Are you craving a cozy dinner that will leave you satisfied without weighing you down? Sweet Potato Chili is an easy healthy dinner recipe that is perfect for any night of the week! Made with sweet potatoes, black beans, and quinoa, this Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili is hearty, healthy, and ready in under 30 minutes.
Why You Will Love Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili
- Flavorful: From the earthy black beans to the sweetness of the sweet potatoes to the richly spiced tomato sauce, this healthy chili is loaded with flavor.
- Favorite Vegetarian Recipe: This simple, one-pot sweet potato quinoa chili delivers a flavorful, nutrient-dense meal that appeals to vegetarians and carnivores alike.
- Minimal Cost: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili is a budget-friendly recipe that uses pantry staples in a way that brings out the best of their flavor.
- Fast: Unlike most chili recipes, Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili is a 30-minute dinner recipe, yet the flavor is rich and deep. Perfect for any night of the week.
- Nutrient-Dense: This chili is filled with fiber, vitamin A, and plant protein. Filling you up with all the good things!
- Allergy-Friendly: This vegan dinner recipe is not only dairy-free and egg-free, it is nut-free, soy-free, and gluten-free as well.
Notes on Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: Use peeled, cubed, raw sweet potatoes, not frozen or pre-cooked sweet potatoes, as they will turn to mush when cooked.
- Black Beans: While I love pairing black beans and sweet potatoes together, you can use pinto beans or red beans in this Sweet Potato Chili if desired.
- Quinoa: Any variety of dry quinoa will work in this chili recipe.
- Tomatoes: If you or your family has texture issues with diced tomatoes, blend the tomatoes before adding them to the chili. You can also use a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes in place of diced tomatoes.
- Broth: Use either low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken stock.
- Spices: This chili is perfectly spiced with a combination of chili spices made with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and a touch of cayenne.
Tips for Making Sweet Potato Chili
∗ Tips for Making Sweet Potato Chili∗
This Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa is super simple, but there are a few things to keep in mind when making this recipe to make the absolute best sweet potato chili.
- Saute the Onions. Taking a bit of time to saute the onions prior to adding in the other ingredients will help to develop this chili's flavor. The onions will soften and add a nice caramelized, sweet flavor to the chili instead of a sharp, pungent flavor.
- Rinse the Quinoa. Be sure to rinse the quinoa really well in a fine-mesh strainer under running water. This will remove the quinoa's natural coating and prevent it from giving your chili a bitter taste.
- Simmer, Don't Boil. Once the ingredients from the chili have come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. You don't want to try to speed up the cooking process by cooking on high heat, as this will just cause the liquid to evaporate before the sweet potatoes and quinoa become tender.
Serving Suggestions
Sweet Potato Chili can be served plain or with a side of homemade biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, or cornbread. And just like any recipe for chili, you can't go wrong with adding toppings. My favorite additions are diced avocado and chopped cilantro. If you are not vegan or dairy-free, shredded cheese and/or sour cream are also delicious options.
Slow Cooker Instructions
While you can whip up Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili in just one pot in 30 minutes, you can also opt to use the slow cooker to prepare this recipe. This is a great option for when you want to come home to dinner waiting for you.
- Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil in a small non-stick skillet for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic mixture to the slow cooker, along with the remaining ingredients to the crockpot, and mix well to incorporate.
- Cook for 8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high.
More Sweet Potato Dinner Recipes
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
- Chicken and Sweet Potato Skillet
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Tacos
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If you enjoyed this recipe for Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed into 1-inch chunks
- 2 (15-oz) cans black beans rinsed and drained
- 2 (15-oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 small pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 cup dry quinoa rinsed and drained
- minced cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream, etc for serving
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add in the diced onion and saute for 3-5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add in the garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds, just to toast.
- Add the broth, cubed sweet potato, black beans, tomatoes, and seasonings into the pan.
- While the onion is sauteing, place the quinoa into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it well under running water. Add to the chili and stir to combine.
- Turn the heat to high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Serve with minced cilantro, avocado, sour cream, or cheese as desired.
Jennifer
This may be a silly question - do you cook the quinoa first, or add it in un-cooked? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Jennifer--no silly questions!! Add the quinoa uncooked. It will cook in the stew! Enjoy 🙂
Angie_L
Kristen,
I'm trying to become a healthier cook after years of being on the convenience foods merry-go-round. While I'll never get my husband to eat dishes such as this one, I made a pot for myself to take for lunches this week. I followed the recipe to a T; however, the finished product is very thick...not very much liquid remaining at all. It seems like the quinoa soaked most of the liquid up. Also, do you have nutritional info? Your thoughts?
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Angie! Your husband sound a lot like mine 🙂
This is a very thick chili, but based on the amount of liquid your onions gave off and how old the quinoa is, it may absorb more liquid. I personally like a thick chili and as it sits, I add a bit of water with a dash of salt before heating and eating to thin it out (it will soak up more liquid the longer it sits, just as all grain dishes.) However, in the future, if you prefer a thinner consistency, cut the quinoa down by half.
The chili is about 300 calories, 4 gms fat, 15 gms protein, and 10 grams of fiber per 1/6th of a serving.
Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any more questions you have!
Annmarie
I almost made something really similar to this for today instead of the stuffed sweet potato! Awesome recipe, looks so yummy!
Kristen Chidsey
HA! HA! Great minds think alike 🙂
Rachel
Sweet potato and black bean chili is one of our family favorites. The kids love it. This recipe takes it up a notch with the chips! Will definitely give this a try. Thanks for linking up!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Rachel. My kids love it as well!
Leanne
Looks amazing - I love using quinoa and sweet potato together! Might actually make this today. Thanks
Kristen Chidsey
You will love it. I wish I had a bowl myself today!
Pamela Hernandez
One pot meal! Love it!
Kristen Chidsey
Aren't they the best??
Debbie
This chili never disappoints! It is fabulous.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks so much Debbie!
Brittany
this sounds delicious! I'm putting it on my meal plan!
Kristen Chidsey
Awesome Brittany. Let me know how you like it.
Christine
Let's bring this one to the UN! You'll never know if you don't try:p I have been dying to use sweet potato in a chili. This sounds delish! Thanks for linking up last week at Foodie Fridays!
Kristen Chidsey
Christine--You bet. I hope you start the Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili Movement in the UN 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
And this is so yummy!! Be on the lookout, I am sharing my tips on how to survive the holidays while being gluten free!
Kristen from The Road to Domestication
That looks delish!!! As I always say, if it's gluten-free, it's for ME! 🙂 Visiting from #foodiefridays 🙂
Anita Ojeda
YUM! This looks delicious! I'll pin this puppy and try it out this week.
Kristen Chidsey
Let me know how you like it Anita!!
Natashalh
Black beans are one of my husband's favorite foods! He also likes sweet potatoes, and I've been trying to convince him to give quinoa a go. Maybe this will finally do it! BTW, his solution to watery onion eyes is to wear a snorkel mask. It looks ridiculous, but he insists on cutting onions ever since I accidentally cut myself while cooking earlier this year and ended up with stitches. Visiting from The Pin Junkie!
Kristen Chidsey
Natasha, This is my absolute favorite way to eat quinoa. Maybe cut the quinoa to 1/2 cup the first time you make this for your husband and add more beans or potatoes--ease him into it 🙂 Add some corn chips and cheese and he should be golden!
Nicole Neverman
This chili sounds so flavorful and delicious. I have some quinoa that I'd like to use up so thank you very much! I saw this on the Foodie Fridays link up! I would be delighted if you'd stop by http://picnicnz.blogspot.co.nz/ and added this to the Pure Blog Love link party too 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
Nicole--this is my absolute favorite way to enjoy quinoa! Plus, it could not be easier!!!
Celeste @Leapfrog and Lipgloss
I've made Quinoa chili before, but not with Sweet Potato. I'm going to have to try that! Pinning, thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Celeste. I hope you enjoy it.
chanelle
I have to try this! What a yummy sounding flavor combination! I am sooo into sweet potatoes and black beans right now! Mmmm!
Kristen Chidsey
Chanelle, I could totally live on black beans and sweet potatoes! I love the combo so much!
Catalina @ Shades of Pink
Delicious, love the super cute bowl too.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Catalina. That bowl is one of my favorite things 🙂