Truly the best black bean chili recipe!! It ultra-quick and easy to make, naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan (although you can add meat if you’d like), and SO flavorful and delicious. Instant Pot and stovetop instructions included.
This chili recipe is everything.
Like, literally. It basically hits all the bases when it comes to everything we’re looking for in a crowd-pleasing, feel-good, ultra-cozy, irresistibly-delicious black bean chili recipe.
First off, it’s ridiculously easy to make. We’re talkin’ 8 main ingredients here that are big on flavor and ultra low-maintenance on prep time. (Just need you to chop an onion and some garlic, so less than 10 mins prep time!) This recipe is also a breeze to cook in the Instant Pot. (Although I’ve also included stovetop and slow cooker instructions, if that’s your jam.) And if you’re looking for easy lunches for the week ahead, it’s freezer-friendly and perfect for meal prep.
Second, it’s naturally gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan. Which means it’s the perfect pot of soup to simmer when you have a mix of friends over for the big game or a cozy dinner night in. Or, hey, also perfect for any regular weeknight in or a simple lunch to pack for work.
Third, it’s made with healthier that you can feel great about. Lots of protein-packed black beans, lots of veggies, and lots of zesty Mexican flavors. No meat…unless you’d like to add some in. In which case, ground beef or turkey would be awesome.
But most importantly…it’s just 100% delicious. Especially so when you go big (please go big!) with all of your favorite toppings. The more the merrier here, if you ask me. Mmmm hmmmm.
Alright, time for some black bean chili!
Alright, so let’s talk cooking methods here for a sec. I’m a huge fan of the Instant Pot with this recipe, since it can pressure cook a batch of dry (un-soaked) black beans to tender perfection in less than an hour. But you’re also welcome to just simmer everything on the stovetop — up to you.
That said, the other ingredients are super simple! Just chop up an onion and some garlic. Combine them with your beans, a can of diced tomatoes (fire-roasted are my fave!), roasted red peppers, veggie stock (or water), ground cumin, chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder), S&P.
Then the main ingredient here is a must — a jar of salsa verde. (Or you can make yours homemade.) I’m a big fan of the zesty, tangy flavor it adds to the chili. And you can also choose a brand that’s as mild or spicy as you’d like. (<– Although if serving to a crowd, I always recommend keeping things more mild, then offering sliced jalapeño or serrano peppers as a topping. Win-win.)
Just combine everything together and cook until those beans are nice and tender. Then give everything a good stir, add more stock if you’d like a brothier soup, season with salt and pepper, and…
…voila!
A gorgeous pot of rich black bean chili will be ready to enjoy!
Dish it up into your serving bowls. But then — I insist — sprinkle on as many of your favorite toppings as possible. In my humble opinion, chili is ALL about the toppings. So if diced avocado, or fresh cilantro, or shredded cheese (vegan, if making this dairy-free), diced red onions, sliced serranos, sour cream, etc. are your jam — pile them on high.
And then? I sincerely hope you enjoy every last bite. ?
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The BEST Black Bean Chili!
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry black beans, rinsed and picked over
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 6-8 cups vegetable stock (or water*)
- 2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde, homemade or store-bought
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder**
- salt and pepper, to taste
- toppings: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeños or serranos
Instructions
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Directions:
- Add black beans (no need to pre-soak), onion, garlic, 6 cups stock, salsa verde, diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cumin, chili powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the bowl of your Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”.
- Press “Manual”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then adjust the +/- buttons until time reads 38 minutes. Cook. Then very carefully, turn the vent to “Venting” for quick release, and wait until all of the steam has released and the valve has dropped. Remove the lid, and give the soup a good stir.
- Then, if you would like a brothier soup, feel free to add in 1-2 extra cups of vegetable stock. (If not, leave the soup as-is.) Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with lots of your favorite toppings. Or transfer to sealed containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Stovetop Directions:
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil (extra ingredient for stovetop version) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
- Add in beans (pre-soaked overnight***) 6 cups stock, salsa verde, diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cumin, chili powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes, or until the beans are completely tender, stirring occasionally.
- If you would like a brothier soup, feel free to add in 1-2 extra cups of vegetable stock. (If not, leave the soup as-is.) Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with lots of your favorite toppings. Or transfer to sealed containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Followed the instant pot directions precisely. Love the flavor. But yes, definitely more of a soup than the thickness I expect from a chili. And, mine looked nothing like the photos. It was far more pale and watery. I ended up adding a can of beans and letting it cook down a little more. The family enjoyed it. Though, it was almost too spicy. Perhaps my chipotle chili powder is a stronger one. I will try it again with a couple of tweaks. Thanks!
I have been using this recipe for a few years now. It is always a hit! I just noticed that you no longer list the instructions for cooking this in a crockpot/slow cooker. I have always followed that way of cooking this recipe, on high for 8 hours using 6 cups of liquid. and have great results.
NEVER NEVER EVER PUT DRY BEANS IN A CROCK POT…FOOD POISONING!
READ UP PHA
MY BE SIAKED OVERNIGHT THEN COOKED TO 212 DEGREES FOR 30 MINUTES
Love love love this recipe! Fav black bean chili ever! A recommendation to add to the notes, if you are using canned beans in the crockpot you need at least 2-3 cups less water/broth. It’s much too soupy with canned beans and the standard cups of water listed. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Good god. What a delicious recipe! I am not a vegetarian or a vegan but this is probably one of the best chilies I’ve ever had in my life. I followed the recipe exact except added a little more garlic and some cayenne and adobo chipotle peppers. After the cooking time I pull the Insta pot to the stove and let it reduce to my desired liking. I put sliced jalapeños cilantro green onions on top.
I have never had a recipe fail on this website, and I’ve made about 20 of them.
Thank you so much for this!
This was great! In the instant pot, subbed some black eyed peas for some of the beans since I didn’t have enough black beans. No biggie, worked great. I served it over potatoes so I reduced it a bit and added diced carrots for some additional vegetables. So yummy! Hit with hubbie and the kids.
Thanks!
I tried the recipe today in the instant pot, having soaked dry black beans overnight. The batch came out far too wartery, and I only added six cups of water, out of the 6-8 cups recommended. I’m soaking some kidney beans to cook with the soup tomorrow with the hope of making the mixture into chili. We’ll see how it turns out.
I have tripled this recipe on at least eight or nine occasions for meal prep, it’s so incredibly versatile and healthy. Love the flavor and truly appreciate all the work you’ve put into these recipes. I’m not on Instagram but wanted you to know how appreciated you are.
Uh-oh. The recipe title says “Black Bean Chili” and then proceeds to call it a “soup”. I hope I don’t have to cook it down to a mush to get chili consistency. Chili Soup and Chili are two different things.
The flavors were spot on, but the cooking time for stovetop needs to be increased. At an hour, some of my beans were stiff. I used chicken broth and added browned, ground turkey, and adobo chili powder.