Instant Pot sweet potato chili is a wholesome, richly flavorful vegetarian chili with sweet, spicy and smoky flavors. You can make this chili with black beans, pinto beans, or both!
This is an easy Instant Pot chili recipe. Just saute the onion and garlic, then combine the rest of the ingredients in the pressure cooker and let your Instant Pot work its magic! The cooking time is just 10 minutes (plus time for the Instant Pot to build and naturally release pressure).
This is a thick chili with a mildly spicy flavor that can be adjusted to your liking - change the ingredients slightly to make it really mild, or make it really spicy!
Either way, make sure to have plenty of toppings ready, which are essential to serving flavorful vegetarian (or vegan) chili, including sour cream, grated cheese, green onion, cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips.
Looking for more Instant Pot chili recipes? Try Instant Pot vegetarian chili (no sweet potatoes) or Instant Pot white bean and turkey chili. For the stovetop, try quick and easy ground turkey chili (or ground chicken chili) . You might also love 10-minute refried bean soup.
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Main Ingredients & Substitutions
Onion: A yellow or red onion can be used.
Bell pepper: Use any color of bell pepper that you like. You can also substitute 2 cups of frozen, chopped bell pepper.
Orange juice: The addition of orange juice adds a hint of sweetness to the chili and another layer of flavor. As a substitute, you can just add additional water, instead of juice.
Sweet Potato: Use 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small bite-sized chunks, no bigger than 1-inch.
Canned tomatoes: Chopped fire-roasted tomatoes have the most flavor for chili. The heat level of fire-roasted tomatoes can vary between brands, so if you're worried about the chili tasting too spicy use one can of fire-roasted and one can of regular chopped tomatoes.
Beans: You can make this recipe with only black beans, or choose a combination of black beans and pinto beans. Both types of beans go really well with sweet potato.
Garlic and Spices: Garlic + chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika flavor this chili. The smoked paprika adds more flavor than regular paprika will.
How to Make Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili
For detailed instructions and ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Saute onion until soft. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds more.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients: chopped sweet potato, water, orange juice, bell pepper, canned fire roasted tomatoes, canned beans, spices.
Step 3: Cook for 10 minutes on high pressure, natural release.
Step 4: Blend 1 cup of the chili in a blender then add back to the pot for thicker, creamier consistency.
Tips for Perfecting Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
- Don't make the sweet potato pieces too large: Make sure the chunks of sweet potato are bite-sized.
- Adjust the spices: After cooking the chili, add more salt or spices if the flavor seems bland. You can also add a squeeze of lime. Add cayenne pepper, hot sauce or chopped jalapeno for more spiciness.
- Blend a little bit for texture: Blending just 1 cup of the cooked chili gives the dish a thick, creamy texture that really improves the chili. Don't leave out this step!
Sides and Servings Suggestions
It goes without saying that chili needs toppings! Make sure to add sour cream, grated cheese, green onion, cilantro, crumbled tortilla chips and all your favorite toppings.
You can serve sweet potato black bean chili alone as a one-pot meal. It's also fantastic served over a bowl of white or brown rice. This vegetarian chili is also really good spooned over baked potatoes or creamy polenta.
How to Store & Reheat Chili
Vegetarian chili keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, giving you plenty of time to enjoy leftovers. This makes it a great choice for meal planning and meal prep. Reheat leftover chili in the microwave or gently on the stovetop.
You can also freeze sweet potato chili in one large freezer bag or divided up into individual portions in smaller freezer bags. Perfect for lunches! Defrost overnight in the refrigerator then heat gently on the stove top or in the microwave.
More Chili Recipes
If you try this Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili recipe please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how the recipe turned out in the 📝 comments section below. I love hearing from readers!
Print📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Instant Pot sweet potato chili is a wholesome, richly flavorful vegetarian chili with sweet, spicy and smoky flavors. You can make this chili with black beans, pinto beans, or both!
You can this chili alone as a one-pot meal. It's also fantastic served over a bowl of white or brown rice. This vegetarian chili is also really good spooned over baked potatoes or creamy polenta.
Toppings are a must! Add green onion, cilantro, grated cheese, sour cream crumbled tortilla chips and whatever else you like on chili.
Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 15 minutes to reach pressure + 10 minutes at high pressure + 10 minute natural release
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soups, Stews and Chili
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 red or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or thinly sliced
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch or ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped (any color)
- Two 15-oz cans black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 can of each bean)
- Two 14.5 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes (or 1 can regular and 1 can fire-roasted )
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Saute the onion in the Instant Pot. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more.
- Add the rest of the ingredients: sweet potato, bell pepper, beans, canned tomatoes, water, orange juice, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt.
- Seal the lid and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Natural release for at least 10 minutes.
- Take out 1 cup of the chili and put it in a blender. Let it cool slightly* and then blend until smooth. Stir the blended chili back into the pot. *Hot liquid can expand in a blender and splatter, so be careful!
- Taste and add more salt and spices as needed. You can also add a squeeze of lime.
Notes
Chili absolutely needs toppings! Make sure to add sour cream, grated cheese, green onion, cilantro, crumbled tortilla chips and all your favorite toppings.
The orange juice adds a little bit of sweetness and extra flavor. If necessary you can just add extra water instead of orange juice.
Don't skip blending the chili at the end. It gives the chili a thicker, creamier consistency.
Tips for Adjusting the Spiciness
The heat level of fire-roasted tomatoes can vary between brands, so if you're worried about the chili tasting too spicy use one can of fire-roasted and one can of regular chopped tomatoes. For more heat, you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper before or after the chili cooks. You can also serve hot sauce and chopped jalapeno pepper on the side.
Vegetarian chili keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, giving you plenty of time to enjoy leftovers. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
Jen
A healthy, filling chili with mild flavor, great for young kids. Don't forget to add lots of toppings!