This turkey sweet potato chili recipe is healthy, cozy, comforting, and easy to cook. It makes great leftovers for meal prep!
Comfort food is what's needed this time of year. And after all the indulgence of December, I'm trying to get some healthy(ish) recipes on here again. Balance is good.
This healthy turkey chili recipe can be made as spicy (or mild) as you wish. I added some cayenne pepper since I knew my husband would be eating most of the leftovers. If I was going to be eating the bulk of this, I would probably have left it out or just added a pinch.
It's not a big deal if you have more/less sweet potato or turkey than I suggest in the recipe... it's all good. I didn't weigh the sweet potato, and I totally realize that what I may consider a "medium-to-large" sweet potato may be vastly different than someone else, but that's ok. This chili is very forgiving.
One thing I probably would do next time I make this is to cut the sweet potatoes a bit smaller. You can see from the photos that they're in fairly large chunks. I found that I boiled most of the liquid out while I spent like 30 minutes simmering it until the sweet potatoes were tender. I decided that more liquid would probably be a good idea anyway, so I increased my original 1/2 cup of chicken broth/stock to a full cup.
If you do prefer your chili on the drier side, use only 1/2 cup of the broth and you can always add more later on in the cooking process if you find that it is indeed too dry.
Are you a big chili fan? You may also like my slow cooker turkey chili, this turkey white bean chili, my turkey pumpkin chili, or my Instant Pot turkey chili if you like this recipe. If you like poultry, you may like my white chicken chili. Prefer beef? Try my quick and easy beef chili.
I hope this skinny turkey chili will hit the spot for you.
Turkey sweet potato chili toppings
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Tortilla strips/chips
- Scallions
...or whatever floats your boat. Or nothing. There is no right or wrong way to top chili IMO.
Will you give this sweet potato turkey chili a try?
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions about this recipe.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium-to-large sweet potato peeled & diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 (28 fluid ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can red kidney beans drained
- Salt & pepper to taste
Toppings (optional):
- Cheddar cheese grated, to taste
- Cilantro chopped
- Avocado diced
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt to taste
- Scallions chopped, to taste
Instructions
- Prep your sweet potato and onion.
- Add the oil to a large soup pot and sauté the onion over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the turkey turns white on the outside.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Give it a good stir.
- Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, kidney beans, and sweet potatoes.
- Increase the heat and bring the chili to a boil. Once it's bubbling, reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Let it cook for 15-25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have softened (depends how big you cut the pieces). I like to give it an occasional stir.
- Season with extra salt & pepper if needed and garnish with desired toppings.
Notes
- You can use hot paprika or smoked paprika instead of regular paprika if you wish.
- If you prefer a more dry chili, reduce the chicken broth to 1/2 cup. I originally made it with 1/2 cup and found it a little dry since I cut the sweet potato pieces quite large and it took them a long time to cook, so the liquid bubbled away.
- This chili is pretty forgiving... you can add more or less turkey and more or less sweet potato... it's all good. I encourage you to adjust the spices to your taste as well.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
RD says
Is it a dry bean or can beans.
Natasha says
It says right in the recipe card that it's canned beans.
Cindy Vargo says
I’m trying to eat anti inflammatory and happened upon this Turkey Sweet Potato Chili recipe! So glad I did!
Love it! Thank you!!!
Natasha says
Excellent! I'm so glad it was a hit for you! 🙂
Michele says
When it snows in the middle of April, you need a recipe like this to cheer everyone up! Delicious!
Natasha says
Yes! Here too, ugh! Glad it was a hit! 🙂
Dawn says
I made this but subbed for chicken breast I cut up small and used pinto beans. Everyone loved it. I have made other recipes from you. They were delicious too
Thank you
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 You're very welcome, Dawn!
Julie says
This was absolutely amazing! Very flavorful, filling, and healthy. There was a spicy kick to it, but even my teenagers loved it! This will be a constant in our house. Thank you for sharing!
Natasha says
That's so great to hear, Julie! 😀 Thanks for your review!
Dar says
My granddaughter recently fix this for dinner for four of us and it was wonderful. Very flavorful, tasty and filling. I will be making this myself soon. She used black beans rather than kidney and added a can of diced green peppers. It was delicious.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you all enjoyed it, Dar!! 🙂 Appreciate you taking the time to write me a review. Happy holidays!
Tony Bagato says
What is the serving size for 6 servings?
Natasha says
1/6 of the recipe. I don't have any details beyond that... I am not a trained nutritionist, and that's the info my nutrition calculator is able to provide.
Natalia says
I love this chili. Fast and very tasty. I used black beans and I add a little bit more of cumin.Thank you for this great recipe.
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! 😀
Jennifer says
Delicious recipe! My daughter made this chili for me and I scrapped the bowl it was so yummy. Very nutritious as well!
Natasha says
So happy it was a hit! 😀
Kelly says
This recipe looks delicious! Can you freeze it?
Natasha says
Yes... that will be fine. 🙂 Hope you like it!
Marijka Jefferson says
Second time making this chili. I was worried it might be too spicy, but my family loved it. Plus it is quick and easy.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Katie P says
I love this recipe!! Similar to a recipe a personal trainer gave to me year ago! The only difference is that in the old recipe they added 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon. So i added that and did black beans instead of kidney beans! 10/10 love it!
Natasha says
Wonderful! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. Love the cinnamon idea.
Mary Courts says
This was a great recipe! I love the sweet, smoky, spicy combo! Will make again.
Natasha says
Fab!! Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe, Mary.
Melodie Morris says
Love this!!!!!!
Natasha says
Thank you!! 🙂
Patsy says
Absolutely loved your recipe 😋!!!
I immediately shared it with all of my peeps:)
Thanks so much for sharing.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! Appreciate you sharing it, Patsy! 🙂
Katie @ Katiebird Bakes says
This was amazing! Perfectly spiced. I added a bit more chicken broth than called for because I like chili on the saucy side - otherwise made as directed and it was fabulous. Thank you!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Katie! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Ashley says
UGH! Burnt the bottom of my pan so badly on this recipe - bummed!
Natasha says
That's not good! 🙁
Caroline Pinto says
Could I omit the beans? Possibly substitute for something else. Beans don’t settle well with me, unfortunately!
Natasha says
Hi! I think that would be fine. Offhand I'm not entirely sure what I'd sub instead... you could probably just bulk it up with some extra veggies maybe? Carrots? Add in some broccoli towards the end maybe?
Alex says
Hi!
All I have on pinto beans right now to work with, thjnk that would work?
Natasha says
Like canned ones? That should be fine.
Sarah says
Loved your recipe! I snuck in diced carrots to "beef" it up with more veggies 🙂
Natasha says
Awesome!! So glad you liked it! 😀
Kimberly Martin says
Delicious!! Thank you for sharing.
Natasha says
You're welcome! 🙂
Lacey solis says
Could you use black beams instead of kidney beans?
Natasha says
Sure!
Carly Jane says
I have made this recipe probably 5 times since finding it 6 months ago. It is amazing!! My boyfriend and I eat it like crazy. It usually will only last about 2 days in our house because we eat it for lunch and dinner. It’s the perfect combo of sweet and savory and so easy to make and modify. I usually put more meat in it to try to make it last a little longer. Thanks so much!!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you two enjoy it so much!! Thanks for leaving me a comment! 🙂
Kathy K says
It was AMAZING! I had a hint of brown sugar at the end 😉 Trying to find the nutritional info on this dish - any ideas?
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Kathy!! I don't currently have nutritional info on this recipe, unfortunately. Maybe plug the values of the exact ingredients you used into something like My Fitness Pal? Calories will vary depending on size of the sweet potatoes etc.
Kristen says
Made this for a meal prep and even on day one it tastes great! (Chilli always tastes better on day 2-3 IMO). I used ground beef because I had some on hand already, and added a tich more broth than 1 cup. I really like the element of adding the sweet potatoes, I think I will continue to make chilli’s like this from now on!
I made rice to go with it my meal preps as well just so I could spread the chilli out for longer.
Natasha says
I am so happy you liked it! 🙂
Tamara Green says
My son always "hated" sweet potatoes until now. This is a new family favorite. The spicing is perfect (I leave out the cayenne). It's delicious, healthy, and so darn easy - all in one pot.
Natasha says
That's awesome!! I am so happy your son likes it 🙂
Melody says
This recipe is so good and so easy. The first time I only made it with one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, and I forgot the onions but it still turned out amazing. This time I followed the recipe exactly. I haven't tried it yet but judging from how tasty it smells I think it'll be perfect. She's right that this chili is forgiving and you can really make it your own. I also don't use the super lean turkey (I use 85/15) and I just drain it a bit and it's wonderful.
Natasha says
I am so happy that you like it, Melody!! 🙂
Courtanee Marvin says
I also only used a 14oz can of tomatoes lol. I used some extra water with tomato paste that I had on hand. I think I liked it better as I dont really like the texture of stewed tomatoes.
Natasha says
No worries! I'm glad you were able to make it work for you.
Brontë says
I made this tonight for my boyfriend and I, and it was delicious! I used a crock pot and added the Cayenne pepper you suggested. So good!
Natasha says
Yay! So glad to hear you two liked it 🙂
Jackie says
I made this tonight & it’s great!! Everything you love about chili without the heaviness.
Natasha says
That's wonderful! Thanks for letting me know!
Kim says
Do you have any suggestions as a substitute for the tomatoes? I have developed a strong intolerance to tomatoes and miss Chili - this one looks good, was wondering if more broth or puréed sweet potato might work?
Natasha says
That's unfortunate! 🙁 I think your suggestions would definitely work. Also, what about red peppers or even zucchini? I've also seen beer added for liquid and flavor, or a dash of apple cider vinegar or some tomatillos for the sourness that the tomatoes provide.
Suzy says
A little full-bodied beer is a super addition to most any chili!
Surely someone will be willing to drink the rest!
Natasha says
Totally!