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This one pot Baked Chipotle Cheddar Sweet Potato Chowder is the coziest bowl to warm up to on cold fall and winter nights. Made with crispy bacon, sweet potatoes, canned chipotle in adobe, and sharp cheddar cheese. This chowder is mildly spicy, creamy, full of wonderful color, and so delicious. Top each bowl of creamy soup with plenty of cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, lots of green onions, and crispy homemade bacon bits! Great on its own, but even better with a side of homemade beer bread. Yum!
I recently took a look back through some of my oldest recipes. The recipes I first shared in 2012 and 2013. It feels crazy to say this, but as of today, we’ve been creating new recipes and writing this website for 11 years. I feel so old, but also, wow, how cool!
I love to look back at the crazy ideas I shared back then. Some of them are so fun. I love that the first recipe I ever shared was the cutest bowl of ghostly butternut squash soup. And I’m thankful that I’m still that same girl who loves October and gets excited about the spooky season.
I also noticed that one of the flavors I often used was chipotle mixed with sweet potatoes. I still LOVE this spicy, sweet combination, especially during the fall and winter months. These flavors are so cozy.
I haven’t made a sweet potato soup in a while so I was really excited about this idea! A creamy sweet potato soup with chipotle and sharp cheddar cheese, kind of similar to a more classic baked potato soup, but different with the use of sweet potatoes. They add such a uniqueness and I love the twist.
Details
step 1: crisp the bacon
Cook the bacon up first. You’ll want to get it really crispy and crunchy before pulling it out of the pot. Then basically everything else goes in.
If you don’t eat pork, feel free to omit the bacon entirely. I do kind of love the salty, smoky flavor it adds, but the smoked paprika will help to make up for the loss.
Step 2: cook the potatoes
Next mix in an onion, some garlic, butter, and flour. The flour is used to thicken and create a thick, creamy chowder. This is a REAL dinner-style soup, thick, creamy, and so delish.
Add the broth, then add a splash of cider. The cider adds a warm, sweet, fall flavor. I think it pairs so wonderfully with the spicy chipotle, the sweet potatoes, and the cheddar cheese. A great mix of flavors!
Step 3: mash, mash, mash
When the potatoes are soft, you can use a potato masher to mash them up. I love to leave the soup chunky, but you could also puree the soup if you prefer.
At this point, you can add all the remaining ingredients: milk, chipotle, chili powder, paprika, yogurt, cheddar cheese, and cilantro.
The chipotle adds a wonderful chili flavor with just the right amount of smokiness and spice. It’s subtle yet such a delicious addition!
Step 4: serve
For serving, I add a dollop of yogurt, extra cheddar cheese, then lots of fresh cilantro and green onions. I always finish with the crispy bacon.
I love serving this along with beer bread, or salty homemade soft pretzels are great too. This chowder is so yummy for dipping some kind of bread, it’s kind of a must if you ask me.
Looking for other dinners with a little kick? Here are a few ideas:
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Lastly, if you make this Baked Chipotle Cheddar Sweet Potato Chowder be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked Chipotle Cheddar Sweet Potato Chowder
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 492 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose or gluten free flour
- 4 cups bone broth or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (3-4 cups, chopped)
- 2 cups milk
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo (1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- chopped green onion for serving
Instructions
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and reserve the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. 2. To the same pot, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the butter and flour, cook for 1 minute. Pour the broth and cider over and stir in the sweet potatoes. Partially cover and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are very soft. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes. I like to leave my soup chunky and do 1/3 of the potatoes.3. Stir in the milk, chipotle, chili powder, paprika, yogurt/sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. If needed, thin with additional broth.4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top, as desired, with yogurt/sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and green onions. Adds lots of bacon. Eat and enjoy!
Made this for lunch today and it is delicious! Will definitely make it again. I think next time I will reduce the amount of liquid, maybe just omitting the milk and adding a small amount of cream because I like a thicker soup.
I also topped it with fresh lime juice. Delicious!
Thank you Rachel! xT
I loved this recipe! I used the chipotles in adobo and didn’t find it to be spicy at all – I would maybe even add more. I thought this was a really creative version of a baked potato soup, and would keep it in my fall recipe rotation. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks so much Allissa! xT
We loved this soup so much! Added chicken for extra protein. Super yummy and very easy to make.
Hey Michelle,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it:) xT
This was absolutely delicious. I was a little nervous because the recipe makes it sound like the vegetarian version might be bland, but it was fantastic. It’s a bit spicy, but even my four-year-old asked for seconds. It’s also reasonably easy to make. This will be in the regular rotation for sure.
Hey Erin,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
The flavor profile is great, but this is way to spicy. I used the substitute of 1tbl of chili cooktops powder, and I wonder if that is a typo. I can’t eat this, and my husband who loves spice can’t either. I’ve tried doubling the rest of the recipe, adding almost a whole container of greek yogurt (I’m not joking) and the spice is not going down. It’s a bummer because now I have like 15 cups of soup that are inedible. Sad :/
So, maybe start with 1tsp of the powder and add more if you need to.
How ironic, I post a typo!
1tbl chipotle chili powder* is what I put in.
Chipotle chili powder is spicier than regular chili powder, though I still wouldn’t say 1T in a whole pot of soup is a huge amount, especially for someone who loves spice. Definitely try regular (or a small amount of the chipotles in adobo)!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear this was too spicy. The 1 tablespoon of chipotle Chile powder is not a typo. Maybe it was the brand that was used? Again my apologies! xx