It's a sweet and spicy soup with a kick! This Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Instant Pot Chili is the perfect autumnal vegan and gluten-free family meal.
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For over a year I've been seeing the Instant Pot show up on my friend's blogs and filling up the recipes on Pinterest without knowing exactly what it was. It seemed as though it was some sort of pressure cooker, but I wasn't sure then why it was getting all the attention.
Now I was incredibly intrigued and having none of those gadgets already in my kitchen (other than a sauté pan) I decided it was worth the investment and I bought myself an Instant Pot.
Since purchasing it several weeks back I have used it nearly daily as a slow cooker, rice cooker, and pressure cooker all with great success. When I started experimenting with chili in the Instant Pot, I knew I had to make something special to share with y'all.
And so, I present this sweet and spicy Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Instant Pot Chili
How to Make Instant Pot Chili {Video}
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil - Any high heat cooking oil will do. I recommend avocado oil.
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Sweet Potatoes - You could also use yams, butternut squash or pumpkin.
- Vegetable Broth
- Spices - You will need chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
- Kidney Beans - This recipe calls for two 15 ounce cans of beans. You could also use 1 ½ cup dried beans.
- Diced Tomatoes - This recipe calls for one 15 ounces can of diced tomatoes. You could substitute with 5-6 fresh tomatoes - about 1 pound.
- Bourbon
- Maple Syrup
- Toppings (optional) - I like to top my chili with fresh cilantro, green onions, and corn tortillas.
Recommended Equipment
While it is not necessary, I do recommend making this recipe with an Instant Pot. My Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. It is a tool that does the work of a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, sautéer, yogurt maker, steamer, and warmer. AND it makes dinner so easy. If you don’t have an instant pot, you can make this recipe over the stovetop.
In addition, you will need a good chef’s knife, cutting board, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Instant Pot Chili
Step One – Sauté the Vegetables
Turn your Instant Pot to sauté, add oil, and let it heat up for 30 seconds. Once the oil is hot, add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add garlic and sweet potato, stirring to coat.
Mix the spices together and then added to the vegetables, stirring until they are well coated.
Step Two - Remaining Ingredients
That’s your vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, maple syrup, and bourbon. Add the ingredients to the soup pot and stir together. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the mode to "soup".
Set a timer for 15 minutes and you're done!
Serving and Storing
Serve this chili immediately. Top with fresh cilantro, lime, avocado, and tortilla strips.
Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for 2 months. To thaw, place it in the refrigerator the night before. The following day, gently reheat the chili over the stovetop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this chili be made without an Instant Pot?
Of course! If you don't have an instant pot, this chili can be made over the stove in a large soup pot. Once all the ingredients are added, cook for about 20 minutes, until the sweet potato has cooked all the way through.
Can this chili be made in advance?
Sure, this chili can be made in advance and stored. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze the chili for up to 2 months.
More Vegan Chili Recipes
- Pumpkin Chili with Smokey Tempeh
- Best-Ever Classic Vegan Chili
- 3-Bean Vegan Chili
- Chipotle Butternut Squash Chili
Maple Bourbon Instant Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½" pieces
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 (15) ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15) ounce can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- salt and pepper, to taste
- a few fresh springs of cilantro
- 2 green onions, diced
- 3 small corn tortillas, toasted and sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to sauté, add oil, and let it heat up for 30 seconds. Once the oil is hot, add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and fragrant.
- Add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- Add cubed sweet potatoes, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper, stirring until vegetables are well coated.
- Add vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, maple syrup, and bourbon. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the mode to "soup". Set a timer for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, lid should release itself. If it doesn't, turn the air valve to "venting" until the pressure has been released. Remove lid and check to make sure the sweet potatoes are tender.
- If using tortillas, lightly oil a cast iron skillet and pan-fry the tortillas on each side for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Remove from heat and let cool before cutting into thin strips.
- Serve with cilantro, green onions, and toasted tortillas.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Teri says
This recipe is truly amazing!!! Will be a fav for sure!
George Floyd says
Can this be made without the bourbon? I think the recipe sounds great nut cannot tolerate alcohol.
Sarah says
Yes, it definitely can be made without bourbon.
Nancy says
Wow! Now this is food 🙂
After a bad medical report I decided to jump from veggie hater to vegan. I thought I'll just hold my nose and live to see the grands grow up. WELL. This was my first vegan meal and IT IS FABULOUS. Many many thanks for this gift.
Katara says
So I got a Mealthy Instant pot and decided to do this recipe for my first try with it. I pretty much stuck with the recipe. I had fresh cilantro to put on top along with some onions and on mine a couple slices of avocado. It was so good. My daughter kept saying it has so much flavor. My granddaughter loved the yams even though she doesn't like chili. We enjoyed this recipe and I will make it again. Thank you! Katara
Katara says
Forgot to mention we didn't have bourbon but did have whiskey. I think it really added a lot of flavor.
Ashley says
I didn’t notice until I bought the ingredients that I would need an instant pot cookiier is it something I have to have to cook it or no ?!
Sarah says
No, you can make it in a soup pot.
Karen says
Made this last night and it was delicious! Will try making it with black beans next time just to mix it up a bit. Might even try it with butternut squash.
One comment about the nutrition information. When I added all the ingredients to my tracker, it came up to 417 calories per serving which is quite a bit different than what was indicated here. Still a good healthy option, just need to adjust the calorie counts if you're trying to manage your weight. 🙂
Sarah says
That is quite significant! I can double check my calorie counter and let you know!
Derek Garza says
Inspired by your recipe I had to try my instapot for the 1st time tonight. I didn't have some key ingredients, but decided to try it anyway. OMG..... so so good! I used regular potatoes (didn't have sweet) , and used tomato sauce ( didn't have diced in can), but followed everything else. Thank you for the inspiration the whole family loved it, though non of them are Vegan.
Amanda says
I just got an Instant Pot and I can’t wait to try this recipe! How would you change the cook time if using dried beans instead of canned? I’m not super confident with the Instant Pot yet so I’m not sure if this would affect the rest of the components.
Kristen says
I’m a little confused about the 15min timer. How much time does it need under pressure and natural release?
Sarah says
If your instant pot has a pressure cooker timer, it should automatically turn off after the timer goes off. Then you can release the pressure. Since all instant pots are a bit different, this might look different on yours but basically you want 15 minutes of pressure cooking.
wendy says
Has anyone tried this with butternut squash?
Heather says
This chili is so yummy! I will be making it again for sure. My.ouvky kids even liked it
Sam says
Made this chili this afternoon. Had to write you. It was fantastic. Thanks
Sarah says
So glad you liked it!
Ron Leshem says
I made this recipe following all instructions to the "T" but I somehow my sweet potatoes got blown out during the cooking and ended up releasing all their starch into the chili. As a result I had a mostly dry; starchy chili with very few recognizable pieces of sweet potato. Less time in the pressure cooker next time?
Sarah says
That is strange - sorry to hear that! I'm sure every pressure cooker is a bit different. Yes, I would try less time.
Andrea Wilson says
The flavours in this recipe are wonderful. I did make a few changes, in keeping with what I had on hand, but I kept the seasonings as is, other than replacing the bourbon with a tablespoon of organic vanilla extract. Delicious!
Adrianne says
Thanks for this tip! I didn’t want to buy bourbon just for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it now.
Sara says
We love this Chili! Making it again today! We recently started the plant based life but that being said this is up there with the best chili we have ever had! Thanks for sharing it.
ANDREA TERSIGNI says
I was wondering if the alcohol in the bourbon would dissipate - but decided to make the recipe anyway. Oh My !!!
I followed the recipe exactly with the addition of a chopped red pepper that I had in the refrigerator. I added a bit more cayenne because of the maple syrup and it suited my taste buds perfectly. I am unsure what flavor the bourbon added, but this chili was so darn delicious, I would not attempt to make it without it.
This chili will be a regular Sunday fare this winter. It has the perfect warming flavors. MANY thanks for sharing.
Andrea says
Does al the alcohol cook out of the bourbon?
Sarah says
Yes, it does.
Kristen says
How can the alcohol cook out under pressure? It has nowhere to evaporate to. Which is why I thought you weren’t supposed to put hard liquor under pressure, because it becomes a hazard?
Sarah says
I have read a handful of arguments for and against cooking alcohol in a pressure cooker but overall, what I've seen, as that it's not a problem. You will lose a lot of the alcohol in the vapor once you open up the IP. However, if you're uncomfortable with it you could either eliminate the liquor or do it over the stove top.
charlotte says
This looks amazing!! Maple Bourbon I mean come on!!! YAS
Claudia says
I am not wearing my glasses, so forgive me if it is there. But where do the Maple Syrup and Bourbon come in?
Heather B. says
I'm a bit puzzled... I've looked over the recipe several times and it doesn't seem to include the maple or the bourbon. Maybe you accidentally uploaded the wrong version? I'll keep my eye on it to see if it is updated!
Sarah says
So sorry! I fixed it on the recipe.