Smoky, creamy vegan black bean dip only takes 5 ingredients and a few minutes to make. It's perfect for parties, game night, and more!
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This easy, smoky black bean dip is one of my classic recipes, and it's always been naturally vegan. I've been making it for around 15 years and serve it at basically every party. It's a little bit smoky, a little bit spicy, and totally addictive.
This dip is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, corn-free, and coconut-free, making it perfect for a crowd, no matter what their food restrictions. You can even make it oil-free easily, if you have oil-free guests.
Serve it with tortilla chips and sliced raw veggies like carrots, celery, and cucumbers. Or, use it as a spread in sandwiches or a filling for tacos or burritos. This dip is versatile!
I've been making this black bean dip recipe for so long that my friends and I named it: Becky LeBeans. Levine is my maiden name, and we are comedy geniuses.
This black bean dip is incredibly easy to make! Just pulse the ingredients together in a food processor, and chill until you're ready to dip. Bing, bang, boom.
If you love bean dips, also be sure to try my cowboy caviar recipe!
🫘 Ingredients and Substitutions
- black beans - You can used canned or homemade black beans in this recipe. You can also make this dip with other beans, like kidney beans, white beans, or pinto beans.
- canned chilis in adobo sauce - This adds the spicy, smoky flavor to your vegan black bean dip! Sometimes they are called chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You will use one of the whole chilis, plus some of the smoky liquid from the can. If you want your dip less spicy, remove the seeds from the chili or omit it completely.
- olive oil - The oil gives this dip such an incredible, creamy texture! You can omit it and add water, as needed, for oil-free.
- cilantro - Fresh cilantro adds SO much flavor to this dip!
- garlic powder - You can use garlic powder or a garlic clove.
🔪 How to Make Vegan Black Bean Dip
Add all of the ingredients to your food processor.
Pulse until you have a nice, creamy mixture. Some whole beans are OK -- go with the texture that works for you!
If you can stand to wait, this dip is even tastier after sitting out for 15 to 20 minutes, so the flavors can meld. If not, dive in, friends!
🌶️ Adjusting the Heat
The secret to this recipe is a little can of chilis in adobo sauce. If you've never cracked a can of chilis in adobo before, prepare to be delighted! Just a touch of the sauce and a single pepper brings a lovely smokiness and heat to this vegan black bean dip.
And if you like things hotter, feel free to add more of the chilis! The recipe below is for a mild to medium black bean dip, because I've found that it has the most crowd appeal among my friends.
For a milder dip, remove the seeds from your chili before adding it to the food processor. You can even omit the whole chili, if you like. Just make sure you still use the liquid from the can, since it's bringing that smoky flavor to the dish!
The thing to bear in mind when you're adjusting this recipe is that it will get hotter the longer it sits. If you make it ahead, it will be a bit spicier in the morning than it was the day you made it.
You may want to do one pepper the day you make it, then add more before serving to give yourself a bit more control over the heat.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Like I mentioned, vegan black bean dip is great with chips or veggies, but that's not the only place you can use it!
- Try it as a sandwich spread with veggies and avocado.
- Use it in place of refried beans next time you make my vegan Mexican pizza.
- Stuff it into tacos with avocado fries for an easy dinner.
- Use it as a burrito filling with guacamole, rice, corn, and your favorite veggies.
- Make my air fryer taquitos with it.
Basically, anywhere you'd use hummus or refried beans, this easy black bean dip will shine. So don't relegate it just to chips!
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, black bean dip keeps for 5 to 7 days.
You can also freeze this dip! Freeze in a freezer-safe container, and thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. Stir well or toss it back into the food processor before serving, to get it nice and smooth.
Yes! This is lovely cold or at room temperature, but you can also serve it warm.
To warm up your black bean dip, pop it into the microwave (in a microwave-safe container) in 30-second increments. Stir between bursts, so it heats evenly.
Once warm, you can serve immediately or sprinkle on some vegan cheese shreds and microwave one more time to melt it.
Absolutely! Black beans on their own are totally vegan. Some recipes will call for using animal products to season the beans, but you can absolutely make flavorful vegan black beans and black bean dip.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Black Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 7 ounce can chilis in adobo sauce You'll need 1 chili and 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the can. Remove the seeds from the whole chili or omit it for less heat. Do not omit the liquid.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup packed chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to your food processor, and pulse until you have a nice, creamy mixture. Some whole beans are OK -- go with the texture that works for you!
- If you can stand to wait, this dip is even tastier after sitting out for 15 to 20 minutes, so the flavors can meld. If not, dive in, friends!
Cadry
Becky LeBeans. That's too cute. I love how easy this dip is and that the only gadget needed to make it is a fork!
Becky Striepe
Haha thank you!
Dianne
I love the name Becky LeBeans! And I love how easy it is to make this delicious dip!
Becky Striepe
Thank you! We were very proud of ourselves when we came up with the name. :D
Jes
Yum! What a perfect snack for football season :)
marilyn
Becky LeBeans! Monopoly!!!