank you.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sue! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Suee33 says
Hey, I ate it again tonight and I think I have to agree with my husband, this is maybe the BEST bean recipe ever. It is so well balanced in flavors and heat, I used the dry spice, check notes. I went to add the red pepper when assembling the recipe and … someone had eaten all of the red pepper that I was counting on, so that ingredient was not even in it. But this is a real keeper. Thanks again.
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your husband are still enjoying it. Thank you for sharing! xo
linda says
Perfect chili recipe. love the smoky flavors and was super easy to make. I used a combo of black beans and chili beans and wouldn’t change a thing. will definitely make again.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Linda. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Lara says
Is this recipe very spicy? I want to make for my family but I’m wondering if it might be too spicy for my boys?
Hi Lara, we don’t find this overly spicy, but it definitely has some heat. You can always use less of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce to make it more kid friendly! Hope this helps.
Danielle says
So much flavour! I received this recipe in my inbox today and made it instantly. I’ve been in a meal rut with dinner lately and this was just what I needed. I added some extra spices and corn and can’t wait to customize even more next time I make it. I’m thinking of adding some kidney beans and some extra veg like spinach and carrots. These will also make amazing burritos and nachos. Such a great recipe!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Danielle!
Anna says
Can some of the black beans be substituted with kidney or Pinto Beans?
Sure!