Three bean chili recipe with pinto, black, and Great Northern beans – the perfect warm-you-up dinner. It’s an easy one pot meal that’s ready in less than half an hour. Vegan & gluten-free.
Three bean chili is one of the most popular recipes on Cadry’s Kitchen.
There’s a reason people love it. When there’s a chill in the air, this spicy stew warms you up from the inside out.
Full of spices and satiating beans, it’s one of those comforting meals that makes you think cold weather isn’t so bad after all. It’s also terrific in the summer over a chili dog!
This hearty dish is packed with pinto, black, and Great Northern beans. It’s spiced with cumin, ancho chili powder, and a bit of mustard and hot sauce for a slightly vinegar-y tang.
This vegetarian stew isn’t overly hot, but has a spicy, warming edge.
Because I use canned beans in this recipe, it’s an easy, one pot meal that is very pantry-friendly. I always have all of the ingredients on hand.
How to make chili from scratch
1. Sauté onions and garlic in a soup pot or Dutch oven with oil.
2. Once the onions are slightly translucent and fragrant, add:
- A can of fire roasted tomatoes (including juices)
- Great Northern beans
- Pinto beans
- Black beans
- Water
- Ancho chili powder, paprika, and cumin
- Hot Sauce
- Mustard
- Salt & pepper
Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. After it has cooked for a while, further thicken it by blending it for a few seconds with an immersion blender. It breaks up some of the tomatoes & beans, and adds nice body & texture.
4. Serve it with optional toppings like sliced green onions, non-dairy cheese, quick pickled jalapeños, avocado, guacamole, vegan sour cream, and/or chopped cilantro. Crackers, tortilla strips, or chips for dipping are a must.
Make it your own
- Replace onions with shallots or leeks
- Add to the onions with more vegetables like bell peppers, corn, carrots, zucchini, and/or mushrooms
- For more toothsome protein, add soyrizo or seitan when sautéing the onions or add cooked lentils when pouring in the tomatoes
- Instead of fire roasted tomatoes, use plain canned diced tomatoes and/or jarred salsa
- Any of the beans can be replaced for one another or swapped out for navy beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas
- Instead of canned beans, use home cooked ones instead – about 1 ½ cups of each type
- Add more or less hot sauce, depending on your particular hot sauce & heat preferences
- Instead of ancho chili powder, use the chili powder of your choice
Ways to repurpose leftovers
Like many dishes that use a lot of spices, 3 bean chili actually tastes better on day two or three. It thickens as it cools. Plus, as the flavors marry in the fridge, it gets more delicious with each passing day.
But if you’re looking for more ways to enjoy it other than by the bowlful, here are some ideas!
- Use a half cup in the best vegan cheese dip
- Slather it on a vegan chili dog
- It’s great on a chili dog pizza
- Make tots a meal with vegan chili cheese tater tots
- Serve it over vegan corn cakes
- Pour it over an air fryer baked potato
Can you freeze chili?
Absolutely!
While chili will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator in a covered container, it also freezes beautifully.
Just put it into a freezer proof container with a lid. (I like to use glass Pyrex, but freezer bags also work if you prefer to lay them flat.) Then freeze until you’re ready to eat it.
Once you’d like to eat it, thaw in the refrigerator or by using the defrost function on the microwave. Then heat in the microwave or on the stove.
Three bean chili (vegan)
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup onions chopped medium
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) fire roasted diced tomatoes including juices
- 1 can (15 ounce) Great Northern beans drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
- 1 can (15 ounce) pinto beans drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
- 1 can (15 ounce) black beans drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce (I use Trader Joe's jalapeno hot sauce.)
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a medium-sized soup pot to a medium heat with extra virgin olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic a few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir. Bring the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, allowing the chili to thicken. Stir occasionally.
- Optional: After the chili has thickened, use an immersion blender in the pot for 3 or 4 seconds to break up some of the beans and thicken the soup further. You don't want to blend the chili completely. It should still be thick and chunky. However, a few seconds with the immersion blender gives some added texture and thickens the chili even more.
- Serve in bowls alongside crackers or bread. Garnish with chopped cilantro, green onions, avocado, and/or shredded non-dairy cheese.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Content and photos updated August 12, 2021. Originally posted April 27, 2016.
Shell
This is a perfect day for chill! It looks so delicious and warm. Your bowl is perfect for such a meal. Don’t let Morris tell you otherwise.
Cadry
I agree, Shell!
Susan
I would love to see a post of your favourite bowls and props for taking such beautiful photos. 🙂
Cadry
What a fun idea, Susan! I’m in the process of re-doing my office to turn it into a photo/prop studio. Maybe I will do a reveal post when it’s all finished! And thank you for the compliment! 🙂
Joanne
I’ve made this several times now, very quick and simple and tastes delicious! It’s my favourite chili recipe, thank you! 🙂 https://www.instagram.com/p/BHPUKo2g97t/?taken-by=plantbased_bean&hl=en
Cadry
I am so glad to hear that, Joanne! And thanks for posting the picture/video. It’s always fun to see others making my recipes. 😀
joanne
What can i use in place or ancho chili powder or chipotle powder?
Cadry
You can just use regular chili powder. I like the flavor of ancho chili powder the best, but regular chili powder will work just fine. There isn’t any chipotle powder in the recipe.
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen
How can David not like chili? I could go for a bowl right now!
Cadry
How can Dennis not like the Muppet Christmas Carol? We both have a lot of disillusionment to grapple with tonight. 😉
Lucy
This was delicious! Pureeing the chili for a few seconds is a great idea—made the texture just right.
Cadry
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lucy! Thank you for letting me know.
Michelle
Do you think you could put the ingredients in a slow cooker on low for 4 or 5 hours and get the same consistency?
Cadry
Unfortunately, I really couldn’t say, Michelle. I never use a slow cooker. If you try it, though, let me know how it goes!
Sarah
what size pot did you use in the video?
Cadry
I recommend a 3 quart pot for this recipe. In the video, the pot was actually bigger than I really needed. It was a 6 quart stock pot.
Sasha
Hi Cadry! I’m going to make this chili 🌶 next week, so excited! For the beans, is one can of each equivalent to the 1 1/2 cups? Thanks!!
Cadry
Yes, that’s exactly right! I hope you enjoy it, Sasha. 😀
Alocasia
Tonight’s dinner. I could go for a bowl of this right now. Would I have to change anything in this recipe if I make it with soy curls as well?
Cadry
Ooh, great addition! I like to re-hydrate my Soy Curls separately with warm water, drain them, and then chop them into smaller bites before adding them to chili. I have a Soy Curl chili recipe here, but the flavor profile is a little smokier. Still, you can check it out to see the way I like to add Soy Curls. Enjoy the chili, Alocasia!
Amy Katz
I made this chili tonight, and it was so quick and easy. I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. I didn’t blend it at the end because it was already nice and think. I topped it with tortilla strips I baked in the oven. Great meal for a chilly night!
Cadry
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Amy! Thanks for letting me know. Great idea to add some baked tortilla strips on top. Love that extra crunch!
Kiki
This turned out great and came together very quickly. I didn’t have ancho chili powder so I substituted some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, about two, with some sauce and it turned out fine. I chuckled at the 1/2 teaspoon of yellow mustard, thinking, why bother? but I could actually taste the flavor boost, so don’t leave that out! At the end, instead of using an immersion blender, I just scooped out some chili, mashed it with a potato masher, and stirred it back in. That thickened it up nicely. I did use this chili in Cadry’s vegan chili cheese dip, which is spectacular as well.
Cadry
I totally know what you mean about the mustard. It’s such a small amount, you wouldn’t guess it would make a difference. But that little bit of tang adds a subtle something special. That’s smart to use a potato masher in lieu of an immersion blender. Thanks for the great feedback!
Mary Dmyterko
Thanks, Cadry! Our Vegan Society in Cañon City holds its annual chili cook-off in February so I’ve been searching for ideas to create something unique. The ancho chili powder is new to me. I’ll look for it. The ingredients I have included in my practice pot are smoky tempeh chunked up into bite-sized pieces and Bush’s vegetarian beans [for a sweet note]. The cookoff is all in fun, just an opportunity to share what we’ve tried.
Cadry
The cook-off sounds really fun, Mary! Chili is so great for a cook-off, because it’s easy to make a big batch. And you don’t have to worry about it drying out, like some other foods.
A couple years ago an Iowa restaurant used this chili recipe for a cook-off and won first prize!
I started using ancho chili powder around 2012, after I heard about it in a Latin cookbook called Viva Vegan. Now it’s a pantry staple. It has a wonderful warm, round flavor, but it’s not hot. That means you can add heat in other ways to suit your preferences – via hot sauce, fresh peppers, or cayenne.
Stephen Motson
Ancho chilli powder? I have never seen this in any supermarkets or shops in the UK.
Cadry
Yes, ancho chili powder is made with one ingredient – ancho chilies (dried poblano peppers). So if you purchased dried ancho chilies, you could grind your own in a coffee grinder or spice grinder. It’s also available online. It’s a more common ingredient in Mexican recipes, so I can see why it might not be as widely available in the UK.
Mike D
We made this last night… leftovers for tonight! Great chili. I think it’ll even be better tonight; chili seems to be one of those foods that tastes better the longer the flavors are allowed to steep.
Cadry
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Mike! I agree. Chili just improves over time. Thanks for the nice feedback!
Kelly
Been making this for years, so thank you! I’m heavy handed with the spices, use regular chili powder and smoked paprika instead of ancho chili powder, add chipotle tobacco, and sauté a link (1/2 package) of Trader Joe’s soyrizo with the onions and garlic. My favorite chili for sure!
Cadry Nelson
Thank you for the great feedback, Kelly! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipe & making it your own. I like to add soyrizo sometimes too. It adds delicious bite & spice.