30-Minute Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
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This sweet potato black bean chili is such a great weeknight dinner. It’s hearty and spiced just right (not too hot!). The chunky sweet potatoes bring natural sweetness that balances the smoky spices. Plus, it keeps beautifully — the flavors deepen after a day or two, so it’s just as good (if not better) to enjoy during the rest of the week.
I will always say “yes!” to a bowl of this thick, not-too-spicy sweet potato chili. It cooks in about half an hour, and it’s full of black beans and spices that will warm you up inside and out.
There’s something about sweet potatoes and winter squash that pairs so beautifully with spices. Another favorite that combines those flavors is this creamy turkey pumpkin chili with white beans.
Unlike chili made in a slow cooker, this quick version can be ready about 25 minutes after chopping and prepping your onions and sweet potatoes.
Ingredient notes
- Sweet potatoes: The natural sweetness of a sweet potato goes perfectly with bold seasonings (which is amplified even more when sweet potatoes are roasted with spices). For this chili, the sweet potatoes simmer until perfectly tender. You’ll need about 3 cups chopped (peeled or unpeeled as you prefer), which is about two medium one large sweet potato.
- Black beans: Convenient as all get out, canned black beans are an excellent way to curb your hunger. Swap out half the black beans for pinto beans.
- Spices: Ground cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and chili powder create the complex flavor and aroma you expect in the best chili recipe. I also throw in just one canned chipotle chili packed in adobo sauce for its intense smokiness and heat. Don’t worry if you don’t have every one of these spices on hand — use what you have. Bottled hot sauce adds a layer of gentle heat.
Chili spices
For this recipe, you can make the chili spice blend with ground spices you probably already have in your pantry: Cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. I sometimes add granulated garlic or onion powder to my blend. Double or triple the amount of spices called for in the recipe so you’ll have a chili blend batch ready to go next time! Just combine them in a jar and shake to mix.
Cooking steps
Tip: To ensure that the sweet potatoes cook quickly, cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Larger pieces of sweet potato could take longer than 15 minutes to soften.
Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch planks, then dice into 1/2-inch cubes. You should have 3 cups diced sweet potato.
Add spices, garlic and tomato paste to softened onions. Cook for a minute to “bloom” the spices.
Add the sweet potatoes and vegetable stock or water just to cover. Cook 15 minutes until soft, then stir in the black beans and heat 5 minutes.
30-Minute Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) each: ground cumin, coriander and smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
- 1 piece chipotle chili, from a can packed in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Cholula, or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ pound (530 g) sweet potatoes (approximately one large or two medium), peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces (3 cups)
- 2 cups (100 ml) vegetable broth
- 2 15-ounce (800 g) cans black beans, drained
- ½ cup (100 g) sour cream, plain Greek yogurt or plant-based yogurt
Garnish suggestions
- ½ cup (125 g) crumbled soft cheese, such as feta, goat or cotija
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- 1-2 sliced avocados
- Tortilla chips
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Place a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion. Cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Stir the garlic, spices, tomato paste, chipotle, hot sauce and salt. Cook about 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the sweet potatoes and pour over enough stock or water over to just to cover them (about 2 cups). Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce the heat and cover the pot. Cook 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.
- Add the black beans and sour cream to the pot and stir well. Cook another 5 minutes to blend the flavors. If you like a thicker chili, remove about a cup of the chili and puree in a blender (or use an immersion blender). Taste for seasoning and add more salt or hot sauce to taste.
- Serve the chili bowls topped with cheese and other desired garnishes on top.
Notes
- This chili tastes great as a make-ahead meal. It keeps in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
- If you enjoy a thicker texture, transfer about a cup of the chili to a blender or puree with an handheld blender right in the pot.
- To freeze, cool the chili completely and pack into airtight containers and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in a microwave on the defrost setting.
- Serve the chili with warm tortillas or cornbread on the side. For a heartier meal, add this coconut rice, couscous or brown rice to each bowl.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
What size can of chipotle peppers do you use?
Hi Denise – Such a great question! This recipe calls for just one single chipotle chili (not the whole can). They are very spicy, so you can use more or less as you like. Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce usually come in about 7-ounce cans.
I had this at a staff potluck last week and it was fabulous. I’m making it for my family on Christmas Eve. Scott pointed me in the right direction for the recipe. Thank you for your great web site!
I absolutely love the combination of sweet potatoes and black beans. I definitely want to make this soon. A question, though, what kind of goat cheese? I was reading about goat cheeses and I guess there is a great variety with a big difference between flavors, textures, etc. What kind did you use?
I use a soft, young goat cheese such as chevre.
So many wonderful ingredients! Nothing like a hot cup of chili on a cold rainy day. Your recipe is so creative. I’ll be trying it on my family this week.
Alexa, thanks for visiting. I have a thing for chili and so glad cold weather is here to enjoy it!
This sounds so unusual it must be good! Can’t wait to give it a try.
This recipe sounds really delicious. I’m drooling just by looking at this photo.
Ohhhh I wish there was more of this, mom!!!!!!!!1
Great picture too:) Except when I was looking at it an ad popped up right on top.
love you 🙂
So who’s it going to be this year? We decided to do an all vegetarian meal, but I might break down and make something with shrimp (shrimp/sweet potato hash…).