Easy Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili (Vegetarian)

If you are looking for a vegetarian chili recipe, look no further than this Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili. It’s hearty and flavorful – you won’t even miss the meat!

The weather is turning, which means we want something warm and hearty for dinner, but it doesn’t mean we want to spend a gorgeous fall afternoon slaving over a pot of chili. With this Instant Pot sweet potato chili recipe, you can have a hot, delicious, and healthy meal on the table in no time.

Why This Recipe Works

This Instant Pot recipe is a hit because it is a unique but comforting meal that is healthy, fulfilling, and flavorful. It takes about ten minutes to peel and prepare the veggies, and about 10 minutes for the chili to cook.

Once the chili has mixed, you just need to let it simmer on sauted for a few minutes. All told, you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. It makes a big batch of chili, perfect for feeding a large group of people or for freezing half for another meal.

Will Sweet Potatoes Taste Good in Chili?

Sweet potatoes are perfect for this vegetarian (or even vegan) chili. They are hearty and filling, provide great texture, and also bring a delicious sweetness to compliment the spicy adobo chipotle.

Be careful not to overcook the chili. The sweet potatoes don’t need more than five minutes on high pressure to be perfect. Otherwise the sweet potatoes will be very soft, and collapse when you stir, The chili will still taste good but it won’t be as colorful and attractive.

Let’s Talk About the Spices

The spices make this chili a standout meal. Adobo chipotle, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, and garlic give it an amazing, full flavor.

Cinnamon and chocolate are often “secret” ingredients in chili recipes because they provide warmth and balance to the spiciness of the dish without dulling the flavor. The cinnamon-cocoa combo are reminiscent of a Mexican mole sauce.

Many people have never cooked with them, but adobo chipotles are a common chili ingredient.

Chipotle peppers are just smoked and dried jalapeños. Adobo is a tomato based sauce. This recipes calls for canned chipotle peppers in adobo, which is available in many forms at any grocery store.

To prepare, you remove one or two chilis from the can and dice them with a knife on a cutting board. Add the desired amount to the recipe, including some of the sauce surrounding the pepper itself.

Can I Freeze the Leftovers?

Yes! This recipe as written makes about 10 servings. If you don’t think you’ll get through it in three or four days, just portion out some and cool it in the fridge, then pop it in the freezer. It will stay fresh for four to five months. However, will be a little bit softer and not as vivid when you warm it up, but it will taste as great as the day you made it.

Since this recipe doesn’t call for a whole can of chipotle peppers, it’s easy to freeze the leftovers. Simply pour the remaining peppers in their sauce into a freezer-safe container or plastic bag, label, and use within six months.

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite size pieces
• 1 cup white (or red) onion, chopped into bite size
• 1 red pepper, chopped into bite size
• 1 green pepper, chopped into bite size
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

1. Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute setting, and as it heats, chop the onion.
2. When the pot is hot, add the oil and then add the onion, cooking until it begins to brown.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Then, add the red and green pepper, and cook for three to four more minutes.
5. Next, add the peeled, bite-size sweet potatoes to the pot and cook for two to three minutes.
6. Add the beans and tomatoes
7. Add in the seasonings
8. Add two cups liquid and set the pot to Pressure Cook on HIGH for five minutes.
9. While the dish is cooking, you can drain and rinse your beans.
10. When the pot switches to low, do a safe quick release. This prevents the sweet potatoes and other vegetables from overcooking and becoming mushy and unappetizing.
11. Then, switch the pot back to Saute and let it thicken
12. Bring the dish back to heat (takes about two to three minutes) and serve hot with fresh bread, cornbread, or tortilla chips.

Continue to Content

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili

Yield: 10

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite size pieces
• 1 cup white (or red) onion, chopped into bite size
• 1 red pepper, chopped into bite size
• 1 green pepper, chopped into bite size
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

Instructions

1. Turn the Instant Pot to the Saute setting, and as it heats, chop the onion.
1. When the pot is hot, add the oil and then add the onion, cooking until it begins to brown.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Then, add the red and green pepper, and cook for three to four more minutes.
4. Next, add the peeled, bite-size sweet potatoes to the pot and cook for two to three minutes.
5. Add the beans and tomatoes
6. Add in the seasonings
7. Add two cups liquid and set the pot to Pressure Cook on HIGH for five minutes.
8. While the dish is cooking, you can drain and rinse your beans.
9. When the pot switches to low, do a safe quick release. This prevents the sweet potatoes and other vegetables from overcooking and becoming mushy and unappetizing.
10. Then, switch the pot back to Saute and let it thicken
11. Bring the dish back to heat (takes about two to three minutes) and serve hot with fresh bread, cornbread, or tortilla chips.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 213mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 7gSugar: 5gProtein: 13g

Please verify this information with your preferred nutrition calculator.

Can I add meat?

While this is a very. hearty and delicious soup without any meat, if you’d like to, meat can certainly be added. We would recommend ground turkey or ground beef.

Can I Make This in a Slow Cooker?

Sure! You would probably ned to cook it about 8-10 hours on low, or 3-5 hours on high, depending on how your slow cooker typically cooks.

Delicious Breads to Serve With This Recipe:

• Homemade Sourdough Rolls Recipe – Super Fluffy!
• Easy Garlic Knots with Frozen Roll Dough
• Easy Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
• Fool Proof Garlic Bread Recipe
• One-Hour Homemade Breadsticks Recipe
• The Best Copycat Longhorn Steakhouse Bread Recipe

Other Instant Pot Recipes You May Enjoy:

• 5-Ingredient Instant Pot Maple Carrots
• Easy Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas with Bacon
• Easy No-Soak Instant Pot Refried Beans
• Creamy Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole with Bacon

You can dress up this dish with cilantro, jalapeños, sour cream, or whatever you might add to a delicious pot of chili. This Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili can be a great side dish or eaten on its own as a vegetarian meal.

• About the Author
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Natalie Clark( Simply Side Dish Editor )

Natalie Clark is a mother of three children and a cooking enthusiast. She can often be found concocting delicious meals for family and friends in her kitchen. Homemade cookies are what she’s made for. From working in Washington DC to being a stay-at-home mom and part-time editor, Natalie has done it all. Through her life adventures, she’s developed her cooking skills and has developed some of the most popular recipes on Simply Side Dishes.

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