Our family's favorite chili! This wonderfully satisfying Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili is super easy to make and full of rich, cozy flavors. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free)
Hugging a warm bowl of chili comforts the soul. And this cozy vegan chili combines creamy sweet potatoes and hearty beans for a meat-free version. Then it's spiced with rich, comforting flavors.
It's so satisfying and also simple to make. We like it best served with avocado chunks and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
- Onion
- Garlic
- Sweet potato
- Black beans
- Pinto beans (or another can of black beans)
- Canned diced tomatoes (fire-roasted if desired)
- Vegetable broth
- Chili powder (I use mild)
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
This chili topped with fresh avocado is one of my favorite things. Truly hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 large sweet potato
- 4 cloves garlic
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 15 oz. can pinto beans (or kidney, black, etc.)
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- Salt to taste
Toppings (optional):
- Avocado, cilantro, green onion, hot sauce, vegan sour cream, etc.
Instructions
- Dice onion. Peel and dice sweet potato. Mince garlic.
- In a stockpot over medium-high heat, sauté onion for 6-7 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. broth/water for no-oil sauté method.)
- Add chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and sweet potato cubes. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Add vegetable broth and diced tomatoes with juice.
- Rinse and drain beans. Add to stockpot.
- Increase heat and bring to a boil. Then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 25 minutes (or until sweet potatoes are cooked through), stirring occasionally.
- Salt to taste and add any desired toppings (avocado is my favorite!)
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
If you're enjoying this Sweet Potato Chili, also check out:
Come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and then share a photo if you make or adapt this recipe! I love seeing your creations. (Also please leave a review & star rating below if you give it a try. Your feedback is greatly appreciated - thank you!)
Theresa
This is my go-to, when I want to make chili! It is so good! I like mine more on the spicier side, so at the end of cooking, I add black pepper and a lot of sriracha. It comes out perfect! I have made this many times and will continue to do so. Thank you for the recipe.
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Theresa! That's really lovely to hear. So glad you're enjoying it 🙂 And great call with pepper + sriracha to spice it up! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review - it's very appreciated! Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week. -Kaitlin
Zipporah
This sweet potato black bean chili was delicious and so easy! Yum!
Kaitlin McGinn
So lovely to hear that! Thanks for giving it a try and coming back to share your very kind feedback 🙂 Very appreciated. Wishing you a beautiful week! -Kaitlin
Francie
Are most of your soups easy/ok to freeze? Can’t wait to try!
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Francie! Yes! Most of the soups here will work wonderfully as freezer meals. Generally you'll want to avoid any with a creamier base or ones with pasta as it tends to get mushy upon reheating. In that case, you can cook the soup without the pasta and add fresh pasta when you thaw and reheat. 🙂
Diana
In the winter I make soup every 3-4 days - this recipe is THE best soup I've ever made!!
Kaitlin McGinn
Yay! So fantastic to hear you enjoyed this Diana! (I also make a big pot of soup/chili once or twice a week - love the leftovers as well.) Thanks so much for coming back to leave such sweet feedback. Very appreciated! Have a beautiful week and stay warm! -Kaitlin
Denise
Just made this for lunch today......Tastes Amazing!!! Thanks for a great recipe 😊
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful to hear that Denise! Thanks for the kind feedback 🙂
Angie Smith
A favorite in our house! I usually throw everything in the instapot for 30 minutes and it turns out great!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing your helpful feedback!
Cindy H
Do you know what the sodium is on this?
Kaitlin
Hi Cindy! I completely understand people's concern with sodium, which is why I purposely omit stating the numbers on my site. I feel it’s not nearly an accurate enough calculation. Many of my recipes simply say “salt to taste” to let people cater directly to their own needs. Even with the few recipes that state an amount of salt, I still omit the sodium content as it can vary significantly with other factors. (For example, differing sodium content between brands, using no-salt vs. salt-added canned tomatoes, etc.) So I always encourage people to calculate their own to achieve a much more precise reading based on their exact ingredients, brands, and amounts. 🙂
Unknown
Made this tonight, tasted awesome! Added tomato paste to make it thicker.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great call with the tomato paste! Thanks for sharing!
SteamQueen
I add 1 can corn and a little left over breakfast sausage, so good! We’ve made it several times now
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your adaptions!
JourneyJournal
I've made this recipe several times and love it. Is it possible to freeze this recipe? It's just me and I would like to save the rest for later.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So glad you're enjoying 🙂 I've personally never tried freezing this, but I bet it would freeze wonderfully. Would love to hear if you give it a go!
Jackie Hickey
This is my favorite way to make chili! I made it for the very first time for a friend and she loved it too. I also tried using a 1/4c of quinoa as well to each portion when I put the portions into containers to store instead of sweet potatoes and it was just as delicious! I love your recipes so much
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Awesome! Thank you for the kind feedback!
Lynny B
Super good, this is now my go to chili recipe! Also just tried adding 1/2 cup of quinoa and that ended up being a lovely addition.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great! Love your quinoa addition - thanks for sharing!
Unknown
Love this, made it yesterday.Best chilli ever, very fulfilling.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful! Thanks for giving it a try and sharing your kind feedback 🙂
Laura Bartlett
This is my favorite chili - hands down. Love it. Heartiest vegetarian chili I have had. A+!
Kaitlin McGinn
So great to hear!
Chrystal Limon
What is the serving size and nutrition on this? I made some last night had to double it for my large family. It was excellent.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi Chrystal - so glad you enjoyed! The estimated nutritional content is now provided on the site! (You can find it below the recipe .)
Laura Digilio
This is tasty comfort in a bowl! I must have pinned about 20 different sweet potato chili recipes but they all tend to have an ingredient or two that I don't have or feel like buying because I know I'll never use it again. I came across this one yesterday while searching for something to do with the bag of sweet potatoes that I have lying around and was thrilled to realize that I had all of the ingredients, which feels like an even bigger win because I didn't have to leave the house. It was so incredibly easy, hearty, and delicious, and I love the fact that it fits into my healthy lifestyle! I followed the recipe exactly as written except I added a dash of cayenne pepper per your suggestion and it had just the right amount of heat. I gave it a test run while my husband is away on business but now I can't wait to make it again for the two of us when he returns because he will LOVE this. Now I'm off to check out your other recipes! Thanks again.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That's amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback, Laura 🙂
Molly Sitter
I love this chili recipe. I've used it so many times for family and friends.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear, Molly!
CK
Wonderful chili. It's a winner in my book. Will be making this often. My grandson loved it too.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear, thank you!
Gr8Life
it looks fantastic! Can't wait to try it!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hope you enjoy!
Hidayah Kendall
Does it matter what color bell pepper you use in this recipe?
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Hi! Any one will work! Though I usually use an orange or yellow for this since it's not quite as bitter and the slight sweetness compliments the sweet potato very well 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
Amy
I know this is an old comment, but I don’t see peppers in the ingredients.
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Amy! Good catch! When I first posted this recipe, I included a bell pepper but have since updated it and removed that ingredient. (The only reason for omission is most of the time when I make this now, I don't have a bell pepper on hand and find it's not absolutely necessary for the recipe.) It is a lovely addition however, so feel free to include it if you'd like! Just dice and add it with the onion while sauteing 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Unknown
Made this last night......it was excellent!!!! I'm not a vegetarian, so I did add about a half pound of ground chicken, but other than that I followed the recipe as written and topped it with a couple of avocado slices. Can't wait for the leftovers tonight!! It's definitely going to be a recipe I turn to often. Thanks so much!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thank you for sharing!
Michelle Gray
Yum, you posted this at the absolute perfect time! I want to try a new chili recipe this weekend and this is definitely the one 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Thank you! Hope you enjoy 🙂
DC Cat
Loved this chili. Added mushrooms, can of spicy rotel, Tj mix of peanut onions, celery and carrots. After sauteing veggies added to slow cooker. Awesome!
Kaitlin McGinn
So great! Thanks for sharing!