Black beans, sweet potatoes, fire-roasted salsa, and poblanos come together in this hearty, easy meatless Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili.
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Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Recipe
I nearly called this “Emergency Black Bean Chili.” I was out of nearly everything and needed dinner while caring for a sick child, so I improvised from pantry staples. The result was a comforting, vegetarian chili that came together quickly and kept everyone fed.
Some nights you can’t make a long grocery run. When the fridge is nearly bare you learn to get creative with a few canned goods and pantry items. In my case, black beans and a few vegetables were enough to make a satisfying pot of chili.
A simple seasoned salt helped bring everything together when I was short on individual spices. If you don’t have every spice called for, a good all-purpose seasoned salt or seasoning blend helps round flavors without a long ingredient list.
★★★★★
Readers say –
- “This has become one of our family’s favorite recipes. We have made it countless times by now. I love it.” — Sarah
- “Can’t wait to try this again with sweet potato. I made it with regular potato and LOVED it! Yummo!” — Michele
- “Tried this recipe today and the family loved it!! Like others, my family didn’t miss the meat.” — Alma
Click HERE to save this recipe for Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili Ingredients
To make this vegetarian sweet potato chili, you’ll need:
- Onions
- Garlic
- Poblano pepper
- Olive oil
- Dried herbs and spices
- Crushed tomatoes
- Vegetable broth
- All-season seasoned salt (or your preferred seasoning)
- Carrot
- Sweet potato
- Frozen corn
- Black beans
- Fire-roasted salsa
- Cornstarch (for a slurry)
For the full ingredient amounts and printable recipe card, see the recipe card in this post.
How to Make Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
This sweet potato and black bean chili is a simple “dump and simmer” recipe. Here are the basic steps:
- Sauté diced onion, garlic, and poblano in olive oil until softened.
- Add spices and cook briefly until fragrant.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, most of the broth, sweet potato, carrot, corn, beans, salsa, and tomatoes. Reserve a small amount of broth for the cornstarch slurry.
- Whisk cornstarch into the reserved broth and add it to the pot to slightly thicken the chili.
- Simmer uncovered for about an hour, then cover and simmer another 30 minutes so the flavors develop and the sweet potato softens.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
This summary highlights the main steps—refer to the full recipe card below for exact measurements and timing.
Our Favorite Chili Toppings
Top your chili with one or more of these favorites:
- Sliced jalapeño
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Crumbled feta
- Fresh cilantro
- Extra salsa
- Crushed tortilla chips or Fritos
- Diced avocado
Click HERE to save this recipe for Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili!
Can You Freeze Chili?
Yes — this sweet potato black bean chili freezes well. Cool it completely, transfer to freezer-safe containers or flat freezer bags, label with the date, and store. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating gently on the stove.
What Readers Are Saying
★★★★★
Kristine says –
“A year ago, I used this recipe (slightly modified) for a chili cook-off at work and WON! A vegetarian chili beat all the meaty contestants. Several coworkers asked for the recipe.”
★★★★★
Melissa says –
“This recipe is fantastic and a huge hit — the best chili I’ve ever made! My husband was shocked there was no meat in it.”
More Easy Chili Recipes:
If you prefer a meat-based chili, try a beefy kidney bean chili or a rich braised short rib and bacon chili. For a lighter option, white bean chicken chili verde is a great choice. Cheesy chicken enchilada chili is another family favorite. If you want an all-vegetarian option with fall flavors, a roasted butternut squash black bean chili is simple and delicious. Serve any chili with honey corn bread muffins for a perfect accompaniment.
What’s your favorite way to make chili?
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Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
6
15 minutes
30 minutes
45 minutes
Black beans, sweet potatoes, fire-roasted salsa, and poblanos pair in this hearty, easy meatless chili.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced (deseed if you like)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounces vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2/3 cup diced sweet potato
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 37.5 ounces canned black beans, drained but not rinsed
- 1/2 cup fire-roasted salsa
- 2 bay leaves
- 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
Garnishes
- Toppings for serving: Monterey Jack cheese or feta and cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until tender and golden. Add the garlic and poblano and sauté another minute until fragrant.
- Add the cumin and chili powder and cook another 2 minutes.
- Lower heat to medium-low and stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth, reserving 1/4 cup of broth. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Add the carrot, sweet potato, corn, black beans, salsa, bay leaves, and diced tomatoes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the reserved 1/4 cup broth with the cornstarch until smooth.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry into the pot and stir until combined. Bring the chili to a brief boil for 2 minutes, then lower the heat.
- Simmer uncovered over low heat for one hour, then cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes until vegetables are tender and flavors meld.
- Remove bay leaves, then serve topped with your favorite garnishes.
Notes
This chili freezes well. Cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe containers or bags, label, and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 292
Total Fat: 4g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 1417mg
Carbohydrates: 54g
Fiber: 18g
Sugar: 10g
Protein: 15g
Morton and Collective Bias provided a small grocery budget to purchase products for this post. I was not paid to publish positive comments and I genuinely enjoy this recipe.