The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (2024)

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Julie Clark

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Indulgeyourself in a bowl of Paleo Sweet Potato Chili that is spicy and full of beef. It’s thick, rich and slightly sweet while being grain free, sugar free and dairy free.

There’s nothing that says comfort food during the winter months like a bowl of spicy chili. We made a sweet potato version of our traditional chili recipe (which by the way won best chili recipe in several chili cook-offs!). No beans. No sugar. Just thick, meaty and heart warming chili with sweet potatoes and lots of flavor.

This Sweet Potato Chili Recipe switches out beans for sweet potatoes and carrots, both of which add a natural sweetness to the chili. It’s a no bean chili recipe that your family will love. And the best part, it can be made both in the slow cooker and on the stove top.

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (2)

What readers are saying:

Jacqui says, “This chili is AMAZING!!! A friend made it for our family after I had surgery. Even my non adventurous husband and daughter thought this recipe was awesome. It was the fastest a pot of chili has ever been consumed.” ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Deborah says, “I just wanted to share that I just won a chili cook-off with this recipe! There were 16 total entries, and I didn’t even tell anyone that it was a Whole30 recipe. My entire family loves this chili. It is so easy to cook. I NEVER leave comments on pages, but this time I had to!” ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Ingredients

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (3)

A note about key ingredients:

  • Ground beef. Or you can use ground turkey or even Italian sausage for more flavor.
  • Petite diced tomatoes. This is helpful for picky eaters who don’t love chunky tomatoes.
  • Chili Powder. Yes, this recipe calls for ½ cup chili powder. It’s not a mistake. Add less if you’d like, but it’s the flavor that many have come to know and love. We’re crazy for our homemade, sugar free chili powder.
  • Beef stock. In a pinch, substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth.

See therecipe cardfor the full list of ingredients.

How to Make Sweet Potato Chili

Make this easy chili in 4 steps.

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (4)
  • In a large dutch oven, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.
  • Add the tomatoes and sauce, beef stock, carrots and sweet potatoes.
  • Then add all of the remaining seasonings. Mix well, bring to a boil over medium heat.
  • Then lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili

This soup recipe can easily be made in the slow cooker, making it an easy meal for you to throw together in the morning and have it calling your name when you get home at night.

Instead of simmering the chili on the stove, you can brown the ground beef on the stovetop, drain off the fat and place it into the slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and let it simmer on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (5)

Make it a meal.

Top the chili with your favorite toppings such as slices of avocado, fresh cilantro, sliced green onion or parsley. Serve a simple salad on the side.

If you’re not following the paleo diet, it’s excellent with sour cream or cheddar cheese.

If you’re not limiting grains, may I suggest thisAsiago Cheese Bread? It’s simply amazing with a bowl of hearty soup.

Storage Instructions

Like with many soup recipes, a bowl of chili is often better than next day. Allow any leftovers to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Can you freeze this sweet potato paleo chili? Yes! Make a big batch of this chili in advance and place separate into individual portions. Store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2 months. It’s easy to pull out individual portions on busy nights!

Frequently Asked Questions

What other vegetables can you add to chili?

Zucchini, cauliflower, and butternut squash are all great options. We love all of these ideas to use in place of sweet potatoes to help make it a little more low carb.

Can I use ground turkey in chili?

Yes! We’ve used both ground beef and ground turkey in this Whole30 chili. You can even use ground chicken if you’d like. Each ground meat will change the flavor of the soup so pick whichever you like best.

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (6)

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (7)

Paleo Sweet Potato Chili

4.73 from 109 votes

Indulge yourself in a bowl of Paleo Sweet Potato Chili that is spicy and full of beef. It’s thick, rich and slightly sweet while being grain free, sugar free and dairy free.

Servings 10 servings

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Print RecipeSave Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 medium red onion diced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 can tomato sauce 29.5 ounces
  • 2 cups petite diced tomatoes with juice
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 5 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cubed into 1" pieces
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chili powder
  • dash of oregano
  • dash of red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven or large pot, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.

  • Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Mix well, bring to a boil over medium heat. Then lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potato cubes and carrots are tender.

  • Remove and discard the bay leaves. Then serve with your favorite chili topping.

  • Crock Pot Option: Instead of simmering the chili on the stove, you can brown the ground beef, drain off the fat and place it into the slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and let it simmer on low for 6-8 hours on high for 4-5 hours.

Video

Notes

  • Yellow onions will work as well. Don’t have minced garlic?
  • Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
  • Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
  • The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 10, with one small serving being 1/10th of the recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1294mg | Potassium: 1308mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 15482IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 6mg

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 267

Keyword chili recipe, comfort food, easy soup, healthy soup recipe, paleo recipe

Have you tried this recipe?

Share a review below or share on Instagram with the tag #tastesoflizzyt.

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (8)

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Jacqui Shoemaker

2 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (13)
This chili is AMAZING!!! A friend made it for our family after I had surgery. Even my non adventurous husband and daughter thought this recipe was awesome. It was the fastest a pot of chili has ever been consumed.

2

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jan gunther

9 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (14)
This is an awesome recipe, the chili powder was a bit much for our tastebuds. Next time I will use a little less. I also make this without the meat first and put some in a pan and added kidney beans for my vegan granddaughter and them added the meat last. We loved this!

1

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Lisa @ Cooking with Curls

9 years ago

This is awesome Julie!! I am trying to eliminate sugar from my diet, which is terrifying for a sugar addict like me. I could live on this chili and be a happy camper. 🙂

1

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Natalia

2 years ago

Great recipe but the portions don’t seem realistic. No way that would feed 10 people. In my house that would feed our family of 4, maybe leaving room for one guest.

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Jamie

3 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (15)
This is a family favorite. Been making it for years and it is always a hit!
Tasty and easy to make!

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Susan Gregory

3 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (16)
Thank you so much! I love this recipe. It has become a household staple at our place. Love making it both on the stove top and in the slow cooker. It freezes well too.

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Carolyn

3 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (17)
So tasty even if you aren’t looking for Paleo! I used venison since we had some and it tasted so good ☺️ Will make a bigger batch next time to freeze. Thanks!

Last edited 3 years ago by Carolyn

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Beth

3 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (18)
I made this in my instant pot and 1/2 a cup of chili powder is WAY too much! I cut it In Half because I figured the instant pot often brings out more flavor and 1/4 of a cup still made it too hot. I don’t mind spicy foods, either. I would probably use 2 tables spoons if I make this again.

Last edited 3 years ago by Beth

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Deborah I.

4 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (19)
I just wanted to share that I just won a chili cook-off with this recipe! There were 16 total entries, and I didn’t even tell anyone that it was a whole30 recipe. My entire family loves this chili. It is so easy to cook. I NEVER leave comments on pages, but this time I had to!

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Jennifer

4 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (20)
I made this recipe, and used fresh venison chili meat, from a deer my brother harvested. This was my first time making chili and it came out AMAZING!!!! I shared it with a few friends (who are used to eating chili with beans) and they went crazy over it!!

Thank you sooo much for this recipe!! I can’t wait to make it again!

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Linsey

4 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (21)
We LOVE this recipe in our house! I have high blood pressure so I use low sodium/reduced salt ingredients. It’s still so delicious. Idk if I’m not seeing it but curious what the size is for a serving?! Thanks!

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Jane

4 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (22)
Tried it last night. My husband wasn’t enthused about sweet potatoes instead of beans. But, he changed his mind. We both loved it!! I used ancho chili powder from New Mexico—delicious. Will make again.

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Mo Willis

4 years ago

How do you think this would freeze for ahead of time prep?

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Teresa Medeiros

4 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (23)
This recipe is so yummy! I modified it slightly by using lean ground chicken instead of beef and I used only 1/4 cup of chili powder. The first time I tried this recipe I used the 1/2 cup that the recipe calls for but found it a bit spicy. So good!!

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Sally

4 years ago

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (24)
I had this at a community event the other night. It was so fabulous I begged the organizer of the event to send me the recipe. Just got it and will be making it tonight for my family. It’s delicious!

Reply

The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (2024)

FAQs

Which sweet potato is the healthiest? ›

Sweet Potatoes and Health

Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are richest in beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes with purple flesh are richer in anthocyanins. Beta-carotene and anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant “phyto” chemicals that give vegetables their bright colors.

What is the most nutritious way to cook sweet potatoes? ›

Therefore, from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking should be recommended for cooking sweet potato. Boiling may theoretically be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy that the actual best way to prepare them is whichever way will get you to eat the most of them!

What is the secret to amazing chili? ›

Elevate your chili recipe by adding an extra layer of flavor. Cocoa powder, bacon, cinnamon, ground coffee and tomato paste will all add a rich sweet & salty flavors that are sure to surprise and delight.

Is it OK to eat sweet potato everyday? ›

If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.

Is sweet potato good for you losing weight? ›

Absolutely. Besides their health benefits, sweet potatoes are a great addition to any weight loss diet. First up, they're very high in fibre — especially soluble fibre. Soluble fibre is excellent because it slows down your digestion and helps you feel full, which can curb the urge to snack between meals.

Are sweet potatoes actually healthier than potatoes? ›

Though they can both be part of a healthy diet, sweet potatoes are generally healthier than regular potatoes, partly because of their incredibly high vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes are also lower on the glycemic index, meaning that they are less likely than regular potatoes to make your blood sugar spike.

Is steamed sweet potato or boiled sweet potato healthier? ›

Cooking makes the sweet potato more digestible so you can get more food value from them when they are cooked. But boiling it removes some of the water soluble vitamins. Some nutrients lose value with high heat and longer cooking including B vitamins, vitamin C and folate.

Is it healthier to bake or microwave a sweet potato? ›

It's really the best way. Microwaving sweet potatoes cuts down cook time by 45 to 55 minutes, and, according to a 2018 study, helps maintain the potato's nutritional value. All cooking methods cause foods to lose some of their nutrients, but the quicker your potato cooks, the more nutrients it will retain.

What makes sweet potatoes a Superfood? ›

Of the thousands of vegetables available today, sweet potatoes are considered one of the most nutritious. The orange- (or sometimes purple) fleshed vegetables are loaded with minerals and A, B, and C vitamins. This has led to sweet potatoes being called a superfood by many.

What not to put in chili? ›

Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.

What adds the most flavor to chili? ›

If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.

What chili does Bobby Flay always use? ›

Calabrian chilis

There's one spicy ingredient that pops up more often than not in Bobby Flay's recipes. Calabrian chilis are the unique red chili Bobby Flay constantly uses on "Beat Bobby Flay."

When should you not eat sweet potatoes? ›

How to tell if sweet potatoes have gone bad. If your sweet potato is soft in spots, smells rotten, or oozes a mysterious liquid, that potato should be discarded. Another sign that sweet potatoes have taken a turn for the worse is if they start growing stalky purplish sprouts.

What is the best time to eat sweet potato? ›

It will be good for your body if eating sweet potatoes in the morning, with fresh milk or yogurt, some seeds and green vegetables will be a nutritious breakfast and provide an abundant source of energy for the body.

Are sweet potatoes anti inflammatory? ›

The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes has been shown to fight inflammation, and eating them regularly can help ease joint pain and other symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. If you're looking for a delicious way to reduce inflammation, add some sweet potatoes to a salad or bake alongside protein!

Which type of sweet potato is the best? ›

The most versatile and sweetest variation of sweet potatoes is the Beauregard. Throughout the United States, you will see this species stacked high in the grocery stores during the holiday season. Beauregard's have a bit of a stringy texture, but they stay soft: this is what makes them so popular.

Which is healthier white or orange sweet potato? ›

Orange sweet potatoes are positively packed with beta-carotene ,which is responsible for the orange flesh. White sweet potatoes only have 6 micrograms of beta-carotene compared to an orange sweet potato's load of more than 8,500 micrograms.

Which is the healthiest sweet potato or yam? ›

Although both veggies are very close in fiber, protein, vitamin C, and magnesium, sweet potatoes are the healthier option because they are lower in overall calories, lower in carbohydrates, and higher in beta carotene (vitamin A).

What are the 4 types of sweet potatoes? ›

There are five main types of sweet potato that are commonly consumed today—Garnet, Hannah, Japanese, Jewel, and Purple Stoke. While all are delicious, each variety has its own distinct flavor and texture that lends itself to a variety of cooking applications.

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