It’s hearty and healthy, packed with spices, sweet potato and beans. Load it up with all your favorite chili toppings, and it’s a satisfying fall dinner recipe that’s ideal for weeknights or dinner parties. Everyone in our family raves over this one.
Butter or olive oil: Use olive oil for a vegan chili. Butter adds a nice richness. Yellow onion, garlic, green pepper, and sweet potato: You can substitute butternut squash for sweet potato, or use any color bell pepper. Pumpkin puree: Make sure to avoid pumpkin pie filling, which has extra spices. Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce: Using a combination of both chunky and pureed tomatoes is helpful. Kidney and pinto beans: You can use any types of beans you like, but these are our favorites. Spices: The secret spices are a combination of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon Brown sugar, maple syrup or honey: Sweetener is optional, but we like adding a bit of sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Use 1 pound ground beef or plant-based meat crumbles. Some popular plant-based brands are Impossible or Beyond, but there are many great options out there. After sauteing the vegetables, add the ground beef and sauté until the meat is browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. The proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
Sour cream and shredded cheese: For vegan, omit the cheese and use Cashew Cream or Vegan Queso. Green onion or pickled red onion: Making a batch of pickled red onions for chili adds a tangy flavor and pop of color. Tortilla chips: We love adding crushed chips to our chili: it adds just the right crunch! Cilantro: Cilantro adds a fresh, inviting flavor. Hot sauce: Our favorite is a Mexican-style hot sauce like Cholula. Pumpkin seeds (pepitas): Crunchy salted pepitas are perfect to fit the pumpkin theme.
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. It can become very thick, so you may need to add a splash of water when reheating or broth when reheating. Freeze for up to 3 months. This recipe stores well in a freezer-safe container.
Try our Mexican Cornbread, Homemade Cornbread, or Vegan Cornbread. Add a crisp green salad like Mexican Salad, Romaine Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing, or Kale Caesar Salad. Keep with the pumpkin theme with Pumpkin Dip and sliced apples.
5 from 3 reviews **You can omit this if desired, but the sugar balances the acid of the tomatoes. If you’d like, you can add to taste at the end of simmering.
