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.
I used grass fed ground beef, I added a habanero, and chili peppers. Guess you can guess that my family likes it spicy! I cooked this in a crock pot and it was delicious! Served over white Cuban style rice. Delicious and effortless!
This is so insanely good for how little effort it requires! I’ve started keeping cans of black beans on hand just so I can whip up this recipe on nights when I’m not sure what to cook. This chili is creamy and hearty – we always have it with tortilla chips… I get the blue ones, they feel fancier.
This chili is a solid weekday meal … I made half the recipe since I fly solo. The flavour when finished tastes a lot more “mature” than the half hour or so it takes to throw together! I ended up using twice as much minced meat (beef in my case) and only 1 can of black beans and that seemed to work well. I like the spice mix/balance in this recipe a lot – as prepared, I would feel fine serving it to family or friends as “spicy” but not too much so for adults who prefer things on the mild side (though maybe it’s a big much for small kids). In my opinion, you need the additional unmentioned garnishes to really bring this up to a five star meal … be it cheese, sour cream, nacho chips, or green onion … as on its own it is a little visually less appealing. Still, will happily add this to my recipe rotation -especially for weeknights!
Thanks for sharing Catherine!
Couldn’t be easier! Affordable framework for a healthy, filling and tasty chili. With the smoked paprika, it smells a little more dangerous than it is in terms of spice, so I kept the hot sauce on hand for risk-takers! :)
Very delicious! I used ground bison for the meat, and I doubled the recipe. The only thing that would have made it better, hot peppers, I had to leave out because my family are a bunch of wusses! :)
This was good and much quicker to make then I would have thought. It is also quite healthy. I’ll be making this again.
Tasty since i have a sore throat. i added a few drops of hot sauce at the end too. Just wish it were maybe fresher/colder at times. My mom recommended that I add a raw diced onion and some fresh lettuce. And also some shredded cheese. But i didnt have the foresight, so i have it just plain. it’s still good though =)
I’m proud of myself! Usually I would just throw the whole package of ground turkey in the recipe to avoid the hassle of freezing half. But I’m trying to be more budget conscious so I froze not only the other half pound of meat but the remainder of the tomato paste together since I’m going to definitely make this again. That’s how much I trust your recipes, Beth! Thanks for every single one of them. This one served my family of five dinner and I just had a leftover portion for lunch.
Awesome!! I’m so glad you took a moment to freeze the leftovers and I PROMISE those frozen leftovers will be a lifesaver on a rainy day and you’ll be so glad you took a moment to do it. :)
Made it, sampled it,LOVE IT. I will serve it with cornbread and coleslaw. I love chili even in the summer.
Ialso used more turkey, I am having to fight togetenough protein. This is a wonderful, easy recipe.
This was quick and really delicious. I did use 1 lb of turkey (package size), and 2 cans of tomatoes with mild green chilies because the can was only 10 oz. My mom is picky and likes her starchy, fatty meals, so I put a big dollop of sour cream on hers. Everyone else ate it plain. Warmed up the next day it made a nice lunch. I served it with a salad and cornbread. Beth’s recipes are the best.
I make this a lot and it’s so delicious! Usually I use ground beef instead of turkey and add in a diced jalapeno. Sometimes a can of corn at the end too.
We don’t have Rotel style tomato/chili cans where I live. We do have separate cans of green diced chilis though, but they’re super expensive. Can I just use plain canned crushed tomatoes and fresh green chilis chopped up? How many green chilies would you say to pair with one can of tomatoes? Thanks for all your (texmex/south american) recipes! :)
Unfortunately I think fresh green chiles will taste quite a bit different from the canned. BUT, they might still be really good, just different! It depends on the size of the chiles, but I think maybe about 1/4 cup diced might be good? And I’d suggest petite diced tomatoes rather than crushed tomatoes.
I am not Beth but I bet if you chopped the green pepper up and put it in with the onions and garlic to saute the chili will taste fine.
I’ve made this recipe several times and shared it with the family. Added a little brown sugar to help balance the flavors. Thanks for sharing.
This was super good! I ended up using a pound of turkey, needed to be used and halved the chili powder and cumin for my 2 year old. Served with corn bread bill be making this again on weeknights for something hearty, quick and delicious!
I’ve never had smoked paprika before. Wow, does it make chili go from good to great! I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe!
I had a whole pound of ground turkey to use, so I added a 26 ounce container of diced tomatoes. I had two cans of black beans, but they were enough, since I had the extra turkey. I didn’t double the spices because I like chili on the milder side, but I did end up adding a little more chili powder (1/2 T.) The spice mix is so flavorful, especially with the smoked paprika!
Thanks – I will be using this again!