Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili
Extraordinary vegetarian chili containing sweet potatoes, black and pinto beans, peppers and cocoa powder. A wonderfully delicious, hearty & healthy vegan meal.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 22, 2024
Hearty, healthy, and the kitchen sink of recipes, a bowl of steaming chili is the perfect cold weather entrée. While I was home for Christmas, I flipped through my mom’s copy of Real Simple magazine and came across a recipe for vegetarian chili with sweet potatoes. “Sweet potatoes and veggie chili?” I thought. “Two of my favorite foods, together?!” The recipe shot to the top of my mental to-cook list as I tore out the pages for safekeeping.
Usually when I make veggie chili, I’ll use all the vegetables I have on hand, and throw in whatever kind of beans and tomatoes that are in my pantry. This time around, I mostly followed the recipe, and it turned out fabulously.
Have you ever tried sweet potatoes in your chili before? You must, I insist!
Watch How to Make Sweet Potato Chili
Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili
Extraordinary vegetarian chili containing sweet potatoes, black and kidney beans, peppers and cocoa powder. A wonderfully delicious, hearty & healthy vegan meal. Recipe yields 6 bowls.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced, or 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less, depending on how spicy you like your chili)
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with their juices*
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked kidney beans
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- Suggested garnishes: sour cream, grated cheese, thinly sliced green onions and/or chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a 4-to-6 quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped vegetables (onion, peppers and sweet potatoes) and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start turning translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and spices (chili powder, cumin, cayenne, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and another dash of salt and pepper) and liquid ingredients (tomatoes, beans and broth), and stir. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has reduced to a heartier consistency, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- If you would like an even thicker consistency, use a potato masher to mash the chili until the texture suits your preferences. Season chili with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the chili into individual bowls, garnish as desired and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Real Simple.
*A note on canned tomatoes: I’m concerned about the BPA levels in canned tomato goods and avoid canned tomato products as best I can. I recommend using Muir Glen canned tomatoes because their cans are BPA-free.
Slow cooker/Crockpot option: This chili should turn out well after cooking on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Le Creuset for 25 bucks? Score, indeed! It looks so good. You seem to have a lot of natural sunlight coming through in all of your photos. Is it generally sunny is Oklahoma?
Yep, it is pretty sunny around here. I think that day was actually kind of overcast, but I adjusted my camera settings accordingly. I’m so pleased with the results!
Wow! I made this recipe yesterday afternoon for a backyard birthday party. I wound up doubling the recipe and adding an extra can of beans and some extra vegetable stock. It actually simmered for about 5 hours on the stove, and by the time we ate it, all my meat lover friends were raving about how good it was! The sweet potatoes were a great addition; I can’t believe I’ve never made chili with sweet potatoes! Thanks for sharing!
I am so making this chili tonight – have everything on hand (with a couple of substitutions).
Fits into my New Year detox menu perfectly !!
Happy New Year Kate.
I’m a sucker for anything with sweet potatoes, but this looks amazing.
Hey Kate! How you never fail to make my mouth water with your delicious creations! I would love to be a guest at your dinner table :) This sounds like the best combination EVER.
I can’t wait to see what you come up with when you learn to crochet! You seem so crafty so I don’t think you will have any trouble at all!
Thanks! I haven’t had much time for crafty pursuits lately but I’d love to learn how to crochet someday soon!
This sounds so hearty and delicious! And perfect to make next time I have dinner with my sister who is a vegetarian.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love the sound of these vintage postcards of Venice you mentioned. Did you post any pictures of them on your blog or anywhere else on the web? I’d love to see them!
This looks so hearty for a cold winter’s day…delicious!
You have to try to coconut pancakes, they are so yummy. You should be able to find coconut milk in the Asian section of your market…it comes in a can.
mmm…it looks so yummy!! I love the photos too! Check out the praline and chocolate dessert I posted and tell me what you think!
xx
Kate
Lovely recipe and lovely blog! nice to meet you & thank you for vising my blog! come again! :)
my girlfriend linked this recipe to me the other day. made it for dinner and it was truly AWESOME. a little cornbread rounded out the meal.
SO glad to hear that you loved it! Thanks Chris!
yuuuum, that sounds delicious!
Looks so good, I am buying ingredients today. Awesome photos as always. Glad you liked the the coconut pancakes, I love them…let me know when you post! Have a good weekend!
Good call on the Le Crueset!! I made this recipe using the crockpot when I saw it in Real Simple magazine and everything came out really mushy.
This looks fantastic, and so easy! I have some peppers left over and a few neglected sweet potatoes from the last time I made wedges as a side dish with dinner… might have to whip this up tomorrow night!
p.s. with your most recent post… I did the exact same thing last semester (getting put on the registry with the cheek swab) and I admire your decision so much, amazing!
Thanks for dropping by my blog! I love that I stumbled upon this recipe… the other day I was thinking that I wanted to do a vegetarian chili with a few sweet potatoes I had on hand. Like you, I usually dump the contents of my veggie drawer and see what happens, but this recipe looks great!
P.S. Your blog and photos are gorgeous!
So… I made this chili the day I saw it on here. LOVED it! Such a great vegetarian dish — I didn’t even miss the meat. Liked it so much I’m posting it on my blog next week (with credit to you, of course. :)) Thanks Kate!
Yes! Can’t wait to read your post!
I really need that chilli to continue living my life!
I made this last night and it was an instant hit with my friends who were over to watch a film. I somehow had some leftover and I made your beer bread this morning to pair with it. I will definitely be making this again!
it does looks so delicious and healthy, thank you for sharing this recipe, I´m quite positive I will make it soon; my hubs adores chili and we try to eat mostly vegetarian meals. Perfect!.
congratulations on that awesome 25th anniversary self gift.
ps. firs time on your bog. think I will be coming back ;)
This is the perfect recipe for a wintery day!
I made this last weekend, it was SO GOOD! My carnivore boyfriend said it was awesome and he didn’t miss the meat.
Thanks so much for commenting! I’m glad your boyfriend liked it, too. I like to think it’s a chili that everyone will love!
I cooked this Chili in our Restaurant this week and all our guests loved it. I’d definitely cook the beans on my own (together with some Kombu seaweed to make them more easier to digest).
The addition of cocoa powder makes it really delicious.
Thanks a lot!
Hi Ari, I’m thrilled that your guests loved my chili! I would have never thought to add seaweed. Thanks for commenting!
Well, the seaweed doesn’t change the taste of beans and you take it out before serving. It (=Kombu) just makes legumes much easier to digest.
I leave the kombu in, and hope I get it.
Another hit! I am loving your recipes! Thank you so much! This is the best Chili I have ever made!
OMG. I just made this to serve to my friends for lunch tomorrow, and I cannot stop eating it! It is so good. I added an extra can of pinto beans, cuz I like my chili really beany. And next time I will decrease the cayenne a little (I added the whole teaspoon), although the heat is kinda nice and it doesn’t really burn, but I know some people get scared when that heat kicks in. Overall a WINNER. And I made it in my Le Creuset, too. I like sauteeing the veggies first.
Hi! Trying this one today… wondering what size can of vegetable broth to use? 14 oz, 24 oz? Thanks!!
Hi Monique! Glad to hear that you’re cooking the chili today, I think you’ll love it! I used a 14 oz can of veggie broth.
How many does this serve? I have a dinner party of 6 coming over on Sunday, and while we’re making side dishes, I want to make sure and have enough chili for everyone.
Thanks!
Hi Anna, the source of the recipe claims that it serves 4 but I think it would make enough to serve 6 with ample portions. If you want to be certain there’s enough, you could add an extra can of beans or more canned tomatoes.
I googled ‘vegan sweet potato recipes’ and this was one of my first hits. I made it today – in my crockpot, though. It’s very tasty! I used 2 sweet potatoes, dark chocolate cocoa, and also threw in a can of green chiles I had. Thanks for the idea!
Happy to hear that you enjoyed the chili, Alisa! Thanks for commenting.
I don’t often comment on blogs, but I have to for this recipe! It is so delicious and surprisingly easy to make. I brought it to work to share with co-workers, and everyone was singing its praises.
This is a keeper! Thank you!
Thank you for commenting, Sarah! I’m delighted to hear that you and your coworkers enjoyed the chili!
My sister and I both made this for dinner this week and it was incredible!! I even topped with almond cheese which tasted great! Thanks for a stellar recipe!!!
Hi Kate, I just stumbled upon this recipe which was linked from another food blog that I love – howsweeteats.com. Anyway, I am a budding vegetarian (I still eat fish, though…) and I found this recipe and couldn’t stop thinking about it – probably because the only thing I had to go and buy for it was a sweet potato! (we call them “kumara” here in New Zealand). Chili is not typically something we eat here Down Under, but since it is an uncharacteristically cold rainy November day (it’s almost summer here!!) I decided this would be perfect. I currently have a big stock pot of it simmering on the stovetop and can’t wait to try it out with a big dollop of sour cream and chives on top! My boyfriend is excited, too, and actually bought me the stock pot as an early Xmas present solely so I could make this dish tonight! Ah, how does that old saying go – “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” – it’s so true!! Anyway, so glad I found your blog and I look forward to making many more of your delicious-looking dishes :} warm regards, Whytney.
Thank you for your sweet comment, Whytney. I hope this chili was worth your effort! I have a butternut squash chili you might like as well. Do you have butternut squash in New Zealand?
My boyfriend insists that he has to have meat with all his dinners or else he will go hungry. I’ve tricked him with spinach manicotti before and I’m hoping to trick him some more since meat can get so expensive. I really enjoy your recipes and can’t wait to try them out on him! He’s becoming more open minded since he realized food can be good and filling without meat.
My brother is just like your boyfriend. I’m glad you’re convincing him to try more meatless meals! Something tells me he would really like this chili.
I made this chili yesterday, it was so good!! Thanks
Thank you for commenting to let me know, Lisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed the chili.
I made it today; sauteed the vegetables w/o any oil in my cast iron frying pan. Cooked the Kidney and black beans (separately ) in my new Instant Pot Pressure Cooker; then cooked the vegetables, beans and remaining ingredients in the Pressure cooker for 8 minutes. I also cooked the rice in the pressure cooker. It is a very good chili; I think it was the cinnamon and cocoa. I will make this again.
Loved it. Broke my diet :-( Shared it with my friends :-)
:-D
Kate!
I meant to write you for a while.
Your food blog is awesome and I have adopted a multitude of recipes from Cookie and Kate. In short, I cook a few C&K dishes every week. They are all delicious! Your ingredient lists and instructions are concise and easy to follow and photography .. ah! inspiring. When light permits I take photos too :).
Probably you wonder about my name? I am Russian from St. Petersburg, having lived 10 years in Belgium and now residing in Vienna, Austria.
But the world is small and You have introduced me to Kale and offered a handful of delightful quinoa recipes. Like you, I love sweet potato and this was my very first recipe and still one of the favorite ones.
Thank you for all the smiles you’ve put on my face and delicious treats shared with friends!
Ksenya
P.S. Please give an extra cookie from me tonight to the Cookie!
Ksenya, thank you so much for your sweet comment. I’m delighted to hear that you are enjoying my recipes! It’s neat to know that they are being cooked in Vienna. I will be sure to give Cookie an extra treat tonight. Please stay in touch!
I just made this recipe and OH MY GOODNESS, it is fantastic! Thank you!!! :)
Thank you, Gemma!
I subscribe to Real Simple and had the same reaction you had when I found the jewel. I think it the cocoa powder that gives it the richness of no other chili I have tried. Thanks for reminding me of how much I loved this!!
I just discovered your site and this is the first recipe I tried. My carnivorous husband and I both loved it! Thank you so much and I look forward to trying out many more recipes in the future.
Thank you very much, Hapa! Hope you both enjoy the other recipes just as much!
Ok, I love this Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili! The leftovers freeze well and taste delicious when re-heated. Thank you Kate for all of your wonderful recipes.
I made this yesterday and it was a hit! My 5 year took a few bites and then asked if I would please pack it for her school lunch the next day! :) (I did omit the cayenne for her sake but added plenty of jalapenos to my bowl(s) of chili). I have a feeling this will be our regular Sunday afternoon watching football chili. Thanks! :)
Thank you for commenting, Meridith! I’m so glad your family enjoyed the chili. :)
This is a keeper at our house. We usually make it for four people and even though it makes a lot, there is usually no leftovers!
I’m delighted to hear that. Thank you, Sara!
Hi! This sounds really delicious but, unfortunately, I can’t eat tomatoes. Is there something I could substitute for the tomatoes that would keep the integrity of the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Patricia, I think the soup will be very good without the tomatoes. Just add a couple extra cups of broth to make up for the lost liquid. If you enjoy black beans, you might also like this black bean soup, which doesn’t call for tomatoes: https://sooka.info/2013/spicy-vegan-black-bean-soup/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
This is such a cool recipe because once you do the main spices/stock you can virtually add anything you’ve got I did kumara (the kiwi word for sweet potato), leek and corn. My dad was even impressed- he thought there was beef in it because it was so filling. YUM
Your version sounds great, Alyce. Kumara is such a fun word!
This chili is absolutely delicious! Warning to those who can’t handle the heat – I only added 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne and it was almost too spicy for me! Eating it with balkan yogurt solved that problem and the combination was amazing. Thanks for the great recipe!
Julia, so glad you enjoyed the spicy chili!
I was wondering how many calories are in a serving? & how much a serving would equate to? Thanks so much!
Hi Jen, I’m sorry, I don’t provide nutritional breakdowns because there are just so many variables when it comes to home cooking (serving sizes, actual ingredients used, etc.). Here’s a good nutrition calculator you can use: http://caloriecount.about.com/
This came out amazing!! I added several poblano peppers and butternut squash (I had them in the garden and didn’t know what to do with them). It is a very hearty and flavorful dish, thanks Kate!
Thank you, Tova! Glad you enjoyed the chili!
Hi I was wondering if I did want to cook this in the crockpot how would I go about it?
Hey Ash! I actually adapted this recipe from a slow cooker recipe. Here it is: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili-with-sweet-potatoes
Just made this tonight and it was fantastic for a cold, snowy night. Not a wanna-be chili but had flavors of it’s own. We cooled off the cayenne with a little Greek yogurt. Thank you for a new winter staple in our recipe file. Hope you are liking KC. I’m from there and think it’s a pretty special place.
Great! Thanks, Dee! I really enjoy living in KC. It is special. :)
I just made this for my Toastmasters meeting tonight, which is a health-related TM group, and everyone LOVED it! I’m a healthy vegan – I eat only whole foods, plant-based – no processed junk. And even the non-vegans raved about it!
Thanks so much for sharing this, it is definitely a keeper. And everyone was amazed that there was cocoa powder in it. Fantastic addition!
Cheers,
Ess
Awesome! Thanks, Ess! Glad everyone enjoyed the chili!
So good! The 2 year old loved it. We topped ours with a little shredded cheddar & sour cream, with tortilla chips on the side.
Awesome! Thanks, Mik and fam.
I was looking for a recipe for sweet potato fries and stumbled upon your site. Your recipes look great and I want to try more of them but I’m wondering if I can print the recipes. I didn’t find a print button anywhere.
Hi Marlene! I’m sorry you had trouble finding the print button. You should see it at the top right of the recipe itself.