Vegan Sweet Potato Chili
This Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili is made with tender cooked sweet potatoes, adding a sweetness that works with the fresh chili flavors.
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Add a serving of vegan cornbread on the side for the best meal ever!
Don’t you love making a batch of easy vegan chili? But it’s a good idea to mix things up a little.
I decided to make this batch a little different. This vegan sweet potato and black bean chili is a great way to serve the same flavors with a twist. I had a hunch the black beans would go well with the sweet potatoes and I was right!
Making chili in a slow cooker lets the flavors simmer together all day and means an easy dinner is on the way!
But before I go off sounding like the chili whisperer, there’s another reason I used a slow cooker with this recipe: time. Sweet potatoes cook up so quickly (thanks to their natural sugars). That means you can throw everything into the slow cooker and let it cook all day.
Ingredients & Substitutions
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Aromatics — We’ll be cooking chopped onion with garlic cloves in olive oil
- Sweet potatoes — You’ll need two medium sweet potatoes
- Black Beans — I prefer black beans, but you can substitute dark or light kidney beans
- Tomatoes — You’ll need two 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
- Veggie Crumbles — I suggest using veggie crumbles, but you can make it with or without veggie crumbles
- Seasonings — You’ll be adding Chili seasoning or substitute homemade taco seasoning. You can also add salt and pepper based on your taste preferences.
Give this chili a stuffed pepper vibe by adding chopped red bell peppers when sautéing the onions.
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- FLAVORFUL — Sweet potatoes add flavor and texture throughout this chili
- EASY — Using a slow cooker means that dinner is cooking while you’re doing other things
- PROTEIN — Adding veggie crumbles contributes delicious plant-based protein to every bite!
How to Make Sweet Potato Chili
It’s so easy to make this black bean sweet potato chili because it’s all done in the crockpot. That means you won’t need additional pans to make this recipe work.
- Cook onions and garlic in a slow cooker on high for about 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the veggie crumbles, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Stir in the veggie crumbles and nutritional yeast flakes before serving.
Serving Sweet Potato Chili
Here are some favorite toppings to serve with this sweet potato black bean chili:
- Cashew nacho cheese drizzled over the top is a nice touch.
- Chopped onions add flavor and crunch.
- Add some creamy cashew sour cream on top!
- Chopped herbs like cilantro taste great on top of chili.
- Have a dish of corn salsa on the side to add spoonfuls to your chili.
- Make it spicy with some chopped red chili peppers. Can’t find them at the store? Here are some great red chili pepper alternatives.
- Drizzle this chili over loaded vegan baked potatoes.
Storage Tips
To store chili, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it by storing it in freezer-safe containers where it will keep up to 1 to 2 months. To thaw it, leave the container in the fridge or overnight, or leave it out at room temperature for a few hours. Heat up individual servings in a microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
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More Vegan Chili Ideas
Do you love this vegan sweet potato chili? Here are even more vegan chili recipes (and chili sides) you’ll love:
Plant-Based Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion , peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium sweet potatoes , washed and chopped (see note)
- 30 oz canned black beans
- 30 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons chili seasoning (see note)
- 1 cup veggie crumbles
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes , optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Place the chopped onions and minced garlic in a slow cooker and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to combine. Set temperature to high and cook for about 10 minutes. See note for stovetop instructions.
- Turn heat to low and add the chopped sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, and chili seasoning. Cook for 6 to 8 hours.
- About 30 minutes before serving, add the veggie crumbles and nutritional yeast flakes. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Drizzle oil in a large pot over medium heat on the stove. Cook until shimmering, then add chopped onions and cook until tender, around 3 to 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, around 30 minutes.
Serving
- Serve warm with vegan cornbread.
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2018 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
About the Author
Hi! I’m Marly McMillen. I’m the founding editor, author, recipe developer, vegan home chef, and food stylist behind Namely Marly. I’m so grateful to you and every member of my audience for your support and dedication. More about Namely Marly ›
31 Responses to Vegan Sweet Potato Chili
Rate / Comment
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Hello. May I get the stovetop method please? Looks great!
Hi Kate. I added stovetop instructions to the recipe card. I hope you enjoy this chili recipe!
I’ll leave out the unnecessary crumbles, and the rest sounds delicious! Thank you. Always looking for something to do with usually “too sweet” (mho) for dinner sweet potatoes. Something savory is always needed with them.
Yes, sweet potatoes in a savory dish for dinner is perfect! Glad you like the recipe, Carol!
Sounds and looks delicious.
Hi Marly, the recipe calls for “3 tbsp chili seasoning (see note)” but I cannot find any notes. Can you clarify what chili seasoning is used? Thanks!
Hi Emily. The note is fixed now. It’s linking to my taco seasoning as a way to make it at home I feel like I’m constantly running out so having a way to make it at home is so nice! You can use any chili seasoning you like. I think they all have different variations based on the spices. Taco seasoning has a bit more cumin in the mix, but I really like that flavor so it works for me.
Where are the “notes?” You refer to them several times but there aren’t any on this page….?
Hi Lisa. I searched this page but didn’t see where I referenced notes. Are you possibly referring to a different page?
I noticed it doesn’t say to peel the sweet potatoes ( or does that go without saying ) and I could not find “note“ that it refers to seeing.
Hi Jo. Thanks for your comment. I do not peel the sweet potatoes in this recipe. I will add a note in the recipe for that. Thanks!
i love a good slow cooker chili recipe! nothing better than coming home and having dinner waiting for you!
Oh my gosh- this chili recipe us amazing! Loved it! And the cornbread was done if the best I’ve ever had…. and I love cornbread, so that’s saying a lot! Thanks so much- your recipes are great.
Tina! You just made my day! I’m so glad you made both and loved them! Oh, that cornbread. I SO love it. We are kindred spirits!
Hi! I just made this and it’s still cooking. Can’t wait to try it! The title says Quinoa but the directions don’t include it. Am I missing something? Perhaps you exchanged that ingredient with the veggie crumbles, but forgot to update the title?
Hi Christy! Thanks for your comment and I’m glad you’re trying this recipe. It’s one of our favorites! Also, thanks for your note about the quinoa. It was a “description” field that needed to be updated. It’s fixed now! Hugs to you!
Wow! This can be one particular of the most useful blogs We’love ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Excellent. I am also a specialist in this topic therefore I can understand your effort.
Sweet potato chili is the best kind of chili! Thanks for including my Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili 🙂
Ah, you’re so welcome Jennifer!
I’ve never tried sweet potatoes in my chili! It looks delicious. I bet i wouldn’t even miss the meat!
Sweet potatoes add such a nice pop of sweetness to the chili. I almost always put ketchup in my chili, but not when I have sweet potatoes in it! ❤️
You are totally right – chili doesn’t need any meat to be fantastic! I love sweet potatoes, so I’m excited to try this one!
Thanks Alicia! So excited to celebrate National Chili Day with you!
I love sweet potatoes! This looks amaaaazing!
YUM! Marly, this looks fantastic. I love sweet potatoes 🙂
Sweet Potatoes are such a great idea. I NEED to make this! That looks like an awfully good line-up of chili recipes too!
Thanks, Ginny! It’s better thanks to your recipe!
I can finally get sweet potatoes in Italy, so I can’t wait to try this. Sounds and looks delicious.
I bet the sweet potato is a perfect balance to the spice. Looks so delicious!
Marly…thanks so much for including my chili in your roundup! Somehow I missed National Chili Day, but actually, I didn’t…thanks to you 🙂 PS, you’re giving me sweet potato chili photog goals…yours is gorgeous! 🙂
Thanks, Traci! I’m happy to have you as part of my National Chili Day Celebration!