Healthy Sweet Potato Turkey Chili is the best recipe to cozy up with all Fall and Winter long! Ground turkey, sweet potatoes, black beans, and corn are cooked to sweet and spicy perfection. Serve this hearty family-friendly dish on game day, or freeze for busy weeknights!
To say this sweet potato turkey chili recipe is one of our family’s favorites would be a massive understatement.
In fact, it is THE dish I often recommend to friends when they are looking for an easy, healthy, and filling dinner to feed picky eaters during the Fall and Winter months.
It’s been with us to our favorite Fall music festival (Utopiafest!). It was the recipe I taught for a local cooking class here in Austin. And it is often the dish I bring to friends after they have a baby.
This healthy chili recipe also makes enough to feed a small crowd and even freezes exceptionally well!
The delicious chili flavors meld together beautifully with the subtle sweetness of the potatoes. So it truly gets even better as leftovers.
But wait… do I need to back up here a bit?
What exactly is it that makes this ground turkey chili so exceptional?
Well if you haven’t already noticed, it’s full of sweet potatoes!
WHAT?! Yes. I said sweet potatoes. And trust me, it’s what MAKES the BEST turkey chili recipe you’ve ever had.
Throw in some canned black beans and a little corn (you’ve got to trust me again!) and it’s like you have a hearty chili mixed with delightful Mexican cuisine flavors that are out-of-this-world delicious!
Ingredients
The ingredients you need to make this healthy turkey chili recipe include:
- Ground Turkey. A rather lean, 93/7 blend, is recommended when making this chili. You get enough fat to have some flavor but it’s still lean enough to not add too many calories. Ground beef, chicken, or even venison may also be substituted.
- Sweet Potatoes. Two to three medium-sized sweet potatoes will be needed in order to give you 4 cups. Read more information below about the best way to prepare the sweet potatoes for this recipe.
- Tomatoes. One 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes makes up the bulk of the sauce part in this recipe. It’s not recommended to substitute with tomato sauce or marinara sauce.
- Seasonings. There are quite a few herbs and spices that comprise the authentic chili flavors found in this dish. If you have either a store bought chili seasoning mix or you’ve already made your own homemade chili seasoning, feel free to substitute with that!
- Corn. Canned sweet kernel corn is used but frozen corn that has been thawed may also be substituted.
- Beans. Black beans pair wonderfully with the sweetness of the potatoes and the corn. However, you can also try out red kidney beans or even white navy beans for a little variety.
How to Make
The basic steps for making sweet potato turkey chili are simple to follow:
- Drizzle olive oil into a Dutch oven and toss in the onions and garlic.
Sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. You can also use a large pot.
- Push onions to the side and add the ground turkey.
Continue cooking over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until turkey is almost cooked through. Crumble cooked turkey using a potato masher.
- Mix in the sweet potatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes.
You want them to just begin to soften.
- Pour crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and seasoning ingredients into the chili mixture.
Combine chili thoroughly and reduce to low heat. Cover pot with a lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Rinse and drain the corn and black beans and stir into the chili.
Cover and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Make sure to check to see if the sweet potatoes are fork-tender before serving. Pair with corn tortilla chips, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.
Preparing the Sweet Potatoes
For this particular recipe you will need to peel and then cut the sweet potatoes into cubes.
You can choose to leave the skin on for a bit of added fiber. But do know, the skin tends to separate from the potatoes after a prolonged amount of time cooking. The best and easiest way to peel potatoes is to use a potato peeler. You can also carefully remove the skin with relatively sharp paring knife.
Once they are peeled, cut the potatoes into ½-inch cubes. If you cut them any bigger than this they will not cook up fully. Smaller cubes will get mushy instead of keeping their shape in the chili.
Chili Seasoning
As you can see in the recipe card, there are quite a few spices and dried herbs that are needed in this chili recipe. Most of them are pretty common and can be found at your local grocery store.
- Chili Powder
- Ground cumin
- Paprika – You can try a mix of regular and smoked for a more smokey flavor.
- Salt and Pepper – To taste.
- Cinnamon – This adds a subtle earthy note that is incredible!
Learn how to make homemade chili seasoning to use in future recipes!
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Since the flavors get better with time, this makes a great make-ahead meal.
- To Store: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Place in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 5-6 months.
- To Reheat: Add back to a saucepan or skillet and cook until heated through.
FAQs
If you would like a slightly thicker chili, mash some of the sweet potatoes to help thicken it up.
The corn can be optional and you can choose to leave it out completely or replace it with more beans.
Much like other soups and stews, chili freezes exceptionally well. To freeze simply place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 5-6 months.
Ground spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon add a beautiful flavor. Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or liquid smoke are also great options.
To change this into a slow cooker recipe simply sauté the onions and turkey in a saucepan until cooked through. Add to a 6-quart slow Crock-Pot along with the other ingredients on High for 2-3 hours, or until sweet potatoes are cooked through.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Go homemade. Mixing up your own chili seasoning mix allows you to adjust to your taste preferences.
- Dress it up. Serve alongside tortilla chips, sour cream, and cilantro for a Mexican chili flair.
- Take it slow. Cook this chili in a slow cooker and keep it warm until dinnertime.
- Prep it. Make extra and store the rest for easy freezer meals.
- Add more flavor. Experiment with different spices and sauces to change the flavor profile.
Other Chili Recipes
When comfort food calls, chili is there to cozy up with. In addition to this turkey sweet potato chili, try these easy recipes:
Instant Pot Chicken Pumpkin Chili
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Instant Pot Ground Turkey Chili
Healthy Sweet Potato Ground Turkey Chili
Healthy Sweet Potato Turkey Chili is the best recipe to cozy up with all Fall and Winter long! Serve this hearty family friendly dish on game day, or freeze for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 lb. ground turkey 93/7
- 4 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. paprika can use smoked paprika if you prefer
- 2 tsp. salt
- ¾ tsp. pepper
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes canned
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- 15 oz. sweet whole kernel corn canned, drained
- 15 oz. black beans canned, drained
- Tortilla chips optional
- Cilantro optional
- Sour cream optional
- Cheese optional
- See this recipe in Healthy Meal Plan #2
Instructions
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In a large saucepan, or Dutch oven, drizzle olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
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Push onions to the side and add ground turkey. Continue cooking over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until turkey is almost cooked through. Crumble cooked turkey using a potato masher.
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Add sweet potatoes and saute for another 2 minutes.
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In a small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper. (You can also use 3 tablespoons of a homemade chili seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste.) Mix to combine.
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Pour crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and seasoning ingredients into the chili mixture. Mix chili thoroughly and reduce heat to low.
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Cover pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
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Mix in drained corn and black beans. Cover and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes.
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Check to see if sweet potatoes are fork-tender before serving. If you would like a slightly thicker chili, mash some of the sweet potatoes to help thicken it up.
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Serve chili over rice with corn chips, cilantro and sour cream. Enjoy! See this recipe in Healthy Meal Plan #2.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- To Store: Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Place in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 5-6 months.
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Carol Vollmer-Johnson says
I made this today and also added 1 small bunch chopped cilantro, 1 small can chopped green chilies, and 1/4 cup lime juice. We did all the chopping earlier in the day to make putting it together easy. This was a major hit, and I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the recipe!
London Brazil says
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Carol! That sounds great. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Cindi says
I need to leave this review and let you know I never leave reviews because I typically modify the recipe a lot. This recipe is amazing. Perfect just as written. Thank you for sharing.
London Brazil says
Yay! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Cindi! I appreciate you for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Anonymous says
This was extremely good. Let come together on the warmer.and left out the corn for blood sugar reasons.
London Brazil says
Yay! So happy you’re enjoying the recipe. It’s one of our faves, too! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
P says
This chili is a great departure from the regular version. I love the amount of cumin but others might appreciate less. I simply loved the deep flavor. When sautéing the sweet potatoes, I merely pushed the Turkey onion mixtures to the side. I believe I will add some of the spices to the potatoes while sauteing to give them more flavor. They are bland. This is a perfect healthy entree for those nights you need comfort food. Thank you for this!
London Brazil says
You’re very welcome. And yes, feel free to season it as you wish! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating 🙂
Julie McCaslin says
I’ve made this three times this winter and everyone loves it BUT for my family it’s just 1/2 tsp chili powder. The first time I followed the recipe required excess sour cream to tolerate.
London Brazil says
Totally understand that, Julie!! I prefer my food on the milder side, too. Happy to hear the reduction in chili powder worked for you. Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
Tracy says
Delicious!
London says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Tracy
Kitchen health nut says
This is an easy and quick healthy weeknight meal. It made enough to have 5 nights through my work week without having to come home & scavenge for food. I dont eat corn so I swapped it for some chickpeas. Added some cayenne pepper for heat as well as a chopped Adobe & it’s liquid. Garnished with diced avocado & a small dollup of fat free sour cream.
Pretty tasty
London says
Oh I love the substitution with chickpeas!! Bet that was super tasty. Thanks so much for your comment and rating!
Erica says
Have made this many times and love it. Was wondering if it could be done in the Instant Pot, and how long you’d cook it for?
London says
Yes, Erica! You absolutely can. I would try cooking it on High Power for 13-17 minutes with a 10 minute NPR. (Shorter for more firm sweet potatoes and longer for softer sweet potatoes.). Hope you enjoy!
Beth says
Hello
I have a quick question. I’m allergic to beef, chicken and turkey. Would ground pork the a suitable substitute?
Thank you
Beth
London says
Hi Beth! Yes, you can get the mild ground pork (not the spicy Italian kind) or you can even use ground venison if you’re not allergic to that either!
Lisa M. says
This chili was incredible! It called for very little cinnamon, and yet it was such a stand out flavor that played surprisingly well with everything else. I LOVED it! Saving and will definitely be making again. 🙂
London says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Lisa. Thanks so much for the comment and rating 🙂