This Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Lentil Chili is a healthy, vegetarian spin on comfort food that's perfect for chilly weather! Dump everything in your crockpot and let the flavours mingle!
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Ingredients in sweet potato lentil chili
This Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Lentil Chili is here to break all expectations of what a proper chili should be. And coming from one meat-eater to another, you're gonna LOVE this stuff! Here's what you need to make it:
- onions
- celery
- garlic
- red and green peppers
- sweet potatoes
- brown lentils
- corn
- spices
- crushed tomatoes
- vegetable broth
- spinach
How to make sweet potato lentil chili
This sweet potato lentil chili is SO easy to make thanks to the help of your slow cooker! You pretty much just dump and press start. Here are the instructions:
- Dump all ingredients except for spinach in the slow cooker in the order they appear. Cook on low for 8 hours until sweet potatoes are tender and lentils are soft.
- Stir in spinach, then serve with toppings of choice.
Making it on the stovetop
You can easily make this recipe on the stovetop! Here are the instructions:
- Saute onions, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes with olive oil over med-high heat in a large pot for 5-6 minutes until softened.
- Stir in spices, then rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes with a lid on, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in spinach, then serve and enjoy.
Making it in the Instant Pot
You can easily make this recipe in the Instant Pot. The sweet potatoes may be a bit mushy, so I suggest you cut them into larger chunks before cooking under pressure. Here are the instructions:
- Add all ingredients to Instant Pot in order in which they are listed, besides spinach.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in spinach, then serve and enjoy.
Ingredient substitutions
This recipe is pretty versatile and you can switch it up very easily. Here are some ingredient substitutions you can make.
Lentils – I used brown lentils in this recipe, but you can easily use green lentils instead. I don't recommend red lentils because they will turn mushy. Chickpeas, kidney beans and navy beans would also be great additions.
Sweet potatoes – Instead of sweet potatoes, you can use butternut or acorn squash. You can even use regular potatoes too!
Vegetables – I love what bell peppers add to this chili, as well as the corn, celery and onions. I recommend keeping the onions for flavour, but the rest you can easily swap out with other vegetables.
Spices – I use chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika as the main spices in this recipe, and you do need the chili powder. However, you can use regular paprika or add in coriander to the mix.
What to serve with sweet potato lentil chili
This sweet potato chili is super hearty on its own, but you can serve it with sides to make it a larger meal. Here's what I would suggest:
- Crusty bread
- Side salad
- Oven fries
- Roasted or steamed broccoli
- Cauliflower rice
- Wild rice
- Quinoa
Toppings for lentil chili
You can also top this chili to make it even more out of this world! Here's what you could use:
- Jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Cheese
- Cilantro
- Pico de gallo
- Avocado
- Lime wedges
Storing and reheating
You can easily store this chili in the fridge up to 5 days. I recommend storing in individual portions in glass meal prep containers so all you have to do is reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Freezing lentil chili
You can also freeze this chili! Store in glass containers with lids up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in the microwave for 6-7 minutes, stirring halfway through. You can also reheat on the stove.
More vegetarian slow cooker recipes
Meal prep tools
- I use brown lentils like these ones here
- Get your Slow Cooker here
- I also love these glass meal prep bowls for reheating this chili in individual portions
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Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Lentil Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1/2 cup Corn
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 (750mL) can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups chopped spinach
Instructions
- Dump all ingredients except for spinach in the slow cooker in the order they appear. Cook on low for 8 hours until sweet potatoes are tender and lentils are soft. Stir in spinach, then serve with toppings of choice.
- Will keep frozen up to 2 months - to reheat, microwave on high for 5-7 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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Nutrition
emilie deveau says
That recipe was delicious! I’m a big fan of your website! I used green lentils and it was perfect. Thanks again for sharing 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Emilie 🙂 Thank you for the kind words!
Marta says
Hi. Totally I love your slow cooker ideas – for sure I will be doing them soon.
But I’m going through decision which crock pot should I buy (the size) as mostly I’m prepping for myself for 3-4 days my lunchboxes.
That’s why I wanted to ask how big is your crock pot? Just to have an idea if 3,5 l (European sizing) will fit me for my meal prepping and occasionally to cook for my guests.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Marta! I have a 6 quart crockpot – not sure what that is in European sizing but you should be able to Google to equivalent to make sure. I find this is a good medium-sized crockpot that would work for 4-6 servings.
Marta says
Thank you Taylor.
I found that quarts are equal to liters. Than 3,5 l would be 3,5 quarts than maybe too small for good few days preparing.
Can’t wait to prepare some of your meals !
Brooke says
Love this meal, delicious and healthy.
Elona says
This is so good! Started too late so I made it stovetop and it came out great. I added a little cayenne for some heat and reduced the salt to half teaspoon. Ate it with garlic naan!
Taylor Stinson says
Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Jodie says
Is it really 2 full onions? Is there a closer measurement like in cups?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Jodie – you could use 1 cup onions.
Victoria says
Hello, for the Instantpot Instructions– is 2 minutes the correct instructions?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Victoria – yes. It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure and during that time, it’s cooking.
Chris says
Great recipe! Our family enjoyed it. A couple things we did a little bit different: use just one onion. Next time will use a little less vegetable broth so that it’s a bit thicker. Other than that thought it was great!
Mimi says
This was delicious! I left the sweet potatoes in large chunks ,so prevent them being mushy at the end. I / we do not care for green peppers I just an orange one. My husband who is much of a carnivorous person than me “ this an absolute do again”
Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Monica says
This was yummy. So easy to put together. I did not have the 8 hours so I did high for 3 hours and I put only one yam then low for another 3 and I added the other yam . Worked great. A good hearty and healthy meal. Hello from Bloor/Royal York.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Monica! So good to know it works on high for 3 hours, thanks for sharing 🙂 So glad you enjoyed!
Kim Powell says
Do you use cooked lentils or dry?
Taylor Stinson says
Dried!