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This vegan Dump and Bake Chipotle Black Bean Casserole is made with hearty black beans, sweet potato and brown rice baked in a spicy broth to make a satisfying, protein-rich meal. Gluten-free, Oil-free, Nut-free.
This Chipotle Black Bean Casserole is another dump & bake recipe that’s prepped in just minutes, hearty enough to satisfy a crowd, and realistic for busy weeknights. You’ll be surprised how flavorful it is with minimal ingredients. Anything leftover can be frozen for a quick and easy freezer meal.
Table of Contents
All About This Sweet and Smoky Casserole
Using chipotle peppers in adobo sauce is one of my favorite tricks for adding instant flavor to any recipe. They’re made from dried chipotle chiles that are packed and rehydrated in a sweet and smoky sauce that is typically made from tomatoes, onions, vinegar, and a combination of spices.
A little goes a long way, but when you boil just a couple of these little peppers in a savory chipotle broth, you’ll end up with a casserole that’s incredibly rich in flavor and perfectly spicy. Enjoy this Chipotle Black Bean Casserole with your family year-round as an affordable, quick and easy vegan dinner recipe and drizzle with a final touch of creamy Chipotle Mayo to balance the heat.
What You Need for Chipotle Black Bean Casserole
This dump and bake casserole is made with just 11 budget-friendly ingredients, plus Chipotle Mayo and diced avocado for topping. Many of the ingredients can be substituted to suit what you’ve got in your pantry, but here are a few key ingredients to keep in the dish that add flavor:
- Chipotle peppers in adobo: This ingredient is sold in a small can and seriously packs a punch in the flavor department. It’s sweet, smoky, spicy, and unbelievably delicious. There’s a reason you see it pop up in several of my recipes.
- Cilantro: If you’ve made my Black Bean Soup you’ll know my secret to getting the most out of your cilantro is using the leaves and stems. Most of the flavor is found in the stems so don’t throw it out!
- Diced tomatoes: Both the tomatoes and the tomato juice are added to the broth for a bright, tanginess umami base.
How to Make Chipotle Black Bean Casserole
- Boil the vegetable broth, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cumin, and garlic powder together in a medium pot over high heat.
- Add the sweet potato, bell pepper, onion, black beans, and cilantro stems to the casserole dish. Mix well, then sprinkle the brown rice evenly over the top.
- Pour the boiling liquid over the casserole, and gently mix together to make sure the rice is submerged. Cover the casserole and bake on the middle oven rack for 60 minutes.
- Top with fresh cilantro leaves, diced avocado and chipotle mayo if desired and serve immediately while hot.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Don’t skip boiling the liquid mixture. Bringing this mixture to a boil not only meshes the flavors together, but also gives the rice a headstart on cooking in the casserole dish. If you add the broth mixture in cold, the rice will take much longer to absorb the liquid and will not be cooked through after 60 minutes.
- Reduce the chipotle peppers if you are sensitive to heat. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be incredibly spicy, depending on the brand. If you want a more mild black bean casserole, reduce the chipotle peppers to only 1 pepper.
Serving Suggestions
This dump and bake casserole is meant to be hearty enough to serve as a main dish on its own, but it does pair well with Grilled Romaine & Charred Corn Salad or a simple side of Instant Pot Refried Beans. You can also serve with Pan-Grilled Corn Salsa, Easy Avocado Salsa, Better than the Restaurant Homemade Salsa Recipe, or Quick-Pickled Jalapeños.
If you’re looking for more easy dump and bake vegan recipes, you’ll also love this Salsa Verde & White Bean Casserole and this Southwestern Black Bean Casserole! Or, check out my favorite 13 Vegan Dump & Bake Casserole Recipes.
How to Store this Chipotle Black Bean Casserole
Refrigerate any leftover chipotle black bean casserole in a sealed container for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to one month. Before storing (especially when freezing), allow the casserole to cool completely.
Reheat any leftovers in a microwave-safe bowl or covered in the oven at 350F until warm, about 15 minutes.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetable broth substitutions: Try vegan chicken broth or vegan beef broth if desired. Note that these broths are typically much higher in sodium, so I may recommend using ¾ cup vegan chicken or beef broth and ¾ cup water. This will keep the dish flavorful but prevent your vegan casserole from being too salty.
- Sweet potato substitutions: Butternut squash, honeynut squash or even pumpkin would all make great alternatives. If you are new to honeynut squash, be sure to check out my Roasted Honeynut Squash recipe!
- Black bean substitutions: Canned pinto beans or red beans will work here. You can also use a combination of the two, for example 1 can of black beans and 1 can of pinto beans.
- Brown rice substitutions: Use 1 cup of white rice instead of brown. Follow the recipe as written, but bake at 375F for only 45 minutes. Or, use 1 cup of quinoa instead of brown. Follow the recipe as written, but bake at 375F for only 35 minutes.
- Chipotle mayo substitutions: If you’re looking for a different dressing to serve, you may like this Chipotle Black Bean Casserole with my Nut-Free Vegan Ranch Dressing, Creamy Cilantro Dressing, or Rosemary Garlic Cashew Cream.
Recipe FAQs
If you’re looking for other ways to use up additional cans of black beans, you may enjoy Vegan Chipotle Black Bean Chili, Easy Tex-Mex Black Bean Salad, Chipotle Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup, Vegan Taco Salad or Chipotle Black Bean Burrito Bowls. Or, if you’ve got dried black beans to use, try my popular Instant Pot Black Bean Soup.
By adding the rice on the top, it helps you be able to see if the rice has cooked through properly.
Doubling the recipe should work out just fine. You may have to increase the cooking time slightly, but a double recipe should fit in one 9×13 casserole dish.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Chipotle Black Bean Dump & Bake Casserole
Ingredients
For the Broth:
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes in tomato juice
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo finely chopped*
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Casserole:
- 1 sweet potato peeled and diced (227g or 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 2 15 ounce cans black beans drained and rinsed; about 2 3/4 cups
- 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves and stems divided and chopped
- 1 cup dry brown rice
- Chipotle Mayo (optional, for topping)
- Avocado (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400F. Whisk the vegetable broth, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cumin, and garlic powder together in a medium pot; cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Dry Ingredients: While the liquid is heating up, add the sweet potato, bell pepper, onion, black beans, and cilantro stems to a 9×13″ pan or casserole dish and mix well. Sprinkle the brown rice evenly over the top.
- Bake: Pour the boiling liquid over the casserole, and gently mix everything together to make sure the rice is submerged. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil (or parchment paper, followed by aluminum foil) and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 60 minutes.
- Serve & Store: Remove from the oven and top with the fresh cilantro leaves and diced avocado and chipotle mayo (or as desired). Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to one month.
Recipe Notes
- Reduce the chipotle peppers to only 1 if you are sensitive to heat
- White Rice: Use 1 cup of white rice instead of brown. Follow the recipe as written, but bake at 375F for only 45 minutes.
- Quinoa: Use 1 cup of quinoa instead of brown. Follow the recipe as written, but bake at 375F for only 35 minutes.
- This recipe is a variation of and inspired by my Southwestern Black Bean Casserole, but Jackie of Vegan Yack Attack also has a delicious Chipotle Brown Rice Bake as well!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I cannot get over how little seasonings there were yet SO much flavor! I’m that person who always had to add extra garlic powder, salt, and pepper but not necessary!
Glad you enjoyed it, Aimee!
This was amazing!! My family loved it!
Mine took an extra 10 min to fully cook the rice, but worth the wait! I made the chipotle mayo. Delicious! The only addition I made was add green onions to the toppings at the end.
Love your site! 🤩🤩🤩
Happy that your whole family loved the recipe, Wendy-Lee! Thank you so much!
Absolutely scrumptious!!! Every flavor builds onto the next. Super easy to make & clean up. I love Caitlins’ recipes, every single one of them is full of flavor!!
So happy you love the recipes and enjoy them, Yvonne!
This was scrumptious! The flavors melded & complimented one another. Lots of texture to fill your mouth. This will be part of my regular rotation.
Thank you so much, Yvonne!