Sweet potato chili is a hearty, one pot dinner that comes together in about 40 minutes on the stovetop, no slow cooker required. It’s built on lean ground beef, cubed sweet potatoes, and black beans, simmered with cumin, smoked paprika, and coriander until the sweet potatoes are fork tender and the broth has thickened into something you want to scoop up with cornbread. Unlike a lot of sweet potato chili recipes that go fully vegetarian, this one keeps the protein high with ground beef.
The chili my family actually asks for seconds of
I’ve made a lot of versions of this chili since I first posted it, and I keep coming back to the same choice: ground beef instead of the all-vegetarian, beans-and-sweet-potato-only version you’ll find on most food blogs. I love a vegetarian chili, but this one is our favorite.
A few readers have asked over the years whether this recipe used to include ground turkey. It did, and it still works beautifully if that’s what you have on hand or what your family prefers. I switched my go to version to beef because it holds up better after a day or two in the fridge, but I’ve tested this with ground turkey plenty of times and it’s just as good, just a touch lighter.
If you’re serving a crowd, I like to set this out with a basket of my Gluten Free Cornbread on the side, it’s sturdy enough to hold up to a ladle of chili without falling apart. And if chili season has you cooking through the whole fall lineup, my Slow Cooker Chicken Chili is the hands off version I make when I want dinner to cook itself.
Thomas isn’t a spicy food kid, so I keep the red pepper flakes light in the base recipe and let everyone add their own heat at the table. That’s also why you won’t find cayenne in my ingredient list even though a few readers remember it from an older version, I took it out on purpose.
All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ground Beef: I use extra lean ground beef here because it browns well without leaving the pot greasy. I’ve tested this with ground turkey and ground chicken too, both work, but I find beef holds its texture best after the chili sits in the fridge for a day, which matters since this is one of those recipes that tastes even better as leftovers.
Sweet Potatoes: Cut these into one inch cubes, not smaller. I tested a smaller dice once and the sweet potato basically dissolved into the broth by the time the beef and everything else cooked through, which left the chili starchy instead of chunky. One inch pieces hold their shape through the full 15 minute simmer.
Black Beans: I add these last, not at the start with everything else. If they simmer the full 15 minutes alongside the sweet potatoes, they break down and turn the chili mushy. Stirring them in during the last five minutes keeps them intact.
Beef Broth: This is what separates my version from the all vegetable broth chilis you’ll see elsewhere, it gives the base more depth since there’s already meat in the pot. Chicken or vegetable broth works fine in a pinch, but I recommend beef broth if you have it.
How to Make This Sweet Potato Chili Recipe
Note before Step 1: You’ll need a large pot or Dutch oven for this recipe, no slow cooker or special equipment needed. Have your vegetables and sweet potatoes prepped before you start, since the first few steps move quickly.
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. I let it heat for about a minute before adding anything. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the onion steams instead of sautéing, and you lose the flavor base that a proper sauté builds.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot, and sauté for about 3 minutes. You’re looking for the onion to turn translucent, not browned. This is the base of the chili’s flavor, so I don’t rush this step even on a busy night.
3. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer. Garlic burns fast, so I add it after the other vegetables have already softened, never at the same time. Thirty seconds is enough to release the flavor without turning it bitter.
4. Add the ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon as it browns, about 5 minutes. I break it into small, even pieces here rather than large chunks. Smaller pieces means the beef distributes through the whole pot instead of clumping in bites.
5. Add the sweet potato, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, and spices. Stir everything together so the sweet potato cubes are fully submerged in the liquid, this is what cooks them evenly.
6. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to low for about 15 minutes. I always test a sweet potato cube with a fork at the 12 minute mark. You want it tender enough to give with light pressure but not falling apart, since it’ll continue softening slightly even after you turn off the heat.
7. Stir in the black beans and let them warm through, about 5 minutes. I add these last so they stay whole instead of breaking down into the broth.
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve. I always taste right before serving because the sweet potato absorbs a surprising amount of salt as it cooks, what tasted seasoned at step 5 often needs a bit more by the end.
Recipe Tips
Brown the beef properly before adding liquid. If you add the broth too early, the beef steams instead of browns, and you lose the deeper flavor that browning builds. Give it the full five minutes.
Taste before you serve, not just before you simmer. Sweet potato pulls a surprising amount of salt out of the broth as it cooks. I always adjust the seasoning one more time right at the end.
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
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. 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.
Notes
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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I wish I planned more slow cooker meals for these snow days I’m stuck working at home! This would have been perfect!
I LOVE sweet potato chili! This looks so warm and cozy!
I love chili! And love making it the slow cooker. I think I make it at least twice a month. During the Fall I make a Pumpkin Chili, but never made a Sweet Potato one before. Will try it next time chili is in the menu!! Thank you for the delicious recipe, my friend.
I just bought a huge bag of sweet potatoes at Costco (like, 20 pounds), and am now putting sweet potatoes in everything! I can’t wait to make this chili!
This looks so comforting and delicious! Chili is our faovrite especially when it’s been so cold out lately. Love the sweet potatoes and turkey in here!
Simple and delicious!
I don’t use sweet potatoes as much as I should. This slow cooker chili looks fabulous!! So healthy…
What a gorgeous chili, Olivia! Love the sweet potatoes in here. Sounds delish!
I’ve been making chili at least once every other week this winter! This version looks delicious with the sweet potato – one of my very favorites!
Hi Olivia, the other Olivia (from Olivia’s cuisine) told me about you. What a beautiful work you are doing here. Nice to see another ‘Ribas’ doing food blog. This sweet potato chilli seems scrumptious, it is now on my to do list!! Beijos Georgina
Perfect dish for a cold winter evening. It’s so colorful it brings happiness at home on rainy days!
1) I love slow cooker meals
2) I love… LOVE chili
3) Sweet potatoes rock my socks
In conclusion… gimme this chili! Bookmarking so I remember to make this!
Sounds like something I will really enjoy. I wish that this and all of the other recipes listed the nutritional values.
This is so warm and hearty! We love it here! Do you think it would freeze well?
yes for sure!
Made this last night, and WOW it is delicious! I have enough chili to last me a full week of cold, rainy days. Thank you!
You are so welcome, Vivian 😉 I am glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Well, this recipe looks good, but enough kudos for the chef! Did anyone actually make this dish, and have some constructive criticsm or suggestions in order to improve it?
Sorry, that came off a little coarse. It’s a good looking recipe, and inspired me to buy some ingredients I don’t usually use. I’ll let everyone know how it goes!
This dish came out very nicely. A few notes: 1) it doesn’t seem necessary to mix the ingredients after tossing them into the slow cooker one by one. 2) I’d recommend tasting whole cumin and coriander before finding/adding to the browning step (not the slow cooker step) 3) I used chunky canned tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.
I’m gonna try this again today and substitute beef for turkey, and toss in some chipotle for a kick.
Thanks, and happy cooking!
Brandon, thanks for your notes. Chunky canned tomatoes is a great replace for tomato sauce. I made this recipe one time with chunky tomatoes and it worked well. Let me know how this recipe will taste with beef instead.
just wondering Brandon how this recipe turned out using beef instead of turkey??
Hi Wanda! I’m happy to report that it turned out quite well. The beef tended to retain more of the juices that stewed along with it after browning. When I attempted the recipe with lean turkey, the meat stayed dry even after cooking with all of the other ingredients for 8 hours. It was still good, but the texture was a little inconsistent to my liking. If you’d like to experiment, perhaps you can try doing a 50/50 mix of beef/turkey- I’ll bet it’d be pretty tasty! Lets us know 🙂
Brendon ? please shut up arguing with yourself. This chilli was great considering how easy it is to make, thanks for the recipe.
Use the leftovers for nachos, add guacamole, tortilla chips and sour cream. Amazing.
*brandon.
Thanks for the clarification, Scott.
As I said earlier, I felt like my initial comment came off with a little too much cynicism than was intended. This was mostly because I felt like others were just commenting on the photos and not the recipe itself. It tends to be a common trend these days- there are more cooking shows on than ever before, yet we have this historically low number of people actually doing the cooking! One can find evidence of this fact in the comments section of a simple recipe online, for example. With this in mind, I give you credit for putting the dish together.
That being said, Scott- I’d recommend refraining from any meager attempts to offend those who are having a constructive discussion about an art form such as cooking. If you choose not to follow that advice, of course that’s no skin off my back. After all, I apologized for any miscommunication some 8 months ago. However, if you do choose to troll, perhaps you could redeem yourself by exercising some originality when offering an adaptation of the given recipe so that it could present a boon to all who see the conversation. Perhaps, even, something beyond the fascinating and ingenious personal discovery you had when you made nachos.
In short, it appears you have some lessons to learn in and out of the kitchen. Good luck.
May I ask what kind of ground turkey you used? Was it packaged ground turkey? I never have good luck with ground turkey or chicken. Thank you!
It was packaged ground Turkey, Stephanie.
It’s truly very complex in this busy life to listen news on Television, so I
only use the web for that reason, and get the most recent information.
My daughter and I both loved this chili! Absolutely delicious flavor! Only issue I had was it took longer to cook as my crock pot is a 6 qt one so I had to turn up the heat and cook for a few more hours before the sweet potatoes were cooked, as it was only half full. Also recipe doesn’t say when to add the bell pepper so I added them in step two, with the onion and garlic.
I made this tonight, substituting green peppers for the red because I forgot to buy red. It was FABULOUS! My whole family ate it and loved it!!
That’s awesome! I am so glad to hear that.Thanks for stopping by and giving me your feedback 😉