This smoky Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili is going to rock your world! Honestly, it's the best vegetarian chili to ever grace my kitchen. 100% a game changer.
I'm about to say something bold: this Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili will convert any meat lover. I know, it's a bold statement. But after a few years of hearing from you guys about this recipe... I stand by my statement confidently. Chili is an ESSENTIAL recipe during the fall/winter. And you won't miss the meat with all the black beans, sweet potatoes and spices in this one.
Loaded with chili powder, chipotle peppers, cumin, beans, tomatoes and quinoa, it's basically a giant party in a pot and it's addictive. Make it, enjoy it, and then take it for lunch the next day and make everyone jealous. I tend to make a double batch of this on the weekends and then freeze small portions to pull out when needed. It freezes like a charm. Just make it, let it cool, portion it into small containers and then freeze. When you're ready to serve, take it out of the freezer, let it sit on the counter until it's no longer totally frozen, and then re-heat either in a microwave or in a non-stick skillet with an extra splash of stock to loosen it up. Bingo.
As far as substitutions for this goes:
- Butternut Squash is a great substitute for sweet potatoes
- Farro or rice also works in place of quinoa. You might need a tiny bit extra time for farro, and a little extra liquid. But both are delish.
- Black beans can be substituted with any of your favorite canned bean. If you want to make your own beans, this is my favorite recipe
Stuck in a dinner rut? Looking for new delicious dinner ideas? Check out my roundup of 50+ easy dinner ideas here.
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 2 extra teaspoons
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups vegetable stock
- 1 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 14.5-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- ½ cup dried quinoa
- 4 teaspoons lime juice
- serving suggestions: avocado, cilantro, crema, grated cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy bottom pot with the oil over medium high heat.
- Add the sweet potato and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin and salt and stir to combine.
- Add the stock, tomatoes, black beans and quinoa and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir to incorporate.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes until the quinoa is fully cooked and the sweet potatoes are soft and the entire mixture is thick like a chili.
- Add the lime juice and remove the pot from the heat. Season with salt as needed.
- Garnish with avocado, cilantro, crema or cheese before serving.
Easy and delicious! My husband raved about it. Thank you for another great recipe!
Has anyone tried adapting this for instant pot cooking?
AMAZING!! So easy to make and my family said it’s better than any non-vegetarian chili they’ve had. Thank you - love your site!
I’ve made this Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili on the stovetop before and loved it!! This time around, I’m giving my slow cooker a shot and we’ll see how it goes. My almost 3 year old loved helping me pour everything in and stirring it up. So much fun and I can’t wait to see how it comes out. I’ll report back with timing for my slow cooker pals. Love love love all that Ms Gaby makes!
Highly recommend - tasty and perfect for fall. This will be a regular staple - my partner loved it too. We add honey per another comment. Looking forward to leftovers!
OH BOY YUM!! Made this just now but used kidney beans instead of black beans and butternut squash in place of sweet potatoes cuz thats what I had!! Proving this is a versatile recipe with really good bones!! ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! The lime at the end is mandatory 🙂
This was my first attempt at chilli and it is so delicious! It was easy to make and made enough for the freezer which is always a bonus. I couldn’t find fire roasted tomatoes nor did I have one of the peppers but it’s still so good. Def going into into my rotation!
Easy and super tasty!
We're a meat-eating family who is trying to introduce some vegetarian meals to our repertoire. This chili is AMAZING. I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes, but this is delicious and we don't have any leftovers afterwards. And with a multi-generational household, the fact that EVERYONE loves this means it's a winner!
By far, the best vegetarian meal I’ve ever had. So amazing!!
Can I nix the quinoa and double the black beans? Thanks!
sure
I made this chili last night as the recipe says, but I used rice instead of quinoa. I was delicious. I will definitely make it again. And again.
This has become a staple recipe in our home. Even my meat eaters love this. I have shared this recipe multiple times since everyone asks for it once they have tasted this chili. Thank you!
Loved this chili. I didn't have quinoa so I used couscous. My husband was not looking forward to it but ended up eating seconds. Can you give us a calorie count?
added some honey and dijon mustard and it was absolutely delicious. Also substituted quinoa with rice, and was perfectly fine.