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30-minute Chipotle Black Bean Chili is the best all-in-one comfort meal! It’s hearty, wholesome, well-spiced, and packed with plant-based protein. Vegan, Gluten-Free.
This Chipotle Black Bean Chili is my favorite chili recipe to make when I’m craving something cozy with a spicy kick. It’s made on the stovetop in just 30 minutes and requires just a few affordable pantry staples. Great for lazy weekends, the onset of fall, or any occasion that could use a pot of chili!
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Say Hello to Your Newest Favorite Comfort Food
If you want my opinion, hearty chili recipes are one of the most underrated all-in-one meals. They’re easy to throw together, loaded with flavor, incredibly hearty and filled to the brim with dietary fiber.
And while I already have an incredibly popular Black Bean Soup recipe on the blog, I’ve been craving something with a fiery Southwestern twist. With just 9 simple ingredients, I’ve created my ideal, easy black bean chili. It’s rich and creamy, packed with a deep, smoky flavor, and the perfect balance of heat. Not to mention it’s also made in a fraction of the time right on the stovetop.
Trust me – when the colder months begin to roll in, you’re going to want to fire up the stove and get a large pot of this cozy goodness going!
What You Need for Chipotle Black Bean Chili
This Southwestern-inspired chili is made with a few key ingredients that are essential for that deep, rich flavor:
- Tomato paste: Adds umami and a bright, zesty kick.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: Essential for a smoky, tangy flavor and the perfect amount of heat! Their rich flavor omits the need for chili powder in this recipe and can be easily found in the Hispanic/Latin aisle of most grocery stores.
- Cacao or cocoa powder: Don’t be alarmed – it’s actually quite common to use cocoa powder in chili. A little goes a long way, but makes a huge difference for extra depth of flavor and richness.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: Adds a little kick of heat and additional acidity to help balance the creaminess in the black beans.
- Ground cumin: This spice is a popular choice in Southwestern recipes for its depth, warmth, and rich, earthy flavor.
How to Make Chipotle Black Bean Chili
- In a large dutch oven, sauté the fresh onion in warmed oil for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the cumin, cocoa powder, garlic, chipotle pepper, and tomato paste and sauté until toasted.
- Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and vegetable broth, then cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.
- Blend up to 1 cup of chili for a creamier consistency, if desired.
- Serve while warm with toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Load up on the toppings. Personally, I love to serve this chili with fresh cilantro and a few creamy slices of avocado, plus a side of tortilla chips for dipping (and complementing the southwestern flavors). You could also top this with some lime wedges, shredded vegan cheddar cheese, a drizzle of vegan sour cream, and sliced scallions. Don’t be afraid to load it up!
- Adjust the chipotle pepper in adobo to taste. I find the heat and flavor from one finely chopped pepper to be perfect for my taste buds, but don’t be afraid to adjust to suit your personal preference. For example, if you’re sensitive to heat, start with half a pepper and increase from there.
Serving Suggestions
Once loaded up with optional toppings, this Chipotle Black Bean Chili is the perfect cozy main to enjoy on its own. If you’d like to serve this chili with a couple of sides, I’d recommend Vegan Cornbread or quick 15-Minute Garlic Green Beans.
Or, if you’re looking for more cozy chili recipes, you’ll also love this Slow Cooker Bean Quinoa Chili, this Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili and this Hearty Vegan Chorizo Chili!
How to Store Chipotle Black Bean Chili
Leftover chili will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. For best flavor and texture preservation, refrigerate in an airtight container, preferably glass. Soups and chilis freeze best in wide-mouth glass mason jars or tightly sealed silicone freezer trays.
The next day, reheat in a microwave-safe bowl or in a pot over medium-low heat on the stovetop until warmed through. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating and enjoying.
Recipe FAQs
You can use dried black beans, but you’ll need to cook them before adding them to this chili. This chili does not contain enough liquid to cook the beans directly in the chili. Or, try my Instant Pot Black Bean Soup instead. It’s made with dried black beans and cooks directly in the Instant Pot all at once.
To make this chili more thick and creamy, blend a small portion of your chili (about 1 cup). I used my immersion blender for this, but you can also transfer a cup of the chili to a high-speed blender with a vent for steam as well.
I always recommend draining and rinsing your store-bought canned beans before use. This helps reduce the excess sodium, keeps the consistency of the recipe accurate, and helps with better digestion.
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 Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil optional; see notes for oil-free
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder or sub cacao powder
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo finely chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 5 cups black beans drained and rinsed; about 4 cans
- 28 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
- kosher salt to taste
- Serving suggestions: cilantro avocado, vegan cheese, tortilla chips, etc
Instructions
- Aromatics: Warm the oil on a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, cocoa powder, garlic, chipotle pepper, and tomato paste. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes to toast the spices.
- Simmer: Add in the beans, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Give the chili a good stir, then cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened to your liking. Stir occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Blend (Optional): Blend up ~1 cup of the chili using either an immersion blender or stand-up blender for a creamier consistency
- Serve: Season with additional salt to taste, if necessary. Serve warm and top as desired. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to one
Recipe Notes
- Oil-Free: Sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons water or vegetable broth instead of oil, adding more water to the pot as necessary to prevent sticking
I was thinking about making this but was going to 2x the recipe when I noticed that the black beans goes from 5cups up to 10 cups but the cans stay at 4, maybe you could correct this? The same goes for the 3x!
Thank you! I will look into this!
If using dry black beans, is it 2 cups dry?
Black beans typically double in size when cooking, so it would be between 2 and 2 1/4 cups of dry beans. I’d recommend cooking the beans separately before using them in the recipe.
Hi,
Does anyone know much does this makes??
Cant find that anywhere.
Thanks,Kelly
Hi Kelly! The recipe should comfortably serve 4 people
This looks so amazing, can’t wait to make it! For meal planning purposes, approximately how many servings does this recipe make? Thanks!!
It serves around 4!
The brilliance of this recipe is that it combines the chili powder, fresh peppers, and smoked paprika in most vegan chilis in one ingredient that most of us have remainders going bad in our refrigerator: chipotle in adobo.
If you’re inclined, as I am, to multiply most spices 1.5 or 2-fold, hold back on the cocoa. I just did my routine 1.5x flavoring multiplier my first try, and the cocoa was readily identifiable in the finished product and kind of overwhelming. Of course I ate all. 2nd try, I used 2 tsp cocoa (ie, 2/3 Tbsp), and 1.5 times the chipotle and cumin. That worked for me.
Also, this chili, like a lot of bean-only chilis, doesn’t have an ingredient that adds “toothsomeness”. Something to chew on. Others commonly add bulgar wheat or other ingredients for this. Second try, I added some TVP marinated in mushroom seasoning in the last 30 minutes. I’m sure soy chorizo would work too.
Thank you so much for the detailed review and suggestions, Darryl!
I’m not a vegan, but I’m trying really hard to cut back on animal products. I was skeptical at first because I’ve always eaten chili with meat, but this recipe is truly amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
Glad you liked it, Daren!
Loved this chili! So simple. delicious and inexpensive to boot. Love the addition of cocoa powder! Can’t get enough of your amazing recipes, Caitlin!
Glad you loved it, Janelle! 🙂
So different from other chili recipes of mine – wonderful change – delicious!
Glad you loved it, Martha! ♥
Very nice recipe. The cocoa powder is so right on. Definitely adding this to my favorites.
Glad you liked it, Steve! Thank you for the feedback and appreciate you adding it to your favorites. 🙂
This chili looks incredible, so comforting! Love the addition of tomato paste and the chipotle chiles in adobo, I will definitely try this out if I manage to find the chiles in adobo in my country!
Thank you, Francesca!
Do you have any substitutions for the chipotle peppers?