Keep things interesting with this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili done 3-ways!
Meal boredom sucks
I think we can all agree that eating the same meals over and over because you’re stuck in a food rut is boring and uninspiring. Or, to put it bluntly, it sucks.
Believe it or not, even as a food blogger and self-proclaimed meal planning maven, I get into food ruts too. Usually those ruts take the form of boring and predictable iterations – like combining the same roasted vegetables with baked chicken thighs or putting marinara with meatballs over zoodles on the menu too often. You know, basic things over and over.
When I realize that I’m in a rut I find that the best way to switch it up is to actually cook a recipe from a cookbook (or this here little website). Or I’ll pull a recipe out of the archives like this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili that we originally shared on the Whole30 website last year.
Now, chili in an of itself might seem boring but not if you haven’t been enjoying it on the regular. Remember, meal boredom is all relative. What you’ve become bored of may seem really new and exciting to someone else – because it’s not their food rut, right? That said, there is the possibility of creating a micro-rut when it comes to leftovers if you’re once of those who makes a big pot of chili then slogs through it all week in the name of ease and convenience (raising my hand over here!)
So to keep the leftovers interesting, I’m sharing 3 ways to dress up your chili. Yes, there are more ways than three but these 3 are all Whole30-compliant (in other words: you can always add cheese if that’s your jam).
Wondering if you should purchase grass-fed beef? Learn how to choose quality red meat in this post!
Topping option #1
Add crunch and a flare of flavor with slices of jicama, roughly chopped cilantro and a lime wedge (see above)
Topping option #2
Add some kick with slices of jalapeno peppers and chopped green onions
Topping option #3
Add a fried-egg to up the protein and serve it over a bed of greens for a mean and green hearty bowl of chili. Bonus: you’ll get extra vitamins and minerals from all those greens so pile that bowl high!
Add this to your next weekend meal prep
Seriously, you need to add this Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili to your next meal prep because it’s so easy to make. And, obviously, quite versatile. And it freezes beautifully so you don’t have to slog through an entire pot of chili – just divvy up the leftovers into smaller, freezer-safe containers so you have an easy reheat and eat option later on down the road.
And if this recipe sounds good, we think you’d like our popular Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili or our Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili recipe too! They’re both freezer-friendly, Whole30-compliant and would be delicious with all the toppings above.
Let’s get slow cookin’
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Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 10 servings 1x

Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground bison or ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 4-oz. can diced green chilies
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut in ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
- 2 28-oz. cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups Whole30-compliant chicken or beef broth
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. ground chipotle or ancho chili powder
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground meat until just cooked through.
- Transfer to the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until sweet potatoes are tender. Feel free to add more seasonings if you wish.
- Serve with additional toppings as desired.
Toppings (3 ways)
- Add crunch and a flare of flavor with slices of jicama, roughly chopped cilantro and a lime wedge.
- Add a kick with slices of jalapeno peppers and chopped green onions.
- Add a fried egg to up the protein and serve it over a bed of greens for a mean and green hearty bowl of chili.
Notes
All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10th of recipe
- Calories: 235
- Sugar: 5g
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 21g
What’s your favorite way to get out of food rut? Any recipes that you find particularly helpful for keeping things interesting in the kitchen? We’d love to hear from you – leave a comment below!
Pin now, make later!
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Shira says
Do you think I could make this in an instant pot? How long would you cook it for in there?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Shira,
Yes, you could use an Instant Pot. I would cook it for no more than 15 minutes to keep the sweet potatoes from falling apart.
Shira says
Thanks!! That’s super helpful 🙂
Kim says
I did and was excellent!
Kim says
This was delish! Great receipe and the spices were perfect. I cut garlic in half as I don’t care for it. Perfect!
Kelly says
Hello! Can I use turkey instead?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi! Yes, you can.
Abby says
why do you have to cook the ground beef first? it seems like it would cook over 8 hours in a crock pot.
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Abby,
Technically you wouldn’t have to however when you cook ground beef from raw in a liquid like this you often get an oily or ‘scummy’ appearance from the fat that renders out of the meat. Also, browning meat before slow cooking adds an extra layer of flavor thanks to the caramelization that occurs during the browning process. For these reasons, I choose to precook the meat before adding it to the slow cooker but as you pointed out, 8 hours is plently of time for the meat to cook through.
Kaya says
How big would a serving of this be? A cup and a half?
Stacie Hassing says
yeah, I’d say 1 1/2 cups would be a good portion of this soup. Enjoy!
Taylor says
Hello! Would it be possible to make this on the stove, without a slow cooker? If so, how long should I let it cook after browning the meat?
Stacie Hassing says
Here is a stove top Sweet Potato Chili: https://therealfoodrds.com/chipotle-turkey-and-sweet-potato-chili/. Feel free to follow those instructions using the ingredients in the Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili.
Damaris Carmona-Raya says
Can i make this in my instant pot
Stacie Hassing says
You could! The recipes would be similar to the instant pot instructions for this recipe: https://therealfoodrds.com/veggie-loaded-turkey-chili/
Enjoy!
jp says
If you use 1 Lb of bison , I imagine you can half the entire recipe? But how long should it cook in crockpot?
Stacie Hassing says
Exactly! The cooking time would not change. Enjoy 🙂
nicole barrett says
Love this so so much!! Thank you! But now I’m an Instant Pot junkie, can you tell me the time conversion?
Thank you!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
HI Nicole,
You can do this for 12 minutes in the Instant Pot with a 5-10 minute natural release.
Sharon says
Can you freeze this recipe
Jessica Beacom says
Absolutely! It freezes beautifully. Just allow it to cool completely in the fridge before transferring to the freezer for best results.
Meg says
I was pleasantly surprised by how much flavor is in this recipe! We let it cook a lot longer than listed due to life happening and my only change would be to add some additional veggies to it! It is delicious as is but some bell peppers or butternut squash could be good.
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Thats great to hear you enjoyed this recipe. And yes, feel free to add additional veggies as you please. Peppers and butternut squash would be great in this recipe!
Amanda says
I didn’t have another 28 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes. Will that be an issue?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Amanda,
Just use whatever tomatoes you do have (or tomato sauce). It will work as long as you have about the same amount.
Jodi Field says
Would you make this in an instant pot?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Jodi,
Yes, you can. Just brown the meat and onions first then add the remaining ingredients and cook at high pressure for 10-12 minutes.
Kaitlyn says
Love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times in the crockpot but I want to try it stovetop with a Dutch oven, how should I go about doing that? Thanks in advance!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Kaitlyn,
I would suggest following the directions for this chili that’s made on the stovetop.
Crista Mchugh says
If cooking this in an instant pot, would you need to use only 1 cup of broth instead of 2?
Thank you!
Jessica Beacom says
That sounds about right. You can always add more at the end if you need it!
Crista Mchugh says
Ok! Wow, thanks for getting back to me just in time to make dinner!! 🙂