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If you're looking for an easy, delicious vegan comfort meal, look no further! This easy and hearty vegetarian Slow Cooker Lentil Sweet Potato Chili checks all of those boxes and it's the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.
Remember when I told you how cold it has been here when I shared my recipe for slow cooker curried cauliflower sweet potato carrot soup? Well, not much has changed since I wrote that post.
We did get a little breather for a few days when the weather was unseasonably warm(er), but until we hit May, I'm all about easy, slow cooker comfort meals. Like this Slow Cooker Lentil Sweet Potato Chili.
Chili has actually been on the "banned list" in my home for a while. Why? Because at one point, I made it so many times in the span of a couple months, everyone became sick of it (is it just me or is that kinda of funny?!).
Except I never got sick of it because I love chili. Especially chili made in the slow cooker.
Before this time, I think it had been about a year since I made a batch of chili. I gave everyone a heads up that I had planned to make it but instead of making the same old boring bean chili, I was going to change things up.
This time, I decided to throw in lentils, cut back on the beans and add sweet potato. It was a huge win and I'm happy to say that chili is back on the rotation. I've have been "permitted" to make it again, as long as it's this Lentil Sweet Potato Chili!
(This time, I'll be sure not to make it too many times!)
What are the best chili garnishes?
You can have your chili plain or add a garnish. My favourite way to have it is with diced avocado, like in the pictures, but you can top it with what you like. Some ideas:
- minced parsley
- minced cilantro
- crushed tortilla chips
- sliced green onions
- finely diced red onions
- guacamole
And you can serve your chili with a batch of cornbread, the best side for chili!
Can I freeze this chili?
Yes. This recipe makes a HUGE batch, but the good news is that it freezes well and works great for lunches or a leftover supper for a night you don't feel like cooking.
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If you like this lentil sweet potato chili recipe, you may also like these:
- Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
- Slow Cooker Applesauce
- Smoky Lentil Sloppy Joes
- Curried Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Vegan Bolognese Pasta
- Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Lentil Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sweet potatoes, chopped
- 2 x 796ml/28oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 x 398ml/14oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups dried green lentils
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- diced avocado for garnish (optional)
- fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Slow Cooker Directions
- Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Mix well.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.5 hours
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. More chili powder can be added if you'd like. Give it a taste test and if you find it can use some more, go ahead and add, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Directions (Using a 6 Quart Pot)
- Use just 3 cups of broth instead of 3 ½
- Add all ingredients to pressure cooker. Mix well.
- Place and lock lid onto the pot and close the pressure release valve. Set to pressure cook for 10 minutes. Pot will take roughly 30 minutes to come to pressure.
- When the pressure cooking time has ended, press cancel and allow the pot to natural release for 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes has passed, carefully open the pressure release valve to quick release the rest of the pressure.
- Once pressure has been released and the float valve pin has dropped, slowly unlock and remove the lid.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. More chili powder can be added if you'd like. Give it a taste test and if you find it can use some more, go ahead and add, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Recipe Notes:
- This recipe makes a HUGE batch (approximately 12 cups). Luckily, this chili freezes very well. Freeze the leftovers or use them for lunches or another supper later in the week.
- Be sure to pick through your lentils and remove for any non-lentil things.
- I use a low sodium vegetable broth and no salt added diced tomatoes.
- Nutrition info is based on 1 of 6 servings (2 cups per serving). Nutrition info does not include any garnishes and uses 1.5 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Nutrition Info:
This Slow Cooker Lentil Sweet Potato Chili recipe was originally published January 26, 2015, images were updated October 2019.
Original Images before post update:
Annelies says
Hello, this recipe looks delish!!!! Question: We don't have a slow-cooker, can you make this in the oven too?
Thanks in advance,
Annelies
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Annalies! If you don't have a slow cooker, I would recommend making it on the stovetop rather than in the oven and the result would be the same. Brown the onions and garlic first, then add all of the other ingredients and let it simmer until everything is cooked through. I have not made it on the stove before, so I can't say how long it would take to finish. If you do try it this way, please come back and let me know how long it took for you 🙂
Michael says
If I don't add the corn do I need more liquid?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Michael, if you leave the corn out, no need to add more liquid. It will be fine. I hope you like the chili! 🙂
Lisa says
I added a can of tomato soup. it was perfect!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Glad to hear, Lisa! I never thought of adding tomato soup, happy that it worked well for you 🙂
adrian says
New winter staple. Added Adobe chipotle peppers as recommended above. Used red lentils, which cook a bit too fast.--hope to get green next time. Cilantro, avocado toppings perfect it. Thanks and happy cooking!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
My pleasure, Adrian! Glad to hear you've added it as a staple. It's still a staple here after all these years 🙂
Sophia says
I made this twice already. It is freaking delicious! Definitely my new favorite chili. I love how much chili it makes because I can enjoy it all week and take it to work for lunch. Thank you!
Gwen says
Hi Sophia! That is my favourite part too...all the leftovers! I'm glad to hear you like it, thanks so much for taking the time to send this message 🙂
Annie says
I love this recipe! I usually follow the recipe exactly, but I recently tried adding 1/2 cup of leftover pumpkin purée. It was so good!
Gwen says
I love the idea of adding pumpkin puree to this, I may do that next time! It's getting chilly where I live so I'll be making this again very soon. Thanks for sharing that great idea, Annie. And I'm so happy that you like it 🙂
Aqua121kitty says
Delicious!! My husband and I are trying to cut back on meat so I tried this. So filling and flavorful! Avocado is a must! Also put a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Thanks for the recipe!
Gwen says
Avocado is definitely a must! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Julie says
To clarify, do you need 2 cans of tomatoes that equal 28oz? Or are they 28 oz each for a total of 56 oz of tomatoes?
Gwen says
Hi Julie, it's 2 x 28oz cans of diced tomatoes. So 56oz in total 🙂
Ingrid says
I was doubting this would all fit. It very nearly doesn't so expect your crock pot to be chockerblock full. Easy recipe. I used red lentils. Looking forward to trying it!
Gwen says
Hi Ingrid,
Yes, depending on your slow cooker size, it may be a tight squeeze. Glad it all fit though! I hope you like it!
JR says
Heading to bed, and I've decided to finally make this chili! I'll hopefully get a good eight hours sleep and then the chili will be ready. I can smell it already, and I kept picking at the red kidney beans, haha! I was vegetarian for about half a year almost 10 years ago. I've finally decided to go back, and I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe! It makes me so excited to come back to this much healthier lifestyle 🙂 I know I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it won't dissapoint!
Gwen says
I'm so excited for you to try it! I hope that you love it! Best of luck with going back to being vegetarian, delicious food makes it so much easier 🙂
Natalia T says
Are the kidney beans pre cooked for this recipe. Sorry, I'm new to this slow cooker experience.
Gwen says
Hi Natalia! The kidney beans you'll need are canned so they will already be pre-cooked. All you have to do is drain the liquid, rinse, and add then add them to the slow cooker. I hope this helps and I hope you like the chili! 🙂
Lily says
Hello, I was wondering if you could replace the vegetable broth with anything else?
Gwen says
Hi Lily, I have always used vegetable broth and have not tried any substitutes to see how it would turn out. That said, water would work but you will likely have to adjust the spices a little bit to taste. I hope this helps!
Claire says
This is seriously an amazing recipe, thank you so much for sharing! I added more chili powder (that's just my preference), but this recipe is seriously perfect!
Gwen says
Reading your comment made my evening, Claire! I am so happy you like it so much. Enjoy your leftovers! 🙂
Lisa says
This sounds delicious. Did you soak the lentils first?
Gwen says
Hi Lisa! No, no need to soak the lentils. Just rinse and add them in with everything else. They cook up nicely in the amount of time given 🙂
Milie-Jade says
What do you use dried lentils or canned lentils?
Gwen says
Hi! I use dry lentils 🙂
Krystal says
I just made your chili recipe and it was delish. But tell me, how long can it be frozen for?
Gwen says
Hi Krystal, I am so happy you made it and liked it! Honestly, the longest I've kept this in the freezer was a few weeks. So I did a search for you and it seems that chili can be kept in the freezer for 4-6 months. Have a look at this site all about appropriate freezer times: http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16809
I hope this helps 🙂
Catherine says
We love this recipe! We shared it in our 25 Delicious Crockpot Meals for Busy Families roundup on The Shopping Mama!! http://www.theshoppingmama.com/2015/10/25-delicious-crockpot-meals-for-busy-families/
YUM!!
Gwen says
Thank you so much, Catherine! Great roundup, I'm going to share 🙂
Natalya says
Just filled up my crockpot for the second time with this recipe! Very easy and very good, even the meat lovers liked it, including my toddler! The first time, I had some huge sweet potatoes, so I quickly ran out of room in my crockpot, this recipe def fills it to the brim!
Gwen says
I love hearing this, Natalya! So glad everyone likes it. The best part of the crockpot being filled to the brim is the leftovers you get 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah says
What size is your slow cooker in quarts? I have a smaller one and usually try to halve or quarter a recipe - not sure how that would work out for this particular recipe but thought I would ask the size to start with. I do have a larger one too, I think it's 6 or 7 quarts. Thanks!
Gwen says
Hi Sarah, my slow cooker is a 5qt and it is filled to the max with this recipe, so if yours is 6 or 7, then you are good to go! This recipe would still work great if you did make only half of it. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you like it 🙂
Arden Baichtal says
Made this last night! It was so good and made a ton! I used red lentils instead of green and threw in some canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. New fall staple!
Gwen says
I'm so happy you like it, Arden! Thanks for stopping by to let me know 🙂
Ayngelina says
This looks like the perfect cold winter recipe.
Gwen says
It is 🙂 Thanks, Ayngelina!
chelsea says
What kind of onion do you suggest!?
Gwen says
Hi Chelsea, I use a regular yellow onion 🙂