This sweet potato black bean chili is a delicious twist on a classic vegetarian chili. It has nourishing vegetables, flavorful aromatics, and the best chili seasoning ever. Plus, it's super easy to prepare!
If you love a flavorful and spicy chili that is packed with nutritious ingredients, I recommend giving this sweet potato black bean chili a try! It has lots of ingredients that have a variety of health benefits. Plus, it's super easy to make and tastes amazing!
And if you love chili recipes the way I do, you may want to take a look at some of my other recipes. I absolutely love to make my turkey pumpkin chili, white ground chicken chili, and vegetarian chili on cold days!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Ingredients
To make this sweet potato black bean chili you'll need the following ingredients:
- Sweet potato: You'll need regular sweet potatoes for this recipe. They have a slightly sweet taste and hold their shape well, making them perfect for this recipe.
- Black beans: You'll also need canned black beans for this recipe. If you prefer another type of beans, feel free to use it. Pinto beans are a great replacement.
- Bell pepper: I used a combination of red bell pepper and green bell pepper as I like the mix of sweet and bitter flavors. Feel free to use only one type of bell pepper if that's what you prefer.
- Aromatics: You'll need yellow onion, garlic, and some type of chile pepper for this sweet potato black bean chili. You can use jalapeño peppers to keep things mild or red serrano peppers to make your chili extra spicy.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste adds depth and flavor to your chili, so make sure to use it!
- Spices: You'll need chili powder (American spice blend, not ground chiles), paprika powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and curry powder. Using curry powder may be unconventional, but it's great for balancing the flavors in a chili!
- Liquids: Vegetable broth and tomato passata (or canned crushed tomatoes) are used for the chili base. If you prefer a smoother chili, use tomato passata. If you love tomato chunks, use canned crushed or diced tomatoes.
- Toppings (optional): Using toppings is optional, but they make any chili taste so much more delicious and interesting! Feel free to pick your favorite toppings. I used sour cream and chopped cilantro.
How to make this sweet potato black bean chili
Sauté the aromatics. First, preheat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Then add the onion, garlic, and chile pepper. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
Sauté the sweet potato and season. Next, add the sweet potato cubes to the same pot. Sauté everything for 2-3 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and all the spices. Continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add all ingredients and simmer. Now add the black beans, bell pepper, vegetable broth, and tomato passata to the pot. Stir, cover, and let the chili simmer for 15-20 minutes. Make sure that the sweet potato cubes are tender.
Serve. Add your favorite toppings to your bowl of sweet potato black bean chili (optional) and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Make sure that the chili powder you use is a spice blend, not just ground chiles. If you accidentally use ground chiles instead of chili powder, your chili will turn out very very spicy.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste, especially the amount of cayenne pepper. If you are used to eating spicy food, you may want to add more cayenne pepper. And if you are very sensitive to spice, you may want to lower the amount of cayenne pepper and add more as you go. I think that most people will like the recipe as is, but definitely feel free to adjust it!
- Feel free to decide if you use tomato passata or crushed canned tomatoes. Tomato passata is very smooth and has no tomato chunks. Crushed tomatoes have some chunks, which makes it the way to go if you prefer having tomato bits in your chili. Both options work well to make a delicious chili at home!
Variations
- Add some cocoa powder or a small piece of dark chocolate to your chili. Adding a small amount of cocoa powder or dark chocolate adds depth and richness to the broth. It's a trick that is often used for chilis and some curries (like I did in my Japanese beef curry recipe).
- Use fire-roasted tomatoes instead of regular canned tomatoes for extra flavor and spice. If you can find and love using them, feel free to add them to this sweet potato black bean chili!
How to serve this sweet potato black bean chili
- Add some extra carbs to your meal. You could serve your chili with rice, bread, pasta, or tortilla wraps. All of these options are delicious, so it's totally up to you!
- Garnish your serving with your favorite toppings. This chili tastes great without toppings, but it's so much better when you add some! Here are toppings that go really well with chili recipes: avocado, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips. I used sour cream and cilantro when I made this dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
This chili is moderately spicy with a rich tomato-based broth that brings together the sweet potato cubes, bell pepper, and black beans. It's super delicious and perfect if you want to try a vegetarian chili!
I'd say it's medium-hot, so it's not overly spicy but not mild either. So feel free to adjust the heat level to taste. The best way to do this is by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper and chile pepper that you use.
Yes, it is! Just make sure that you don't use any animal products as toppings, or use vegan alternatives.
I recommend serving it with some type of carb and your favorite toppings. Check out the post for additional information.
Yes, this recipe is great for making a few extra servings and freezing them! They can be stored for up to 3 months in your freezer. To reheat, let your serving thaw and reheat it using the microwave or stovetop.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
More easy and delicious soups and stews
If you are looking for more soups and stews that you can make for dinner, I recommend checking out the following recipes. They are super delicious and very easy to make!
- Black Bean and Lentil Soup
- White Bean and Kale Soup
- Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Soybean Paste Stew)
- White Ground Chicken Chili
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 chile pepper finely diced
- 2 cups sweet potato cubes should be 1 medium-sized sweet potato
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tableespoons chili powder American spice blend, not ground chiles
- ½ tablespoon paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper more to taste
- ½ teaspoon curry powder (optional)
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups tomato passata or canned crushed tomatoes
- toppings of your choice (optional) such as cilantro, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips, jalapeño pepper slices
Instructions
- First, preheat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Then add the onion, garlic, and chile pepper. Sauté until the onion turns translucent.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 chile pepper
- Next, add the sweet potato and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and all seasonings. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.2 cups sweet potato cubes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, salt and pepper, 2 tableespoons chili powder, ½ tablespoon paprika powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon curry powder (optional)
- Now add the black beans, bell pepper, and liquids. Cover the pot and let everything simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sweet potato cubes are tender.2 15-ounce cans black beans, ½ red bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper, 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups tomato passata or canned crushed tomatoes
- Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!toppings of your choice (optional)
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