Name: Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes; 2 tbsp olive oil, divided; 1 poblano pepper, diced; 1 yellow onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp chili powder; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced, plus 1 tbsp adobo sauce; 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes; 2 cans black beans (15 oz each), drained and rinsed; 2 cups vegetable stock; To finish avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream

Smoky Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

A meatless chili built on roasted sweet potato, mashed black beans, and chipotle in adobo — thick enough to eat with a fork.

Serves

Prep

20 min

Cook

45 min

Written

August 11, 2026

Method

Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the sweet potato with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, spread on a sheet pan, and roast until browned at the edges and tender enough to pierce with a fork, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the poblano and onion until softened, about 6 minutes.

Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the chipotles, adobo sauce, crushed tomatoes, one can of the black beans, and the stock. Bring to a simmer.

Mash the second can of beans with a fork and stir it in.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chili has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes.

Fold in the roasted sweet potato and simmer 5 minutes more to warm it through.

Ladle into bowls and top with avocado, cilantro, lime, and sour cream.

Notes

The mashed second can of beans is what thickens this — there’s no meat fat or roux to lean on, so the pot needs help from somewhere. Roasting the sweet potato separately and folding it in at the end keeps the cubes intact instead of dissolving into the chili after twenty minutes of simmering.

Butternut squash works in place of sweet potato without changing anything else. If chipotle-level smoke isn’t wanted, start with one pepper and taste before adding the second — the adobo sauce alone carries plenty of heat.