Turkey sweet potato chili is an easy, weeknight friendly recipe that will warm you up from the inside out! This hearty chili combines ground turkey, sweet potato, jalapeño, and black beans with a smoky tomato-based broth for a dish that is bursting with flavor in every bite. This stovetop recipe also includes instructions for the slow cooker.
I’ll admit, I can be a bit persnickety about soups. I have some very specific rules about broth-based soups that make no sense to anyone who lives outside of my own brain.
Quick and easy tortellini soup: Always ok.
Most chicken noodle soups: Suspicious.
Chicken and rice soup: Almost always acceptable. (Especially if it’s avgolemono.)
See? No rhyme or reason. (This drives my husband up the wall.) But for some reason, chili recipes always get a pass. I’ll happily eat white bean chicken chili for days on end, and this turkey sweet potato chili gets two thumbs up, too.
And I swear, it’s not just because I’m obsessed with sweet potatoes.
Hearty turkey sweet potato chili
This turkey sweet potato chili is a bowl full of comfort. Even better, it’s the kind of recipe you can make on a weeknight in one pot, with very little effort or brain power.
This chili simmers lean ground turkey, cubed sweet potatoes, black beans, and jalapeño peppers together in a tomato-based broth. It has a bit of smoky heat to it, which contrasts perfectly with the slight earthy sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
Serve it alongside a slice of your favorite homemade cornbread (or sweet potato cornbread to complete the theme), and you’ve got a cozy meal that’s not just delicious, it’s also good for you.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy weeknight recipe: This turkey chili is made in one pot in less than an hour, and most of that cooking time is hands-off while the chili simmers.
- Meal-prep friendly: Cut and prep the veggies a few days ahead of time, or make the entire batch of chili in advance and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Allergy friendly: Turkey sweet potato chili is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, making it easy to feed friends or family members with wheat or dairy allergies.
- Make it on the stove or in the slow cooker: The recipe card below includes directions for making this chili on the stove, but you can easily make it in the slow cooker, too. (Check the recipe card notes for those directions!)
Ingredients you’ll need
For full measurements and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
The main components of this recipe include:
- Ground turkey: You can substitute this with ground chicken or even lean ground beef if you prefer.
- Diced sweet potatoes: Look for a large sweet potato, around 12 ounces.
- Black beans: Drain and rinse these.
- Jalapeño: This adds a lovely mild heat. Remove the ribs and seeds to keep it mild, or leave them in for a spicier chili.
- Chicken broth: I use a 14.5-ounce can here, but if you only have a carton or homemade broth, use just shy of 2 cups.
- Tomato paste: We are going to toast this a bit, which will make a huge difference in deepening the flavor.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: You can use regular diced tomatoes, but the fire-roasted ones add — you guessed it — even more flavor.
- Tomato sauce: To finish out the tomato-y broth.
Other ingredients you’ll need include olive oil, diced onion, minced garlic, and spices. For the spice blend, I like to use chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano.
And, of course, you can never forget the salt and pepper!
How to make this turkey sweet potato chili
Grab a large pot or Dutch oven and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the ground turkey and let it cook, breaking it apart with a spoon as it browns. It’ll take about 6-8 minutes to fully cook.
Now add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring as it cooks. This is going to deepen the flavor — this small step really does make a big difference!
Stir in the spices, then pour in the chicken broth. Be sure to scrape up any of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the sweet potato, black beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Once the sweet potatoes are tender, give the chili a taste and add more salt and/or pepper as needed before serving.
We like to top our turkey sweet potato chili with sour cream or plain greek yogurt, diced or pickled jalapeños, diced green onion, fresh cilantro, or even pickled onions!
Substitutions and variations
- Swap the meat: Use ground chicken or lean ground beef instead of ground turkey.
- Change the beans: Don’t like or don’t have black beans on hand? Pinto beans or kidney beans work great, too!
- Use squash instead of sweet potato: Cubed butternut squash is a great alternative to the sweet potato. It has a similar texture and earthy sweetness that works well in this recipe.
- Swap the broth: Vegetable broth keeps the chili just as flavorful. If you only have cartons or homemade broth or stock, use just shy of 2 cups.
- Make it thicker: For a thicker chili, either reduce the water to 1/2 cup and/or simmer the chili uncovered for the last 5-10 minutes.
- Adjust the heat level: For a milder chili, leave out the jalapeño. For a spicier chili, do not remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeño and/or add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
- Make it in the slow cooker: Cook the onions, jalapeño, garlic, and turkey in a skillet as directed. If you have time, add and toast the tomato paste, too. Transfer this mixture to a slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients, and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the sweet potatoes are tender.
Storage tips
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You could also make this turkey sweet potato chili recipe ahead of time and freeze it for up to 3 months. I like freezing individual portions in Souper Cubes for extra quick and easy lunches or dinners..
FAQs
This recipe has a mild to medium heat level, mostly coming from the jalapeño. The chili powder adds a smoky kick rather than intense heat.
Removing the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño keeps the chili milder, but you can omit the jalapeño altogether if needed.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced yellow onion about half a small onion
- 1 fresh jalapeño seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (14.5-ounce can) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 12 ounces or 2.5 cups cubed)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
Optional toppings for serving:
- Fresh or pickled jalapeño slices
- Sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and jalapeño and cook for 4–5 minutes, until softened.1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup diced yellow onion, 1 fresh jalapeño
- Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.3 cloves garlic
- Add ground turkey. Cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes.1 pound ground turkey
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to deepen the flavor.2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Add chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the turkey evenly in the spices.1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pour in the chicken broth and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.1 (14.5-ounce can) low-sodium chicken broth
- Add sweet potato, black beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Stir well.1 large sweet potato, 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, 1 cup water
- Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Taste and adjust salt or heat as needed. Add toppings as desired. Serve warm.Fresh or pickled jalapeño slices, Sour cream or plain greek yogurt, Fresh cilantro
Notes
- Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- For a thicker chili, reduce the water to 1/2 cup or simmer the chili uncovered for the last 5-10 minutes to reduce some of the liquid.
- To make this in the slow cooker, sauté the onions, jalapeño, garlic, and turkey in a skillet as directed. If you have time, add and toast the tomato paste, too. Transfer this mixture to a slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the sweet potatoes are tender.