Lightened-up chili using ground turkey and sweet potato! This Turkey Sweet Potato Chili can be made in one-pot and will feed you all fall and winter long for dinner or lunches alike. The flavor is absolute perfection. Your whole family will love it!

I would say that in general, I follow the seasons with my eating habits… I crave salads in the summer and cozier, heartier meals in the winter. Since living in San Francisco that all kind of goes out the window. We have warm days year round and cool days in the middle of summer. It’s strange but I love it.
So when it comes to chili, I honestly eat this year round. I know that’s not the case for most of you so I practiced some self-control and waited until an acceptable month to share this delicious turkey sweet potato chili recipe with you.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili Ingredients:
- Ground turkey – you can use lean ground turkey if you prefer but either lean or full fat will both work. Feel free to replace with a different protein like ground beef.
- Vegetables – sweet potato, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic
- Canned items – diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, black beans and kidney beans
- Seasonings and spices – chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, sea salt and black pepper
RELATED: The Best Ever Cornbread Recipe

How to Make Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
STEP 1: On the stove top heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, add turkey and cook until browned.
STEP 2: Add in the onions and cook until softened.
STEP 3: Add in the peppers, jalapeno and garlic and cook for another two minutes.
STEP 4: Add the spices, canned items and sweet potato and bring the mixture to a boil.
STEP 5: Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes or until a desired consistency is reached. Be sure to stir often. The longer you cook it, the thicker your turkey sweet potato chili will be!

Toppings for Healthy Chili
The best thing about chili is that it’s a complete meal in one. I love dishing up a big bowl and topping it with a variety of toppings. Here are some we rotate through:
- tortilla chips
- sliced avocado
- sour cream or Greek yogurt
- shredded cheese
- green onions
- cilantro
You also can’t go wrong serving it alongside sweet potato cornbread or pumpkin cornbread. Are you a cornbread on the side, crumbled up cornbread on top or a cornbread dipper?!
Although this recipe is packed with vegetables, you could serve turkey sweet potato chili with a side salad as well. Whip up your favorite combination of dressing and greens or make this brussels sprout salad.
Storage and Freezing Turkey Chili
This turkey sweet potato chili will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It also freezes well. If you’d prefer to save it for longer, I recommend freezing it for up to 3 months.
To thaw, remove from freezer and let sit in refrigerator overnight or on counter for several hours before reheating on the stovetop.
More Chili Recipes You’ll Love:
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Green Chili Recipe
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- The Best Quinoa Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Lightened-up chili using ground turkey and sweet potato! This Sweet Potato Turkey Chili can be made in one-pot and will feed you all fall and winter long for dinner or lunches alike.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 bowls 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey (lean, if preferred)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, chopped (deseed if you don’t like spice)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed (no need to skin)
- 2 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned (About 3-4 mins).
- Add in onions and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add in peppers, jalapeno and garlic and cook for another 2 mins.
- Add in sweet potato, spices, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans and bring mix to a boil. If mixture is too thick add in 1/2-1 cup water.
- Once boiling lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes, uncovered or until desired consistency is reached.
Keywords: Chili, Turkey chili, Sweet potato chili, turkey sweet potato chili
JOIN THE THM NEWSLETTER
Join 20,000+ members of the THM Community to get access to exclusive recipes, healthy lifestyle tips and behind-the-scenes news from our team!
68 Comments
Janet
December 9, 2015 at 12:06 amThank you for the great recipe. It was a big winner with my whole family last night. It was delicious with a dollop of natural yoghurt on top. I found I needed to add a little water to it.
The Healthy Maven
December 9, 2015 at 4:37 pmSo happy to hear that! Yes- it can be pretty thick. Glad you solved the issue and had a delicious dinner!
Tina
November 6, 2015 at 2:39 pmI can’t wait to make this! Is 1 sweet potato really enough or could I add a couple?
Davida Kugelmass
November 8, 2015 at 9:42 pmI big one, yes! But feel free to add as many as you like 🙂
Lisa
October 25, 2015 at 5:06 pmI made this for my book club this week and it was a HUGE hit. I’ve tried lots of chili recipes and this is now my new favorite!
Davida Kugelmass
October 25, 2015 at 5:40 pmAw I’m so happy to hear that! It’s my favorite chili recipe too. So happy you liked it!
Ellen Eisner
October 11, 2015 at 7:35 pmJust made this tonight – YUM! Absolutely delicious and the sweet potato adds something so special. Thanks for the recipe!
Davida Kugelmass
October 12, 2015 at 12:37 pmThank you, Ellen! I’m so happy to hear it. It’s probably my favorite chili recipe. Glad you enjoyed!
Lily
October 5, 2015 at 9:18 amI saw this and brought the products the next day and made it that evening! It was very tasty its definitely another Gluten Free dinner i am adding to my list! Thank you xo
Davida Kugelmass
October 5, 2015 at 10:11 amAwesome! So happy you liked it 🙂
Art
September 28, 2015 at 8:05 pmBut warm weather and chili goes so well together! Call me weird or whatever but I like my chili and any hot food better during the warmer days of the year. But then again, I think it has to do with the fact that I like to sweat a lot. It’s just so satisfying to burn a lot of fat while you just sit there and eat. Haha! I’m not sure about the science behind that though.
Davida Kugelmass
September 29, 2015 at 6:20 amhaha to each his own! I also eat soup in the summer. That’s likely because I enjoy the convenience of a one-pot meal year round 🙂
Kristina
September 28, 2015 at 2:57 amI am so jelous about the weather. If only I could live somewhere where it’s sunny and warm. I guess the only good thing about living in a place where it’s chilly is that I can make this chili without feeling all weird haha. I love this recipe!
Davida Kugelmass
September 29, 2015 at 6:15 amThat is VERY true! The upside to cold places 😉
Les @ The Balanced Berry
September 27, 2015 at 7:36 pmI mean, is there ever a bad time for chili? I’m thinking…not. And I’m sad to say in Seattle we have not had an endless summer – fall started right on time. I guess that just means I’ll eat more chili! This looks delish, I’ll definitely need to give it a try soon!
rachel @ athletic avocado
September 27, 2015 at 12:42 pmi don’t wait for fall to come before i eat chili either! it’s a year round thing for me, i love that it’s made in one pot so the clean up is a breeze! this recipes a keeper for sure, pinning 🙂
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 1:30 pmI totally agree! Convenience will always win out for me!
She Rocks Fitness
September 27, 2015 at 11:03 amCelery is an interesting craving…HAHA! I have been all about those sweet potatoes…Oh wait that is all the time! So good and so sweet and cannot wait to make this sometime this winter, when I’m freezing my booty off! Happy Sunday!
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 1:29 pmRight?! I feel like craving celery is a sign that I’m deficient in something..maybe sanity? lol
Michele @ paleorunningmomma
September 27, 2015 at 9:31 amOh gosh I want this for dinner tonight! With cool weather finally I’m craving chili.
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 1:27 pmThose Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bars for dessert! Yes.Please.
Sarah C
September 27, 2015 at 7:47 amThis sounds absolutely wonderful!
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 8:56 amThanks, lovely!