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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 adobo, 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!
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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 in a soup pot. 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 chicken broth, then add a splash of cider. The cider adds a warm, sweet, fall flavor. I think the taste 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, crusty 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
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This was so good! I don’t normally love sweet potato soups because they get too sweet but the addition of the chipotle to this one kept it very much in the savory category. We used just one very finely chopped chipotle in our batch which was warm, but not hot. (Our 11 year old disagreed but she thinks Ketchup belongs on tacos so clearly she doesn’t get a vote. 😆) I think I would actually do more bacon with this because the crunchy salty bits are really great as you’re going along and really, is there ever a time when more bacon isn’t the answer? Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Carrie!
Yay!! Love to hear this soup turned out well for you and was enjoyed! Thank you so much for making it and sharing your feedback! Happy Friday! XxT
So delicious! One of our favorite recipes lately!
Hi Linnea,
Happy November!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear it was a hit! 🍂
I’m desperate for savory recipes that require no chew thanks to recent jaw surgery. This hit the spot! I omitted the bacon since I can’t have crunchy but I bet it adds a lot. I added black beans since I can mush those and used my immersion blender to mash most of the chunks. No cheese in mine but this was really really good and filling!
Hey Lauri,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Wishing you a speedy recovery! Happy Halloween! 🎃
I thought it was real good. But I baked the sweet potatoes first. My mistake. I did not look at recipe good. So my husband did not like it, said he did not like texture. The flavor was so good. He liked that.
The baking of potatoes was not good. My fault.
Hi Gail,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear about the potatoes, let me know if you try again without baking them:) xx
This was fabulous! Added broccoli at the end, but otherwise made as is. Yum 😋
Hey there,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Love to hear that it turned out well for you:) Happy Thursday! xT
Can’t wait to make it today!! Can you freeze it?? Wasn’t sure if it would affect the texture because of the sweet potatoes. Thanks!
Hey Kristin,
Yes, you can totally freeze this recipe! I hope it turns out well for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Oh my goodness!! This is absolutely delicious!!! A new family favorite.
Hi Beth,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Sunday! xT
Why is it called “Baked”?
Hey Bonnie,
It’s just a twist on a classic baked potato soup:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was really yummy! I added extra adobo for spice and it was perfect! I found it a little difficult to mash the sweet potatoes so I used my immersion blender but didn’t blend everything and the texture was perfect. Will definitely be making again.
Hey Taylor,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out well for you! XxT
I want to try this but am allergic to apples. What could I use as a substitute?
Hi Natalie,
You can just use additional broth in place of the apple cider. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Very yummy! Loses a star for lacking substantial protein, but that is an easy fix.
I’ve made it three times now and it will definitely be a keeper for me. To fix the protien, I add in shredded chicken, sometimes a rotisserie chicken, sometimes one I did myself.
I omit the cheese. The soup already has so much going for it that I don’t find it needs the cheese.
I prefer chipotle powder over the little can of chilies. For one, I don’t have to cut/shred the chilies. And for two, I don’t like the tomato sauce they come in. So I use powder.
Hey Reesie,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you! So glad it was enjoyed! Have a great autumn Friday! Xx
Wow!! This soup is delicious!!! I love sweet potatoes and anything chipotle, so I knew I had to try it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Thanks so much, Nicole!! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xT
This was great, as with your other chowders. I w some zucchini (because tis the season!) and a bit more chili in adobo than the recipe said, because my husband loves spice, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Super yummy, very flavorful!
I made the beer bread with it, which is always a winner.
Next time I’ll roast the sweet potatoes (and zucchini if it’s still the season) just to add some toasty flavor, but as written it’s a very easy and delicious recipe.
And I’m super excited to get your new cookbook next month!!
Hey Kristen,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for trying it! Have a great week! xT
Love the soup, turned out great! Quick question – can you freeze it?
Thanks so much, Renee! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for giving it a try! Enjoy the short week:) x
I really like this! I leave out the bacon (vegetarian) and just go with my heart on the smoked paprika – it’s still really good! I also puree half the soup instead of mash it, but that’s personal preference
Thank you so much Kayti:) Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and I appreciate you making it! xT
This is such a wonderful recipe!! I accidentally added apple cider vinegar (only 2 ounces) and it still tasted amazing!! A good oops! haha! Thank you!!!
Hey Staci,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xT
This looks amazing but I don’t like sweet potato. Do you think it would taste good with regular potatoes?
Hi Tiffany,
Sure, I don’t see why not, you might also like this recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/baked-potato-soup/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT