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.
Delicious!! I added some celery and a half a cup of quinoa and it thickened up nicely.
I’m a guy who’s mostly too lazy to cook but I got sick of the pre-packaged “chili mixes” that turn out gross so I tried your recipe. Oh my God, this is soooooo good.
I’m glad you tried it, Tim!
Wow this recipe is AMAZING! I made it last night and it was delicious! My son in his 20’s “craves meat” after he eats vegetarian meals but not this time. Shockingly he loved it and was satisfied! The leftovers vanished and my family requested that I make it a 2nd night in a row. I made it EXACTLY as the recipe stated, no variations at all. Thank you for my new favourite! :)
I’m happy you think so, Kelly!
I made this recipe yesterday in my slow cooker. It was absolutely delicious! Although, I love cumin so I added more cumin! I also only added about 100ml water with 1/4 teaspoon of stock powder and the sauce turned out lovely! Thanks for the recipe :)
Thanks for sharing! I’m happy it worked so well in the slow cooker.
I love this chili!! I make it often for my boyfriend and I because it lasts us a while, and is very satisfying! I really like the addition of sweet potatoes, and I find that the cocoa and cinnamon create a great flavour dynamic. I highly recommend this recipe!
Thanks for your recommendation, Grace!
I’ve never tried chili with cocoa powder, so I was hesitant to try; however, after I searched and found other recipes including it, I figured it would taste good. Unfortunately, the cinnamon and just strange sweetness was all I could taste, even though this dish is quite spicy.
I didn’t tell my family what was in it, but they almost immediately picked it out and said how strange it was. Probably not taking any more cooking risks for a while.
I’m sorry you and your family didn’t love it! Thanks for the feedback, Sarah.
My 3 year olds, 11 year old and all my guest absolutely loved this recipe. Making it again for dinner so thought I better comment. I just cut back on the chili powder and cayenne to ensure it wasn’t to spicy for anyone. Loveeeeee your recipes, you truly have a gift, girl.
Thanks for coming back to comment, Nichelle! I appreciate the review.
Delicious!! I added a little extra cinnamon because when it comes to cinnamon, that’s what I do. Also added a couple of carrots, just because. The flavor of this chili was spot on and I didn’t even miss the meat (I’m not vegetarian, just looking for a meatless, Lenten meal). Even the non-veggie loving person at the table enjoyed it.
Fantastic, Theresa! Thanks for the review.
LOVE THIS RECIPE! A friend recommended the recipe to me, and I made it for a chili cook off we were having at work. Won first place! WEE! So easy to make, completely stress-free deliciousness. Also cocoa powder in chili?!?!?! Who knew that was the key? Adds so much depth to the flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Surprising, but amazing!
I love this chili. I didn’t have regular chili powder so I used chipotle chili powder, which I reduced to a teaspoon or so since the one I have is really strong, but it added a nice smokiness. Would definitely make this again.
I’m glad you love this! Chipotle would be a nice addition. Thank you for your review, Kate!
I served this at work and everyone raved. Best chili ever!! The flavors are awesome. Thank you for this recipe.
You’re welcome! A great one to share for sure.
Great recipe! Re: your canned tomatoes note- I did some research and it seems like the levels of BPA in canned foods isn’t high enough to cause any concern, which is a relief!
Thank you, Olivia for your review and sharing!
A new staple!
Wonderful, Jenni!
This recipe sounds wonderful. After listening to the Food Revolution Summit I decided I needed to give up the very last bit of beef that I was eating, ground beef, included in the gluten free chili recipe at Sweet Tomatoes. I noticed Tim P. posted a comment about his “wonderful chili” on the Whole Food Plant Based FB page. When I asked for the recipe he shared your link. I’ve read the recipe a few times and it sounds scrumptious and it is gluten free! Thank you. I do plan to make it. I’ve never had chili with “chocolate” in it. I am highly allergic to chocolate so I always substitute carob powder when a recipe calls for chocolate. I find carob powder in cooking brings about the exact same results chocolate would. So looking forward to trying the recipe. Thank you. Karey Spirit
Thank you for your comment, Karey!
I plan on making this chili in a crock pot. Do I pre cook the onions, peppers and sweet potatoes or just put them in the crock pot raw? Thanks for the help.
Hi Lisa, I haven’t made this in a crock pot. But I would recommend saute all the vegetables if you do.
Have you tried this using an electric pressure cooker, if so how long do you set it, and what type of release.
Thank you
HI! I haven’t with this one. You could try to see if other readers have and their recommendations by searching the comments.
Thank you. I went ahead and made it. Sauted in water, then added everything. I didn’t have cocoa powder so used vegan chocolate chips.
20minutes high pressure. You can do natural or quick release.
Was wonderful!
Thank you
Thank you for sharing! I’m happy to hear that.
I tried to click on the nutrition information link, but it didn’t work. Do you have that? I’m using my fitness pal to track my food and really need it
Hi Janet! I’m sorry you are experiencing issues with my nutrition facts. I’m currently working with my development team to fix the issue. I appreciate your patience and apologize for any frustrations!
Made this for a family dinner this past weekend. Everyone loved it – it was a hit. I cut down on the cinnamon to about 1/8 of a teaspoon and that ended up being perfect for my palate. I served it with a salad and some pumpkin cornbread, which made it the perfect autumn meal.
Excellent recipe!
If you can find purple sweet potatoes (I got some at Whole Foods), you don’t need the cinnamon. The potatoes have a more smokey flavor and are less sweet. They give a nice twist to this recipe.
If anyone has tried this in a slow cooker, do you need to cook the veggies in a pan on the stove first or will the slow cooker take care of it all? Same amount of vegetable broth? Thanks!
I still recommend to saute the vegetables as this is where you get a lot of great flavor.
We have made this chili a few times. I love that it uses basic ingredients that are on hand and is not too labor intensive to put together, but has a great warm flavor for cold days. The sweet potatoes add great flavor.
I made this the lazy way, threw everything in the crockpot and cooked it on high for about 4 hours. I have been eating it for 3 days and I’m not sick of it yet!! I didn’t make any substitutions at all and it’s delicious the way it is :) Awesome recipe, for sure going into the rotation!
Thanks for all your wonderful vegan soups and chilis! All the best foods and combinations. Would it be possible to add serving size, perhaps ounces instead of bowl. I am a diabetic and have to keep track of carbs. Can you possibly include instructions for Instapot as well as Crockpot? Many recipes have a full day’s sodium, which I’m sure adds to the flavour but is not ideal for many of us. I can pretty well figure out how to reduce it myself by using sodium free tomatoes, beans, etc. (Ideal is 400mg per serving)
Look forward to trying many of your recipes!
Roberta
My mom first shared this recipe with me years ago and I was sad to lose it. When she died I thought it was one of the dishes she made that I would never have again. I was so glad to find this. Hearty and reminds me of mom. =)
This, sadly, was a miss for me. I made it exactly as written but thought it was pretty blah. I’ve made other recipes for your site that I loved, but I wouldn’t make this again. ☹️
I made this tonight. Very tasty but a bit too hot. I Think next time I might cut back to 1/2 a tsp of the cayanne. It might be wise to let people know it has quite a bit of heat.
I followed your directions and WOW, it came out beautiful and delicious. Since I was cooking for company, I cut back a bit on the cayenne pepper, and it was still spicy, so I might suggest you say 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. I added a bit more than a shake of salt, just enough to make the flavor pop. We are moving toward an increasingly vegetarian diet, and this recipe will become part of my regular repertoire. Thanks to you and Cookie too!
Hooray! I like this with the spice listed, but you can adjust to your tastes. Thanks for your feedback, Irma!
I have made this several times and it is always a hit. I took it to a chili contest at a friend’s house and it won first place out of 11 entries! The greatest part about it was that only 2 of the chili entries and 1 of the guests (ME) were vegetarian. :D
This is my favorite chili recipe! My family members who are not vegetarian’s love this recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us. Yummy!!!!
I have made this chili almost every week since I discovered it. It is seriously incredible, no adjustments made at all. And so filling!!
I subbed northern beans for kidney as I don’t care for kidney beans. I also didn’t add the cayenne as I don’t like much heat. For everything else, I followed the recipe. This was really outstanding and I loved the flavor we got from the cocoa and cinnamon. I finished the last of the chili at lunch today. Next time I will double the recipe. I frequent your site and have made several of your recipes. I cannot recall one recipe that I didn’t care for. I make the banana bread at least monthly. Thanks for the great recipes and keeping my meals interesting.
This vegetarian was absolutely delicious and super easy aside from the prep time.
My husband loved it and we decided to make it again with several variations. It was especially delightful with homemade
corn bread. Great recipe!
Thank you, G.H.!
Delicious Chilli! Made this twice now and we prefer it to the meat version. So much flavour in there you really don’t miss the meat. We added an extra chilli pepper and a teaspoon of smoked paprika and it’s great. Definitely one we will repeat :)
This recipe is AMAZING!!! Hands down the most flavorful, delicious vegetarian chili I’ve ever had. I really love the addition of cocoa powder in particular. I’m on day four of eating it and not only am I not at all tired of it, but I swear it gets better every day! Thanks so much!
What are the sides shown in the photo of this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Rosemary, those are some sweet potato rounds that I roasted. I didn’t think they were good enough to post on the blog. :)
This sweet potato chili is insanely good. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever put in my belly! I leave it in the crock pot overnight so everything mingles. I also have added shredded carrots and celery and mushrooms to get even more nutrition out of it and it tastes great.
Freezes beautifully. I don’t cook very many things but this is always a home run. I gave a big bowl to a friend who said she wasn’t all that hungry. She cleaned the bowl and asked for more.
Wow – this was amazing :-) We aren’t vegetarian, but are trying to eat less meat, and this didn’t feel like it was a meat-free meal at all. The flavours were stunning, and it was just what we needed at the end of a long day. Will definitely make again.
Delicious! I only added 2 tsp of chili powder and didn’t use pepper flakes. I don’t like spicy. I didn’t have kidney beans so I used small white beans. absolutely delicious. I used an immersion blender, very briefly, to thicken and yet leave some chunks. The whole family loved it.
This is a great one to modify by taste! Thanks for commenting, Pricilla.
Have made this chili many times and love it! Making it also now and just noticed the picture that has a side dish that looks interesting. Are those plantains? Grilled sweet potato? Thanks! Love the blog and have followed it for a while!
Sweet potatoes! :) I’m glad you love this recipe.
Great recipe with simple ingredients. Since it is getting more difficult to find meat at the grocery store, I was looking for a simple vegetarian chili recipe. This recipe was excellent and I did’t miss the meat! The spices were perfect and at the end of cooking as the recipe suggests I used a potato masher to mash things up and thicken it a bit. Was delicious and will definitely be repeating this recipe!
Hello! This looks amazing and I’m loving the idea of the cocoa and cinnamon. Quick question – making this tonight and thought I had plenty of diced tomatoes – I don’t! Would you sub crushed tomatoes and maybe add more broth? I was thinking of doing that and maybe a little more sweet potato to fill in what would be missing from the chunks of tomato? It’s a shame I don’t have what I need, but I have plenty of other kinds of beans and lots of sweet potato so trying to get creative!
You could try it! I think your substitution idea. However, you may have a stronger tomato taste with the crushed vs died tomatoes. How did it turn out?
I had some sweet potatoes that I wanted to use up and kidney beans in the pantry. I was out of a few things this recipe called for, but I made it work and it was delicious! I didn’t have peppers, so I added extra potato. I didn’t have diced tomatoes, so I diluted a can of tomato paste and added that. I had to make my own chili powder once I realized I didn’t have any. And instead of broth I used beer – just because! I didn’t have anything to garnish it with, but I didn’t miss it. I usually don’t alter recipes, but I was forced to this time around and I’m so glad it came out as good as it did. This is definitely a keeper and I’m looking forward to making it again (using the recipe as written)!
Delicious! This chili will be served many times in this house.
Love this. Made a big batch for lunch for the week and to use up some potatoes I had laying around. The blending bit at the end is key! Made it the perfect creamy yet chunky consistency I love. Thanks!!
You’re welcome, Julia! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Made it with what I had in hand. I use no or low sodium canned goods. Added 1 can of corn and 2 cans of mushrooms. Also, 1 can of tomato paste because I had no veg broth. Omitted the cumin (don’t like) and cinnamon. Made in slow cooker because it’s too hot to cook! Used ancho chili powder. Yummy with a kick!
I made this last night, and it is SO GOOD. Thank you for the recipe. Normally I just throw a bunch of veggies together with spices and tomatoes, but this time I thought I would try a real recipe, and it is beyond anything that I have done with my casual non-recipes. THANK YOU. I’ve followed you for a while now, and I really enjoy your recipes. I’m about to go buy your book, if you have one. I’m a fan. :)
I just bought your book after making this recipe! I’m so excited. I’m going to read it cover to cover!!! Love your work. You’re the best of all the channels that I follow. The absolute best.
This is legit the best vegetarian chili I’ve ever had. All the spices were actually perfect, I only added a half teaspoon extra of salt. The cocoa was awesome. I also added roasted corn, some zucchini and carrots. Lights. Out!
This is by far the best sweet potato chili Ive ever had!! Even my picky kids and husband love it! This is a staple meal in our house.
Aye this was my first time trying vegan chili and this recipe was so bomb! I probably make this once a month. Comes together in about an hour and I actually prefer this over regular chili.