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This Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili is loaded with flavor, fiber, and plant-based protein. It is nourishing, satisfying, and comes together with simple, affordable pantry staples in under 30 minutes!
When it comes to cooking for a crowd with mixed food allergies or preferences, this is recipe I choose from my collection of easy chili recipes. Just like my recipes for Southwest Baked Quinoa and Lentil Chili, it is dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan-friendly. In other words, it's the rare meal that everyone can enjoy without worry -- and without compromising on flavor!
Kristen's Keys for Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
In order to make a Sweet Potato Chili with perfectly cooked quinoa that is filled with flavor, pay attention to a few key pointers.
- Rinse the quinoa. Quinoa has a natural coating that if not rinsed properly, can make your chili taste bitter. To combat this, place it in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse well under running water (even if your quinoa says pre-rinsed!)
- Simmer, rather than boil. 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. Dinner will still be ready in 30 minutes.
- Finish with lime. Adding the juice of a fresh lime brings the flavor to life, making simple pantry staples taste anything but basic.
5-star Reader Review
I am an unapologetic meatitarian, my mother is a "vegetarian in training". I found this after finding your chili spice mix and thought: Why not. If nothing else, she'll like it...a bit sweet, with a hint of spicy. Excellent isn't high enough to describe this. -Rich ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Make Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
While Sweet Potato Chili is an incredibly simple one pot dinner recipe, I have a few tips along the way to ensure dinner is both delicious and successful.
Step One: Sauté Onions & Garlic
In a large pot, heat a bit of oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until softened and just golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, to lightly toast.
👉🏻Don't skip this step! Sautéeing the onions mellows their sharp bite and helps this quick-cooking chili recipe taste like it simmered all afternoon.
Step Two: Build the Base
Add in peeled, cubed sweet potatoes, rinsed quinoa, drained black beans, diced tomatoes, broth, and the chili seasoning blend. Stir well to combine.
Step Three: Simmer Gently
Bring everything to a low boil, then immediately lower the heat. Let it simmer, uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and the quinoa is cooked through, stirring often.
👉🏻Adjust as needed. If you find the quinoa is absorbing too much liquid as it cooks, lower the heat and add a bit more broth to thin it out. If not thickening, simmer a bit longer.
Step Four: Serve
Before serving, add in the juice of a fresh lime and then taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Then ladle into bowls and top with your favorite toppings like diced avocado, chopped cilantro, or a sprinkle of shredded cheese if you're not dairy-free. Pair with biscuits, cornbread, or even tortilla chips for dipping.
Recipe Modifications
- Swap the beans: Pinto or red beans both work in place of black beans.
- Texture tweak: If your crew isn't into chunky tomatoes, blend them before adding to the chili. I do this for my picky son. 😉
- Slow Cooker Option: Sauté onion and garlic first in a small skillet, then combine everything in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours until the sweet potatoes are perfectly tender.
- Instant Pot Option: After many requests, I created an Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili recipe. Hands-off and just as delicious.
More Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, or chicken stock
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch chunks
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 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 medium lime, juiced
- 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, quinoa, and seasonings into the pan.
- Turn the heat to high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until the sweet potatoes are tender. If you find the liquid is evaporating too quickly, reduce the heat to low and add a splash more broth as needed to thin.
- Once thickened, remove from the heat. Stir in the juice of a fresh lime and taste to adjust salt if needed. Serve plain or with toppings of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was my first experience with sweet potato chili and I was NOT disappointed. Filling and full of flavor!
YAY!!! SO glad you enjoyed Jessica--it is one of my favorites!
I have a friend who struggles with vegetarian recipes to make for her stepdad when they do family dinners, so I am definitely going to send her your way because this recipe looks spectacular!
Oh thank you Karly! I KNOW this will help your friend out for sure <3
Love this idea! I wonder if you could replace the sweet potato with butternut squash. I have lots of that from the garden. I made a meatless chili with lentils that turned out amazing, can't wait to try this one!
YES---I have used cubed butternut squash as well and it is fabulous. You can also try my Butternut Squash Chili: https://amindfullmom.com/vegetarian-butternut-squash-chili/
I have a bag of black beans... should i cook them 1st and then add them to this? I saw in another recipe where black beans would cook from dry beans to ready to eat in 3-4 hours... so couldn't I do that here?
Yes, you could....but you will need to add more liquid. I would add 2-3 cups of vegetable stock. I would also wait until last 40 minutes to add tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Let me know how it works out. I have not tried it yet, but now plan to myself. 🙂
Made this according to the recipe and it turned out great!
Awesome. Thanks Liz
This may be a silly question - do you cook the quinoa first, or add it in un-cooked? Thanks!
Jennifer--no silly questions!! Add the quinoa uncooked. It will cook in the stew! Enjoy 🙂
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?
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!