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
Hubby and I are new to paleo but with the cold and chili being my favorite meal, I thought it was worth a try-oh my goodness! It was delicious! I added a red pepper that I need to use up, 15.9 oz can of tomato sauce, small tomato paste and only 1/4 cup of chili powder after reading the reviews. And topped with a 1/2 an avocado. Yummy, this one is a keeper!! Can’t wait to see your other recipes on this site! Thanks!
It says the nutritional info per serving, but how big is a serving? We had to modify a couple quantities to make it fit in the instant pot. (Which worked amazing, sauté function to do the onions & ground beef, then add all the rest (as space allows) and we did 6 mins (mid range between what IP called for sweet potatoes & carrots). Delicious.
This is my our favorite new chili recipe – even we we aren’t on a whole 30! The first time I made it the flavor was amazing but it was a little too thin for our liking. We like chunky, hearty chili. So now when I make it I make the following adjustments: 2 cans diced tomatoes, one drained one not drained 1 6 Oz can tomato paste 1 14 Oz can tomato sauce (1/2 of what recipe calls for) 2 cups beef stock Using the paste along with only half of the sauce really helps to thicken it! I’ve… Read more »
I love this recipe! It is a staple meal in my house. I do use ground turkey to save money and I also only add a dash of thyme because I do not like thyme very much. It is easy to modify this chili.
This was so tasty! I will definitely be making it again. I substituted ground turkey and fire-roasted tomatoes since that was what I had on hand. Very, very good!
What would the timing be to do this in an Instant pot?
Hi,
So I’m not sure if I missed the serving size, but you have the nutritional facts for each serving, but I don’t see a serving size amount? Maybe 1 or two cups of the chili?
Made this tonight and loved it!!!!!
Subbed ground turkey for ground beef and chicken.broth for beef broth, because it’s what I had on hand. And added a green pepper because I had one sitting around.
Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s a keeper!!!!
It’s 5 stars from me!!:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh my gosh. Made this as my maiden instant pot recipe today, and it is SO delicious! We can’t stop eating it. This is our 3rd Whole30, and we’re not sure how to resist overeating this! It is so magically sweet! 🙂
Our family really loved this recipe! I have three little ones that hate sweet potatoes. They ate all of thier chili and asked for seconds!!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Would this recipe work well with ground turkey instead? If so would vegetable broth be adequate instead of beef broth? Do you think it would work? Thanks
Just made this chilli as the recipe said and it came out damn good even with the half a cup of chili powder which seems excessive but it’s not at all it tastes awesome. We from the potatoes but spicy from the seasonings. A very nice balance the two.
Thank you for the recipe
great recipe. I made it for the family and everyone loved it. Will be making this again for thanksgiving.
I’ve been making this chili for a long time and we love it. Everytime I make it I think there is orange juice in the recipe. Did it used to call for orange juice or am I just thinking of something else?
This chili is amazing! You don’t even miss the beans (I know I don’t miss the affects of beans later in my house!)! My kids even love it and it is hearty and filling. I was wondering if I could use this for a freezer meal party. Like brown the meat/onions and then put the ingredients in a ziplock and then freeze for later use. Do you think that would work?