This flavorful sweet potato black bean chili is a favorite in my house! It’s an easy Instant Pot vegetarian chili recipe made with black beans, sweet potatoes, corn, and plenty of spice. The perfect meatless dinner idea for busy weeknights!
This is the meat-free answer to my best-ever Instant Pot chili recipe! Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Check out my lentil chili or my slow cooker vegetarian chili with quinoa.
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
When I first bought my Instant Pot, I thought I would just use it for pressure-cooking recipes like Instant Pot beef stew and chipotle beef barbacoa, but y’all… it’s meant for so much more than that. I use it to sear, saute, braise, and pressure cook everything from black beans to whole sweet potatoes. And now, I’ve used it to make the most bomb vegetarian chili ever! Here’s why this sweet potato black bean chili is a fall-time favorite in my house:
- Incredibly flavorful. This sweet potato chili has so much depth of flavor. It’s sweet, spicy, and savory all in one, made with earthy cumin, spicy chili powder, smoked paprika, and sweet cinnamon. This chili will wow your taste buds from the first bite!
- Filling. This recipe is thick rather than broth-y, which, in my opinion, is the key to a good chili! It’s packed with corn, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, two types of beans, and more. Add your favorite toppings to all that, and you’ll be stuffed for sure.
- Quick and easy. Black bean sweet potato chili is done cooking in about 30 minutes. Saute your veggies in the Instant Pot, then flip it to a Soup/Broth setting. That’s it! It’s great for busy weeknights. Let’s get started.
What You’ll Need
Most of these ingredients are pantry staples, so you can make this delicious, cozy chili in the Instant Pot practically any time you like! For the exact amounts and the full set of directions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Avocado oil – This is my favorite high-heat cooking oil because it is tasteless. If you don’t have avocado oil, you could also use grape seed oil or coconut oil.
- Onion – I used sweet onion, however you could use red or yellow if that’s what you have.
- Red pepper – Make sure you dice up your fresh red pepper before starting.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic tastes best!
- Carrots – I love to add carrots to my chili for the sweetness and texture.
- Sweet potatoes – Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into 1/4″ cubes. Try to ensure that the size is uniform so that they cook evenly.
- Spices – A combination of cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper will make this the most comforting bowl of chili ever!
- Chipotle peppers – You can find a jar of these in the Latin or International aisle at your grocery store. It will say chipotle peppers in adobo sauce on the label.
- Vegetable stock – To keep this recipe vegetarian, I used vegetable stock. You could also use water, but the vegetable stock adds so much more flavor.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – Fire-roasted is my go-to, there is so much more flavor in these than in plain stewed tomatoes.
- Beans – I use a combination of black beans and kidney beans. Make sure they’re low in sodium and that you drain and rinse the canned beans before adding them to the chili.
- Corn – Sweet corn kernels add a nice crunch and fit in with the flavor profiles of this recipe.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro will brighten up your chili at the end right before serving and make it pop.
- Lime juice – I love adding a squeeze of zesty lime juice right at the end. It brings the chili back to life after being pressure-cooked for 10 minutes. Trust me, add it!
How to Make Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
This vegetarian black bean sweet potato chili uses both the Saute mode and Soup/Broth setting on the Instant Pot. (You could also use the Chili setting or, if you have an older version, Pressure Cooker mode will work, too.) Here’s a brief rundown of everything you’ll need to do. You’ll find the printable recipe in the recipe card.
- Prepare. Turn your Instant Pot on to the Sauté setting and let it heat up.
- Add avocado oil to the Instant Pot. Next, add diced onions, red peppers, and garlic. Saute everything until translucent (about 2-3 minutes).
- Stir in the veggies and spices. Add in your carrots, sweet potato, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers, cinnamon, black pepper, and salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes while stirring to mix everything together.
- Add your liquid. Pour in the vegetable stock and fire-roasted tomatoes. Using a spoon, stir everything.
- Place the cover on the Instant Pot. Seal the lid and cancel the Saute setting. Switch the Instant Pot over to the Soup/Broth setting and set the timer for 10 minutes.
- When it’s finished, use the Quick Pressure Release method. Remove the lid once the pressure is completely released.
- Cancel the Soup setting. Switch the Instant Pot back over to the Saute setting. Finally, add in the black beans, kidney beans, frozen corn, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. Let the soup saute for 5 minutes, then serve.
Tips & Variations
- Make sure your Instant Pot is on the right setting. On my Instant Pot (which is the Ultra 10 in 1), I have a Chili setting. However, I know most of you may not have that option. So, for this recipe, I used the Soup/Broth setting. What you want the Instant Pot to do is meld all those awesome flavors together without turning the ingredients into mush. The Soup/Broth setting is perfect for this!
- How to thicken vegetarian chili. If you prefer a thicker chili, after it’s done pressure cooking, set the Instant Pot to saute and let the chili simmer with the lid off to reduce more of the liquid.
- Adjust the cooking time if you add meat. If you have beef or chicken that you want to use in this chili, you may want to cook it for a little longer, maybe 15 minutes.
What Goes With Instant Pot Chili?
There are SO MANY toppings that you can serve with this sweet potato black bean chili, but my favorites are sliced jalapeños and sour cream (see below for more ideas). I also love serving chili with soft, tender cornbread for sopping up the leftovers. As a side, I highly recommend this Mexican chopped salad or this Mandarin orange cranberry kale salad. You can also round out the meal with tortilla chips and homemade salsa or avocado salsa verde.
Chili Topping Ideas
- Diced avocado
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream or Mexican crema
- Hot sauce
- Sliced or diced red onions
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Sliced jalapeños
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store your sweet potato and black bean chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It’s great for lunches, another quick dinner, etc.
- To reheat. Simply place the chili in a pot and gently warm it up on the stove until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Freeze. Let the chili cool completely. Then, place it in an airtight container or freezer-safe storage bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the container in the refrigerator overnight and reheat your chili on the stove.
More Vegetarian Recipes
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Print
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Instant Pot sweet potato black bean chili is a quick gluten free dinner filled with corn, two kinds of beans, sweet potatoes, and more! This easy vegetarian chili is sure to be a favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 carrots, sliced into coins
- 4 cups diced sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoon cumin
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 28 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 14 oz. low sodium black beans, drained & rinsed
- 14 oz. low sodium kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
optional garnish: greek yogurt, cilantro, diced red onion, sliced jalapeno, avocado, or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot onto the Sauté setting and let it heat up.
- Add Avocado Oil to the Instant Pot.
- Next, add diced onions, red peppers and garlic to the Instant Pot. Saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Then add in carrots, sweet potato, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes while stirring to mix everything together.
- Next pour in vegetable stock and fire roasted tomatoes. Using a spoon stir everything.
- Place the cover on the Instant Pot. Seal the lid.
- Cancel the Saute setting. Switch the Instant Pot over to the Soup/Broth setting and set timer for 10 minutes.
- When it’s finished, use the the Quick Pressure Release method. Remove the lid once the pressure is completely released.
- Cancel the Soup setting. Switch the Instant Pot over to the Saute setting.
- Add in the black beans, kidney beans, frozen corn, fresh cilantro and lime juice. Let the soup saute for 5 minutes.
- Serve.
- Optional: top with greek yogurt, diced red onion, fresh cilantro and sliced jalapeño.
Notes
- To store. Store your chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat. Simply place the chili in a pot and gently warm it up on the stove until it reaches the desired temperature.
- To freeze. If you want to freeze this chili, let it cool completely. Then, place it in an airtight container or freezer-safe storage bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the container in the refrigerator overnight and reheat your chili on the stove.
27 comments on “Instant Pot Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili”
This was delicious! I did find it a bit soupy so I left about 3 cups of liquid in the instapot and added 1 cup of green and 1/2 cup of red lentils and pressure cooked them until done and added to the chili and it was amazing and thick like I like my chili. This will be my go to recipe from now on.
Yippie! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
LOVE this recipe! The combination of spices are fabulous. When I crave chili, this is the new go-to recipe.
Yippie! I agree; the spice blend makes this recipe!
This was absolutely AMAZING!!! We did not miss the meat at all and I think it’s replaced my go to chili recipe 😍 Thank you so much for posting!
Agree! With this recipe, you do not miss the meat! I am so glad you loved it! Thanks for the 5-Star review!
I have made this multiple times! Exactly as written except using parsley for the cilantro!
Thank you for the 5-Star review! I am so glad this recipe was a hit!
This was really easy and so tasty! I added a tiny bit of honey just to bring out the flavours even more. I will definitely make again!
Awesome! So glad that you loved it and it will be a repeat dinner for you!
Made this tonight and it came out great! Thank you!
Really enjoyed this sweet potato black bean chili. Served it with tortilla chips and Greek yogurt. Thought it might be a little too spicy but by the time all ingredients were added it was just right.
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it Susan!
Excellent chili! Hearty meal with a wonderful smoky flavor that gets even better on the 2nd and 3rd day as leftovers.
What setting should I use if no soup button on my instant pot and for how long?
You could use the pressure cooker setting but I’d do it for 8 minutes.
The flavors in this were incredible, and it came together for meal prep so quickly. It came out pretty watery for me — next time I’ll reduce the liquid.
I love adding sweet potatoes to our chili! this looks perfect for chilly nights!
This looks amazing! The perfect fall soup!
This looks wonderful! Can this be made on the stovetop or in a crock pot? Thanks!
yes, absolutely it can be made with both. You’d do the same process and then simmer for 1 hour on the stovetop or 2-3 hours in the crockpot
This chili looks fabulous! I need to try this recipe!
Oh my goodness, this looks so delicious! So hearty and flavorful, need to make this soon!
This looks absolutely amazing!
Chili is such a phenomenal dish–I only made it a few times but I loved it every single time I create it at home! It’s PHENOMENAL. Your sweet potato black bean chili looks perfect–it would pair beautifully with rice or bread. It’s nutritious, packed with spices, and super versatile! Can’t go wrong with it!
If your older recipes look as great this one I say bring them all back!! I love making soups and chili in my IP too! Sooooo good!
That’s a bowl full of goodness!