Award-Winning Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili with Black Bean

Vegetarian Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili is a cozy, comforting, and calming meal that satisfies the family, especially on a cold winter day.

This recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegan. And, below you will find a way to make it keto-friendly as well.

We love this Sweet Potato Chili for a cosy fall dinner recipe. Also try my

• Healthy White Bean Enchilada Soup
• Best Spinach Soup Recipe with Crispy Garlic Croutons
• Orange Chicken Recipe

Jump to:

• A little story about this Award-winning Sweet Potato Chili Recipe
• What is Vegetarian Chili Made of?
• 🥘 Please tell me How to Make Vegetarian Chili From Scratch?
• 💡 Tell me a Secret Ingredient to make my Chili Outstanding!
• 🧊 How Long Can I store Vegetarian Chili in my fridge?
• 💪 Is This Keto-Friendly? If Not, then How to Make it Keto-Friendly?
• Award-Winning Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili with Black Bean

A little story about this Award-winning Sweet Potato Chili Recipe

I know you guys want to know the story about this Award-winning recipe and I cannot wait to share it with you guys.

Way back when I was in my 20s or probably younger I remember how my granny used to be so young at that time.

And, I guess it was probably Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I am not quite sure, but I remember that it was a cold evening and I was wearing my favorite, coziest red sweater and I had my cute gloves and socks on.

There were candles and lights in my home and I cannot forget that amazing smell coming out of the kitchen. 😋

That was probably the first time when I had noticed my family Vegetarian chili recipe so closely. My granny was so excited to cook it. After that day, whenever she made it, I was always beside her.

Watching her excitement. The seriousness with which she would cook. The small little tricks she would use. Those fascinating chili memories will always be etched in my mind.

Two years back when I first moved into this new city of Florida, I was having a hard time getting accepted into society and its culture. I had heard a lot about Southern Food and Southern People. And, to my utter dismay, it was nothing that I had imagined. I guess, things were commercialized now.

I joined several groups and started volunteering in various community services so that people start noticing me. I still remember coming back home after a tiring day and weeping secretly in one corner of my bed where no one could see me or hear me cry. I really wanted people to like me. No wonder I am a true Libra! And, I was ready to do anything to do that.

Few weeks ago when I was binging on "Emily in Paris - A popular show on Netflix" I was like, wait, that's exactly me, two years ago!

Soon I made just one friend. This old lady in her 70's whom I referred to as Manny, became that one person who felt me. And, this was around early February. The Super bowl was near. And, she told me about this Chili competition. I was ready the moment I heard about it. I was determined to ace the competition and that was my way of letting the world (this small town that I lived in) know about me!

So, I called my Mom. I called my Aunt. I called my Granny. I told them about this competition. I grabbed my family recipe of Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili and I was super-confident that I was gonna do well. I made it several times before the competition and at one point my husband was like - "When is this competition and, don't get me wrong your chili is fabulous but for how long do we have to eat just chili?" I was like - " You have to eat it. Don't mess with my head now!". Poor husband, he kept supporting me and eating my chili.

I even made the chili and gave some to manny. Her exact words were- "Girl, you and your chili are both spicy!

And, we southern LOVE heat in our food". And, on the day of the competition, as you can guess, things finally went in my way. And, I won the competition and that's how my chili recipe became an award-winning chili recipe.

PS: I thought, people would become my friends, but they rather became jealous. Haha! You know human nature! But today, two years down the line, we are good friends. We still talk about it and laugh about it.

What is Vegetarian Chili Made of?

• 6 Medium Sized Fire-roasted Tomatoes which are diced - You can replace this with fire-roasted canned tomato or just a can of diced tomato.
• 2 medium-sized Red Onion - I love going with red onions with this recipe. However, you can easily replace red onion with white onion or yellow onion.
• 1 Medium Sweet Potato - First wash them, then peel them and finally cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.
• 2 medium-sized Carrots that have been washed, peeled, and cut into small 1/2 inch cubes.
• 1 Green Bell Pepper  - Bell pepper adds that dash of color and also that little heat in our recipe.
• 4 Cloves of Garlic - I prefer mincing my garlic or grating them because it produces a more intense flavor.
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil - I always prefer a good quality of Olive Oil while making my recipes.
• 3 Dried Bay Leaves - I generally LOVE dried bay leaf because it has more intense and deep flavors. And, you can leave the bay leaf in your gravy. But, if you are using fresh bay leaf then you will have to take it out before serving. More importantly, dried bay leaf leaves a subtle taste.
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black pepper
• 1 Can or 1.5 Cup of Black Beans that have been soaked, drained, and rinsed.
• 1 Can or 1.5 Cup of Kidney Beans which has also been soaked, drained, and rinsed.
• 1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin for that earthy and smoky taste
• 1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder to add a little heat to our chili
• 1/2 Tablespoon of White Sugar just to balance out the heat and also a little sweetness brings out the flavors even more.
• 1 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper - Cayenne is my secret ingredient to give this recipe that comforting touch.
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon - A little dash of cinnamon makes the chili really fragrant and adds a nutty tone to the recipe.
• 1 Teaspoon of Taco Seasoning - Well, this is also one of my secret ingredients. Generally, no one uses it and you can skip it if you want but, I just love using a little taco seasoning for that slight Mexican touch.
• 2 cups of LOW SODIUM Vegetable Broth
• Garnish with 2 tablespoon of Sour Cream, 1/4 cup of Shredded Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese, 1 Chopped Serrano Chile, and Freshly 1/4 cup of freshly chopped Cilantro.

🥘 Please tell me How to Make Vegetarian Chili From Scratch?

• First, take a large stockpot or a dutch oven. I prefer a stainless steel one because it provides even cooking.
• You can use whatever you have at your disposal. In this pan heat some olive oil and let it shimmer.
• Once the oil shimmers add bay leaves, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Add a dash of Salt and Pepper so that they cook faster.
• Stir occasionally. In about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat, the onions will turn pale and translucent.
• Bring down the heat to medium-low and then add the spices.
• Once you have added the spices stir well so that the raw smell goes away and then add tomatoes, beans, and broth.
• Now add some white sugar. I prefer adding sugar at last because if you add it with the spices, there is a high chance that it getting burnt.
• Now reduce the heat and simmer this for about 45-minutes or 1 hour until the sweet potatoes are tender and soft. This simmering time is what will make your chili outstanding.

• If you feel it's too runny then add some flour or roux or mashed potatoes and bring it to your desired consistency.

• Garnish with Sour Cream, Grated Cheese, and freshly chopped cilantro. (Skip Cheese and Sour Cream for Vegan Version)

💡 Tell me a Secret Ingredient to make my Chili Outstanding!

I have got this question a LOT of times and today finally I am gonna let the cat out of the bag!

• Taco Seasoning - No matter how many fancy ingredients and spices we add there is always that one single ingredient that is lurking around in one corner of our kitchen counter. For me, this was my Taco Seasoning. Adding that brought out such good flavors that people went nuts over it.
• Cayenne Pepper - Most people skip cayenne pepper. But, coming from the table of my granny, cayenne pepper has always been that secret ingredient that improves the taste of this chili drastically.
• Patience - Patience is the final and the most important ingredient that you need to make this chili. Simmering this for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour gives it that amazing aroma which makes it Award-winning!

🧊 How Long Can I store Vegetarian Chili in my fridge?

• First Make sure that it has come down to room temperature and has cooled down completely.
• Now remove all the garnish. This is because garnish doesn't store well. Especially cilantro. It will go bad.
• Then transfer it to a sizeable container (preferably Tupperware) and seal it up completely.
• Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• If you want to store in the freezer then wrap it up with a plastic wrap and then again wrap a foil around it. Put it in an air-tight container and pop it in the freezer. It will stay perfectly fine for up to 3 months.

Reheat: When you want to serve this chili, make sure you keep it out on the countertop for a while. (2 hours) Once it has reached optimal room-temperature you can transfer it to the skillet or oven and heat it up. Serve with fresh garnish and enjoy.

💪 Is This Keto-Friendly? If Not, then How to Make it Keto-Friendly?

The short and crisp answer is a plain NO. This chili is not keto-friendly. This is because we have used sweet potatoes, carrots, black beans, and kidney beans. All these ingredients are NOT keto-friendly and they are too high in carbs.

But, there are certain ingredients that you can replace them with if you want to make it keto-friendly.

• Replace Sweet Potatoes and Carrots with Cauliflower or Turnip or Pumpkin. Cauliflower is low in carbs and should be good when you are on a keto diet. You can use cauliflower rice or you can simply use fresh cauliflower that has been washed and whose florets are cut.
• 1 medium turnip has just 5.8g of net carbs. Turnip is really healthy and can be used as a healthy alternative to sweet potatoes and carrots. Turnip is also a rich source of vitamin C.
• You can also use Pumpkin. Pumpkin is both low carb and popular during this fall and winter season. Therefore it will make an excellent alternative.
• Replace Kidney beans and Black beans with Green Beans and Black Soybeans.

If you like this recipe then please provide a rating below. Also, if you can take a snap and share it on Instagram with #recipemagik it would be so great.