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Yes-You-Can Black Bean Chili | Vegan

No meat? No problem! This vegan Yes-You-Can Black Bean Chili recipe has all the tastes of hearty chili and can be ready to eat in 15-minutes or less. The convenience of a three-ingredient recipe without any greasy pans to clean.

vegan salsa chili in cast iron pan with lime on wood table

Making chili doesn’t have to be complicated or require a lot of ingredients. This simple bean chili is the easiest one you’ll ever make, and even the kids can do it!

This salsa chili is a crowd-pleaser because it’s…

  • So simple to make in about 10-minutes
  • 3-ingredient recipe
  • Hearty
  • Packed full of flavor
  • Only 3 main ingredients
  • Veggie-loaded
  • Oil-free

How to make Yes-You-Can Chili

The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

If using canned beans, remember to drain and rinse them. To do this, I pour the beans in a colander and rinse under warm water. Sometimes, I mix it up sometimes and add other bean varieties.

black beans in white colander

Next, defrost the frozen corn by placing in a colander and running warm water over it.

corn in white colander

Combine beans, corn, and salsa in a pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to heat thoroughly. If you like it with a little more liquid, add veggie broth. I never add broth unless serving with cornbread (link to cornbread recipe below). That’s because I like to crumble the cornbread and let it soak up the seasoned juices.

beans corn salsa in black cast iron pan on white background

Top with cilantro and squeeze fresh lime juice over the top. Oftentimes, I like to slice an avocado as well. Serve warm and enjoy!

Yes-You-Can Chili in Food for Life Classes

We make this easy chili with salsa recipe in the Food for Life nutrition education and cooking classes I teach for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and it always impresses participants. It’s served with lime wedges and fresh cilantro, and students can’t believe how delicious it tastes!

vegan chili in bowl on wooden table

We love to eat this with my Country Cornbread. If you want to make your own salsa for this dish, here’s a great Easy Salsa recipe.

vegan cornbread slice on silver plate with cast iron pan in background
This cornbread is a terrific accompaniment for this chili recipe.

Nutrition in Black Beans

A 1/2-cup serving of cooked black beans, which is 86 grams, contains 113 calories. With 1.3 calories per gram, black beans are a low-energy-dense food, which means calorie content is low compared to weight.

This makes them a more filling food because you can eat a large portion without going overboard on calories. A 1/2-cup serving of cooked black beans contains 20 grams of carbohydrates and 7 grams of fiber. —LiveStrong

black beans in wooden bowl
Beans are loaded with fiber with 7 grams per 1/2 cup serving.

Other great chili recipes

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

My amazing Crockpot Chili

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If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!


vegan salsa chili in cast iron pan with lime on wood table

Yes-You-Can Vegan Black Bean Chili

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

No meat? No problem! This vegan black bean chili recipe has all the taste of a hearty chili and can be ready to eat in 15-minutes or less. The convenience of a three-ingredient dish without any greasy pans to clean.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. If using canned beans, drain and rinse. I mix it up sometimes and add other bean varieties. In this picture, I used black beans and red kidney beans.
  2. Next, defrost the frozen corn by placing in a colander and running warm water over it.
  3. Combine beans, corn, and salsa in a pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to heat thoroughly. If you like it with a little more liquid, add veggie broth. I never add broth unless serving with cornbread. That's because I like to crumble the cornbread and let it soak up the seasoned juices.
  4. Top with cilantro and fresh lime juice. Serve warm and enjoy!
  5. To make this in a crockpot, simply add all ingredients to a large cooker after draining and rinsing canned beans. No need to run corn under warm water, because they will defrost in a slow cooker. Allow to cook on low for 1 hour.

Notes

Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 238Total Fat: 1.4gCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 14.4gProtein: 14.7g

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

Did you make this recipe?

Please rate and leave a comment because I love hearing from you. Remember SHARING IS CARING!

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Susan

Sunday 28th of August 2022

This is one of my favorite recipes. It is great when I am jammed with little time to cook. It is easy, quick, and I always double it. I alway keep the ingredients on hand for time emergencies. And, the best part is we LOVE it. Thanks for this this.

Susan

Wednesday 19th of January 2022

Thank you for such a quick, easy meal. It saves us from grabbing take-out! It is delicious.

Terri Edwards

Wednesday 19th of January 2022

Susan- You're so welcome! I do love easy, and this one sure is that. Glad that you like it! :)

Martha

Saturday 8th of May 2021

Terri,

Thank you for this fabulous, quick, delicious recipe. I would love more of these super fast recipes. It's wonderful to have things on the shelf and in the freezer that allows me to have dinner ready so quickly. I'm more apt to stay on track when I can get off at 5, drive home, and still have dinner ready by 6. Keep 'em coming please!

Janelle

Wednesday 28th of April 2021

We enjoyed this! I used a mix of black beans and kidney. I also added some vegetable broth. It was hearty and delicious!

Kimberly

Wednesday 23rd of December 2020

Your calorie count is way off per serving if you use canned beans 1/2 cup corn = 90 calories 1/2 cup black beans = 120 calories 1/2 cup kidney beans = 110 calorie 1/2 cup salsa = 80 calories Total = 400 calories for 1/2 cup

I thought the recipe would be around the 76 or maybe 100 per serving but now I can only have 1/2 cup for 400 calories since I used canned beans. 😞

Karen

Monday 6th of September 2021

@Kimberly,

Hi Kimberly. This would actually be 400 calories for 2 cups of the chili, or around 200 for one cup. You’ve listed 2 cups worth of ingredients. So eat and enjoy! (unless I’ve totaled something incorrectly)

Brooke

Saturday 6th of March 2021

@Kimberly, I agree- calorie count is way off... I got 297 using dry beans

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