Sweet Potato + Black Bean Chili
This sweet potato and black bean chili is a delicious meal that is loaded with flavor and packed with vegetables. This hearty dish not only is tasty but also incredibly nutritious. Plus, it cooks up in one pot and less than an hour, making it a great weeknight meal.
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
This flavorful and hearty chili is perfect for cold weather, but I love making this one all year round because of how easy it is to make. This meatless chili recipe is one that is so good even meat eaters will fall in love with it.
Serve it up with some vegan cornbread or gluten free cornbread and you have a hearty and healthy meal that makes for even better leftovers.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Uses lots of pantry staple ingredients
- Full of fall flavors like cinnamon and pumpkin
- Make it in one pot – easy clean up
- Naturally gluten free and vegan!
Ingredients
- Sweet Potato: The star of this recipe! I typically use 1 medium sized sweet potato.
- Onion, Garlic, Bell Peppers: This trio creates a delicious base for the other ingredients. Use any color of bell pepper that you like!
- Spices: This recipe uses traditional chili spices like cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Adding extra garlic and onion powder brings another level of flavor in addition to the fresh versions. You can also use a pre-made chili seasoning mix, like this gluten free chili season one here!
- Tomatoes and Corn: You can use diced or petite diced here. Make sure you save the juice! For the corn, I typically use frozen corn as it is available all year long. However, fresh corn in season is even better!
- Tomato Paste: Use this in addition to the diced tomatoes for a good depth of flavor.
- Black Beans: Not only are black beans super tasty, they are also the beans with some of the lowest histamine levels. That makes it a perfect bean for people with allergies.
- Sugar: This is a little bit of a secret ingredient to add a touch of sugar to help with the acidity of the tomato sauce. Use coconut sugar or date sugar for a low GI option.
Allergy Substitutions
If you are allergic to corn, simply omit the corn from this recipe.
Variations
Here are a few ideas to mix things up when you repeat this recipe!
- Swap out the sweet potatoes for chopped butternut squash.
- Use chipotle peppers along with the bell peppers.
- Out of black beans? Use red kidney beans or pinto beans to replace it.
- Out of diced tomatoes? Mix 4 tablespoons of tomato paste with 2 cups of water.
- Drizzle in a spoonful of maple syrup to sweeten and add an amazing depth of flavor that compliments the sweet potatoes perfectly!
Instructions
This is a quick rundown of how to make this sweet potato and black bean chili. For the full recipe, complete with ingredient measurements, please see the recipe card below.
The best thing about this chili is that you add it to one pot and let it cook for an hour. That means dinner basically makes itself!
Chop up the onions, garlic, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. You can saute them in a little olive oil for 3 minutes if you like. However, this isn’t a required step.
Next, add all the remaining ingredients to a large pot on the stove. Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes with a lid. Then, remove the lid for the remaining 20 to 25 minutes to help the chili thicken and cook down.
That’s it!
Slow Cooker Instructions
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cover. Heat on high for 6 to 8 hours. That’s it!
While I’m sure you can cook this in an instant pot, I haven’t tried it yet so I can’t speak to how that would work.
What to Serve With Sweet Potato Chili
Here are a few of my favorite ways to make this chili, depending on what I have in my pantry any night.
- Serve chili over spaghetti noodles for a Cincinatti inspired chili.
- Serve over rice.
- Serve with vegan cornbread muffins or gluten free cornbread
- Add your favorite toppings. Here are some of my family favorites:
- Sour cream (dairy or dairy free), avocado slices, hot sauce, sriracha, cheddar cheese (dairy or dairy free) jalapeno slices, chopped onion, fresh cilantro, crackers, tortilla chips, or slices corn or wheat tortillas.
How to Store
Chili is not only one of my favorite things to eat for dinner, but it is great for meal prepping. It keeps for days in the fridge and you can freeze it for months!
Fridge: Store any cooled leftover chili in a sealed airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Store the cooked and cooled chili in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then heat in a large pot for 20-30 minutes over low heat until warmed through.
More Chili Recipes
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Equipment
- Large pot
- cutting board
- knife
- mixing spoons
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil optional
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 2 cloves of garlic mashed
- 2 cups sweet potato diced (about 2 small)
- 1 cup corn fresh or frozen
- 28 oz diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups black beans drained and rinsed, this is 2 cans
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder more of less to your preference
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar coconut or brown or white
- 1 tablespoon oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prep ingredients. Chop and dice all the ingredients, rinse and drain the black beans, and gather all the herbs and spices.
- Cook on the stove. Add all ingredients into a large cooking pot at once. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, turn the heat down to a simmer, and let the chili simmer for an hour. Make sure to stir the chili every few minutes to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot. Chili is done when it has thickened and the sweet potatoes are fork tender.
- Add toppings and enjoy. Add chili to bowls for serving and add toppings of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Swap out the sweet potatoes for chopped butternut squash.
- Use chipotle peppers along with the bell peppers.
- Out of black beans? Use red kidney beans or pinto beans to replace it.
- Out of diced tomatoes? Mix 4 tablespoons of tomato paste with 2 cups of water.
- Drizzle in a spoonful of maple syrup to sweeten and add an amazing depth of flavor that compliments the sweet potatoes perfectly!
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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