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
Added some chickpeas and corn! Absolutely delicious! -Belinda Kotler, RD
Wow! Made it for dinner tonight, it was fabulous. I did only put 2 tsp of Chili powder in tho cause I’m a big time wus when it comes to spicy foods. I would love to see more savory recipes as well! Ive made your mushroom stroganoff a few times too 🙂
I think I eat about 5 or 6 sweet potatoes a week. Everything from cutting into wedges, baking (and broiling for a black crisp) and drizzling with apple cider vinegar, to using as a base to pile chili, cooked veggies, etc. on top of. Yum!
baked with greek yogurt, SP fries with a little olive oil salt pepper chili powder and goat cheese fondue, sweet potato polenta, doused in whipped cream and cinnamon… as you can tell I eat sweet potatoes almost everyday! This chili-lovin’ girl Can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂
yumm!!!
Can’t wait to try this! 😀
As my friend would say that isn’t real texan chili lol. She teases me and calls me a yankee for putting beans in chili. I’m sorry, but I love it and when I lived in Texas I still put beans in it lol. Never thought of sweet potatoes though it looks so good!
So, I have this on the stove cooking right now. Can’t wait to dig in.
Made this for dinner. It was AMAZING! Boyfriend gave it RAVE reviews. He wants me to make it for his chili cookoff at work this year. 🙂
I only made a couple of tiny changes. I added a little more chili powder, and since my store was out of zucchini (how does that happen??) I used yellow squash. YUMMERS!
Will be making this again for sure! Thanks for the savory recipe Katie!
I was actually at Whole Foods once when they were out of zucchini! Can you believe it?! I mean, it’s Whole Foods!
And the guy said they’d been out all day! (No worries… it’s not like they don’t have a million other veggies to choose from! ;))
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was SOOO delicious! Even my husband (who thinks he needs meat at every meal lol) loved it. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe 🙂
Oh husbands 🙂 🙂
I am so so happy you liked it!
I made this for dinner and it was delicious!! I added mushrooms and raisins. The raisins put it over the top. My husband loved it too. Thanks very much for this recipe, Katie.
You’re on to something with sweet potatoes with vanilla frosting. I made this for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, and it was really good. Tastes like an orange creamsicle: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000589.html
This recipe looks awesome! I cant wait to try it! ( i love that its vegetarian friendly too 🙂 )
Hi Katie, I made this tonight and it was SO yummy! I doubled the recipe and have lots of leftovers 🙂 I look forward to making other recipes of yours 🙂
I’m going to try this today! I wonder what it would taste like with a bit of nutritional yeast…?
YES! I LOVE cornbread and would love to see a recipe for cornbread on your site!! 🙂
Made and loved this! Thanks!