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Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

A bowl of black bean sweet potato chili.

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5 from 1 review

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

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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 1/2-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 )
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Saute the onion in the Instant Pot. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more. 
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients: sweet potato, bell pepper, beans, canned tomatoes, water, orange juice, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt. 
  3. Seal the lid and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Natural release for at least 10 minutes.
  4. 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! 
  5. 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.