Slow Cooker Spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated Oct. 16, 2020

Slow Cooker Spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
8¼ hours
Rating
4(2,084)
Comments
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This nourishing, smoky vegan chili is perfect for cold weeknights. Mix everything in the slow cooker before the chaos of the day begins, then just toss in some frozen corn a few minutes before you’re ready to eat. As with any chili, toppings go far. Feel free to throw on what you have and what sounds good, like tortilla chips, cilantro or vegan cheese. The recipe calls for either coconut oil or vegetable oil. If you’d like a mild coconut flavor — which plays well with the orange juice in the chili — choose unrefined or virgin coconut oil. For a neutral flavor, choose refined coconut oil or any vegetable oil. Use one chipotle chile for a very mild chili, and four if you like yours very spicy. (Get the stovetop version of this recipe here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 1½pounds sweet potatoes (4 to 5 small-medium or about 2 large), scrubbed and cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 2(15-ounce) cans black beans, drained
  • 1(28-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
  • ¾cup orange juice
  • ¼cup coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 to 4chipotles from a can of chipotles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 3 tablespoons adobo sauce
  • 2packed tablespoons light brown sugar
  • Juice of 1 lime (about 1½ tablespoons)
  • 6garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2teaspoons onion powder
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1(10-ounce) bag frozen corn
  • Sliced avocado and red onion, for topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

426 calories; 11 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 74 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 1210 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the sweet potatoes, black beans, tomatoes, orange juice, oil, chipotles and adobo sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, garlic cloves, and dried spices. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt, a generous amount of pepper and 1 cup water. Cook on low until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 8 hours. The chili holds well on the warm setting.

  2. Step 2

    Just before serving, stir in the corn and let it warm through, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Top with avocado and red onion.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,084 user ratings
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Comments

Lisa

Looks great but please consider making this healthier with less sugar-- between the 2 Tbs sugar, plus orange juice, and corn and sweet potatoes, this seems way over the top for a healthy meal.

Barbara Gol

Canned beans for 8 hours?

M

I love substitutions and tweaking. Onions for onion powder, etc. However, the amount of sugar in the recipe is negligible for the number of servings. It is a sweet potato chili. If sweet potatoes and/or corn aren’t your thing? for whatever reason, don’t criticize the recipe. Choose another recipe.

Reduce cooking time

Flavour is excellent, I used 4 Adobes, and skipped the oil and extra sugar, otherwise did everything according to the recipe. However sweet potatoes are totally mushy, next time I will add only for the last hour, and in fact, I’ll reduce cooking time by a couple of hours for sure. I know this is a adjusted version of her other recipe made on the stove, I should have just done it that way instead of using the slow cooker

Dave

Don't skip the red onions and avocado! The onion actually provides a balance in sweetness that you don't want to miss. Loved the flavors and the texture. Will definitely make again.

Beth

Loved this! Used cayenne and crushed red pepper for heat because it is what I had—was fairly mild which is what we like.

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