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
InstructionsÂ
- 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
LOVE this recipe! I have made it twice so far, the first time I made it for an annual Halloween party where everyone brings a different soup, many people in my family are becoming more health conscious and everyone loved it! My aunts have been making it and raving about it! I also just made a big pot for my roommates and substituted roasted corn for the zucchini and served it over quinoa. It was a perfect fall meal and got the approval of all three of my carnivorous roommates! Thanks Katie!
This chili was seriously amazing, I love the orange zest in it! I shared it on my most recent meal plan, thank you!
made this today and it was delicious!!! a few additions, though 🙂
i cooked the onion ( and added some garlic) in some olive oil for a couple of minutes, before adding the other vegies
i also added a chopped carrot and a handful of baby spinach (as i had these lying around in the fridge)
i didn;t have orange zest, but added some tumeric and corriander powder for extra flavour
and the only canned beans i had were chickpeas so i used those instead of black beans
thanks for a greast recipe!!! it was DELICIOUS!!!!
Wow Katie….looks like this chili was a big hit…it is thanksgiving time and I was looking for sweet potato recipes for a change…I really like sweet potatoes in any form….I’m also vegan and gluten and dairy sensitive so I’m looking to find some great recipes because I really enjoy being in the kitchen….I also see you have a corn bread recipe which looks yummy….think i’llmake these for christmas to bring and share with family who are not vegan…thanks for sharing your recipes…and all the great comments give lots of ideas for experimenting. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Thank YOU!
I just started being a vegetarian about a month ago and this recipe looks right up my alley!
I love sweet potatoes so much, I could probably eat them every day! I like to microwave them and top them with almond butter and cinnamon (So delicious- I can eat that for breakfast, lunch, or dinner)
I made this for a group of friends the other night, and it was a big hit! This chili is absolutely delicious. The only thing I changed was that I made it in the crock pot overnight, refrigerated it during the day so that it could absorb the flavors, and then reheated it for my guests. Incredible. Thank you for the recipe.
I made this for dinner tonight. I’m not a huge sweet potato fan, but I loved this! Everyone in my family loved it, and it’s going into the regular dinner rotation. The whole house smelled yummy and amazing when this was cooking. Next time I might add some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (we like things spicy around here! :D), but wow, this was good. Thank you for such a great recipe. Your whole blog has made my transitioning to kicking the animals out of my diet much easier and delicious to boot! 🙂
Oh My!! I just made your chili. Divine. The orange zest compliments it. Looking forward to more tomorrow when it sits overnight. Thank you. Just ran across your blog this week and am so very happy!
YUMMY!!! Made this for lunch today and it’s a winner!
This is honestly one of my favorite recipes ever. I love adding a bag of kale at the end, it adds a nutrient punch and it is just SO GOOD. I usually add a bit of cayenne, a dash of cinnamon, a buttload of pepper, and cumin seeds, and I never have oranges so I usually omit that (though I’m sure it’s delicious!! One day I will have an orange on hand!) Wonderful over quinoa.