Julie Clark
Posted:
Paleo Sweet Potato Chili
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Indulge yourself in a bowl of Paleo Sweet Potato Chili that is spicy and full of beef. It’s thick, rich and slightly sweet while being grain free, sugar free and dairy free.
There’s nothing that says comfort food during the winter months like a bowl of spicy chili. We made a sweet potato version of our traditional chili recipe (which by the way won best chili recipe in several chili cook-offs!). No beans. No sugar. Just thick, meaty and heart warming chili with sweet potatoes and lots of flavor.
This Sweet Potato Chili Recipe switches out beans for sweet potatoes and carrots, both of which add a natural sweetness to the chili. It’s a no bean chili recipe that your family will love. And the best part, it can be made both in the slow cooker and on the stove top.
What readers are saying:
Jacqui says, “This chili is AMAZING!!! A friend made it for our family after I had surgery. Even my non adventurous husband and daughter thought this recipe was awesome. It was the fastest a pot of chili has ever been consumed.” ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Deborah says, “I just wanted to share that I just won a chili cook-off with this recipe! There were 16 total entries, and I didn’t even tell anyone that it was a Whole30 recipe. My entire family loves this chili. It is so easy to cook. I NEVER leave comments on pages, but this time I had to!” ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Ingredients
A note about key ingredients:
- Ground beef. Or you can use ground turkey or even Italian sausage for more flavor.
- Petite diced tomatoes. This is helpful for picky eaters who don’t love chunky tomatoes.
- Chili Powder. Yes, this recipe calls for ½ cup chili powder. It’s not a mistake. Add less if you’d like, but it’s the flavor that many have come to know and love. We’re crazy for our homemade, sugar free chili powder.
- Beef stock. In a pinch, substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth.
✨ See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients. ✨
How to Make Sweet Potato Chili
Make this easy chili in 4 steps.
- In a large dutch oven, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.
- Add the tomatoes and sauce, beef stock, carrots and sweet potatoes.
- Then add all of the remaining seasonings. Mix well, bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Then lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
This soup recipe can easily be made in the slow cooker, making it an easy meal for you to throw together in the morning and have it calling your name when you get home at night.
Instead of simmering the chili on the stove, you can brown the ground beef on the stovetop, drain off the fat and place it into the slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and let it simmer on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Make it a meal.
Top the chili with your favorite toppings such as slices of avocado, fresh cilantro, sliced green onion or parsley. Serve a simple salad on the side.
If you’re not following the paleo diet, it’s excellent with sour cream or cheddar cheese.
If you’re not limiting grains, may I suggest this Asiago Cheese Bread? It’s simply amazing with a bowl of hearty soup.
Storage Instructions
Like with many soup recipes, a bowl of chili is often better than next day. Allow any leftovers to cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can you freeze this sweet potato paleo chili? Yes! Make a big batch of this chili in advance and place separate into individual portions. Store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2 months. It’s easy to pull out individual portions on busy nights!
Frequently Asked Questions
What other vegetables can you add to chili?
Zucchini, cauliflower, and butternut squash are all great options. We love all of these ideas to use in place of sweet potatoes to help make it a little more low carb.
Can I use ground turkey in chili?
Yes! We’ve used both ground beef and ground turkey in this Whole30 chili. You can even use ground chicken if you’d like. Each ground meat will change the flavor of the soup so pick whichever you like best.
Paleo Sweet Potato Chili
Indulge yourself in a bowl of Paleo Sweet Potato Chili that is spicy and full of beef. It’s thick, rich and slightly sweet while being grain free, sugar free and dairy free.
Servings 10 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 can tomato sauce 29.5 ounces
- 2 cups petite diced tomatoes with juice
- 3 cups beef stock
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 5 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cubed into 1" pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- dash of oregano
- dash of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or large pot, brown the ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Mix well, bring to a boil over medium heat. Then lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potato cubes and carrots are tender.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves. Then serve with your favorite chili topping.
- Crock Pot Option: Instead of simmering the chili on the stove, you can brown the ground beef, drain off the fat and place it into the slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and let it simmer on low for 6-8 hours on high for 4-5 hours.
Video
Notes
- Yellow onions will work as well. Don’t have minced garlic?
- Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
- The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 10, with one small serving being 1/10th of the recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1294mg | Potassium: 1308mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 15482IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 6mg
We found that if you add 1 more cup of beef stock, it comes out absolutely amazing.
We will take a look at our own recipe and see if we can add in some of your style!
Thank you for sharing. This was SO good! My hubby likes chili but doesn’t love it. He said this was absolutely delicious! He doesn’t want regular chili with beans anymore. That’s fine with me because I love the sweet taters in it!!
I’ve made this three times with ground beef…so so yummy! but wanted to know if anyone has tried with ground turkey and had good results?
Can I make this with chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of Beef?
Oh. My. Goodness! This was delicious! We made it tonight while it was snowing outside and it was perfect! Thanks for making this recipe and sharing it with us! I really loved the sweet potatoes in the chili… then again, I love sweet potatoes in anything! Maybe I can talk my man into these instead of beans for every chili. We shall see; he loves beans. 🙂 Thanks again!
Found this recipe last fall when I was doing a Whole30 and it quickly became a family favorite. We’ve made it every other week since! It’s the only chili recipe that everyone in my household will eat!
I was searching for a paleo chili recipe to make for the super bowl, looks like I found one. Thanks for sharing looks delicious.
I made this for my in-laws last night and it was a hit! Definitely going to be a staple in our household from now on!
The first time I made this chili a while back, I came to realize that my crockpot was small for all the ingredients so I had to transfer about 1/4 to the pot to cook on the stove while the crockpot cooks. So, yesterday, I bought all ingredients in half and it fits perfectly. FYI for those who have small crockpot! It was really delicious. Thanks!
This was so good! I also added 1 tsp of cumin to the chili. Not sure if it made a difference, but it will definitely be in my rotation of recipes from now on!!
I made this today for the first time and am in love. I was sick of chocolate chili after eating it SOOO much. I love sweet potatoes so this is a winner for me. I found that 1/4 cup of chili powder was perfect for my taste. I also added about a teaspoon of cumin. Delicious! Thank you for creating this recipe! My nine-year-old son is having it for his after school snack!
I am a little confused. It says to boil and simmer for 30 minutes of cooking on the stove, but then in the next part it says something about simmering for 3 hours. How exactly do I cook this on the stove? Thanks!
I have made this twice, and it’s now my “go to” chili recipe. Being a newbie to Paleo, this recipe was a real find. I can’t imagine eating my old beans and meat chili. This recipe is the best! Thanks for sharing!
This was amazing. I am on day 29 of my first Whole30 and so I decided to try this out. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Super easy to put together. I let mine cook on low for 2 hours. Great flavor.
I tried this during my Whole30 and it quickly became a household favorite. I’m planning to cook up another big batch and freeze for a few quick weeknight meals. Thank you so much for sharing!