Quinoa Sweet Potato Chili is one of the many ways to enjoy a hearty, meatless chili that is ready under 30 minutes. This is a quick and easy combination that you can even make for lunch or dinner on busy weekdays. It is flavorful, filling and so delicious.
Apart from this Vegan Chili with Beans and Millet recipe, which is our meatless version of the classic chili, we love this sweet potato quinoa chili recipe for being so easy and quick. If you like Tex-Mex or Mexican spicy food, you might want to check out our Vegan Portobello Fajitas with No-fuss Sheet Pan Fajitas Veggies recipe or our Copycat Chipotle Veggie Burrito recipe. And don’t forget about this yummy and nutritious Vegan Queso Dip recipe which is nut-free!!!
⇒ If you need an Easy 7-day VEGAN MEAL PLAN, click to download our free e-book with a shopping list.
Why Quinoa Sweet Potato Chili?
Why not? But seriously, we can tell you at least 3 reasons why you should give it a go:
- You can easily fit in your weekly meal plan, being it perfect either for batch cooking or for preparing something to eat under 30 minutes.
- No fancy ingredients, as beans, sweet potatoes and quinoa are usually found in most stores and in most vegan pantries.
- Last but not least, it is very nutritious. Beans and quinoa are high protein ingredients, while sweet potato is one of the most nutrient-dense veggies among root vegetables.
How to make Vegan Chili with Sweet Potato and Quinoa?
Prepare the ingredients
Peel and chop onion and garlic. Wash, peel and dice sweet potato. Wash and chop tomatoes. We used canned beans so nothing to do there.
Cook quinoa
Let’s make the chili
Take a large pan and cook the chopped onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil (photo #1). Cook them for 2-3 minutes. Now add the diced sweet potato (photo #2). Stir and cook for 3-4 minute just to caramelize it a little bit. Season it with ground basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper (photo #3). Stir until combined. Add chopped tomatoes, stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes (photo #4). Now add the tomato sauce and bring to boil (photo #5). Cover it with a lid and cook it for 15 minutes or until the diced sweet potato is soft. Finally, add the cooked quinoa and the cooked or canned beans (photo #6). Stir to combine and heat up all ingredients. Ready to be served!
PHOTO COLLAGE
Top tips to make your Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili perfect
- Low to medium heat only! -> Always keep it on medium heat and stir to make sure the tomato sauce is not sticking to the bottom. Or use a good non-stick frying pan*. You can also make this chili recipe in a stockpot* for batch cooking.
- More beans, veggies, leafy greens? -> You can use more beans or other veggies depending on your preference. We think this combination gives a loaded but well-balanced chili. We often add a bit of leafy greens like spinach or kale for some added nutrition.
- Mild or hot? -> Depending on how hot and spicy you prefer your chili, you can go from mild chili powder to sriracha chili paste or to freshly chopped raw chili peppers.
- Cook quinoa separately? -> We found it harder to cook quinoa directly in the chili as we need to pay attention more closely whether the liquid is enough to match how much the quinoa will absorb, as well as how much is needed for the sweet potato to still be cooked. We find it much easier just cooking the quinoa separately and mixing it in the chili once the sweet potato is soft and the chili is done.
What to serve with chili?
Our favorite way to eat any chili is either with rice as a one-pot dinner meal or we often make a vegan chili loaded soft tortilla wrap with rice, vegan sour cream, guacamole, and shredded vegan cheese.
The following toppings also compliment this vegan chili recipe nicely: chopped avocado, hot salsa, spring onion, chives, cilantro, or lime.
Other popular chili side dishes:
- Biscuits
- Cornbread
- Tortilla chips
- Quick Garden Salad
- Easy Vegan Coleslaw
- Veggie Fries
- Cauliflower rice
- Baked potato
Let us know in the comments what is your favorite side dish!
FAQs and Substitutions
How long does it last?
This chili recipe is perfect for batch cooking. You can easily store it in the fridge for 3-4 days without any problem.
What other veggies can I add?
I would happily add any of the following veggies: butternut squash, spinach, kale.
What other beans can I use?
The most popular beans are black beans, red kidney beans, and white cannellini beans. However, pinto beans or even chickpeas would taste delicious.
*****
This Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili recipe is meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free. It is also suitable for vegan, vegetarian, nut-free and gluten-free diets. It can also be WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) if you cook the onion and the garlic in water or veggie broth or directly in the tomato sauce.
⇒ If you need an Easy 7-day VEGAN MEAL PLAN, click to download our free e-book with a shopping list.
More dinner recipes
You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Dinner Recipes or our Quick Vegan Meals collection or check out
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Vegan Eggplant Meatballs Spaghetti
- Meatless Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegan Cabbage Lasagna
- Vegan Cabbage Soup
Quinoa Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
Vegetables, Legumes, Grains
- 1 Onion
- 3-4 cloves Garlic
- 2 Tomato (medium)
- 1 Sweet potato (large)
- 2 cup Tomato sauce
- 2 cup Red kidney beans or black or pinto or cannellini or mixed whichever you prefer
- ½ cup Quinoa
Spices
- ½ tsp Sweet smoked paprika powder
- ½ tsp Basil
- ½ tsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp Hot chili powder or flakes optional
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Peel and chop onion and garlic. Wash and chop tomatoes. Wash, peel and dice sweet potato. We used canned beans so nothing to do there.
Cook quinoa
- Rinse and drain quinoa well to remove bitterness.
- Add it into a stockpot or pan with double amount of cold water and salt. Bring it to boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat low. Simmer until the water disappears. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. It should stay covered for 5 minutes. Now, you have fluffy, cooked quinoa.
Make chili
- Take a large pan and cook the chopped onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Cook them for 2-3 minutes.
- Next up are the chopped sweet potato. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes to caramelize them a bit.
- Season it with ground basil, oregano, parsley, sweet paprika, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Add chopped tomatoes, stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add the tomato sauce now and bring to boil. Cover it with a lid and cook it for 15 minutes or until the diced sweet potato is soft.
- Add canned beans and the cooked quinoa at the very end as they don't need to be cooked, just re-heated.
- You're almost ready! Add the sriracha or any other chili paste (if any) to your taste. Check the seasoning again. Add more salt and pepper to your taste. Now, you're done!
Notes
- Always keep it on medium heat and stir to make sure the tomato sauce is not sticking to the bottom. Or use a good non-stick frying pan. You can also make this chili recipe in a stockpot for batch cooking.
- Depending on how hot and spicy you prefer your chili, you can go from mild chili powder to sriracha chili paste or to freshly chopped raw chili peppers.
- It will last in the fridge for 3-4 days without any problem.
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