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.
I am vegetarian and this is delicious! However, I think I added a little too much cayenne and chili powder unknowingly…I put in what the recipe asked for but because I tripled the recipe, it may have ended up way too spicy for some people…any ideas on how to “bland it up” before I take it to an event tomorrow?
Sorry for my delay! What did you end up doing?
I added a few squirts of lemon juice, stirred the pot and left it overnight. It was devoured the next day. I cook for college students one day a month and they loved it!
Great to hear, Rebecca!
Anybody substituted different beans
I’m making this for a superbowl party this weekend. Does it taste best fresh the day it’s made or better made the day before and sitting overnight?
I added a few squirts of lemon juice, stirred the pot and left it overnight. It was devoured the next day. I cook for college students one day a month and they loved it!
I love your website and have made several of your recipes. However, I would appreciate it if you can give nutrition information.
Hi Bonny, All nutrition information below the notes section of the recipe. You will need to click the header to expand. Let me know if you are having issues!
Thanks you for responding. I’m afraid I didn’t scroll far enough down to find it.
I make this twice a month. I serve with a few tortilla chips and green yogurt. I double the recipe each time.
I made this on a stormy Friday evening last week and it was amazing! My carnivore husband was talking about the leftovers even before we finished our first bowls. Thanks for always having delicious veg options on your site. Tonight I am making your Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts. Can’t wait!
Perfect for a rainy day! Thank you for sharing, Anna.
Delicious, my family’s favourite of all the veggie chili recipes I’ve tried. I like to let it cool, put it in individual serving pots and add the cayenne to preference, then top with mature cheddar and bake it in the oven until it’s unctuously thick and the cheddar’s bubbling. Going to try infusing the veg stock with dried porcinis next time.
What were the side servings in your picture and what fo you suggest serving with this chili?
Thanks!
Hi Lisa, You can serve this with a simple side salad.
Hi, don’t often leave reviews but for this I must. It’s our “go to” veg chilli, just fab. I even stick to the recipe (almost) which impresses my wife.
Love it and keeps well!
Hello Kate! Maybe I’ve gone crazy but I swore you used to have a recipe that was in a slow cooker and took about 8 hours, I remember you had to cook the onions in the spices and then deglaze with vegetable stock, do you still have that recipe somewhere? It’s one of my favorites and I’d really like to make it again! Thank you :)
I don’t have a slow cooker recipe, sorry!
This recipe is a family favorite. The only change I’ve made is adding an extra sweet potato. It’s delicious, healthy, and a crowd pleaser. I serve it with rice or cornbread.
That’s great to hear, Lisa!
This is absolutely delicious!! I made it over the weekend for a fall potluck and it was such a hit. Left with an empty pot!
I just made it again for myself tonight and added lean ground beef for extra protein which was also really good!
Y’all I kid you not I was entered into a chili cooking contest and I made this two hours before the contest started and I won! I beat out 11 other chilis. I was the only veggie chili and the judges had no idea that it was vegetarian lol. The flavors are amazing. And I threw this chili together in an hour! Highly recommend.
Thank you, Jenn!
I made this for my family of 4 and we all loved the flavor, especially my husband (he ate 3 bowl fulls), but I found it to be too spicy for myself and my two young daughters. I plan to make it again and cut the spices in half. Do you think I should also cut the cocoa and cinnamon in half to keep the same proportions or should I leave them as written?
It might be stronger so you may want to cut and then test to see if you feel like you can add more. Let me know what you think!
OMG Kate! This chili was just awesome, the best I have ever made. The cocoa powder added a lot of depth – I was unprepared for how delicious this turned out to be. Thank you so much for yet another winning recipe!!!
LOVE this recipe!! I cut cayenne pepper in half and it has just the right amount of kick for someone who isn’t the biggest spicy lover!!
Thoughts on adding squash to this recipe?!
Hello! This chili recipe is amazing. I need to triple it every time and save some in the freezer for great meals at work. My boys wanted beef in it and I wanted to keep it vegetarian so instead I added sauteed crimini mushrooms (8 to 16 on. single recipe) for taste and textured vegetable protein (3/4 cup – TVP simulates ground beef and thickens the sauce). They loved it!
In the final 30minutes, I throw in chopped Italian parsley and some fresh corn (frozen when in winter). And if I’m out of avocados for topping, thin sliced English cucumbers will do just fine. It’s a great recipe for a full hearty meal packed with vegetables. And I like the fact that I don’t have to cook it for hours – it keeps the the vegetables crunchy and tasty.
Gotta go now make a big batch.
Me and my boys thank you!
Chopped cilantro & a few Fritos on top clinched the 5 stars. Tastied chili I have made in ages. Was it the cocoa that clinched the fifth star?
Oh wow! Hands down the best vegetarian chilli I’ve ever had. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Thanks for a great recipe! I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s always a success. I love that for a family of 2, its meal prep for at least 3 nights. Being in New Mexico, I add roasted green chili but otherwise follow as it.
This is my new favourite and will now be my go to recipe, I absolutely love it!
I had ran out of cocoa powder so substituted a couple of squares of dark chocolate it was delicious!
Thanks for the recipe. We doubled it this time and added chipotles. So good!
This chili is DELICIOUS. I would say it’s even better than any chili with meat in it. I love the combination of cumin, cinnamon, and cocoa. I’ve now made the recipe twice in one week because it was gone before I was ready to stop eating the leftovers.