This Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili is made with a mixture of extra-lean ground turkey, sweet potato, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and beans. It is a perfect hearty bowl of chili for a cold day!
For me, there’s nothing that says “winter” like a bowl of slow cooker chili. These days have been very cold and the only thing I would like to eat is warm and comforting foods like chili. So here I am again with one more chili recipe, but this time, I tried to make it even healthier by adding sweet potato. I also used extra-lean ground turkey since it has lower fat content.
I would have never thought that sweet potatoes would be good in a chili, but they are really tasty! It makes it slightly sweet and I love my chili just a bit sweet. It’s also thick and meaty, full of beans, and sweet potatoes that are simmered in a hearty tomato-based sauce in the slow cooker. This time I made a double batch and my husband and I ate it for lunch all week. But you can also freeze the extras for a busy night or for lunches.
I love using ground turkey in recipes as it’s a delicious lean option. Check out my Extra-lean Turkey Chili with Kale that uses turkey as well!

For this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili recipe, I used my slow cooker that has an awesome automatic switch to warm and comes with this Little Dipper for warming dips and keeping sauces at desirable serving temperature. I totally love my slow cooker to make delicious and comforting food especially now that the weather is really cold.
Want another slow cooker recipe? Try my Super Easy Slow Cooker Chili, Easy Whole30 Sweet Potato Chili, or any of the chilis in this Top 30 Healthy Chili Recipes You Must Try This Fall post.
Want to browse all of my healthy recipe posts? Follow my Primavera Kitchen Board on Pinterest!!! I also have great Pinterest Boards such as Healthy Dinner, Healthy Pasta Meal, Healthy Slow Cooker Meals and Soups and Stews. I hope you enjoy all the delicious and healthy recipes I have there!!
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Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb extra-lean ground turkey
- 1 cup red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 cups sweet potato diced
- 1 can (19 oz/ 540 ml) diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 1 can (19 oz/540 ml) red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- Chopped green onions for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds longer.
- Add extra-lean ground turkey and cook, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Pour browned ground turkey into slow cooker.
- Add red bell pepper, celery, carrots, sweet potato, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup chicken broth, red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Stir mixture, cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 5 - 6 hours.
- Add red kidney beans and allow to heat all the way through, about 10 minutes.
- Top with green onions.
Tips
- Make sure to cut your sweet potatoes as evenly as possible. You can buy pre-cut sweet potatoes if you want to save some time.
- Feel free to swap the kidney beans for black beans or pinto beans.
- You can use low sodium broth if you're worried about salt.
- To store: To store leftovers, transfer the chili to an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: You can reheat chili in the microwave or stovetop.
- To freeze: Freeze chili in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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Try one more Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes!
Ginger says
2 tsp of red pepper flakes is too much. I only used 1 and it was too hot.
Olivia says
It’s because my family and I love spicy food. But I am happy you didn’t add 2 tsp. It would be a lot for you. Next time you can add only 1/2 teaspoon. Thanks for stopping by 😉
Jennifer says
Great recipe! Had to add some sugar to it!! Chilli was way too spicy! However the sauce never thickened!!! Sweet potatoes never cooked! Had to put it on high for the last hour! Very hearty! More like eating minestrone not chili!
Olivia says
Sorry to hear you had few issues with this recipe, Jennifer. I really don’t know why this happened because I always make this recipe and it always ends up well.
Trina says
I just bought a crockpot and this was my first ever recipe. Wow, turned out GREAT!! Thank you!
Olivia says
Wonderful! Happy to hear that 😉
Jenn G. says
I meant, when do you add the red BELL pepper?
Olivia says
When you add the celery. I just adjusted the recipe to clear further confusion. Thanks for pointing it out!
Brander says
What size slow cooker did you use?
Olivia says
It’s a 6-Quart Slow Cooker.
Brander says
If I have a 4.5 quart, do I need to cut down the recipe at all?
Olivia says
No you will be totally fine 😉
caz says
When it says tomato sauce, is this ketchup or chopped tomatoes?
Olivia says
Any tomato sauce of you preference. It’s not ketchup. I have a tomato sauce recipe here for you to take a look.
paige says
if my squash is frozen but cooked – can i put this recipe on high for four hours?
Olivia says
Sorry, Paige. I’m not totally sure. But I think it may work.
Lindsey says
I scrolled most of the comments and didn’t see the answer to my question- how many cups is a serving? I am planning to make this for meal prep for about 10 people and need to know if I should keep the recipe as is or count on double servings…thank you for your help!
Olivia says
It about 10 cups. Hope it helps 😉