This Easy Black Bean Vegetarian Chili topped with Spiced Yogurt takes about 20 minutes to cook but tastes like it simmered for hours.

Black Bean Vegetarian Chili with Spiced Yogurt
This Black Bean and Corn Chili is a delicious, economical vegetarian chili recipe for weeknight dinners. I use canned black beans, a pantry staple that saves time and money and puree half of the beans to make it creamy without spending a ton of time simmering. Top it with yogurt for added protein and creaminess. Leftovers are great over a baked potato! This is the best black bean chili recipe! More of my favorite chili recipes are Chicken Chili, Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili, White Bean Turkey Chili, and Quick Beef Chili.
I partnered with Stonyfield Organic for this vegetarian chili recipe. I love using full fat yogurt on my chili in place sour cream for added protein. Here I used their Whole Milk Smooth & Creamy Plain Yogurt seasoned with spices, the perfect creamy topping but you can also use their Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt or their lower fat yogurts, if you prefer.
What is vegetarian chili made of?
Below are the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy vegetarian chili.
- Spices: Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt
- Dairy: Whole milk plain yogurt
- Legumes: Canned black beans
- Vegetables: Onion, bell pepper, canned tomatoes with green chilies, jalapeno
- Liquid: Tomato sauce, vegetable broth
- Toppings: Shredded cheddar cheese, diced red onions, cilantro, diced avocado
Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream in chili?
Yes, you can always use yogurt instead of sour cream to top your chili. The benefits of using Stonyfield yogurt instead of sour cream is that they’re all organic and have live active cultures. Stonyfield Organic is always my go-to for yogurt because their products are “Good on Purpose” – good for you, good for the planet, and good for your tastebuds.
To make the spiced yogurt recipe, all you have to do is mix the six spices into the yogurt and then add to the chili before serving. So easy!
Variations and Tips:
- Add diced sweet potatoes for extra fiber.
- Swap the red bell pepper for another color if you prefer.
- Leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapeno if you want spicy chili or remove them for a milder version.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
More Chili Recipes You’ll Love:
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Chili
- Quick Beef Chili Recipe
- Turkey Pumpkin White Bean Chili
- BBQ Chicken Chili
- Crockpot Kid-Friendly Turkey Chili
Easy Black Bean Vegetarian Chili with Spiced Yogurt
Ingredients
Spice Mix:
- 1 1/4 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/4 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Chili:
- 3/4 cup Stonyfield Organic whole milk plain yogurt
- 2 15 oz cans black beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 diced jalapeno, plus more for garnish
- 10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
- 8 ounces frozen corn
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup less-sodium vegetable broth
- Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar, diced red onions, cilantro, diced avocado
Instructions
- Mix the spices in a small bowl. Set aside 1 1/2 teaspoons and mix into the yogurt. Set aside.
- Place 1 can of beans, not drained in the blender with 1/2 cup of water and puree. Drain the second can.
- Add oil to a large pot over medium heat, add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, corn, beans, pureed beans, tomato sauce, vegetable broth and remaining spices.
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring until thickened.
- Serve topped with spiced yogurt plus your favorite optional toppings.
Last Step:
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Notes
- Add diced sweet potatoes for extra fiber.
- Swap the red bell pepper for another color if you prefer.
- Leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapeno if you want spicy chili or remove them for a milder version.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Categories:
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Stonyfield. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Skinnytaste possible. All thoughts are my own
Hearty and healthy! Love this recipe for meal prep. I did swap out some low-fat cottage cheese for the yogurt to up the protein. Thanks, Gina, for another winner!
I’ve made this 3 times over the past few months. So delicious and easy to tweak/forgiving if you don’t have all the ingredients or want to change up a component. A favorite at our house!
We make this ALL THE TIME! We love it vegetarian but sometimes we add ground turkey. It’s so good either way.
I cut some of the amounts down ans still had a huge pot of Chili.
It’s very tasty . Probably will make it again.
I did not expect this to be such a hit with my wife who removes black beans from her meals. She loved it so much that she thawed out the extras that I had frozen and ate it again for lunch the next day. I was also surprised at how much I loved this recipe.
Love this!
I make this chili every couple of months. I may already have commented on the recipe, but it’s so good, I feel compelled to comment today. Am trying to incorporate some meatless meals into my weekly menu. This chili is flavorful and filling. Sometimes I add a sweet potato if I have one on hand.
Thanks Beth! Glad you enjoy it!
Made this tonight. It was delicious! I question the 1 1/4 Tablespoons of cumin and chili powder though. I thought that seemed like a lot and I’ve never had to measure a quarter tablespoon! I used 1 1/4 teaspoons for both and it was perfect! And I like spicy things!
Is the 1 1/2 tsp of spices that you set aside what you add to the yogurt or what you add to the chili?
The yogurt.
Turned out delicious! Rave reviews from the family. The chilies in the Rotel made this spicier than I was expecting so be aware if you are very spice averse. I think the spice was perfect for our family. The toppings made this fun as well. Not to mention this was so easy to make I could do this on a week day easily. Definitely going into the recipe rotation.
I have made this recipe many times! It is a favorite of mine and my husband. Made it yesterday and we ate all the leftovers tonight. I had zucchini on hand so added some this time. Make this recipe and you can adapt with what you like or have in hand. It is so delicious!
Made this for dinner tonight – followed the recipe pretty closely, reducing the jalepeno peppers by 1/2 as my family is sensitive to those. We all loved it – will be added to our dinner rotations! I especially appreciated how easy and quick it was to prepare. Thank you!
Are you able to do this in a pressure cooker?
So delicious!
SO GOOD! made this in the instant pot and it was delicious 🙂
Gina,
I would like to make this without using the yogurt. Should I spice it differently?
No need, just omit
Could this be made in a slow cooker or instant pot?
Yes! I cooked it for 20 minutes on high with a manual release
I found it to be pretty thin. I simmered longer to see if it would thicken up. It was more like a chunky soup than a thick chili. I’d suggest not adding the full amount of broth initially and waiting to see if it actually needs it. Flavors were good tho!
Thicken with a little cornstarch or cornmeal.
This is so flavorful! I added sweet potato, but wouldn’t miss it if I made it again without. It’s delicious!
This was great! Our kids asked if we could make it weekly : ) thank you!
Awesome!
If I add the diced sweet potato, should they be precooked before adding?
This was perfect! I put it over rice to add more bulk for those who were hungry!
Thanks.
I have a lot of chili recipes, but this one is definitely a keeper. It was done so quickly, and was very flavorful. If people like to get creative with leftovers, for breakfast, I mixed 4 beaten eggs in with a cup of the chili and some shredded cheese, topped it with more cheese, and baked it for about 20 minutes into a really nice frittata that went with the leftover yogurt and avocado.
Great recipe! I replaced 1 can of beans with 1/2 lb. browned venison for my carnivore husband. It did add a few points, but was still very low. Rather than cooking the vegetables, I threw all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it go. It turned out fabulous. Yogurt instead of sour cream? You would never know!
This was THE best chili I have ever had/made! I added the sweet potato for moe fiber as suggested and it just added another level of great flavor! I will be making this again and again! Thx!
Made this last night! It was sooooo good!! Can’t wait to make this again!!
Question: I don’t have a way to puree the black beans. What would you suggest? Refried beans? Cooking the chili for a longer period of time? Thanks
refried beans would work
I made this recipe today. Thought I might miss the meat that’s usually in chili, but I didn’t. This chili recipe is flavorful and filling. Highly recommend!
I cannot wait to try this. Your receipts are amazing. If I freeze, do I cook it all the way through and then just put in the freezer? Thanks!
sure just cook, cool and freeze.
Love this chili more then almost any other. I got about 8 cups of chili, using a 14.5 ounce can of fire roasted diced tomato and then added 4 oz can of green chili’s, 2 jalapenos as had them to use, Maybe came out a bit thinner too, but the Seasonings just right to me. I think this is a new favorite. Thank you!
Absolutely loved this!! I added some chopped up zucchini and mushrooms. Used 2 t. of the spice mixture and added it at the end of cooking the veggies. I love that you include the purple WW plan in your recipes!!
I’m all about vegetarian. I substituted 1/2 cup cooked ditalini pasta for the corn because my husband doesn’t like corn in his chili and left out the jalapeño because I don’t tolerate anything too spicy. It was still delicious. It was perfect for a cool October evening and I will definitely make it again. Thanks Gina!
Made this recipe as is and it is wonderful! Will definitely make again.
DogWater
Hi! I love this site.
Can you use dried beans if you soak them first?
Thank you,
Dawn
I always add smoked paprika (small amount it’s very potent) and a canned of diced green chilies. If Ican get it ,I use roasted frozen corn.
1 1/2 t of spices goes in the yogurt or in the pot?
1 1/2 tsp mix with the yogurt. The rest goes in the pot on step #4
Look at step 1. Some goes in the yogurt, the rest in the pot
Thanks for asking. I was confused as well.