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This sweet potato chili recipe is a family favorite! It’s a delicious healthy dinner recipe that’s hearty enough that you won’t miss the meat.
There’s really nothing better than a great chili recipe when the weather get a chill, and here I’ve got my new favorite: sweet potato chili! The sweet potatoes bring body and a mellow sweetness that pairs perfectly with the chili powder.
I’ve made a lot of vegetarian and vegan chili recipes, and this one always has people coming back for more! Leftovers are delicious and it’s the perfect make-ahead fall meal.
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was absolutely delicious! Sweet, smoky and bold with just the right amount of heat. Great with a squeeze of lime and fresh cilantro in individual bowls. By far my favorite chili recipe yet!” -Tamara
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Before you dismiss this as yet another chili recipe, let us convince you on why this vegetarian sweet potato chili should be on your “must make” list:
- It’s vegetarian, but you won’t miss the meat. If you’re looking for a chili that’s not loaded with meat, this is it.
- It’s healthy, loaded with vegetables like sweet potatoes, a superfood high in nutrients.
- It’s seriously tasty, with complexity from chili secrets like cocoa powder and balsamic vinegar.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Most of this comes from the pantry, but a few ingredients do the heavy lifting:
- Sweet potatoes: Clean them and then chop into a ½-inch dice. No need to peel them; the skins soften and add a little texture.
- Red onion and green bell peppers: Red onion cooks down a little mellower than yellow. Green peppers keep it savory.
- Garlic: There’s quite a bit of garlic, but it infuses a savory flavor needed for a plant-based chili.
- Diced tomatoes: Make sure to use this liquid: this will be part of the body of the chili.
- Beans: You can use pinto, black, or kidney beans: whatever is in your cupboard!
- Corn: Fresh, canned or frozen work (I most often use canned).
- Chili powder, cumin, and cayenne: The seasoning backbone.
- Cocoa powder and balsamic vinegar: These two secret ingredients add depth!
- Masa harina: Optional, but it thickens the chili and adds a subtle corn flavor.
Tips For Sweet Potato Chili
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making it:
- It makes a huge pot. This one is perfect for feeding a crowd (we’re of the opinion that chili should only be made in massive quantities). It makes enough for 8 servings.
- It’s plant-based (vegan). If you keep the garnishes vegan like with Vegan Sour Cream, this is also a plant-based chili! But you can absolutely top with cheese and sour cream.
- Use canned or dried beans. For the beans in this sweet potato chili recipe, you can use any type you’d like: make it a sweet potato black bean chili, or use pinto and chili beans. You also can cook up a pot of your own beans: we cooked our own dried beans using our Dutch oven method. You can also try our Instant Pot black beans method.
Variations And Substitutions
- Make it a sweet potato chili with ground beef or ground chicken. Brown one pound of ground beef or turkey with the onions and peppers, drain the fat, then continue as written.
- Add smoked paprika. A teaspoon alongside the cumin gives it underlying smoky notes.
- Dial the heat down. If kids are eating, start with 2 tablespoons and skip the cayenne entirely.
- Use the slow cooker. Sauté the vegetables first, then transfer everything to a slow cooker on low for 6 to 7 hours. Stir in the masa slurry and vinegar during the last 30 minutes.
Chili Topping Ideas
As any chili lover knows, garnishes are key. Alex and I liked the taste right out of the pot, but we loved it with hot sauce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions. Make sure not to skimp on the toppings! Here are my favorite chili toppings:
- Sour cream or vegan sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Sliced green onions or minced red onion
- Roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Minced red onion
- Vegan nacho cheese
- Canned pickled jalapenos or Homemade Pickled Jalapeños
- Pickled onions
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
Sides To Serve With Sweet Potato Chili
I love to serve chili with the classic cornbread! I’d recommend my fan favorite Homemade Cornbread, Classic Cornbread Muffins, Skillet Cornbread, or Vegan Cornbread. It’s so tender and moist, and seriously easy to whip up. I heartily recommend it!
You could also add a green salad like my Chopped Salad, or check out my best sides to go with chili!
Storage And Freezing Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Like most chili, it’s better on day two once the flavors meld.
This chili freezes well for up to 3 months. The overall texture is a little softer, but it still tastes great.
Dietary Notes
This sweet potato chili recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant based, dairy free, gluten-free, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free.
Best Sweet Potato Chili
This sweet potato chili recipe is a family favorite! It’s a delicious healthy dinner recipe that’s hearty enough that you won’t miss the meat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 28-ounce canned diced tomatoes
- 3 15-ounce cans pinto, black, or pinto beans, or 4 ½ cups cooked chili beans, cooked using this method
- 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup masa harina (optional)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
- Garnishes: Hot sauce, sour cream (or vegan sour cream or cashew cream), sliced green onions, shredded cheese
Instructions
- Dice the onion. Dice the green pepper. Dice the sweet potatoes into a small dice (cubes about 1/2-inch thick). Make sure to cut the sweet potatoes as directed so they cook quickly and to obtain the correct chili consistency. Mince the garlic.
- In a large Dutch oven or stockpot (at least 5 quarts), heat the olive oil. Sauté onion, peppers and sweet potatoes on medium-high heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Then turn down the heat to medium low.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes and their liquid, beans, corn, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, cocoa powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir, then cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After the 25 minutes, mix the masa harina with ½ cup water and stir it together in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the chili to thicken, and cook 10 minutes more. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Season with additional kosher salt and pepper to taste.
- Thinly slice the green onions. Divide the chili into individual bowls and garnish with hot sauce, sour cream, green onions, and sour cream. Store leftovers refrigerated or freeze for up to 3 months.
Made this tonight, and it was lovely. We’ll have a ton of leftovers.
We are having a Chili bash for friends and am looking forward to including this recipe.
On a personal note, are you any part of the Overhiser/Galbreaths families in Michigan? My husband Joseph is of the Galbreath side.
Thanks so much, Barbara Galbreath
We are related to some Overhisers in Michigan but it goes back a bit.
Great
I made this chili today and it was delicious. The only thing I would watch out for is the amount of chili powder in the recipe. I LOVE spicy, but because my 2 toddlers were going to be eating this as well, so I used about 1-1/2 tablespoons of chili powder and omitted the cayenne, and I was sweating! Needless to say, I’ll be enjoying this one my own. Next time I’ll leave the spice out for the little ones.
This was absolutely delicious! Sweet, smoky and bold with just the right amount of heat. Great with a squeeze of lime and fresh cilantro in individual bowls. By far my favorite chili recipe yet!
So glad you enjoyed it!
You mention to be sure to cut sweet potatoes as directed but my recipe had no info on how to prep the 1 1/2 lbs of potatoes. Please share this part of the recipe. Thank you.
The vegetable prep is part of step 1! “Dice the sweet potatoes into a small dice (cubes about 1/2-inch thick).”
It was hearty and delicious.
Do the sweet potatoes need to be peeled?
No!
Followed the recipe exactly except for the amount and cooking method of sweet potatoes – doubled and oven-roasted. An excellent recipe. Well balanced and the cocoa and vinegar are perfect additions.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Does this freeze well. We loved it but this was way more than we could eat
It does freeze well! The sweet potatoes get a little softer when frozen but it’s still tasty. You can freeze for up to 3 months. Let us know how it holds up!
would this work in the crock pot?
We haven’t tried, sorry!
I’ve made this recipe twice in the last few weeks and both times it turned out delicious! I made a few minor adjustments based on preference and what I had on hand, I added a pound of ground turkey and cooked it with the onion, bell pepper and sweet potato. Then at the end I added a slurry of corn starch and water in place of the masa harina. Overall very yummy, filling meal! Oh and I paired it with your best homemade cornbread recipe, also a winner! Thanks again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed :)
Is there a substitute for masa harina? Can i use cornmeal or flour?
You can use fine ground cornmeal as a substitute! Or you can leave it out — it will just a be a little less thick: but still delicious!
This is very good, thanks! I added a rib of celery and two small carrots, just to sneak in more veggies. I ran out of regular chili powder and finished up with chipotle chili powder, which might have made it a tiny bit spicier, but i love the slight smokiness that added. Just used water, no broth. Also added a can of chopped green chilies. I made a special trip to store for the masa stuff. It does make a lot – we will freeze some of it!
Photo on my instagram with your hashtag.
LOL – i just read that CAMILLE did the same thing!
Love that you added green chilis — the perfect chili add in. Thanks for making it and glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this because I had been eyeing it for a couple weeks and needed a quick lunch without having to go to the store. I didn’t have bell pepper or masa and it was still very good. I did a bit of chipotle chili powder mixed with the regular and I halved the recipe. This is the first – I anticipate of many – recipe of yours I have tried and I’m impressed! Can’t wait to do your 28-day vegan meal plan.
What a kind comment — thank you so much Camille! We’re so glad you enjoyed the chili. And we’re excited you’re interested in the vegan meal plan — let us know if you try out the meal plan and what you think!!
Tried this out today and it was delicious! Love how nicely the cocoa powder blends with it.
Oh my my mouth won’t quit watering! Awesome recipe!
Making this tonight! (sans sweet potato because it’s not as well loved by everyone in this house as it is by me). Great recipe and beautiful photos, as always. Thanks for sharing!
Hope you enjoy! Though, you should just stick in the sweet potatoes and tell him to deal with it ;)
I’m going to make this for a potluck next Saturday night. I know chili is often better the next day. Would you recommend I make this the day before and reheat it for the potluck? Thanks for the recipe! I love sweet potatoes.
It’s finally starting to feel like Fall around here (Northern Nevada) and this was great for a chilly evening. Took a while to put together, especially chopping the sweet potatoes in a small dice, but really tasty. I cut everything in half (except I forgot to do that for the broth, but I kind of liked that there was a little bit of soupy-ness to this.) Topped with sliced scallions, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and a garlic hot sauce that gave it a nice kick. I also used canned pinto beans because I didn’t have time to cook dry beans. There was plenty of soup to serve 5 people (large portions too!)
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! I am already looking forward to leftovers. Quick question: is 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes correct in your recipe? That was one small potato on my scale and it looked lonely so I used 1 1/2 lbs instead. My dutch oven was full almost to the brim with everything in there, but I loved the ample sweet potato presence.
Thank you so much for this catch! Yes, it was 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potato. I’ve updated the recipe accordingly! Thank you so much and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I love veggie chili! This one looks particularly delicious :)
With my strong Latina blood I can easily have beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner and then do it all again the nest day.
This recipe looks LOVELY. And the pictures are stunning.
Thanks for sharing
Kimberly
This looks so good! I have never used sweet potato in Chili before, I guess it is time for me to start!
How fun to host the commercial. It’s great that you can work with a local business owner, and if the result is this delicious chili, so much the better!
Oooh, so cool they used your home/kitchen for the commercial. I loved watching it. And black bean and sweet potato chili is my favorite. I was thinking of making it this weekend in fact. I love that you add masa harina to yours. Great idea!
I am big fan of white bean chilli with green peppers but any will do as long as it has tangy cheese on it.
SO comforting and perfect for hearty supper!
Ooh, I often have the TV tuned to the food network when I’m in my hotel room so I will look out for your kitchen! How exciting (and surreal!). I love me a good veggie chili and this looks like it’s packed with so much flavour. Will definitely be making this asap!
All I want for dinner these days is to curl up with a big comforting bowl of soup. This recipe would be perfect. Looks delicious!
Ooooh this sounds soooo good! I was just eating sweet potato the other day, and I thought to myself about just how good it tastes, and how it goes with everything. LOVE the idea of using it in chili! This would be the perfect meal as the temperature drops!
That looks heavenly. I’ve been right in the mood of chilli this week. I must make some soon and try out your version.