Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
Slow cooker sweet potato chili is an easy and healthy meal to make in the slow cooker or crockpot. It’s a hearty and flavorful chili perfect for cold winter days!
Anybody else buried under snow? This is my first blizzard while living in New York City and it is definitely one for the books. I mean, the mayor declared the city under a winter weather state of emergency—that does not happen everyday. When weather like this hits the big apple, it’s time to hunker down with a six-pack of beer and a big bowl of chili.
Chili is one of those comfort foods that is just so darn difficult not to like. From manly-man beef chili to Tex-Mex chicken chili, the options are endless. This time around I tried my hand at a vegetarian chili using sweet potatoes, plenty of beans and an array of vegetables.
Sweet potato chili ingredients
Sweet potato chili calls for red onion, bell pepper, frozen corn, garlic, spices, cocoa powder, diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans and sweet potato. All the ingredients are tossed into a slow cooker and cooked for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
The most unique ingredients in this recipe are the cocoa powder and cinnamon. A little out of place from typical chili, but it works really well in sweet potato chili—trust me. Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder for the best results.
Sweet potato chili nutrition
Sweet potato chili is packed with nutrition. It is a naturally low-fat meal filled with fiber, nutrients and plant-based protein. This recipe yields 4 generous helpings, each about 330 calories each. There is also 17 grams of protein and 19 grams of fiber provided mostly from the black beans and kidney beans.
The sweet potatoes pack a ton of Vitamin A and Vitamin C in to this meal. There is also Potassium, Calcium and Iron included in this chili.
Make ahead tips for chili
Chili is an excellent dish to make ahead of time. There are a couple options here. You can chop all the ingredients and store in an airtight container a day or two before making the chili. Another option is making the chili and keeping is on the warm setting until ready to serve.
Freezing chili
Chili freezes surprisingly well. Let the chili cool completely. Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator before bringing reheating.
What can I make with sweet potatoes?
Chili isn’t the only thing you can make with sweet potatoes! Try my bourbon maple sweet potatoes, a flavorful side dish to serve at dinner. If you’re looking for something sweet (pun intended) try my sweet potato cupcakes. I also love the look of these sweet potato biscuits..
Related recipes
Here are some recipes to try if you’re looking for something to serve with chili or you want another crockpot meal.
Did you love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below and if you REALLY loved it, consider leaving a comment further down the page.
Get the Recipe: Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn, optional
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- One 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- One 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- One 15.5-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium sweet potato, about 8 ounces, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- For garnish: sour cream, sliced scallions, shredded cheese or tortilla chips
Instructions
- In a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, bell pepper, frozen corn, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Add the tomatoes (and their liquid), beans, sweet potato, and 1 cup water.
- Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total recipe time).
- Serve the chili with the sour cream, scallions, radishes, and tortilla chips.
Notes
Storing sweet potato chili
Chili may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.Freezing sweet potato chili
Chili may be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Suggested tools to make chili: 6-Quart Slow Cooker, vegetable peeler, cutting board, chopping knifeRecipe from Real Simple.
19 Comments on “Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili”
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This turned out great! I like my chili a little bit spicier, so I added more of the chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. I also added some paprika, Hungarian wax peppers , and jalepenos to give it some more heat. Topped it with a dollop of plain greek yoghurt and cilantro :).
Sounds tasty! I never would have thought to use cocoa powder in chili – I’ll have to give this a try 🙂
Nice dish! Keep safe x
Made this today and it was fantastic!!! My family and my boyfriend loved it as well!! Thank you!
I made this a few months ago and it was SO GOOD. Can’t believe it’s taken this long to make it again!
So happy you enjoyed it, Beth!
Thank you for this recipe!! This was incredible!!! The flavors really worked well together. The only thing different I did was I browned a pound of ground turkey in a skillet and then added it to the crockpot with about 2 hours left of cooking time. It made an already great recipe even better.
I LOVE that idea, Dani! Excellent way to get protein in this chili. I’ll have to try that next time I make it!
My favorite vegan chili! I started adding a chopped jalapeno to give it a kick of spice, and it’s PERFECTION.
I don’t have a crock pot, do you have instructions for a regular pot?
Hi
Do you know the calories for this?
Thanks
I’m excited to make this. But Ij have a question, do I include the bean juice also or just the juice from the fire roasted tomatoes?
Just the juice from the fire roasted tomatoes. I suggest rinsing the beans before adding.
The taste of this dish was great, but my husband and I both suffered from a burning in our throats and noses and such gurgly stomachs. I followed recipe with appropriate measurements. What would have caused this???
Hi Chelsey – Possibly an ingredient that went bad and/or is past the expiration date. If you have sensitive digestive systems, the chili powder or cumin could have had an affect (especially if it wasn’t incorporated evenly in the chili). However, this is not a particularly spicy chili.
Any idea calorie count?
This has become one of my favorites!
I was in a hurry and cheated, and this recipe still turned out great! The frozen onions and peppers and sweet potatoes probably took away from the flavor, especially since I dumped everything in the crock pot and skipped the sauteeing. Nonetheless, this is going to be a go-to recipe for me moving forward. This chili goes great with a side of guacamole. Thanks for sharing!