This hearty, vegetarian Three Bean Chili will make you want to ditch the meat in chili altogether. It's nutritious, full of plant-based protein and perfect for a crowd. The meat-eaters won't even suspect there's anything missing!
Nothing beats sitting down to a nice hearty bowl of chili on a cold day! This 3 bean chili is packed with protein and fibre and will keep you satisfied for hours. It makes the best leftovers and freezes beautifully. If you love hearty one pot meals you might like these recipes for Chicken Chili with Salsa Verde, White Bean and Arugula Soup or this Hearty Cowboy Soup.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Nutrient Dense - This chili is full of nutritious vegetables and hearty beans, providing you a good dose of plant-based protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Easy to Prepare: Once you prep all the ingredients this chili recipe comes together in a pinch making it accessible for any skill level.
Versatile: This 3 bean chili allows for customization to suit your preferences or what ingredients you have on hand. You can adjust the spiciness, the types of beans used, or even add other ingredients like ground meat if desired.
Perfect for Meal Prep: This chili recipe makes a large batch so it's perfect to keep you going through the week or pack some into the freezer for a quick and easy meal down the road.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
Chili Powder - This chili includes a recipe to make your own chili powder. That way you can adjust it to your liking. However, feel free to replace it with your favourite chili powder spice blend.
Spanish onion - White or yellow onions will work for this recipe too. You will need approximately 2 cups diced.
Celery - carrots can also be used here.
Brown or white mushrooms - Packages of sliced mushrooms makes chopping a breeze! Mushrooms can be omitted or replaced with another vegetable such as zucchini or eggplant.
Green and red bell pepper - any combination of bell peppers can be used.
Jalapeno peppers - If you don't like the heat feel free to omit these altogether. Or add more if you want to turn it up!
Cocoa powder adds depth of flavor to any chili. Adding ½ oz/14 g of dark chocolate will also do the trick. This ingredient can also be omitted but I recommend giving it a try.
Whole canned tomatoes can be substituted with diced or pureed tomatoes. Look for brands that don't include calcium chloride. If using tomatoes with calcium chloride, add an extra tablespoon of sugar to compensate for the extra acidity.
Beans - You can use any combination of beans you like or all the same kind. If you would like to add meat to this chili, replace one can of beans with 1 lb/454g of ground meat and cook with the onions and celery in Step 3.
Corn - Fresh, frozen or canned corn can be used. No need to thaw frozen corn before adding to the chili.
Green olives - Feel free to leave them out if you don't like olives in your chili or don't have any on hand.
Fresh cilantro - Fresh parsley can be used in place of cilantro.
Worcestershire sauce can be replaced with an equal quantity of soy sauce.
For a complete list of ingredients see the recipe card below.
Variations
Make it meaty - Brown ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork and add it to the chili for a meatier version. You can also use cubed stew meat for a more substantial and hearty chili.
Make it Vegan - Omit the Worchestershire sauce or substitute with soy sauce to make a vegan chili.
Heat Level: Adjust the spiciness by increasing or decreasing the amount of cayenne pepper or jalapeno peppers. You can also add hot sauce or chili flakes to control the heat.
🔪How to Make 3 Bean Chili
Step 1 - Cook the onions and celery first, because they take the longest to soften up. Always do this on a medium-low heat to avoid burning.
Step 2 - Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, spices, peppers, salt, sugar and cocoa powder.
Step 3 - Add the tomatoes and simmer. Everything gets to know each other here so they can become one cohesive, yummy chili!
Step 4 - After 30 minutes add the beans, corn and olives. Simmer again for about 30 minutes and remove from the heat.
Step 5 - Now you can add the fresh lime juice, cilantro, Worcestershire sauce . Give the chili a taste and decide if it needs more salt. Top with your favourite chili toppings and enjoy!
For detailed instructions see the recipe card below.
How to Make Chili in a Slow Cooker
Follow these easy steps to create this chili in a slow cooker.
First- Follow Steps 1, 2, and 3, in the recipe card below.
Next - Transfer everything to the slow cooker then add the rest of the ingredients excluding the cilantro and fresh lime juice.
To finish - Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the chili is heated through and the flavors have melded together. Turn off heat and add lime juice and cilantro. Taste your chili and adjust seasonings.
Cooking times may vary depending on the model of your slow cooker.
Expert Tips
Prepare your ingredients - In the restaurant world we call this "mise en place" which means "everything in its place". This is my number 1 piece of cooking advice. Before you start cooking make sure you have all your ingredients measured, chopped, drained etc. This is especially helpful when making one-pan meals that come together quickly.
Use whole canned tomatoes - Crushed and diced tomatoes can contain calcium chloride which helps them keep their shape while cooking. This can make the tomatoes taste more acidic. If using tomatoes with calcium chloride add some extra sugar to create the right balance of flavours in your chili.
Chop vegetables evenly - Vegetables that are cut relatively the same size not only cook more evenly but also produce a more pleasing look and feel.
Recipe FAQs
There are many different beans that work perfectly for chili and ultimately comes down to personal preference. The most popular choices are red or white kidney beans, Navy beans, pinto beans and black beans.
Cocoa powder adds a rich depth of flavour to the chili. It can be omitted or replaced with very dark or unsweetened chocolate.
Yes you can! Peel and chop the tomatoes and continue as written in the recipe. You will need approximately 1 kg (2 pounds) of fresh tomatoes for each 796 ml (28-ounce ) can of whole tomatoes.
Allow the chili to cool to room temperature. Transfer the chili to airtight containers. You can use separate containers for individual servings or store it in a larger container. Store the chili in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave in 1 minute intervals. You may need to add a splash of water if the chili is too thick. If reheating from frozen defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat with one of the methods above.
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Want to say thank you?📖 Recipe
3 Bean Chili
Ingredients
Chili Powder
- 2 tablespoon paprika, sweet
- 1 ½ teaspoon coriander, ground
- 2 ½ teaspoon cumin, ground
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or more to taste
For the chili
- 2 tbps olive oil
- 1 large Spanish onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 tablespoon chili powder, recipe above
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon salt, Kosher, plus more to taste
- 450 grams/1lb brown or white mushrooms, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, core and seeds removed, diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, minced, add seeds to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 (796ml/28oz) cans whole tomatoes, chopped or pureed, with juices
- 1 (540ml/19oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (540ml/19oz) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (540ml/19oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups corn, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup green olives, sliced
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Garnish Options
- avocado slices or chunks
- Sour cream or yogurt
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Fresh lime wedges
- extra cilantro leaves
- hot sauce
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- For the chili powder, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.2 tablespoon paprika, sweet, 1 ½ teaspoon coriander, ground, 2 ½ teaspoon cumin, ground, 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in onions and celery and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until soft and glossy. Adjust heat as necessary to avoid burning the onions.2 tbps olive oil, 1 large Spanish onion, diced, 2 celery stalks, diced
- Stir in 4 tbsp. chili powder mixture, garlic, and salt. Stir and cook for one minute, until spices are fragrant. Stir in mushrooms, peppers, jalapenos, sugar and cocoa powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.4 cloves garlic, minced, 2 teaspoon salt, Kosher, plus more to taste, 450 grams/1lb brown or white mushrooms, diced, 1 large green bell pepper, core and seeds removed, diced, 1 large red bell pepper, diced, 2 jalapeno peppers, minced, add seeds to taste, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Add pureed, canned tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 30 minutes.2 (796ml/28oz) cans whole tomatoes, chopped or pureed, with juices
- Add beans, corn and olives. Continue cooking, uncovered, for 30 minutes.1 (540ml/19oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed, 1 (540ml/19oz) can navy beans, drained and rinsed, 1 (540ml/19oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed, 1 ½ cups corn, fresh or frozen, ½ cup green olives, sliced
- Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce. Taste and add more salt if necessary.1 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish, 1 lime, juiced, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Notes
- Chili will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days and freeze for 6 months.
- Any combination of beans work in this recipe. Or add 1 lb of ground meat and omit one can of beans. Saute the meat after the onions and celery have cooked for 5 minutes in step 3. Cook meat until no longer pink then proceed with instructions.
- Use any type of beans you like.
- Make extra chili powder and store in a sealed container for another time.
Beatrice Schori says
My 3 Bean Chili turned out perfectly. I did follow the recipe to a T.
With 20 cm fresh snow it is a great choice for dinner. ( heart warming)
Thank you Andrea *****
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Beatrice! Perfect for this snowy weather!
Suze Rickli says
This is amazing! One of my staple recipes
Julie says
Hi Andrea. I’ve made so many of your recipes and every one of them are delicious. I’ve been wanting to try this one and WOW, it is fantastic! I will never use my own chili recipe again, your’s is so full of rich flavour and so delicious. I’m not a huge fan of olives (but trying to eat them from time to time for my good fats lol) but I followed the recipe exactly as stated and I would have to agree that the olives add additional flavor. And it’s only a half cup in a huge batch so even the non olive lovers should be fine with this recipe. Thank you for sharing your wonderful gift of cooking with us, once again another huge hit!
Irene Hilden says
Thanks Andrea, I love this recipe. Thanks for reminding me, I will make a batch this weekend. I put servings in the freezer, makes for an easy lunch or dinner! Yum, yum!
Theresa says
Seriously….so effin good! Am not a chili fan really…but I am now! I followed the recipe to the letter…even made the chili powder although I had some in my cupboard…but who knows for how long😂
Might have it for breakfast tomorrow….would that be weird? It’s okay I’ll have eggs for lunch..now that’s weird! 😂😂😂
Thanks for the great recipes and inspiration Andrea
Andrea says
Hi Theresa! I'm so happy you enjoyed the chili! Especially since you're not usually a fan. It makes a perfect high protein breakfast so not worried at all and I will eat eggs any time of day! Thanks for the wonderful comment
Pam says
I'm not a fan of olives. Can you actually 'taste' them in this recipe or do they just give it an overall richer flavour?
Andrea says
Hi Pam! You can totally leave out the olives if you don't care for them. Hope you enjoy it!
Diana says
Best chili EVER! This is the only recipe I use now. Flexible as long as you have the basics…Haven’t made my own chili powder yet, but I’ll get there!
Andrea says
Hi Diana! So happy to hear you enjoyed the chili! Thanks for the comment!
Erin says
Fantastic! We have made it two weeks in a row, makes a large pot, enough to share. This was made with and without the corn and was great both ways. The home made chili powder is a game changer!
Thank you!
Andrea says
Hi Andrea
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe, sounds yummy. Do you think this is one where you could put all ingredients in a slow cooker for the day or is it best to follow instructions as is?
Andrea says
Hi Andrea!
I haven't made it in a slow cooker so I can't say for sure but I did a quick Google search and it looks like it should work 😀
Suzanne Livingstone says
I thought I made a good chili but nothing compared to this. This is absolutely wonderful, fantastic flavour and very hearty. I have enough to freeze and have some for lunches. Thank you so much for this recipe, really, a super one.
Andrea says
So happy you enjoyed it Suzanne!
Ann Holyk de Winter says
Looks interesting, I have never really eaten a chilli, because it usually is full of meat, but this looks interesting i'm going to try this next week. looking forward to it.
Thanks again Ann
Kelsey says
Just made this recipe and WOW, my mind is blown! Love love love it! Thank you so much Andrea for these amazing recipes that I will definitely come back to forever! It's also awesome that I can freeze this to have easy lunch options for Gina's Plan. I don't think I'll make traditional meat chili ever again lol! 🙂
Angela says
This was absolutely delicious. I thought I made a decent chili before but this recipe is by far superior. Question - we don't like mushrooms so I didn't add them. The chili turned out a bit thick. I know that mushrooms can create extra water in recipes. Could that be why it was thick? Any suggestions on what to add to give it a bit more liquid?
Andrea says
Hi Angela!
So glad you enjoyed the chili!
I do like my chili on the thinker side but if you want to thin it out more you could add in some beer, stock, water or tomato juice. Help that helps! 😀
Vita says
Andrea! This chili is AMAZING! I made it pretty much exactly per your recipe except tweaking the spices a bit to fit what I had in my pantry. Olive lover over here, so think that is a really great addition!! I have so much to freeze for easy peasy lunch/dinner options on Gina’s plan.
Andrea says
Yes I love keeping some in my freezer! Beats take out any day!! So happy you enjoyed it! 🙌
Kirsten says
This was amazing! Good job Andrea! My family loved it! My husband said that this was the best chilli I ever made. I substituted ground chicken for one of the servings of beans. I didn’t put in any jalapeños for fear it would make the chilli to spicy for my young kids. Instead, I had pickled jalapeños on the side just to control each serving.
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it...and the whole family too! 💃 The pickled jalapenos are so good!
Bev says
Very tasty! Love the clear instructions, makes it easier to follow as I am not a very intuitive cook (I usually try to avoid it)! Using this to help me on my Gina journey, so appreciate this recipe. Thank you!
Andrea says
Hi Bev! I'm so happy you enjoyed the chili and found the instructions to be clear. Thanks so much for commenting!
G says
Have you made this in a slow cooker? If so, how long?
Andrea says
I haven't as I don't have one but I would guess around 3-4 hours on high. Let me know if you try it!
Diane Morey says
This Chili was delicious! I added some ground beef, is that still ok for lunch on Gina’s diet?
Andrea says
So happy you enjoyed it! Yes as long as you are adding extra veg on the side 🙂
Kirsten says
Seriously the best chili I have made (and I make chili often). The green olives and cocoa powder were something I had not added before and they were a great addition. Makes a huge batch so I’m freezing in mason jars for quick lunches for the future! Thank you Andrea! This will be on my rotation. Who needs meat?!
Andrea says
Fantastic! I'm so happy you like the chili. It is one of my favourites too. I'm not sure I will ever put meat in chili again!
Sandra Petel says
Hi Andrea. Have you made this without canned beans and in an instant pot?
I really enjoyed this last time I made it! I don’t have any canned beans in the house and don’t want to go to the grocery store....
Thanks for sharing your recipes in the group and all your insight and motivation!
Andrea says
Hey Sandra!
You could easily use cooked dried beans in place of the canned. I don't currently own an InstaPot so can't comment to that.
Lorraine says
I love it but it’s spicy, so the rest of my family are not able to enjoy it as much as I did (more for me!). For next time, I’m thinking of reducing the spices by half, what do you think?
Andrea says
Absolutely tweak the spice to suit you and your family's taste buds! Heat levels can also depend on how hot the jalapeno peppers are. They can vary so much in heat levels. Happy you have lots for yourself! 🙂
Eveline says
I made thr recipe without corn.
It turned out very well.
Is it safe to freeze this dish containing mushrooms ?
Andrea says
Absolutely! It freezes beautifully. Happy you liked it!
Sharon Waugh says
What a great chili recipe! The addition of cocoa powder adds such a rich background flavour which was surprising. I served it with warm cornbread. A satisfying meal after a long dog walk on a frosty day!!
Andrea says
So happy you enjoyed it! Perfect after a dog walk!
Marina says
I made this tonight for company. It turned out really well. A nice rich taste that is both sour and sweet. It was a really unique chili for sure and everyone enjoyed it! Thanks Andrea! 🙂
Andrea says
So happy you tried it and it was enjoyed by all! You are most welcome and thanks for coming here to let me know!
Tracy says
Hi Andrea. I was planning to make this today (it sounds delicious) but don't have a lime or green olives. Could I sub lemon juice and kalamata olives? or better to leave until another day when I have all the ingredients? Thanks
Andrea says
I may be too late to respond to this now but yes you can totally sub in those 2 ingredients instead! It's a pretty flexible recipe so you can play around with it.
Terry-Ann says
I just made this chili recipe and I will throw out any other recipes. It’s absolutely delicious! The only chili I will make from now on!
Andrea says
What a compliment! Thanks Terry-Ann! So happy you liked it!