Turkey Sweet Potato Chili (Slow Cooker or Stove)

This is smoky and spiced turkey sweet potato chili, and it’s as hearty and satisfying as it is flavorful! It comes together in the slow cooker with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, beans, a very generous dose of seasoning, and a little jalapeño heat.

Do you rely on your slow cooker a lot? It’s my top choice for satisfying dinner recipes like creamy chicken & corn soup and honey teriyaki chicken. After some chopping and brief cooking, the trusted slow cooker can take over for today’s turkey chili recipe, too.

Plus, this chili makes a big batch that reheats well, making it a convenient and practical option for busy schedules.

Turkey Sweet Potato Chili Overview:

Flavor: A bowl of generously spiced chili is quintessential comfort food, and this turkey chili delivers! The rich, well-seasoned turkey and tomato base is balanced with the natural sweetness of the sweet potato and corn. Smoked paprika adds a smoky flavor, and you can adjust the level of spice/heat to your taste (see below for more on that).
Texture: Every spoonful is packed with tons of texture: tender ground turkey, soft beans and sweet potato, and semi-crisp and juicy corn and peppers.
Ease: This is a pretty simple chili recipe. Prep/chop your ingredients, mix up an easy seasoning blend, brown the turkey on the stove, then toss everything into the slow cooker.

sweet potato chili with corn and kidney beans being spooned out with ladle.

Possible Ingredient Substitutions

With so many flavorful ingredients mingling in this one-pot dish, this chili is a whole meal in one. It is also very adaptable, so you can change it up to suit your taste and preferences. For example, you could swap out the kidney beans for black beans (or even double the amount of beans), or add in your favorite vegetables. This vegetarian pumpkin chili is also pretty customizable.

Ground Turkey: As written, this is a very hearty chili with 2 lbs. of ground turkey. Instead of turkey, you can use ground beef or chicken—chef’s choice! Or feel free to skip the meat and double the sweet potato and beans.
Green Pepper, Onion, and Tomatoes: These aromatic staples make up the foundation of most chili recipes, including cornbread chili casserole. I use and recommend canned petite diced tomatoes.
Corn: Kernels of corn provide a sweet, juicy contrast in flavor and texture. You can use fresh scraped off the cob, canned (drained), or frozen corn. If you don’t care for corn in your chili, you can skip it. Feel free to add another bell pepper (any color) or another can of beans.
Kidney Beans: These beans have a mild flavor, which allows them to pair nicely with bright, spicy flavors. Feel free to swap for black beans instead—it’s great both ways.
Seasoning: Chili would be bland without a medley of spices. I like to mix up a double batch of the spice mix in the recipe below, which is like a homemade taco seasoning, and save half in an airtight container to use for next time. If using store-bought taco seasoning packets, you need 2 packets for the entire recipe.

This recipe used to call for quinoa, and you can certainly still add it for an extra thick chili. It soaks up a lot of liquid, so you’ll add it toward the end of the cooking time.

bowls in ingredients including ground meat, diced tomatoes, corn, sweet potato, spice mix, kidney beans, onion, and green pepper.

ground meat in big pot and shown again inside slow cooker with other ingredients on top of it.

This recipe cooks on low heat in the slow cooker for 7 hours. If you’re looking for a slow cooker and need a recommendation, I have this one and this one, and both are fantastic.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook this chili on the stove. See detailed recipe Note below.

turkey sweet potato chili with sour cream on top in white bowl.

How Spicy Is This Turkey Sweet Potato Chili?

The heat level here is up to you! Add more jalapeño if you like your chili with a kick, or omit it entirely for a mild chili. The type of chili powder you use makes a difference, too. Have you heard of the Scoville scale? It’s a measurement of how hot/spicy different chili peppers are, rated in SHU (Scoville heat units). It’s a big range! Check the label of your chili powder for a heat rating. Some of the most common ones you’ll find in the spice aisle of the grocery store are ancho chili powder (mild), chipotle chili powder (medium), and cayenne pepper (hot). My team and I typically make this turkey sweet potato chili with a mild chili powder.

Toppings & Sides

Toppings such as shredded cheese, sliced avocado, and/or sour cream cut through and complement the richness and spice. I love garnishing it with fresh chopped cilantro or green onion, too.

And no matter how you customize it, make sure you serve this chili with buttery cornbread, cornbread muffins, or this honey skillet cornbread. Chili + cornbread = a forever-favorite duo!