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
I was super skeptical about this recipe. I was kind of weirded out at the idea of sweet potatoes in chili and I was worried the amount of chili powder would be too much. I added a can of black beans, omitted carrots but put in a chopped yellow pepper and half a chopped zucchini, otherwise followed the recipe. Put it in the crock pot and waited. It was AWESOME! I made it for my crew at work (we’re firefighters) and they LOVED it. We topped it with cheese and sour cream, served with cornbread and salad. None of us… Read more »
Love this recipe. Great as is, and I love that I can modify with different meats (I’ve tried sausage and sliced brats). I’ve also used butternut squash, added red bell peppers, used lots of extra carrots, and experimented with different amounts of stock/tomato sauce/chili powder. I make a lot of soups and curries and I am so happy any time to find one that’s versatile and full of healthy ingredients! Thank you!!
Looks yummy and awesome photography!
YUM! Just made this for family (sooo glad it turned out yummy). Thanks for the great flavor filled recipe.
This looks so delicious! I just started my first W30 and this is a great combo of some of my favorites. When you freeze it, would you brown the meat first or brown the meat on the day you plan on cooking?
Just to be clear, is it really 1/2 CUP chili powder? It looks delicious, but that looked like a lot of chili powder. Wanted to make sure????
i love chilli but scents i’ve found out i have a gallstone i can’t have anything spicy so i was wanting to know can i make this without the spicy stuff?
This Sweet Potato Chili was delicious! I have been wanting to cook sweet potatoes in the crock pot but was uncertain how they would come out. When I saw this recipe, it looked so good that I just had to try it! OMG!! Yummy!!!! Will definitely make this one again. It is my chili recipe of choice. I even made the recipe for the chili powder. I will keep on making that one too! I was however out of onion powder so I used dried minced onions and it worked perfectly! Thank you so much for this recipe! Love, love,… Read more »
I love this recipe and have shared it with other friends and family. Would you say a serving out of 10 servings for the recipe above would be about a cup or would it be closer to 2 cups? The recipe is amazing! I found it while doing a whole30. I couldn’t find organic beef stock at Costco so I subbed organic chicken stock and it was still bomb!
Great chili! I just made it tonight. It’s delicious!! Definetly not too much chili powder like you would think. It’s a nice change from my normal chili.
I don’t often leave reviews but I wanted to say that this chili was outstanding. I brought it to a party last night and many of the guests told me they loved it. Being able to provide a healthy and tasty chili was rewarding.
It’s a cold, rainy Sunday and I just made this chili. It was simple, it was clean, it was awesome! I did add black beans, because I can’t have chili without beans. 🙂 I also added a little extra chili powder (we like spicy food!).
I can’t wait to make this again, I think I’ll add butternut squash next time.
This was delicious! I am legume and dairy free, and was hankering for a bowl of chili that did not have beans and that I would not want to add cheese and sour cream to. This hit the spot perfectly. I used some venison stew chunks rather than ground beef, because I am clearing out my freezer and a bit less chili powder because the 1/2 cup scared me! Everything else I did the same. I cooked the meat and spices and tomatoes for several hours in the crock pot and then transferred it to my dutch oven and finished… Read more »
Just had to let you know that I have made this chili several times now with raving success each time. I have made it once with hamburger, once with ground turkey and once with ground pork – amazing each time. I also served this to about 60 people this winter after church and I have never had so many people come up and ask me for the recipe – to me that is the true sign of a mega hit – when the church ladies want to know your secret!! We are doing Whole30, er whole90 by now, and I… Read more »
I’m on a diet where I need to know the breakdown. Do you have the full breakdown on this chili?