Healthy And Easy Sweet Potato Chilli Recipe

This sweet potato chilli is hearty, flavourful, and easy to make. Packed with tender sweet potato, beans, and spices, it’s perfect for busy nights and meat-free Mondays. Customise with toppings like guacamole, soured cream or cheese for a simple, nourishing meal.

If you are looking for a delicious and nutritious meal idea, you should try this easy sweet potato chilli recipe. It’s packed with healthy ingredients and bursting with flavour. Perfect for a cosy night in!

We try to eat at least one meat-free meal a week, it’s a great way to introduce new flavours, eat more fruit and veg, try new things, and save a little money on the weekly food shop. It also really highlights the fact that you don’t need meat to create a filling and tasty family dinner. 

On these meat-free meal nights, I try to find healthy recipes but also meals that are satisfying so that we don’t miss the meat. To be honest, some of these meat-free dinners have become some of our favourite recipes. This roasted sweet potato chilli is one of them!

Why I Love Sweet Potato Chilli

When it comes to Healthy dinner ideas, this one is fantastic because:

• Comfort Food is often unhealthy. Of course, it doesn’t have to be, it’s a very personal choice. Your comfort food is what comforts you. This comforts me. When I’m a little under the weather, there’s nothing more nourishing than this. Learn more about the nutrition of sweet potatoes here. 
• Family Meals can get boring, this adds new flavour to a familiar favourite. 
• Such a great flavor. 
• This a quick and easy recipe.

Ingredients For Sweet Potato Chilli

When I make sweet potato chilli con carne I use:

Olive Oil – Other cooking oils are fine too. 

Sweet Potatoes – Diced sweet potato is the hero here!

Salt and Black Pepper

Red Onion

Garlic Puree – Use fresh garlic if you want to. I’m a big cheater. 

Red Bell Pepper – Other coloured peppers would be fine too. 

Red Chilli Puree – Again, you can use fresh. 

Ground Cumin

Chili Powder

Paprika

Smoked Paprika

Red Wine – Something dry. This is optional and can be skipped entirely. 

Chopped Tomatoes

Vegetable Stock – If you aren’t making a vegetarian sweet potato chilli you could swap it for chicken stock. 

Butter Beans 

Kidney Beans

Cannellini Beans – I use these three because they are commonly available. You can use others, such as black beans or pinto beans, skip one, or just use kidney beans, or even a tin of mixed beans. 

You’ll Also Need

I make my chilli with sweet potato in a large Dutch Oven cast iron dish. A large frying pan or cooking pot would be fine too, as long as it’s flameproof. I also use:

• A large mixing bowl. 
• A large baking tray. 
• Chopping board and a sharp knife. 
• Spatula. 

How to Make Sweet Potato Chilli – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Toss the sweet potato cubes in 1 tablespoon of oil and a liberal pinch of salt and pepper. 

Step Two

Tip onto a baking tray and spread evenly. You can use a sheet of baking paper if things tend to stick to your trays. 

Step Three

Roast for 20 minutes at 180 degrees C until soft. They’ll cook a little more when added to the chilli, so try not to let them get too soft. But if after 20 minutes they are still very firm, toss and roast for longer. 

Step Four

While these are roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large, nonstick, flameproof pan on the hob over medium heat. I time it so my sweet potato can go almost straight into the chilli. 

Step Five

Add the diced onion and fry for 5 minutes until soft.

Step Six

Stir in the garlic and red pepper. If you are using fresh garlic, cook for a few minutes before moving on. 

Step Seven

Stir in the chilli puree. Again, if it’s fresh, cook for a few minutes before moving on. 

Step Eight

Add the cumin, chilli powder, smoked paprika, paprika and a little salt and pepper. 

Step Nine

Stir well. 

Step Ten

Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Scrape the bottom of your pan to make sure nothing is stuck. 

Step Eleven

Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often.

Step Twelve 

Add the tinned tomatoes and stock. Stir well. 

Step Thirteen

Add the drained beans, and bring to a simmer. 

Step Fourteen

Simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. This might take a little longer, but shouldn’t be more than 30 minutes. 

Step Fifteen

Stir in the sweet potato chunks carefully, and cook until warmed through. This shouldn’t be longer than 5 minutes. 

Serving Suggestions

Now, I serve my sweet potato chilli how I’d like any other chilli, with a huge range of sides and dips. 

There’s typically rice, some kind of bread (often pitta), sour cream, salsa, guacamole and grated cheddar cheese. 

I like lots of options, and I like everyone being able to take the bits that they like. It’s a bit carb-heavy, but I like that!

You could also add things like fresh lime wedges, tortillas and sliced avocado. 

Variations

Sweet potato chili, like any other chilli, is super versatile, so there’s plenty that you can do differently. 

Use Different Beans

We shop in Aldi, so there’s not the same huge range as there might be in a bigger supermarket. They often have kidney, cannellini and butter beans, which I use for most of my bean needs. But, you can use others. Pinto, black and haricot are great options. You could even just throw a tin or two of mixed beans in. 

Add More Peppers

One red pepper is plenty, but feel free to add more, or use different colours. 

Adjust the Spice Level

This chilli is a little spicy, but not crazy. For a spicier dinner, add more chilli powder or cayenne pepper. 

Add Some Butternut Squash

Instead of 1kg of sweet potatoes, why not do half sweet potato and half butternut squash? 

Add Some Meat

Ground turkey or ground beef could be great additions if you aren’t specifically looking for a vegetarian recipe. 

Leftovers

Leftover sweet potato chilli can be reheated the next day in the microwave or on the hob. Just make sure the potatoes are piping hot before serving. 

Storage 

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Can You Freeze Sweet Potato Chilli?

The texture of your sweet potato might change upon thawing and reheating, but it will still taste great. Freeze in an airtight container for up to two months, thaw thoroughly before reheating, and reheat until piping hot.