Our vegetarian sweet potato chili recipe is delicious on a cool day, or any day! Sweet potato, black beans and diced tomato team up to provide lots of flavor, but two secret ingredients (coffee and honey) take things to a whole new level! There's a reason this contest-winning recipe gets rave reviews!
Sweet Potato Chili
What’s warm, wonderful, delicious and suitable for omnivores and vegetarians? Our contest-winning sweet potato chili, that’s what! This amazing chili recipe gets rave reviews and it features a couple of surprising ingredients: honey and coffee. Sweet potatoes and black beans provide loads of nutrition, while a wonderful blend of spices, garlic and tomatoes contribute plenty of flavor, too. Non-vegetarians may not even notice that it doesn’t have any meat, it’s that good.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Chili
- Sweet potatoes: Three large sweet potatoes add a ton of bulk and sweet but earthy flavor to this dish.
- Onion: Chop one large onion for this recipe. The onion adds flavor and a textural variation; feel free to omit it if you don’t care for this ingredient.
- Chili powder: Chili powder helps flavor the chili; sometimes it’s spicy and sometimes mild, and it’s typically a blend of other spices such as cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic and cumin.
- Garlic: Use three minced garlic cloves for this dish; feel free to add more if you enjoy garlic!
- Cumin and cayenne pepper: This dynamic duo contributes to the flavor of this and many other chili recipes. Cumin adds an earthy, warm flavor while cayenne pepper brings heat.
- Black beans: Two 15-ounce cans of black beans add protein and heft to this chili recipe.
- Diced tomatoes: There’s no need to rinse and drain these canned tomatoes, as their juices contribute to the chili.
- Brewed coffee: Brewed black coffee adds a pleasantly bitter and rich flavor that pairs well with the spices in the chili. If you’re concerned about caffeine, brewed decaf works just as well.
- Honey: A couple of tablespoons of honey help pleasingly sweeten this chili.
- Optional toppings: Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a shredded Mexican cheese blend, pickled red onions and thinly sliced green onions serve as toppings for each person to add to their bowl of chili to customize the flavor.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the sweet potatoes and onion
In a nonstick Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and chopped onion. Cook and stir until the sweet potatoes are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chili powder, garlic, cumin and cayenne; cook and stir for one minute longer. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, coffee, honey, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Cook the chili
Bring the chili to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with the optional toppings, as desired.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegan: This recipe is already vegetarian, but the honey prevents it from being vegan-friendly. Exchange the honey for maple syrup to keep a little sweetness in the dish and make it suitable for vegans. Use a little less maple syrup; about 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons, or to taste. Brown sugar is another vegan-friendly alternative to honey. You may want to add slightly more brown sugar (to taste), as honey is sweeter than brown sugar.
- Add cinnamon: Add about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon for a hint of a spice that tastes delicious in just about any chili recipe, especially one with black beans and sweet potatoes.
- Add cacao or cocoa: Use unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao to add flavor depth and a richness that takes the flavors to another level. Cocoa and coffee already go together, so it just elevates the entire dish.
How to Store Sweet Potato Chili
When the chili cools, place the lidded Dutch oven containing it in the refrigerator. You could also transfer the chili to smaller food storage containers to make single-serving meals quickly and easily. The sweet potato chili keeps for about four days in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze sweet potato chili?
Yes; sweet potato chili freezes well, allowing you to save it for whenever the craving strikes. Place the chili in airtight single-portion containers, then freeze them. They’ll keep for four to six months. To reheat, just transfer one of the containers to the refrigerator overnight, then dump the contents into a saucepan to reheat.
Can you make sweet potato chili ahead of time?
Sure! Making the chili a day or so ahead in advance gives the flavors even more time to meld. Store the chili in the refrigerator once it cools.
Sweet Potato Chili Tips
How else can I cook sweet potato chili?
No Dutch oven? No worries! You can make this in a slow cooker. To make, omit the oil and combine everything except the toppings in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low for about six hours or until the sweet potatoes are tender. If you like this recipe, check out more slow-cooker chili recipes! Another stovetop option is to use a heavy pot instead of the Dutch oven. Use a quality pot with a heavy bottom, as thin-bottomed pots don’t heat evenly, which makes food tend to burn more easily.
What can I serve with sweet potato and black bean chili?
Besides the optional toppings, offer up sour cream, Greek yogurt, avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese or some cilantro as mix-and-match toppings for each bowl. Serve the chili over rice or with a baked potato, or whip up some delicious cornbread as a side to round out the meal.
How can I reduce the sodium?
When shopping for the canned black beans and diced tomatoes, look for low- or no-sodium versions of each. If you can’t find them, rinse and drain everything thoroughly instead of keeping the liquid from the diced tomatoes. (If necessary, add a little water as you’re cooking if you find the chili too thick without the canned tomato’s juices.) Fresh diced tomatoes are another option, as these contain no added salt. Don’t add any more salt to the dish; the spices bring plenty of flavor on their own without the salt.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
30 min
Yield
8 servings (2 quarts)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Optional toppings: Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Mexican cheese blend, pickled red onions and thinly sliced green onions
Directions
- In a nonstick Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes and chopped onion. Cook and stir until crisp-tender, 8-10 minutes. Add chili powder, garlic, cumin and cayenne; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in beans, tomatoes, coffee, honey, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 30-35 minutes. Serve with toppings as desired.
Nutrition Facts
1 cup: 283 calories, 2g fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 579mg sodium, 59g carbohydrate (22g sugars, 11g fiber), 9g protein.
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My whole family enjoys this sweet potato black bean chili, but my daughter especially loves it. I like to make it because it's so easy and very flavorful. —Joy Pendley, Ortonville, Michigan
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