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

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Julie Clark

Posted: 1/24/2024

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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.

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.

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

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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

Author Julie Clark

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Jacqui Shoemaker

2 years ago

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.

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jan gunther

9 years ago

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!

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