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Smoky Lentil Black Bean Chili is a hearty and healthy meal. Seasoned with jalapeño and smoky paprika, a bowl of this easy lentil chili makes the perfect comfort meal on a chilly winter day! It’s a simple recipe you can make ahead of time to serve for busy weeknights.
Yes, I’m all about the healthy, but I also enjoy hearty meals that check all the boxes nutritionally while remaining satisfying enough so you don’t feel deprived. This hearty chili does exactly that and is perfect for keeping you warm on cooler nights and throughout the winter.
This vegan lentil chili is a spin-off my slow cooker vegetarian black bean chili. It’s made with zucchini in place of the lentils if you want a vegetarian chili that’s a bit different.
This black bean and lentil chili has a bit of kick so if you’re sensitive to spicy foods, I recommend you omit the jalapeño and stick with the smoky paprika.
Why I Love Black Bean Lentil Chili
- Healthy Vegetarian Lentil Chili with Black Beans. That’s actually also gluten-free, vegan, low-calorie, and dairy-free! It’s suitable for so many different diets and even a meatless chili that your most ardent meat eater will enjoy too! Need more vegetarian recipes? Try this Italian vegetarian lasagna recipe!
- Hearty and Filling One Pot Meal. This healthy lentil chili makes the perfect comforting winter meal. It’s basically an entire meal in one bowl!
- Easy to Make! Lentil black bean chili cooks in about an hour. Most of the cooking is hands-off making it perfect for meal prep or busy weeknight dinners.
Ingredients You Need
This lentil black bean chili recipe relies on a handful of store-bought ingredients to save you some time in the kitchen. The list of simple ingredients is easy to find in just about any grocery store. Be sure to check the recipe card for the full list and quantities of each.
- Veggies and aromatics: White onion, carrots, and garlic lay the foundation of flavors in this lentil chili recipe.
- Jalapeño pepper: Fresh diced jalapeño adds just a hint of spice to your chili.
- Vegetable broth: A bit of liquid to cook the lentils and thin out the chili.
- Lentils: Lentils cook quickly making them perfect to cook from dried for meals. Use green or brown lentils which hold their shape when cooked.
- Black beans: This recipe cooks quickly using canned black beans that are already cooked.
- Tomatoes: Tomato paste adds intense tomato flavor and the diced fire-roasted tomatoes will add hints of smokiness and a bit more chunkiness to the chili.
- Spices: A simple combination of dried spices including chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper increases the complexity of flavors in this vegetarian chili recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use Other Types of Beans for Chili! Canned beans work best since you don’t have to cook them. Red beans, white beans, pinto beans, and chickpeas are just a few ideas of beans you can use.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes: This variety of canned tomatoes adds a punch of flavor so I highly recommend them but you can also use plain diced tomatoes as well.
- Less Spicy: Leave out the jalapeño or swap it for mild green chilies instead.
How to Make Black Bean Lentil Chili
This lentil black bean chili goes together in just a few simple steps. There’s a little work at the start and then the remaining time the chili cooks on its own.
- Step 1: Cook the carrots, onions, and jalapeños in oil until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Add the cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Cook until the spices are fragrant.
- Step 2: Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and lentils to the pot. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the chili covered at a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the black beans and cook another 10 minutes.
- Step 4: Serve bowls of black bean and lentil chili with your favorite toppings.
What to Make With Chili
Not sure what to serve with your bowl of chili for dinner tonight? Here are some of my favorite recommendations.
- Add Some Toppings: Nothing makes chili better than adding yummy toppings! For a family dinner or a group, place a variety of toppings in bowls and let everyone top their own bowl. Some ideas — plain nonfat Greek yogurt, cilantro, more jalapeño slices, or baked tortilla strips.
- Other Ways to Use It: Serve it up over a bowl of cauliflower rice, baked potatoes, or tortilla chips!
- Cornbread: A classic chili side! Try my pumpkin cornbread muffins or this almond flour cornbread.
How to Store
Wondering how long is chili good for? Here are the details for storing it so it lasts the longest.
- Refrigerate: Allow the chili to cool down. Place it into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freezer: After the chili is cooled store it in freezer-safe containers for storage. For smaller households, store it in individual or smaller-sized servings so you only need to take out the amount you need for serving. It will last in the freezer for up to three months.
- Reheat: If it’s frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Heat it in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through. You may need to add a bit more liquid if it thickens during storage. You can also heat individual servings in the microwave.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs
- Adjust the Flavors. You can adjust the spices and jalapeño to your own tastes. The jalapeño doesn’t make it overly spicy but you can leave it out if you are super sensitive to spiciness or serving children.
- Perfect for Meal Prep. So feel free to make a large batch! It stores and reheats great.
Kidney beans are the classic bean but you can use just about any type of bean in chili including black beans, red beans, white beans, garbanzo beans, and pinto beans.
Yes, you can! If you prefer to make this into a lentil chili simply replace the canned beans with another cup of lentils and increase the liquid to six cups. Then you can adjust at the end if you want a thinner chili.
This lentil black bean chili cooks up pretty thick. If you want it to have a soupier consistency you can add some more broth towards the end of cooking to achieve the consistency you prefer. If it ends up too thin, allow the chili to cook uncovered so some of the liquid evaporates. Alternatively, you can thicken it with some flour or cornstarch mixed with water.
More Chili Recipes
If you tried this Smoky Black Bean Lentil Chili or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Smoky Black Bean Lentil Chili
Ingredients
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seed removed, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup lentils
- 30 oz black beans
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 56 oz diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
- Optional toppings: plain nonfat Greek yogurt, cilantro, more jalapeño slices
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat, add oil, carrots, onions and jalapeños.
- Cook until onion are tender about 5 minutes then add garlic allow to cook 1-2 minutes. Add cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne and salt
- When the spices become fragrant, add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and lentils. Stir to combine then bring to a boil
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer 20 minutes
- Remove cover, add black beans and cook another 10 minutes. Serve immediately and add optional toppings as desired.
- Refrigerate up to one week or freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
- My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my nutrition clients.
- Adjust the Flavors. You can adjust the spices and jalapeño to your own tastes. The jalapeño doesn’t make it overly spicy but you can leave it out if you are super sensitive to spiciness or serving children.
- Perfect for Meal Prep. So feel free to make a large batch! It stores and reheats great.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published December 2015. It has been re-tested and photographed for you!
My hubby LOVES spicy food, so I will need to try this out!!!
Oh yes! Let me know how he likes it Bri.
Love me some spice too. But Dave doesn’t so I dial it back just a little for him. Daves from Wosconsin so I totally know how passionate Packers fans are. So cool you got to go to a game especially with your parents. Can’t wait for those cookies!!
I still love the Packers even if they did play like cheese yesterday.
I LOVE chili, but I’ve actually never had lentils!? I need to try this and initiate myself 😉
You’ve never had lentils? You really need to try them Morgan, they’re delicious!
I love chili, but I’ve never made it with lentils before. This looks delicious!
Thanks Debbie, hope you try it!
SO happy that both of your parents were there for Christmas, even if the Packers did get smoked (you were cracking me up on IG). I will say that I would rather be at a game (outside) in Arizona than in GB… We’ll be seeing Alex’s family this weekend and my family for a week the weekend after!
Ugh…tell me about it. They played AWFUL! We left during the third quarter. Got booed out of the stadium by jerks sitting behind us.
Spicy chili is one of my faves year round! Thanks for linking up today for Meatless Monday have a great week
Wish I could eat it year round. When it’s 115 it’s not on my mind so I have to get my fill during the winter. 🙂
these past 2 weeks of complete rain and sadness are totally calling for some chili!
YAY for chili weather!
Saw a few photos and it looked like a great weekend! I have the same soup bowl and think it photographs so well – this looks incredibly delicious 🙂
Oh yes, it’s quite versatile.
Oh my gosh, Megan, I can’t wait to try this recipe. I love vegan chili, and you had me at jalapenos. 😉 I usually add chipotle peppers to my chili to give it a smoky flavor, but the smoky paprika is a great idea. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You are the first jalapeño lover I’ve met Beth! Hope you love the recipe.
There is nothing like a good chili thi time of year. It’s my favorite way to make a meal in teh slow cooker where you can smell the flavor all day long.
Ah yes! Slow cooker anything makes the house smell amazing.