Objectives: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data to evaluate the utility of chemical shift imaging (CSI) for differentiating between adrenal adenomas and non-adenomas. Methods: A systematic search of the MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials electronic databases was performed. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed by using the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) tool. A bivariate random effect model was used to determine summary and subgroup sensitivity and specificity and calculate summary receiver operating characteristic curves (SROC). Results: Eighteen studies with 1138 patients and 1280 lesions (859 adenomas, 421 non-adenomas) in total were included. In addition to summary analysis, quantitative analyses of the adrenal signal intensity index (SII, 978 lesions, 14 studies), adrenal-to-spleen ratio (ASR; 394 lesions, 7 studies) and visual analysis (560 lesions, 5 studies) were performed. The resultant data showed considerable heterogeneity (inconsistency index I² of 94%, based on the diagnostic odds ratio, DOR). The pooled sensitivity of CSI for adenoma was 0.94 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88–0.97] and pooled specificity was 0.95 (95% CI 0.89–0.97). The area (AUC) under the SROC curve was 0.98 (95% CI 0.96–0.99). The corresponding AUCs were 0.98, 0.99 and 0.95 for SII, ASR and visual evaluation, respectively. Conclusion: CSI has high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for adrenal adenoma. Diagnostic performance does not improve when quantitative indices are used. Key Points: • Inclusion of CSI in abdominal MRI protocols provides an effective solution for classifying adrenal masses discovered on MR exams • Visual evaluation of adrenal CSI is sufficient; use of quantitative indices does not improve diagnostic accuracy.