Name: Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 medium sweet potatoes – even in size and shape; 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/4 cup diced red onion; 1/3 cup diced bell pepper; 2 cloves of garlic (minced); Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon chili powder (or more if you like it really spicy); 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon onion powder; 1 (15oz) can red kidney beans; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 cups tomato sauce – I use Hunt’s canned Tomato Sauce; 1 tablespoon maple syrup – optional; 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 2 tablespoons freshly chopped scallions or chives for topping

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These Vegetarian Chili-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are perfect for a weeknight easy family dinner. Tender cooked sweet potatoes filled with warm, spicy vegetarian chili all topped with melty cheddar cheese. A healthy meatless recipe the whole family will love!!!!!

Chili stuffed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet with a bowl of chopped chives on the pan with it.

These Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are literally one of the easiest and most delicious dinner recipes I have ever made. Every fall we cannot wait to make this chili sweet potato recipe since it is so full of amazing flavor and it’s vegetarian.

Who doesn’t love some hearty chili in the fall? Match that with tender cooked sweet potatoes and you have an inexpensive, simple, healthy meal for the whole family ready in less than 30 minutes.

This chili stuffed sweet potatoes recipe can also easily be made to suit any diet whether that’s vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, or Whole 30. Just swap the cheddar cheese topping with dairy-free cheese and call it a day. Delicious!

Platter of baked chili filled sweet potatoes with sour cream drizzled on them.

So do you know what one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the produce aisle of the grocery store is? You guessed it, Sweet Potatoes!

Yup! Full of key vitamins like vitamin A, B6, and C, Iron, Magnesium and Calcium even. Wow! And they are packed with flavor!

Why you’ll love this stuffed sweet potatoes recipe

It’s easy and simple to make in under 30 minutes!
Can be adaptable to pretty much any type of diet.
The elements of this recipe can be made ahead of time, which is great for meal prepping.
It’s a meatless meal everyone will love.
Hearty, flavorful and simply one of the best healthy dinners you will want to make all of the time.

My kids and my husband simply loved these Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and you could even make them in smaller sweet potatoes for the kids and let them go crazy with a chili toppings bar. Friday or Saturday family night in anyone?

These are also great to make for Halloween or as a fun game-day recipe. Plus you would be getting a ton of nutrients into those little people you are raising before you fill them up with candy and popcorn.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make this chili stuffed sweet potatoes recipe.

Sweet potatoes – you want to select sweet potatoes that are all similar in size that are long and wide to fit all the chili filling.
Beans – I used red kidney beans but pinto beans would also work great.
Veggies – peppers and onion add a nice flavor to the chili.
Tomato sauce – just canned tomato sauce which is a key ingredient in the quick one pan chili.
Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Garlic – fresh minced garlic or garlic paste.
Tomato paste – adds a vibrant tomato flavor to the chili.
Maple syrup – just a little bit to cut through the acidity of the tomato sauce in the chili filling. You could also use honey or agave.
Seasoning – Chili powder, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper are the perfect blend of spices.
Chili toppings – shredded cheddar cheese and fresh chopped chives are what I used but feel free to use any chili toppings you like.

Get the complete list of recipe ingredients, instructions and nutrition in the recipe are at the bottom of this post.

How to make Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Start with the sweet potatoes of course. There are a few ways to cook the sweet potatoes.

In the Instant Pot which is my preferred method since it is the fastest way plus they come out so tender, fluffy and delicious.
You can also cook them in the oven and Just roast them at F 425-degrees for 45-60 minutes. Make sure to poke them with a fork to allow the steam to vent while they cook.
The microwave is also an option but I don’t think they come out as good. If you are cooking them in the microwave then poke them all over with a fork, place them onto a microwave-safe dish, and cook them for about 5-7 minutes, turning each one over halfway through the cooking time. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing them open.

2. While the sweet potatoes are cooking you can make the chili. Heat up a medium size pan with some oil, add in some diced red onion and bell pepper. Let that cook for a few minutes then add in the minced garlic, salt and pepper, spices and some tomato paste.

3. Cook all of those amazing flavors for 2-3 minutes before adding in the kidney beans, and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper and bring all of that to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add in a little maple syrup for sweetness and the chili is DONE!

Onions, peppers and spices cooking in a sauce pan. — **Cook the onions, peppers, and garlic**

Red bean chili in a saute pan. — **Cook the onions, peppers, and garlic**

4. When the potatoes are finished cooking just slice them down the center, give them a light squeeze to release the tender cooked sweet potato from the skin.

5. Then fill each with the chili and top with some cheddar cheese. Place them onto a baking sheet and bake at 375 F degrees for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Remove and top with chopped scallions, chives, or even a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt.

Roasted whole sweet potatoes on a baking sheet.

Chili filled sweet potato topped with shredded cheddar cheese on a baking pan before melting the cheese.

An easy, hearty, warm meal you can enjoy any day of the week!

Look at those spicy vegetarian chili stuffed sweet potatoes topped with melty cheese. Simple but so good!

Cooked fill chili sweet potatoes with sour cream and chives on them on a pan.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Try to select sweet potatoes that are all similar in size and shape so they cook evenly. You want the sweet potatoes to be brighter orange in color, have little to no indentations or black marks, and firm to the touch.
Cook the sweet potatoes using any method you prefer. See my suggested cooking methods above in this post. My preferred method is in the Instant Pot if you have one.
For the chili, you can use red kidney beans or black beans. You can also add in corn to bump up the flavor and texture of the chili.
If you prefer your chili to be spicier then add in some green chili or jalapeño.
The chili can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
The sweet potatoes can also be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days, which is also a great idea for easy meal prepping.
To make this recipe vegan, use vegan cheese.
To store: Let them cool completely, place in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at F 350 degrees or warm up in the microwave for 2-3 minutes in high.

How to store chili filled sweet potatoes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat portions in the microwave until heated through or on a pan in the oven at 350°F until fully heated through and the cheese is re-melted.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

Sausage and Pepper Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato Au Gratin
Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes

Baked filled cheese sweet potatoes with a drizzle of sour cream on them on a white platter.

Did you try this chili stuffed sweet potatoes recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out.