Sweet potato chili is the ultimate, healthy comfort food. This hearty recipe is packed full of nutritious vegetables, legumes, lean protein and delicious seasonings. It comes together in under an hour, perfect for a busy weeknight. Plus, it tastes even better the next day and makes the best, easy lunch.
There’s truly nothing better than a big bowl of warm chili on a cold fall or winter night. When the crisp air makes it difficult to warm up, a hot meal is ideal. Not to mention, it’ll make your home smell like a dream as it simmers away on the stovetop.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll certainly be making gluten-free chili and soup to enjoy all throughout the cold months! Thankfully, I’ve got a lot of recipes to get you through the season. Be sure to check out my Slow Cooker Chicken Chili, Butternut Squash Chili, Healthy Meatball Soup or this classic Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe.
How To Make Chili With Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil — Avocado oil is another good option.
- Veggies — Onion, red bell pepper, celery, carrots and fresh garlic.
- Protein — I normally use lean ground beef, but ground turkey or chicken also work well in this recipe.
- Sweet potatoes — Naturally sweet potatoes pair perfectly with savory spices and veggies. Cut them in inch cubes.
- Tomato — Canned, diced tomatoes with juices and a cup of tomato sauce.
- Beef broth — Vegetable or chicken broth can be substituted in a pinch.
- Seasonings — Red pepper flakes, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, salt and black pepper. If you like a spicy chili, you can also add chili powder, ground chipotle or adobo sauce.
- Black beans — Drained and rinsed.
- Chopped Fresh Cilantro — Optional for garnish, you can also include some chopped green onion and/or tortilla chips! And don’t forget to squeeze a little bit of lime juice before serving.
Instructions
Prep work:
- Start by dicing onion, bell pepper, celery and carrots into small pieces.
- Finely mince 2 fresh cloves of garlic.
- Peel and dice sweet potato into small, even cubes.
- Drain and rinse your can of black beans.
Sauté veggies and meat:
- Measure olive oil into a large pot on the stovetop and turn heat to medium-high. Add diced veggies and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the onion softens and starts to become translucent.
- Add minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer.
- Add ground beef and break it apart with a spoon while it browns.
Add remaining ingredients:
- Once beef is fully browned, add all other ingredients (except for black beans) and stir until well combined.
- Turn heat to high until the mixture begins to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Add beans:
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- Last, add drained and rinsed black beans to the pot. Stir well and let the beans warm through, this will about 5 minutes.
Serve:
- Finally, garnish chili with chopped cilantro and green onions, if desired.
- Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- When you dice up your sweet potatoes, try your best to cut them into small, even sized pieces. This will help with quick, uniform cooking.
- If you’re feeling adventurous, you can play around with the ingredients in this flexible sweet potato black bean chili! Try kidney or pinto beans instead of black beans or substitute a different color bell pepper. You can also add other veggies like zucchini or chopped cauliflower.
- If you like spicy food, you can add some more heat to this recipe with a freshly diced jalapeno, extra red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- If you’re worried about high salt content, choose a low-sodium broth for your chili.
- This recipe is dairy free, but if you’re not following a no-dairy diet, this chili is delicious when topped with a bit of shredded cheese or sour cream.
How To Store Leftover Sweet Potato Chili
- To Store: Allow leftovers to cool completely and place them in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Reheat your chili in the microwave (be sure to cover it with a paper towel so it doesn’t splatter everywhere)! You can also reheat it in a pot, on the stovetop, over medium heat until warmed through.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet potatoes are delicious, nutritious and a great ingredient to include in your meal planning on a regular basis. Here are some recipes for inspiration:
- Sweet Potato Green Beans Shrimp Skillet
- Spicy Salmon Sweet Potato Skillet
- Sweet Potato Chicken Soup Recipe
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Adding sweet potatoes to chili results in a spicy and sweet flavor combination that is undeniably delicious. You can use orange, white or even purple sweet potatoes!
If you feel like your chili doesn’t have enough flavor, you can add some more salt and seasonings. Keep in mind that the longer chili sits, the more flavorful it gets. This is because ingredients have time to marinate in all of the various spices.
Yes, you should always drain and rinse canned beans before adding them to chili.
Chili is normally quite thick, but it’s really up to your personal preference!
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Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 2 cups sweet potato diced
- 1 cup (10 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 1 can (19 oz/540 ml) black beans drained and rinsed
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
- Add onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot and sauté for 3 minutes, then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds longer.
- Add ground beef and cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Add sweet potato, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, red pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Stir mixture, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 15 mins or until the sweet potato is tender.
- Add black beans and allow to heat all the way through, about 5 minutes.
- Before serving, 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.
- Use another color of bell pepper, if desired.
- Feel free to swap black beans for kidney beans or pinto beans.
- Add diced jalapeno, extra red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper for extra spiciness.
- Use low sodium broth if you’re worried about salt.
- This recipe is dairy free but if desired, you can top with cheese or sour cream!
- 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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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 😉