This best sweet potato chili recipe is all star and a family favorite! It’s a delicious healthy dinner recipe where you won’t miss the meat.

Have you ever come home to find a family of strangers living in your home? We did recently…though fortunately in our case, they were paid actors! A friend of ours was shooting this commercial for Hurst Beans and asked if we would consider renting out our kitchen. We did, and it was an absolute blast to see the production. We must say, it’s odd to see another family eating this sweet potato chili in our dining room! But it did inspire this cozy chili recipe: and we think it will become a family favorite in no time. (Even a family of paid actors!)

Why to make this sweet potato chili?

Before you dismiss this as yet another chili recipe, let us convince you on why this vegetarian sweet potato chili should be on your “must make” list:

It’s vegetarian, but you won’t miss the meat. If you’re looking for a chili that’s not loaded with meat, this is it.
It’s healthy, loaded with vegetables like sweet potatoes, a superfood high in nutrients.
It’s seriously tasty, with complexity from chili secrets like cocoa powder and balsamic vinegar.

Tips for making sweet potato chili

Now that it’s chili season, we whipped up a big batch of this sweet potato chili and ate off of it for days. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making it:

It makes a huge pot. This one is perfect for feeding a crowd (we’re of the opinion that chili should only be made in massive quantities). It makes enough for 8 servings.
It’s plant-based (vegan). If you keep the garnishes vegan like with Vegan Sour Cream, this is also a plant-based chili! But you can absolutely top with cheese and sour cream.
Use canned or dried beans. For the beans in this sweet potato chili recipe, you can use any type you’d like: make it a sweet potato black bean chili, or use pinto and chili beans. You also can cook up a pot of your own beans: we cooked our own dried beans using our Dutch oven method. You can also try our Instant Pot black beans method.

Chili toppings!

As any chili lover knows, garnishes are key. Alex and I liked the taste right out of the pot, but we loved it with hot sauce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions. Make sure not to skimp on the toppings! Here are our top 10 chili toppings:

Sour cream or vegan sour cream
Shredded cheese
Sliced green onions or minced red onion
Roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Minced red onion
Vegan nacho cheese
Canned pickled jalapenos or Homemade Pickled Jalapeños
Pickled onions
Cilantro
Lime wedges

Sides to serve with sweet potato chili

And of course, serve it with cornbread! We’d recommend our fan favorite Best Homemade Cornbread, Classic Cornbread Muffins or Easy Vegan Cornbread. It’s so tender and moist, and seriously easy to whip up. We heartily recommend it! Or, we have lots of other ideas on what to serve: check out our best sides to go with chili!

This sweet potato chili recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant based, dairy free, gluten-free, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free.