Chili is seriously one of my favorite parts of the fall-winter season. It’s super easy to make, the leftovers are amazing, and it’s incredibly cozy and hearty. It’s basically all I want to eat from September to March. 😅 Our classic chili recipe is great, but I also love this simple black bean chili because it has a slightly lighter, brighter flavor, and I just have a soft spot for black beans. Gimme all the black beans all of the time! So if you’re looking for something to meal prep for the week or just something to keep you warm as the air outside gets colder, give this black bean chili a try!
What’s in Black Bean Chili
Rather than just substituting all black beans in my classic chili recipe, I also changed the flavor profile of this chili slightly. I used tangy diced tomatoes with green chiles, which gives the chili a nice brightness. I paired that with a little more cumin than usual for a slightly earthy base, and then added some smoked paprika because that smoky flavor pairs really well with the black beans. I also wanted the black beans to be the star of this show, so I actually used half the amount of ground meat as my classic chili, which helps keep it very budget-friendly as well!
Ingredients for Black Bean Chili
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious and hearty pot of black bean chili:
- Onion and Garlic: Any pot of chili is going to start with plenty of onion and garlic to get those savory base flavors in place!
- Ground Beef: I used only a half pound of ground beef for this recipe, but you can increase it to one pound if you prefer a more meaty chili. You can also substitute with ground turkey if preferred.
- Tomatoes: I used a combination of diced tomatoes with green chiles and tomato paste for this chili. The diced tomatoes add texture and a zingy flavor (thanks to the green chiles) and the tomato paste adds richness and helps thicken the chili.
- Herbs and spices: The spice mix for this chili starts with a hefty dose of chili powder, then we add some extra cumin for earthiness, a little smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Feel free to add a little cayenne if you like your chili spicy!
Toppings for Chili
One of the reasons I love chili the most is all of the fun toppings you can add to your bowl. It’s a great opportunity to use up leftovers in your fridge or pantry, and it can just add tons of flavor, color, and texture to the meal! Here are some of my favorite toppings for black bean chili:
- Fresh or pickled jalapeños
- Diced red onion
- Avocado
- Sliced green onion
- Cilantro
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese
- Fresh lime juice
- Diced avocado
- Pico de gallo
Serve with a side of Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread!
Black Bean Chili
Servings 6 (about 1.3 cups each)Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.11)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.36)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($3.50)
- 3 15oz. cans black beans, drained ($2.37)
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles* ($1.00)
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.99)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.04)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a large pot with the olive oil and cook over medium heat just until the onions are softened (2-3 minutes).
- Add the ground beef to the pot and continue to sauté until the beef is cooked through (5-7 minutes).
- Add the drained black beans, diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and water. Stir everything to combine.
- Place a lid on the chili and allow it to come up to a simmer. Let the chili simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors blend and help the liquid thicken slightly.
- Taste the chili and add salt as needed (this will depend on the salt content of your canned goods. I added about ½ tsp). Serve with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Black Bean Chili – Step by Step Photos
Begin by dicing one yellow onion and mincing four cloves of garlic. Sauté the onions and garlic with 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat until softened (2-3 minutes).
Add ½ pound ground beef (or turkey) and continue to sauté until the meat is cooked through.
Add three 15oz. cans of black beans (drained), one 10oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (with the juices), one 6oz. can of tomato paste, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp salt, and 2 cups of water.
Stir all of the ingredients together until evenly combined. Turn the heat up to medium-high, place a lid on the pot, and allow the chili to come up to a boil. Once it comes up to a boil, give the chili a stir, replace the lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Let the chili simmer over medium-low heat for about fifteen minutes, which will help blend the flavors and thicken the sauce. Give it a taste and add salt if needed. I added about ½ tsp. And that’s it! You’re DONE making dinner!
Add your favorite toppings and go to town! Or divide it up into single-serving portions and refrigerate for really easy ready-to-heat meals for the rest of the week.
Quick warning: I tried this recipe using VERY budget cans of black beans (Lucky grocery store in-house brand), and found that the ratio of liquid to beans was much more disappointing than if I had gone with a name brand or a higher quality grocery store. If you shop at budget stores, either drain a can of the beans before adding them, or plan for a longer simmering period to boil off the excess liquid.
Good easy recipe, however I find it to be quite bland. The black beans shine, but it seems rather one note. It does work well with the tortilla chips.
Next time I make it I’m going to up the ante on the spices.
I took your advice and added the spices to taste rather than following the recipe. I ended up basically doubling all of the spices, and it came out amazing! Next time you make it, also consider adding a dash of lime juice. It adds a bit of zing that I think the original was kind of missing. I suppose sharp cheese and sour cream as a topping would provide that, but if you want a recipe that tastes more complete even without toppings, it really tops everything off well.
Great recipe! Easy ingredients that we had mostly on hand. I used 10oz of Rotel and 5 oz diced tomatoes. Could have been a little spicier – but fed to happy 10 year olds and the adults liked it too. Thanks – looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Hi! I was wondering if this could be made vegetarian? Would it be okay to simply omit the turkey, or do you have any suggestions for replacing it? Thanks :)
Yes, absolutely! Just leave it out or replace with more beans. When doing a vegetarian version, I like to use a mix of black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans for more color and flavor. :)
How long would you cook this for if there were no meat in it? Also, could you sub store-bought frozen black bean burger patties for the meat? If so, how long would you cook it? Thanks so much!
With no meat I’d cook it the same amount of time. The meat is cooked before the rest of the chili ingredients are added, so the simmer time isn’t affected by the meat. It just needs to simmer a bit to let the tomatoes and spices blend. :) I’m not sure about the frozen black bean burger though, because I’ve never used or eaten those.
Made this today, omg it was so good. It was quick and easy to make and filling.
OMG !!! this is sooooooooo delicious . For a long time my favourite bean dish has been Jamie Olivers “Good old chilli con carne ” ( check it out , yummy stuff ) but this very simple recipe has blown that one out of the water !!
Well , what can I add but “Thank you for this tasty meal that I will be making for many years to come “.
Oh , and another thanks for your prompt reply regarding my enquiry, quite some time ago , about what sort of cookware do you use .
It was very helpful .
Thanks again .
Julian.
I’d probably suggest draining and rinsing at least one or two cans of the beans.
I disagree, because the extra liquid from the canned black beans help thicken the chili. Why drain and rinse them?!
I made this yesterday for us to eat before trick or treating and it was great! Our guests loved it! I started with dry beans and added the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot mid-day. I increased the spices to suit our taste. Served it with a no-knead jalapeño cheddar sourdough. Thanks for a great recipe
Easy, delicious, filling and cheap. Thanks again for a great recipe Beth.
Yet ANOTHER great recipe. Thanks!
How did I miss this post back in February? This was the PERFECT dinner for the start of the fall though. My only changes are spicing it up, because we like spicy. Chipotle chili powder instead of regular. Sooooo good!!!
I just made this with dry beans and it looks more like beans with some tomato drippings! A little disappointing, but I’ll make it work. I want to try and use dry beans as much as possible, in the future should I remember to keep the juices from the crock pot and supplement with those?
Yep, you definitely need that starchy cooking water to help make the chili “sauce”. :)
I’ve tried a few of your recipes and they’ve all been very well-received. But this one… this one was an absolute hit at my house tonight. :)
I made it for my parents, the only adjustments I made were (1) substituting the ground turkey with ground beef, and (2) I used diced tomatoes without the green peppers, because my parents can’t do spicy. Honestly I’m not much of a cook, so I don’t trust myself enough to make too many adjustments just yet.
My dad had three bowls, and he doesn’t even eat much at night. And he complimented my “cooking skills”… three times! My mom got home late from work, very tired, and her face lit up when she smelled food, and she was so excited when she found out I was responsible for the delicious aromas in the kitchen, and that dinner was ready. You should have seen it, she hurried upstairs to change so she could try the chili. And she really liked it too, and she asked me all these questions because she wants to keep making it after I move out. I was full after only one bowl (and also eating fresh vegetables, like I’ve been trained to) but then I had a little more, out of pure gluttony, haha. I can’t wait for my siblings to come home for the holidays so they can try this!
You’re an artist, Beth! We had a nice dinner, all thanks to you! Thank you so much!
I made this the other night in the slow cooker. I used a mix of kidney & black beans as well as a pound of ground beef. I also added more seasonings. In the end it still tasted like a Minnesotan chili, very mild & saucy. It was good but we didn’t enjoy it as much on its own. This would be a great base for any chili cheese recipe though. I would certainly make it again for that. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Omg Beth, this is definitely a winner recipe. I made this recipe for dinner tonight and as always, I made everything from scratch (black beans, diced tomatoes and chili power). I served I over brown rice, cuz my husband loves rice . It was so good.
Thank you so much again. I don’t know what I would do without your blog.
I am a HUGE fan of chili over rice. My husband is a Southerner and just doesn’t get it. :(