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. Scoop it up with Homemade Tortilla Chips, pile on some Loaded Guacamole, and if you're feeding a crowd, set it out alongside a pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup for the ultimate cozy night spread.
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. And you might not believe me. But after years of hearing from you guys about this recipe, I stand by it confidently. Chili is an ESSENTIAL fall/winter recipe, and with all the black beans, sweet potatoes and spices in this black bean sweet potato chili, you won’t miss the meat one bit. If you do prefer meat in your chili, I have a smoky beef and black bean chili that is delicious and an easy white chicken chili or a turkey chili based on your preference!
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 55 minutes (10 min prep + 45 min cook)
- 👪 Servings: 4 people
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: Tex-Mex / Vegetarian Chili
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Smoky, hearty, mildly spicy with sweet-potato warmth, black-bean richness and fresh lime brightness
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegan/vegetarian (if toppings are dairy-free), gluten-free, meat-free
- 📦 Storage Notes: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days; freezes very well for up to 3 months when portioned.
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: A game-changing vegetarian chili that even meat-lovers will crave—loaded with sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa and bold spices for serious comfort and freezer-friendly ease.
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Why I Love This Recipe
Loaded with chili powder, chipotle peppers, cumin, beans, tomatoes, and quinoa, this black bean sweet potato chili is basically a giant party in a pot—and it’s seriously addictive. Make it, enjoy it, and then pack up the leftovers for lunch the next day to make everyone jealous. I love making a double batch on the weekend and freezing small portions for easy meals later in the week.
It freezes beautifully! Once it’s cooled completely, portion the chili into airtight containers or freezer-safe bags and label them. When you’re ready to enjoy, transfer a portion to the fridge and let it thaw overnight. To reheat, warm it on the stovetop over medium heat with a splash of broth or water until it’s hot and bubbly, or heat it gently in the microwave, stirring every minute or so. Either way, it tastes just as incredible as the day you made it.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Substitutions
- 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 Super Simple Stovetop Beans.
Toppings
- Serving suggestions: avocado, cilantro, crema, grated cheese
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: 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.
How to Store Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
You can store this for 4 days in an airtight container and re-heat on the stove or microwave when its time to eat.
How to Freeze Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
This is a great recipe for freezing. I recommend portioning out when freezing so you only have to thaw as much as you need. This can be frozen for 3 months. Recommend thawing in the fridge overnight to make re-heating easier.
Tips & Tricks
This is a vegan/vegetarian chili so keep that in mind when choosing your toppings! Just make sure everyone knows what is dairy and what isn't.
FAQs
Can I use different beans in chili if I do not have black beans?
You can use kidney or pinto beans if you do not have black beans. Some people also like doing a mix of the different beans. However, make sure you are doing canned beans in that case since different beans can have slightly different cook times. If you want to make your own beans, this is my favorite recipe.
Is black bean sweet potato chili gluten-free?
Yes!! Chili is a great crowd-pleaser, and easy to make in a larger quantity. This recipe makes it even more fit for a gathering, since its gluten free and vegan (omit the crema and grated cheese or just keep them on the side as a topping station).
Stuck in a dinner rut? Looking for new delicious dinner ideas? Check out my roundup of 50+ easy dinner ideas here.
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
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.
I've made this a dozen times now and I love it more and more! It's delicious! I've decided to make it for a party I'm hosting. One of the guests is on a gluten free diet. Is this gluten free? If not, what needs to be eliminated to accommodate a gluten free diet?
Hi Brandy
Unless there is some gluten hiding in the tin of beans, this dish would be gluten free.
Regards
Linda
This is one of my new faves! I make this recipe at least once a week! Delicious, easy and healthy! Thanks for sharing.
Would this work well to freeze? I haven't used quinoa before so not sure if it would hold up after thawing out. Thanks!
yes it absolutely would! I freeze it all the time 🙂
Making this for the second time tonight. This recipe is fantastic! I made everyone I know try it and everyone loves it. I double the recipe. Warms up well too so it's convenient for me to take to lunch at work. Loooove this!!!!!
This is the best chili recipe! I made it for Super Bowl Sunday and poured it into mason jars and baked cornbread on top. I also added a little Mayan chocolate to the batch and it kicked it up a notch. It was a huge hit! I wanted chili again today, but I didn't have a red onion or black beans, so I used white kidney beans and a yellow onion. I had fire roasted tomatoes on hand and used those. It came out amazing! No chocolate or cornbread this time. I served it with sliced avocados on top. Thank you again for sharing this recipe. 🙂
This was truly AMAZING. Very flavorful. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for a little topping.
So I was super excited to make this as I am newly vegetarian! Here are my observations - The taste is great. It is a little on the spicy side, which is good for me because I love spice, but unfortunately my boyfriend has sensitive little taste buds so he doesn't do well with spice. If you like heat, this is great, but I may cut down a little on the chipotle next time.
It was also just a little bit more runny than I thought it would be. Maybe I'm used to the meat in chili soaking up a portion of the liquid? Anyway, it is still good but next time I might try to thicken it up and add some "chunk" to it with some corn and maybe another type of bean. All in all, a good recipe and I'm enjoying it in its entirety as we speak 🙂
When I made it I used a cup less water than the recipe stated, mostly because I couldn't fit another cupful into the pan without major spillage! It turned out to be exactly the right degree of runniness for our taste, I'm not fond of lots of liquid in chilli.
Made this tonight with no modifications. Loved this! Very easy and very satisfying!
Great recipe! Doubled it and made it for dinner for friends, she's a vegetarian and he's a chili lover. They both loved and had seconds. A keeper in our house for sure. 🙂
Made this on Saturday night, and will definitely make again. I love the fact that it's a one pot meal. We had it with tortillas and avocado and have enough for supper tomorrow night too. I've just made nachos with it for lunch, yummy! BTW, are tortilla chips addictive? 😎
Yum! Thanks! Just made this and had it on tortillas with chicken. 🙂
Made this today. It is terrific. This will definitely be one of our go to meals. Thanks.
I also loved this recipe! I took 2 cups out at the end and blended it in the vitamix and then put it back. It thickened the chili and felt like we were eating a meat chili....going to make it for the Super Bowl! Thanks Gaby!
Made this today for a nice warm meal since the Polar Vortex has returned the Midwest. Absolutely LOVED it! I added a little cinnamon to mine too when I added the other spices and it turned out great. Cinnamon and sweet potatoes are always a good combo!
Delicious! I made this for my family tonight and it was a hit! Love the flavors...smoky, sweet, and a hint of heat. Will be putting this in the rotation. Thank you 🙂