Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
Recipes developed and tested by the ChefnFood editorial team, with chef-informed notes for real home kitchens.
Entirely meatless, under $10 for the whole pot, and hearty enough that nobody notices there's no beef in it. The sweet potato is doing the work meat usually does — cut it in even cubes and it gives you something to chew. It is better on day two, once the spices settle.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 1½ lb), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- Juice of 1 lime
- Toppings: sour cream or Greek yogurt, cilantro, sliced scallions, shredded cheese, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 6 minutes until softened.
- Add the sweet potato cubes and cook 4 minutes, stirring, to get a little color on some of the edges.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne. Stir constantly for 60 seconds until the pot smells strongly of toasted spice.
- Add the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens.
- Add the beans, crushed tomatoes, broth, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat, cover partially, and cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not falling apart.
- Mash some of the sweet potato and beans against the side of the pot to thicken. Off heat, stir in the lime juice.
- Taste for salt and serve with toppings on the table.
Chef’s Take
The cinnamon is the ingredient people question and then can’t identify in the finished pot. A quarter teaspoon in a vegetarian chili does what a long-braised piece of beef would otherwise do — it adds a warm, round base note that makes the whole thing taste like it has more going on than beans and tomatoes. Use a light hand. At half a teaspoon it starts tasting like dessert.
Chef trick: the sweet potato isn’t just filler, it’s the meat substitute. Cut it in even ½-inch cubes so it holds shape and gives you something to chew. Grated or mashed sweet potato dissolves into the broth and you lose all the texture that makes this satisfying.
Substitutions
- Butternut squash for sweet potato, same size and timing.
- Add ground beef or turkey: brown 1 lb first and proceed; it's no longer vegetarian but it's still cheap.
- Kidney or pinto beans work in place of black beans.
- Slow cooker: complete steps 1–4 on the stove, then cook everything on low 6 hours.
- Less heat: skip the cayenne. Chili powder blends vary a lot, so taste at step 5 before deciding.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate up to 5 days; it's noticeably better on day two once the spices settle. Reheat on the stove with a splash of broth. Freezes very well for 3 months. Vegan as written if you skip the dairy toppings.
Serving suggestions
Cornbread, rice, or tortilla chips. A spoonful of yogurt and plenty of lime. Also excellent spooned over a baked potato or used as a filling for burritos later in the week.
More weeknight dinners like this one
The Weekly Meal Plan — five dinners and a grocery list, every Thursday.
