Healthy Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Chili is a tasty, easy dinner. Paleo, Whole30 and gluten free- this is truly the best beef chili recipe! This post is sponsored by my friends at ButcherBox.
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There’s really nothing better than a big bowl of chili on a cold fall night.
This Pumpkin Chicken Chili and Paleo Chili are always a fall favorite, but I wanted to make sure you had even more options now that the temps are dropping, football season is starting, and school is (kind of?) starting again.
Regardless, an easy healthy dinner recipe is always a good thing to have!
What makes this chili healthy:
- Good quality meat. Good quality meat is without a doubt the foundation of any great meal, especially a chili. When you’re making a chili you don’t just want random mystery meat from a store, you want the best grass fed, grass finished beef. We love getting meat from ButcherBox – everything is humanely raised, has no antibiotics or added hormones, and just tastes delicious
- Whole30/Paleo/Dairy Free/Gluten Free – This chili is paleo, whole30, gluten free and dairy free – so those of you following this diet won’t feel left out.
- Healthy Carbs – Sweet potato makes up part of the base of this chili – loading it with flavor and healthy carbs!
Ingredients for Crockpot Chili:
To make this ground beef and sweet potato chili you’ll need:
- crushed tomatoes
- sweet potatoes
- ButcherBox ground beef
- olive oil
- onions
- spices: we used salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and garlic powder,
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
Best ground beef for chili:
We LOVE ButcherBox’s Ground Beef. It’s an 85/15 mix, which gives the chili just the right amount of fat to lock in flavor while still being lean and tasty.
Their ground beef is always grass fed and grass finished – so you never have to worry about the quality!
If you want to learn more about the subscription, check out the post I wrote: Butcher Box Review – it gives you ALL the details!
(PS – Their ground beef isn’t just for chili! We use it in our favorite taco cauliflower rice bowls, our Whole30 Stuffed Peppers, and even in these Meatballs!)
Want free ground beef? Right Now when you join ButcherBox you can get free ground beef for a year and $10 off! That’s up to 24 pounds of ground beef for free!
How to make Ground Beef Chili:
Making this ground beef chili is super simple.
- First brown up your ground beef (which could be free if you join ButcherBox today!) While ground beef is browning, chop your onions and sweet potatoes. I like to brown the onions a bit with the ground beef.
- Add everything to the crockpot and stir together.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4. I’ve also included instant pot and stove top instructions below
Substitutions for beef chili:
There are lots of ways you can adjust this recipe for your dietary needs!
Oil: You can use any oil you like in this recipe. Olive oil, refined coconut oil, avocado oil, and ghee will all work.
Potatoes: I haven’t tried this with russet/gold potatoes but I think it would work!
Spices: Feel free to add more/less spices depending on your tastes.
Veggies: You can add extra veggies to this recipe if you’d like. We recommend 1 cup chopped carrots and 1 cup chopped peppers. Both are delicious.
Beans: If you are not paleo/whole30 – you can totally add beans to this chili. It’s a great addition!
Got extra ground beef? Try this Homemade Hamburger Helper
Instant Pot Beef Chili
Yes, you can make this in the instant pot, crockpot OR on your stovetop!
If you are making this in the instant pot, make sure to scrape off any pieces of food on the bottom of the Instant Pot or you will may get a burn notice during cooking. You also must make sure your Instant Pot pressure is set to sealing. See below for instant pot instructions in the recipe.
Do you need to cook the meat ahead of time?
Yes, you need to cook the beef before adding it to the crockpot. It adds texture to the chili and ensures the meat is completely cooked! If you’re making this recipe on the stove/instant pot – you also need to cook the meat.
How to serve this healthy chili:
If you’re paleo or whole30: Serve this chili over cauliflower rice, Sheet Pan Roasted Potatoes, or with your own homemade roasted plantains.
Over a salad
Rice/Quinoa: If you aren’t following a strict paleo/whole30 diet I like to put this over rice or quinoa.
Toppings: Guacamole, avocado, and chopped onion are all great paleo toppings for this recipe. If you’re not strict paleo you could add cheddar cheese or crushed tortilla chips
Can I freeze this ground beef chili?
Yes you can freeze this ground beef chili! This chili freezes very well. We like these containers for freezing. For all my freezing tips, check out my post on How To Freeze Soup.
Then, when you’re ready to enjoy, you can take a container out of the freezer and heat the chili over the stove or in the microwave. It’s great for a quick meal!
If you LOVE paleo slow cooker recipes you should click here to get my paleo crockpot cookbook!
Other healthy crockpot recipes:
Love ground beef? Check out this list of 25+ Healthy Ground Beef Recipes!
- Paleo Beef Stew
- Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork
- Ground Beef Stew with Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Chicken White Bean Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
- Vegetarian Chili
- Healthy White Chicken Chili
- Leftover Turkey Chili
- Looking for other healthy crockpot recipes? Check out these Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes!
Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs ButcherBox ground beef
- 1 cup onion diced finely
- 2 cups sweet potato cubes cut in 1 inch pieces
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional toppings: avocado guac
Instructions
Crockpot Instructions
- In a pan on the stove, heat olive oil. Add in ground beef + sauté until browned, about 10 minutes.
- While ground beef is cooking, chop onions and sweet potatoes.
- Add in onions to ground beef and sauté for additional 5 minutes.
- Add browned ground beef/onions to the slow cooker. Stir in sweet potato cubes, tomatoes + spices.
- Cook on low for 6 hours. Or high for 4 hours.
- Top with avocado or guacamole.
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a pan on the stove, heat olive oil. Add in ground beef + sauté until browned, about 10 minutes.
- While ground beef is cooking, chop onions and sweet potatoes
- Add in chopped onions to ground beef and sauté for additional 5 minutes.
- When ground beef/onions are cooked, add in sweet potatoes, spices + canned tomatoes. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Bring chili to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cook for 1-2 hours on low-medium heat, stirring every 20 minutes.
- Serve over steamed sweet potato noodles or cauliflower rice for a paleo/whole 30 option, or rice for non-paleo/whole 30 eaters!
Instant Pot Instructions:
- *Warning* The instant pot Is very finicky. We do not recommend making this chili in it unless you must as it may give you a burn notice. This chili tastes much better and is easier to make in your crockpot or on the stove.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode for 15 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté ground beef and onion for 5-7 minutes, until mostly browned.
- While ground beef is cooking, chop onions and sweet potatoes
- Add in chopped onions to ground beef and sauté for additional 5 minutes.
- Important: Make sure to scrape off any pieces of food on the bottom of the Instant Pot or you will get a burn notice during cooking.
- Add crushed tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spices and 1 cup of water. Water is not listed in the recipe ingredients and should only be used if cooking in the instant pot. Stir together.
- Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Make sure the pressure release is set to sealing (on older models). When finished cooking, allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- Serve over steamed sweet potato noodles or cauliflower rice for a paleo/whole 30 option, or rice for non-paleo/whole 30 eaters!
Rebecca Smith de Hernández says
Great, easy recipe! We served over spaghetti squash “noodles” and it was fantastic.
Kim says
I made this today! Excellent! Yum! Easy peezy!
Melissa says
This was my first time making a chili with sweet potatoes and I am in love!! I made this on the stove and used 93/7 ground turkey since I don’t usually eat red meat, doubled the chili powder (we love lots of chili flavor), and added a cup of chicken broth since I wanted a little more liquid to eat it on its own as a chili rather than thick and served over something. I also doubled the cayenne because we like more heat.
My hubby had his with sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream and I had avocado, plain cashew yogurt, and cilantro since I have a dairy sensitivity. Big win for both of us!
Pegg Macko says
Thanks for this recipe. I had all the ingredients and am making this for dinner tonight. My husband was already asking what I was making that smelled so delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Pegg! Glad you liked it!
Sarah says
I made the stove top recipe and loved it! I added funky chopped carrots to the sauce to get in another veggie and served it over GF noodles. I’m someone who doesn’t like a lot of spice and loved this. Will be adding it to the regular rotation.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Glad you liked it, Sarah! Love the extra veggies 🙂
Mandy says
I am not a huge sweet potato fan but let me just say, this is amazing. The sweet potato pairs perfectly with all of the other flavors in the dish and is the right ingredient to balance out the heat. (I like to add extra spice to my chili!) I love quick easy crock pot dishes that I can toss in before heading to work and come home to a deliciously cooked meal. This has been my new go-to chili recipe this fall/winter season!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yay!! Love hearing this!! So glad you liked the chili!
Melissa says
Absolutely love this recipe!! Sooooo good! I made it for the second time and loved it even more this time! I added peppers and a zucchini!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Melissa! Thank you so much!
Rosa says
This chili is definitely becoming a go-to! The flavors are so delicious! We had it over cauliflower rice and topped it off with avocado. To spice up the leftovers on a Friday night, we put a poached egg on top. We’re in the middle of Whole30 and this was a great find! If you do it on the stovetop, definitely watch it closely. I left it on for 1.5 hours and that was a bit too long, even on low heat. 1 hour would have probably been perfect!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you like it, Rosa! Thank you so much!
Melissa says
I absolutely loved this recipe!!! I hate beans and never make chili cause of it… or make it and deal WHAT A GENIUS IDEA TO USE SWEET POTATO INSTEAD. Love love loved this chili! Highly recommend
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Melissa! Thank you! This and are also beanless!
Catharine says
Made the a couple weeks ago for meal prep for the week and it was so good and so easy to make. Switch out the ground beef for turkey and added some fresh hatch green chili’s that I needed to use up. This one is in the regular meal prep rotation for the fall 😋
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy to hear that! Love the addition of the chilis!
Teresa says
I love chili in the Fall and this has become my go-to chili recipe. I use turkey instead of ground beef and the turkey really soaks up all the spices. And I love the sweetness of the sweet potatoes! I make this at least twice a month and always make a double batch so I can freeze some for later. It’s the perfect cooler Fall day recipe!
I’ve also modified the recipe a bit when I have vegetables that need to be used. I usually throw them in the pot with the chili. It’s a good way for me to use what I have so it doesn’t go bad. But honestly, I love this recipe as-is and throwing in extra veggies is not necessary!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy to hear this!! We often make it with ground turkey or even ground chicken! Extra veggies are always a great idea!
Ashley says
I love this chili. It’s easy, delicious, and keeps so well! The last time I made it, I made extra and froze some so that I would have it later on for lunches/dinner. It lasted me through the month of September! Definitely will be keeping this one in the my fall/winter recipe go-tos!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Ashley! I’m so glad you liked it!
Jennifer says
I made it in the instant pot but put it on the “chili” setting. It didn’t do the burn thing and it was wonderful! Thank you!
Sara C says
We loved this! Followed the instructions to a T and cooked in the slow cooker.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Sara!
Cami says
This was amazing! I did it in my instant pot and added just a little bit more water than you recommended, and it was sooo good! And didn’t burn at all! I served it over quinoa and cauliflower rice and it was a HUGE hit! Added some green onions, chopped jalapeños, and cilantro. This will definitely be a staple this winter!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Cami! Glad you liked it!
Samantha Smith says
Okkkaaaay! This was AMAZING!! It was so easy to prepare and I had all of the ingredients at home. It will for sure go into my weekly rotation for meal prep!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Samantha! Thank you!!
Cheizi says
Delicious! I added a little lime juice and topped the avocado with more lime juice and a little bit of salt 😋
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Cheizi! Thank you so much!
Jenna says
Okay, YUM! Perfect for this cold Wisconsin day. Made in the Crockpot and added a can of chili beans. Adding this to our rotation this fall/winter.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Jenna! So glad you liked it!
Carly says
I made this in the crockpot this past weekend and it was DELICIOUS! I added a little more spice, because I prefer the heat, but other than that, I followed this recipe closely. Definitely recommend this for a cold fall or winter day!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Carly! Thank you so much!
Alyssa says
This was amazing! I made the stovetop version because I didn’t have a crockpot handy, but it was so easy. Such a simple recipe for MAJOR flavor.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Alyssa! Thank you so much!
Cathy says
Very straightforward and simple easy recipe to follow. The sweet potato added an unexpected depth of flavor in this dish. Well worth making and will probably become one of our new favorites!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you enjoyed it, Cathy! Thank you so much!
Carrie says
Wow this is super easy, and really tasty! It makes weekly lunches so easy, because we can change up how we eat it. This is definitely going into my regular meal schedule!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Carrie! Thank you so much!