Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili – This paleo & whole30-frindly dish is sure to be a favorite! It doesn’t get much easier than the slow cooker!
While it may be best in the thick of sweater weather, chili was in our homes all year round. Before the responsibility of summer jobs came on the scene, my summers were full of hours and hours of swimming interspersed with lots of reading. We worked up big appetites, and chili was an awesome way to end the day, usually with crispy, salty corn chips.
This isn’t my mom’s chili recipe, but we love it. Meaty and thick with a great blend of spices and a tiny bit of sweetness from the sweet potato. Pair it with a salad and a side of fruit for dinner, or tuck it into a lunchbox for fantastic lunches throughout the week.
Notes on the Recipe:
Plenty! This recipe makes plenty. We freeze half and pull it out on a rainy day.
Need a slow cooker? We love this one. You can set a timer and it comes with clips to keep the lid in place (which means no spills if you’re carting it to a friend’s house or potluck).
Like this post? You might also like…
- The Perfect Classic Chili (Paleo & Whole30)
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Taco Soup (Paleo & Whole3o!)
- Slow Cooker Butter Chicken (Paleo & Whole30)
- 2lbs ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 (14oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (14oz) can petite minced tomatoes
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3-4 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp oregano
- optional: cilantro, for garnish.
- In a saute pan, brown beef over medium heat until cooked through. Drain excess fat. Transfer cooked beef to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on SLOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours. Stir to break up the meat and serve warm! Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
- Place all ingredients in your slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on SLOW 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours. Stir to break up the meat and serve warm! Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
This. This looks divine! And the weather has been all sorts of stormy up here in Utah. This may find its way to my table this weekend!
This is fabulous chili – no matter what season of the year it is!
I’ve seen a lot of sweet potato chili recipes and for some reason, I’ve never tried them! I’m going to have to make this because it looks so good!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Yum, this looks delightful! I have it in the crock pot right now, thanks for sharing!
This is so delicious and easy! I made it last night and the whole family loved it!
I’m so glad you liked it! I think it’s even better the next day!
This may sound dumb but how do you freeze the leftovers and then how do you defrost it? New to the whole 30 program!
Stefanie – Not a dumb question at all! My favorite method is to scoop it (cooled down a bit, of course) into large zip-top bags. I press out all the extra air and lay them flat in the freezer (on a plate or a pan if needed). When they harden, they’ll be thin and tall, so they’ll thaw faster. Then, to thaw, you can put them in the refrigerator to thaw, or you can run the bag under warm water for a bit, then break it up and put it in a saucepan to re-heat. Does that make sense? Happy to help if it doesn’t!
Is that cilantro on top of the chili?
Emily – It is, just for garnish. You can certainly add some to your chili if you like. I sometimes do, but mostly don’t (which is why I didn’t put it in the ingredients list).
Do you think this would freeze well?
Elyse – It does! The sweet potatoes soften a bit after thawing, but I think it holds up really well!
Do you HAVE to brown the meat first? Just out of curiosity… Is it a flavor thing?
No, not at all! I keep meaning to update my directions (which I’ve now done). Depending on how fatty your meat is, some people prefer to be able to drain the fat before adding it to the chili. I almost never brown it ahead of time anymore!
If you use ground turkey instead of ground beef, could you still use the dump n go method?
Did anyone else find this chili to be on the soupier side? I might cut the liquid ingredients a bit on my next round. I will DEFINITELY be making this again. The flavor was amazing. For those who prefer their spice on the milder side, you may want to cut the cayenne down a bit as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Alexis – I’m sorry it was a little more liquid than you prefer. It sounds like you’ve got some great solutions to make it to your taste next time!
Great and easy recipe. I use ground chicken and 4 cups of chicken broth. Also add some mushrooms.
Incredibly delicious, incredibly easy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Katie!
Love. Thank you so much for the recipe. So easy! And it’s got a really deep, beefy flavor that comes through that I adore. Who needs beans in chili? Not me, apparently.
I would agree that this was a tiny bit too soupy for me– I took it out of the slow cooker and put it on the stove for an hour let let some of the liquid bubble off. Next time I might cut down on the tomato sauce and just do whole tomatoes instead.
I used 3 tsp full powered Indian chili powder for this, which was a lot– I love spice so it wasn’t “too much” it just maybe wasn’t layered enough? Next time I might tone it down or halve it and then add a thai chili as well to give the spice flavor some depth.
WAIT WAIT I just added 2 Tablespoons of Almond Butter and it it PERFECT. I take back all my suggested alterations. I am never changing this recipe, I’m going to do it the exact same way for the rest of my life. With Almond Butter.
Why does the almond butter help? Does it cut down on the fluid?
Okay, YUM! I’ve got a house full of special needs and am thankful for this dish as it meets those and is extreeeemely yummy to boot! Is this something I could prep at night when my kiddos are asleep (store in the refrigerator) and place in the crockpot the following day? I’m a beginner so sorry if that’s a silly question 😉
Absolutely! I love doing that!