Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients Needed for Vegan Sweet Potato Chili

• Olive Oil. Used to sauté our onion and garlic.
• Yellow Onion. Onions add savory taste to dishes that can boost up meat-based broths and stocks or contribute to depth of flavor with vegetable based broths and stocks. Yellow onions are a great all-purpose onion, that are sweet and have nice texture (and the type I use most often in my cooking). 
• Garlic. Garlic adds flavor to our chili, and also acts as a flavor enhancer.
• Sweet Potatoes. This root vegetable adds great texture and a natural sweetness to our chili. Sweet potatoes are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (being particularly rich in beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body). 
• Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, and Chipotle Powder. This combination of spices really makes this chili pop! You can use regular paprika or smoked paprika (use whichever you happen to have). The ground chipotle powder adds a wonderfully unique flavor to this chili that you won’t want to skip. You can find all of these spices in the spice aisle of your local grocery store, Target, or Walmart.
• Salt. Salt is used in cooking to enhance the flavors of all of the other ingredients. A must in our chili recipe!
• Diced Tomatoes. Using tomatoes in our recipe both fills out our chili and adds veggies to our meal! Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. I prefer to use petite diced tomatoes, but you can use regular diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes if preferred.
• Black Beans. Black beans are an excellent source of protein for vegetarians. 
• Vegetable Broth or Vegetable Stock. We use broth in our recipe to add more depth of flavor to our chili.
• Your favorite toppings. I personally like to serve this veggie chili with squeeze of fresh lime juice, a dollop of sour cream, avocado slices, fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips bits. Other great options includes shredded cheddar cheese, slices of green onion, a splash of hot sauce, or another of your other favorite chili toppings that you love!

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to Make Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

In a large pot (or Dutch oven) over medium heat, sauté the onion with the olive oil until translucent (about 3-4 minutes). 

Add in the garlic and sweet potatoes and cook until the garlic is fragrant (another 1-2 minutes).

Add the spices (the chili powder, cumin, paprika, chipotle powder, and salt), and stir to coat the onion and sweet potatoes.

Pour in the diced tomatoes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze your pan. 

Add the black beans and broth and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the chili to simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and your favorite toppings.

Variations for this Vegan Sweet Potato Chili

• Use a different onion. If preferred, you can also use a white onion or red onion in this vegetarian sweet potato chili.
• Try different beans. If desired, replace the black beans with a different type of bean. Pinto beans, kidney beans, or white beans would all work well in this recipe.
• Use water instead of broth. If you’re in a pinch, you can use water instead of veggie broth in this recipe. With the nice profile of spices used in our recipe, you won’t loose too much flavor if you find yourself without broth in your pantry.
• Use a different broth. If you’re not vegan or vegetarian, you could also use chicken broth, chicken stock, or a chicken bone broth in this recipe.
• Leave out the garlic. Some of you may think this sounds like blasphemy, but I have family members who don’t do well with garlic… and the chili still tastes great! If you or someone you’re serving this recipe to is sensitive to garlic, it’s totally ok to skip it.

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This recipe is vegetarian and vegan chili recipe that is also gluten free and dairy free as written. You’ll want to focus on the toppings chosen to keep your meal to your specific dietary needs. For example, selecting a vegan sour cream or gluten free tortilla chips.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your chili with a few sides to round out your meal. I love enjoying this chili with a simple green salad and a slice of crusty bread or corn bread! Check out this post on ‘what to serve with white chicken chili‘ for more side ideas.

How to Store Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

To Store: once chili has been cooled completely, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

To Reheat. Option to warm single servings of chili in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until warmed through. If needed, add a splash of broth or water to your reheated chili if it is too thick.

To Freeze: This is a great chili to freeze! To do so, place cooled chili into individual sized airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, transfer frozen chili to the fridge to thaw (overnight if you can) and then microwave to desired temperature.