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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.
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

Other great chili recipes
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Yes-You-Can Vegan Black Bean Chili
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
- 3 cups black beans, cooked
- 2 cups salsa, (mild, medium, or hot)
- 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
- fresh cilantro, optional
- lime wedges, optional
Instructions
- 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.
- Next, defrost the frozen corn by placing in a colander and running warm water over it.
- 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.
- Top with cilantro and fresh lime juice. Serve warm and enjoy!
- 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: 4Amount 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.


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