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. 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.
Jump to:
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 saw in the comments that this recipe can be made in the crock pot. Should i stilll cook sweet potato before putting in the crock pot? Any other changes I shoild make?
Hey Dawn! I haven't tested it in a crock pot so I'm unsure from personal experience - but my gut is telling me that you do not need to cook the sweetpotato prior to putting it into the crock pot and it will cook perfectly once in there 🙂
We're trying to eat healthier, so I've been scouring Pinterest. I came across this recipe. I made this for supper tonight. I doubled the recipe as there are 5 of us 🙂 I used brown rice instead of quinoa. It was delicious! This is definitely going to be one of my go-to recipes from now on! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Hey Gaby,
Can't wait to make this. I'd love to use what I already have in my kitchen and I have all the ingredients except the chipotle peppers. Is there an adequate substitute or should I really drop by the store for the chipotles?
Thanks,
Annie
you can skip it - it's just chipotle pepper seasoning - and you'll already be using cumin and chili powder so you could add in a bit of cayenne if you wanted spice! Either way, you're great!
I saw you make this on snapchat and decided to try it. I'm currently doing Weight Watchers so I had to add it to check the points. It came out to 9 smart points without the added toppings. Im SO excited to try this because 9 points for a meal is great! It's cooking right now and my husband is skeptical about the sweet potatoes, but I'm sure I'll be making it again for dinners and to take to work for my lunches! I LOVE to watch your snapchat recipes!! Thank you. 🙂
THANK YOU EMILY!!! so glad you enjoyed it! xx
My husband liked it. He said it needed a new name other than chili, but we live in Texas, so it's not the kind of chili he's used to lol. It's REALLY good. I'm looking forward to taking it for lunch the next couple of days. 🙂
yayyyyyyyyyy!
Looks yummy...how many do you think this would serve? We've got two adults, two 10 year old and a 4 year old.
It serves 4-6 for sure!! All my recipes are written for approx 4-6 servings 🙂
Great, thanks! Plan on trying it tonight.
Very tasty! Found this through Plan to Eat and we really enjoyed it. Mine didn't quite come out as thick as I'd like, but from reading other comments I will be a bit more patient next time and let it thicken up.
Thanks so much!
I made this last week and my roommate and I could NOT STOP EATING IT! I made it with with a little honey and cinnamon added in to add a bit more sweetness to the heat, and piled it on top of corn bread. I'm making it again tonight... it'll definitely will become a staple for us here in my house.
Just finished a dish of this excellent chilli. Added turkey mince to make it go further and some corn and chopped capsicum. Used kidney beans as black beans are not readily available here. Loved the texture with the quinoa. Will be enjoying this for lunch next week 🙂
Does this work well in the slow cooker?! Can't wait to make this tonight!
yes it does!! 6 hours should do the trick on low 🙂
Does this work well in the slow cooker?! Can't wait to make this tonight!
The quinoa do you cook it seperately before mixing it to bring to a boil or no?
you add the uncooked quinoa to the chili and then bring it to a boil and that thickens the chili and cooks the quinoa 🙂
Gaby, your chili rocks!! I loved everything about it! The heat was just right. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes were devine! I did let it cook down a bit longer than suggested by that's personal preference. Thank you for my first vegetarian chili recipe. As far as I'm concerned the search is over!
My husband made it a few days ago when I was on a girls day out. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the sweet potatoes, so he used regular ones and found a golden beetroot which he also put in. It worked really well.
This is such an amazing recipe, I have changed it up a little adding some diced pepper or some celery and mushrooms, but anytime I make it it is wonderful for my daughter the vegetarian and my honey the carnivore everybody lloves it, I've made it 3 times in 2 weeks doubled it tonight, to freeze some individual portions for my work lunches, Yummo, thanks so much for what has become a classic recipe in my house! P.s. It freezes well!
yayyayay love this! thank you!!
My husband who HATES sweet potatoes LOVED this chili. I am craving it right now. Everytime I passed the fridge, I would need to take a spoonful...cold. Being a spice wuss, I will cut the ground chipolte to 1/4 tsp. A dollop of sour cream on top...OMG....deeeeeelish!
omg your comment made my day!! so glad he enjoys them 🙂