A super easy sweet potato chili recipe, with everything you could ever want in a quick and healthy weeknight meal!
The best sweet potato chili
This classic homemade vegetarian chili recipe has been a favorite in my family for over ten years.
Packed with delicious and wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and black beans, what’s not to love?
Leftovers freeze well too, so it’s a really great healthy recipe for meal prep!
Along with my Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies, this chili is one of the first recipes I ever made without following instructions in a cookbook.
The chili can be vegan, gluten free, Whole 30, paleo, high in protein, and oil free.
Also try these Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Chili serving suggestions
Sliced Avocado
One of these Cauliflower Recipes
Serve over rice or quinoa
Serve over spaghetti squash
Or make up a batch of Applesauce Muffins or these Oatmeal Muffins to go along with your chili.
To make the sweet potato vegetarian chili, start by peeling your sweet potatoes and chopping the onions.
(I love roasting the sweet potato before beginning, but it’s not required.)
In a large pot, bring all ingredients except the zucchini to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low, and cook uncovered (adding zucchini about halfway through) until the sweet potato is soft.
Depending on the size of the potato, it should take around 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
I haven’t tried the recipe in an instant pot, so be sure to report back if you try. There is a slow cooker chili version here: Crock Pot Sweet Potato Chili.
Add a shake of hot sauce for smoky or spicy chili, and feel free to use whatever beans you have on hand. I especially like it as black bean sweet potato chili.
Leftover Sweet Potato? Make this Sweet Potato Salad or these Sweet Potato Brownies.
Above, watch the video of how to make sweet potato chili
The recipe was adapted from my Vegetarian Chili Recipe.
Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato (10 oz)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 can black beans, or beans of choice
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup chopped zucchini, optional
- 2 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp each: cumin and salt
Instructions
- Peel sweet potato, and chop or dice, depending on desired size. (If you have time, I love roasting the sweet potato now, but it's not required.) Bring all ingredients except zucchini to a boil. Then turn to medium-low and cook uncovered (add zucchini about halfway through) until sweet potato is soft. It depends on the size of the potato but should take around 15 minutes. Taste, and add salt and pepper as desired. I add an additional 1/2 tsp salt. Serve with sliced avocado, tortilla chips, or whatever you wish.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Dinner Recipes
I actually like butternut squash in my chili – the sweetness complements the spices quite nicely.
I love your name! 🙂
I like to make sweet potato fries or hashbrowns… I’m not a huge sweet-with-sweet-potato person. I kind of like the savory with the sweet.
How many sweet potatoes (medium sized) would you say is 20oz about?
It’s hard to say, because sweet potatoes are never a specific size… but most grocery stores have food scales hanging in the produce section, so I always just weigh them there. Maybe 1-3?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweet potatoes. And I love chili. 🙂
Thanks for the savory recipe idea. We all love the sweets but I think a bit of variety splashed in here and there is awesome Katie!
Actually, i have never had sweet potatoes in a savory dish! Guess i’m sort of chicken when it comes traveling uncharted territory in terms of food. In fact we just had a sweet potato dessert yesterday night! This chilli IS calling out to me though….
Indian cooking combines sweet with savory/spicy frequently. Try it! You will love the combo.
I am so going to try your recipe! It looks delicious! I make curried roasted veggies which usually consist of sweet potatoes and/or butternut squash, brussels, red potatoes, onion, garlic cloves, carrot and parsnip. I just blend curry powder that I get from Sprouts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cinnamon. Toss the veggies with some olive oil & the seasonings & roast in the oven. They are so tasty & the leftovers are delicious in chicken barley/rice/couscous/quinoa soup! 😀
I made a sweet potato chili too recently, but I added tempeh for more bulk and protein. Love the idea of the orange zest! Will have to incorporate that next time.
Sweet potato chili sounds so good right now! I love to roast sweet potatoes. I cut them into thick slices, and then coat them with a little olive oil and sea salt. Perfect!
My favorite way to eat sweet potatotes are as fries…yum! I love this recipe and can’t wait to try it.
This chili looks amazing!! Over the Christmas holiday my sister and I invented a cornbread recipe using canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice – something our diabetic dad could enjoy. I wonder how it would taste along this lovely chili. As for sweet potatoes, I like to crinkle cut them like fries and bake them. I haven’t discovered the best dip with them, although I really like them with maple flavor. Maybe I’ll add maple to your dipping suggestion.
My husband and I love pumpkin!! But I don’t know how to make cornbread, do you have that recipe written down? Would love to try it, please…… I am diabetic also.
Mariea
Simply type in “totally addictive cornbread” into the search bar and you will get the “chocolate covered katie” cornbread recipe. There are 2 versions (see nutrition facts). Hope this helps!
this looks delicious!! i honestly love sweet potatoes any and every way you could think of… mashed, baked, roasted, fried, in soups/CHILI, etc… love, love, love sweet potatoes. i’m obviously going to try this chili out!
Oh, dear! This chili looks fantastic. Perfect for all this cold weather we’ve had (and by cold I mean the lowest it’s been is like 30? But don’t hate, I was born and raised in south west Florida!) I Definitely want to make this!
I love sweet potatoes! Homemade sp fries, sprinkled with a little brown sugar, sp hash, or just plain! I’m not a fan of regular potatoes and much prefer these little orange guys.
Oh no, I am right there with you! Texas is usually in the 30s in the mornings, and that’s plenty cold enough for me! Last year it once got down to -4… YUCK times a million! 😉
This looks delicious – the perfect time of year for chili! I love sweet potatoes in any form: fries, mashed, baked, anything you can think of!
I love savoury recipes from you if they’re like this! Sweet potatoes are a must in my house and I do a similar chili to this one but I might just try your version for a change! Looks phenomenal 🙂
Oh. My. God. This is awesome! I LOVEEEEE sweet potatoes, and I love chili so this is perfect. I bake often, but I don’t normally cook unless its a single serving dish just for me. This recipe is definitely going to change that!
i like them plain just baked. or in breads or oatmeal without adding sugar
Mmm yup I love throwing sweet potatoes in chilli, one of my favorite fall meals. I’ve also done it with pumpkin which is just as tasty.
OOOH I am totally making this 🙂
How many sweet potatoes (and what size) would you say is 20 oz?
It’s hard to say, because sweet potatoes are never a specific size… but most grocery stores have food scales hanging in the produce section, so I always just weigh them there.