Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli (Vegan + GF)

I create new content every single week. Subscribe to keep in touch and get a free download of The Vegan Kitchen – My Top 10 Tips.

Is sweet potato chilli good for you?

Sweet potatoes are a great source of fibre, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and most of our B vitamins. They're one of the healthiest and most cost-effective foods on the planet, with one of the highest nutrient-rich food scores per dollar.

One serving of this sweet potato and black bean chilli provides:

• Calories: 341 kcal
• Protein: 15 grams (30% of RDA)
• Fibre: 17 grams (71% of RDA)
• Iron: 8 mg (44% of RDA)

Are black beans good for you?

Pulses such as black beans are an excellent source of plant-based protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. They truly are nutritional powerhouses.

They're also cheap and widely available, meaning you can prepare healthy and filling meals without breaking the bank. Try adding them to a hearty soup, or simply roast the beans as a snack.

For more vegan dishes based around legumes, check out these recipes for vegan three-bean salad, smoky butter bean soup, vegan breakfast hash, and vegan kidney bean curry.

What you'll need

This sweet potato and black bean chilli uses simple ingredients to create a healthy vegan one-pot meal. You'll need:

• Sweet potatoes for carbs and a tonne of healthy nutrients
• Black beans for protein and that classic chilli texture
• Mixed spices including ground cumin and smoked paprika
• Tinned tomatoes for the bulk of the dish

How to make sweet potato and black bean chilli

Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion and stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes.

Next, add the chopped garlic, chilli, and sweet potato cubes and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper (1).

After a few minutes, stir in the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, black beans, Marmite, Henderson's Relish, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, bay leaves, and vegan stock (2).

Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon, mix well, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook on a low/medium heat for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in the spinach and the chopped coriander stems. It will look like a lot of spinach at first, but it'll soon cook down. Simmer for another few minutes (3).

Once the spinach has wilted and the sweet potato cubes are soft, adjust the seasoning and serve.

Serving suggestions

This chilli is great with a dollop of vegan sour cream or crème fraiche, chopped coriander, and a squeeze of lime juice. Other suggestions for toppings include homemade guacamole, crushed tortilla chips, easy pico de gallo, grated vegan cheese, and sliced spring onions.

While the sweet potato in the recipe makes this a great one-pot meal, you could reduce the amounts and enjoy the chilli with other sides such as:

• Boiled rice
• Creamy vegan mashed potatoes
• Baked potatoes
• Cajun-spiced potato wedges
• Tacos or burritos 
• Vegan rainbow slaw
• Nachos
• Roasted cauliflower

Variations and tips for sweet potato chilli

• Sweet potato: I used 2 large sweet potatoes weighing a total of approx. 1.5 lbs (700 grams), which is roughly equivalent to 3-4 medium sweet potatoes. 
• Quantity: If you increase the recipe quantity, just be sure to adjust the seasoning accordingly. You can easily make this chilli stretch further with an extra tin of tomatoes and/or beans.
• Add more veg: Include chopped celery and carrot at the start for a more flavourful base. Add peppers, mushrooms, courgette, kale, aubergine, or anything else you fancy (or want to use up).
• Henderson's Relish: Feel free to swap this out for Worcestershire sauce or half the amount of red wine vinegar (just be aware that these are not always strictly vegan).
• Chilli powder: If you don't have fresh chillies, you can swap these out for approx. one tablespoon of chilli powder (the heat and flavour will vary depending on the powder).

Hey you – let me know what you think

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it – or did anything differently – I'd love to hear from you down below in the comments 👇

You can also find me and let me know on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook @thepeskyvegan 🌿

Keep in touch

Subscribe below to receive a weekly newsletter with my latest recipes. Nice and simple. No pesky pestering. No spam (which wouldn’t be very vegan anyway).