If you're looking for an easy, comforting and delicious vegan chili recipe, you're going to love this dump and start Black Bean Chili recipe in the Instant Pot. Creamy black beans simmered with tomatoes, corn, peppers, and fire-roasted green chilies, and seasoned with taco seasoning and a secret ingredient!
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In this simple 30-minute recipe, I simmer super healthy and creamy black beans in vegetable broth with sweet diced tomatoes and fire-roasted green chilies.
I also add sweet corn and bell peppers which add a great depth of texture and flavor to this dish.
My Secret Ingredient
I season this chili with taco seasoning and a couple of teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. Surprised?
The bitterness and smokiness of the cocoa powder actually balances the acidity of tomatoes in this chili really well. I add a dash of fresh lime juice, sprinkle some cheese on top and dive right in!
Easiest Black Bean Chili Recipe Ever with a 5-minute Prep!
My family loves chili! We make a gazillion versions of it , and use it in another gazillion ways.
This one's straight out of our weeknight chili collection. With a less than 5-minute prep, which includes opening 4 cans, putting this chili together is a breeze!
How to Customize this Black Bean Chili
Possibilities are endless with this dish. You can swap the beans with your favorite kind, add your favorite toppings like sour cream, cheese, jalapeños, spring onions, avocados.
You can even enjoy it as-is, or, use it as a topping for some amazing Chili Nachos, or, mix it with rice, wrap it in a tortilla and you have a Bean & Chili Burrito.
During football season, you will always find a version of this on my table, every Sunday!
Recipe Update: I Made this a DUMP-and-START Recipe
So, off lately, I have been on a mission to make more dump-and-start meals for my family. Mainly because our schedules have become very hectic.
Girls have crazy amount of school work, hubby dear is traveling a lot more, and I spend every waking moment on the blog and recipe development.
These dump-and-start recipes help us put together a healthy and home cooked meal on the table, with minimal effort and zero babysitting. I just dump everything in the Instant Pot, close the lid and let the pot do it's magic.
I tested this recipe twice, and both times the result was spot on, I couldn't tell the difference between the one cooked by sautéing the onions and peppers.
Pro-Tip for a Thicker Creamier Chili
If you're making this in the Instant Pot or any pressure cooker, you have to add some clear liquid for the pressure to build, and to avoid the dreaded 'burn' message.
To thicken the chili, after opening the lid, take a potato masher and mash the beans lightly in the pot randomly, about 4 to 5 times.
That thickens the chili and gives it a creamier texture. You can also simmer it on 'saute' mode for a few minutes till it reaches your desired consistency.
Great for Potluck & Picnic Recipe
Black Bean Chili also makes for a great potluck and picnic dish. It's vegetarian, gluten-free, so you don't have to worry about dietary restrictions. If you skip the cheese topping, you can make it vegan very easily.
For potlucks, I make this chili in my Instant Pot, cover it and take the whole pot along.
I turn on the SAUTE mode to warm it up and serve it right out of the pot, it cannot get easier than that. I take all the toppings and put them along side the pot, this way people can customize their bowl the way they like it.
When I'm taking it for a picnic, I make this chili slightly thicker, more like a dip consistency. I pour it in an aluminum casserole dish, top it with dices onions and Mild Pickled Jalapeño.
I top that with good layer of shredded Mexican blend cheese and serve it as a dip with Tortilla chips. It's a big hit every single time.
Stove-Top Instructions
This Chili can be made on the stove-top as well. Here are the step-by-step directions:
- Take a deep sauce pan or a stock-pot. Turn ON the flame at medium-high.
- Add olive oil, onions, green pepper and sauté for 1 minute.
- Then, add seasoning mix and stir for 30 seconds, this wakes up the spices.
- Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Bring the chili to a light simmer.
- At this point, cover the pan with a lid, reduce the flame to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid, check for seasoning.
- Cool for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with your favorite chili toppings like cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocados, tortilla chips etc.
How to Make Instant Pot Chili with Dried Beans
Rinse your preferred brand of dried beans, about 1 cup and soak them in 3 cups of water. I like to soak them overnight. Throw away the water in which they were soaked and rinse well.
Follow the recipe and press BEAN mode for 25 minutes for Black Beans ,and 30 mins for Pinto beans. Wait for the pressure to release naturally for best results (NPR).
Serve with your favorite toppings!
Serving Suggestion
I love to serve this, or any chili with Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. My kids love it! We make muffins or cute little mini loaves. These mini loaves make a great gift for neighbors and friends too!
It's quite a quick and easy recipe to put together while your chili is cooking. I make it on the oven most times, but I have made it in the Instant Pot as well. The detailed recipe has instructions for both methods.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Tips for a thicker chili: Take a potato masher and mash a few beans in the pot randomly, about 4 to 5 times. That thickens the chili and gives it a creamier texture. You can also simmer it on 'saute' mode for a few minutes till it reaches your desired consistency.
- Taco seasoning: I use Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning mix. It is a bit on the spicier side. If you want to make it mild, you can substitute with: 2 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
- Make it creamier: Stir in 2 tablespoons of shredded Mexican blend cheese in this chili after cooking. Stir till melted and fully integrated in the chili.
More Hearty Instant Pot Chili Recipes
Making chili and soups in the instant pot could not be easier. Here are a few more of my favorite instant pot chili recipes:
Popular Black Bean Recipes on the Blog
These recipes are part of the Instant Pot Bean Recipes Collection:
📖 Recipe
Black Bean Chili Recipe
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Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 30 oz Black Beans (2 cans) rinsed and drained
- 14 oz Diced Tomatoes (1 can) or crushed
- 4 oz Fire Roasted Diced Green Chiles 1 can
- 2 tablespoon Taco Seasoning or less for mild (see notes for substitute)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 cup green pepper chopped
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder optional, but highly recommended
- 1 cup water or stock
Instructions
Instant Pot Recipe
- Now add the seasoning, stir and saute for 30 seconds. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir. Cancel Saute.Note: To make this a dump & start recipe, skip the sauteing and simply add all the ingredients to the pot and give it a stir.
- Close the lid and set the vent to sealing position. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and cook for 5 minutes and high pressure.
- After the cooking is done, wait for 5 minutes then manually release the remaining pressure. Open the lid when the pin drops.
- Check for consistency and if the chili looks runny, turn on saute and simmer till it thickens to your liking. Garnish with your favorite chili toppings- cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocados, tortilla chips, etc.
Stovetop Recipe
- Heat deep saucepan or stock-pot at medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onions, green pepper and sauté for 1 minute.
- Then, add seasoning mix and stir for 30 seconds. Add all remaining ingredients and give it a stir.
- Bring the chili to a light simmer., then cover the pan with a lid, reduce the flame to medium, and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and check for seasoning and consistency. Garnish with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- Tips for a thicker chili: Take a potato masher and mash a few beans in the pot randomly, about 4 to 5 times. That thickens the chili and gives it a creamier texture. You can also simmer it on 'saute' mode for a few minutes till it reaches your desired consistency.
- Taco seasoning: I use Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning mix. It is a bit on the spicier side. If you want to make it mild, you can substitute with: 2 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
- Make it creamier: Stir in 2 tablespoons of shredded Mexican blend cheese in this chili after cooking. Stir till melted and fully integrated in the chili.
Greer says
Hi Aneesha, if we're using black beans which we've presoaked & cooked separately, how much would we use for this recipe? Looking forward to trying the recipe! Thank you, Greer
Aneesha says
Hi Greer, a 15-oz can is equal to 3/4 cup of dried beans (cooked), so I recommend cooking 1.5 cups of dried beans to substitute for 2 cans in this recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
simon says
how much additional water for the dried beans version after soaking them!
Aneesha says
Drain the water that the beans were soaked in, then add I cup fresh water. Enjoy!
Savitri says
We just have eaten again this recipe as dinner and we enjoyed it very much again ????????????.
We love it so much ????????????????.
Greetings from us ????????????????
Aneesha says
So happy to hear that! Glad you enjoyed it again Savitri! Thank you ????
Savitri says
Hi Aneesha,
I wrote yesterday, and this evening again, a comment by this recipe (I only had two questions about the green peppers and the green chiles).
But there's something going wrong because I don't see my comments on your site?
Aneesha says
Sorry for the late reply Savitri, I just replied to your earlier comment!
Savitri says
Hi Aneesha,
What do you mean with green peppers?
Do you mean green bell peppers?
Or green Spanish peppers?
And in The Netherlands they do not sell cans Fire roasted diced (Hatch) green chiles.
Can I use green Spanish peppers instead (which I roast first)?
Aneesha says
Hey Savitri, My apologies, I didn't check the messages till this morning and am going through them now. I do mean green bell pepper in this case.As for fire roasted chilies, yes, spanish peppers would be fine. You can skip roasting if you want to save a step, this chili will still be delicious. I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Savitri says
It was great ????????????????????!!!
Instead of the can fire roasted diced green chiles I used 2 red spanish peppers and 1 green spanish pepper (those were the last spanish peppers I had in my freezer), all diced and added together with the onions and the green bell pepper in the Instant pot.
My twin daughters kept asking for more and we ended up eating everything ????????????
I served it with vegan (we eat vegan) cheddar cheese, juice of a 1/2 lime and 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro and extra (Himalaya) salt.
And for everyone a bowl with Amaizin corn (taco) chips with which we scooped up the bean chili.
My twin daughters asked me (almost begged me, haha): "Mummy, can we eat this tomorrow again, please?" ????
Thank you Aneesha! ????
Aneesha says
Awesome! Thank you so much Savitri! I'm glad you were able to customize it and enjoyed it. Sending a big hug to your twinkies for appreciating it too!
Kimberly A Rothen says
We loved this recipe - and it was so easy to make! It was delicious sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese and scooped up with some corn tortillas chips. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for a great recipe.
Aneesha says
Hi Kimberly, thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. We like it with cheese and chips too 🙂 I would recommend the white chicken chili, if you eat chicken- that's also very popular on the blog. Thanks again!
Tatiana says
Can I make this in a crockpot? Any suggestions on how long and what setting ( low or high) to use?
Aneesha says
Hi Tatiana, you can certainly make this in a crockpot, but since I haven't used one, I wouldn't be able to help much. I'm sure if you google search for "crockpot Black bean Chili" you'll find the cooking time and settings. Hope this helps.
sue says
Can I use Mole' as a substitute for the cocoa powder?
GMK says
Hi Sue, I haven't used mole spice blend before, but I would say 'sure'. Just scale it back to 1 teaspoon since it has cinnamon, chile' and some other spices in addition to chocolate. Alternatively, you can omit the cocoa/ mole altogether, the chili tastes pretty good without it too! Hope you enjoy it!