Name: Vegan Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: 2 cups rehydrated soy curls; 1 cup sliced red onion; 3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato, raw; 28 ounces diced tomatoes, canned; 2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans; 3 tablespoons chili powder; 1 tablespoon paprika; 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast; 2 tablespoons onion powder; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base (see notes for substitutions); 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste); 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste); 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1/4 teaspoon sage; 1/4 teaspoon thyme; pinch of cayenne; 3 to 4 cups water; fresh cilantro; fresh lime wedges; plant-based cheese shreds; chopped avocado; plant-based sour cream

Vegan Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili will warm you all the way through with its spicy and delicious flavors. Easy to make, it’s both healthy and relatively inexpensive. This whole batch, which has about 8 servings, costs about $10 to $12 to make.

Vegan Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili is So Warm and Filling

This was perfect after a long brisk fall day spent working outside. We’re going gangbusters on our home build, which was slowed down quite a lot due to pandemic shortages and other issues. We’re putting on siding so we were up in a lift in the wind for most of the day. This was the perfect thing to come home to. It was cooked to perfection in the crockpot; all we had to do was dish it up and enjoy. Delicious!

Sweet Potatoes are So Healthy and Delicious!

One star of this dish is sweet potato. These root vegetables aren’t closely related to regular white potatoes. Sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family while white potatoes are nightshades. In this recipe, we use cubed sweet potatoes. They’re perfect and sweet and soft by the time this is done cooking.

Sweet potatoes are so versatile, too. BBQ Peach Tofu and Sweet Potatoes is a main dish that’s super delicious and Sweet Potato Shoestring Fries are divine. Desserts can be made with sweet potato, too! I’ve even made a Vegan Chocolate Pudding that uses only three ingredients and a Sweet Potato Banana Mug Cake!

Vegan Turkey in Chili

The vegan substitute for turkey we used in this recipe is simple and so meaty. In place of ground turkey (or ground beef), we used rehydrated Butler Soy Curls and they work out perfectly. Like most soy products, they don’t have a ton of flavor on their own. They do soak up the flavors of anything they’re cooked with so they become intensely tasty.

Click image to purchase Butler Soy Curls

Spices in Vegan Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili

Chili Powder is one of the main spices in this vegan turkey chili with sweet potatoes. This is what adds a lot of the delicious, chili flavor.

Paprika is made from dried, mild peppers. It’s not an overwhelming flavor, more like a subtle background.

Smoked Paprika is stronger than regular paprika and has a distinct smoky taste and aroma.

Nutritional Yeast adds a lot of kind of “chickeny” or poultry like flavor and a lot of umami.

Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base is my favorite ingredient to use in this recipe. It adds that bit of “poultry” taste. If you don’t have it or can’t find it, you can use some vegetable broth in place of th cookign water or simply up the other spices, nutritional yeast, and salt. That said, Better than Bouillon has a few vegan bouillon pastes and I love and use them all. In addition to the no chicken one, there is a no beef, a roasted mushoom, roasted onion, and a vegetable one.

Cayenne adds some heat. You know how much you like so adjust accordingly!

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes are awesome in just about anything. Add more here if you like these as much as I do.

Garbanzo Beans in Chili are Delicious

Garbanzo beans are a great addition to this vegan chili. They’re mild buy tasty, and have loads of fiber, however black beans would be equally delicious. As always, use that you have.

How to Make Vegan Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili

This is easy to make in the crockpot or slow cooker. Just place all the ingredients in the pot and cook on low either overnight or, like we did, all day until dinner. On the lows setting on my crockpot, this plant-based chili can take about 8 to 10 hours to be really done. It takes that long for the sweet potato to soften.

Yield: 8 servings

Vegan Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili

5.0 Stars (1 Review)

Vegan Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili will warm you all the way through with its spicy and delicious flavors. Easy to make, it's both healthy and relatively inexpensive. This whole batch, which has about 8 servings, costs about $10 to $12 to make.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Chili Ingredients

2 cups rehydrated soy curls
1 cup sliced red onion
3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato, raw
28 ounces diced tomatoes, canned
2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base (see notes for substitutions)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon thyme
pinch of cayenne
3 to 4 cups water
fresh cilantro

Delicious Additions

fresh lime wedges
plant-based cheese shreds
chopped avocado
plant-based sour cream

Instructions

Place all chili ingredients, except for the cilantro, in a large slow cooker or crockpot. Cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or high heat for 2 to 3 hours.
When finished cooking, stir a couple handfuls of cilantro into the hot chili ... more or less according to how much you like cilantro.
Enjoy as is with a squirt of lime juice from a fresh lime wedge, or add tasty toppings like plant-based cheese shreds, chopped avocado, and/or plant-based sour cream.

Notes

Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base gives this chili a delicious, "poultry" like flavor. If you don't have this and/or can't find it, you can add a little more salt to taste and a tablespoon more of nutritional yeast. Or, use 2 cups vegetable broth in place of 2 cups of water.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 385Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 910mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 17gSugar: 15gProtein: 18g

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Lisa Viger Gotte

Hello! I’m Lisa, a vegan artist, photographer, author, Vegan Life Coach Educator, and RYT 200 yoga teacher. I love showing others how simple and delicious a plant-based diet can be. I draw and paint, cook, write, take lots of pics, eat lots of chocolate, and practice gratitude daily.