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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!
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
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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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!
This post was originally published on October 12, 2023
cannot get enough of this simple and delicious soup! such a unique flavor, the kids love it! been making it once a week, party on!
Hi! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
I want to make this for a small dinner party. Having trouble balancing it with a side dish and/or appetizer. Suggestions?
I would serve with a yummy salad and maybe some bread for eating with the chowder? xT
Looks good. Going to make tonight. What makes it Baked though?
Delicious! I might omit the apple cider next time as it was a tad sweeter than I I would of liked but this recipe is a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT
Fantastic! Super tasty and not too heavy. It will be joining our winter soup rotation this year!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
This was absolutely delightful. The combination of sweet, smoky, and spicy is just perfection. Thank you so much! 🙂
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
We made this last night…..It was was delicious and easy to prepare!!! How does it freeze for later use?
Hi Rachel! Hmm I haven’t ever frozen this before, but I’m sure that would be just fine! xT
Delicious!!!😋
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
Loved this recipe! The smokey flavor was so nice with the sweet potato. I used coconut milk instead of regular milk and I thought it gave it a nice creamy texture. Thanks Tieghan!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I appreciate you leaving a comment! 🙂 xT
I would leave 5 stars but I substituted the Coke for a Pepsi. I think it made the chowder too sweet. I would recommend using diet coke (or Pepsi) instead 🙂
Thank you for the feedback Phil! xT
Yummy!! The flavors came together so well. The sweet, Smokey, tad creamy, cheesy, bacon, cilantro… yum! Especially with the homemade pretzel! I will be saving this one! Thank you!
Used a can of coconut milk and a little organic half and half for the 2 cups of milk and it turned out great. Thanks for the yummy soup recipe. However…
You list salt and pepper as ingredients but never say in the instructions where to use them.
Your ingredient list calls for 4 sweet potatoes. Would be helpful to know what size sweet potatoes as there as small ones and very large ones. Specifying by weight or cups (when chopped) would’ve been helpful and appreciated.
Please, please Tieghan, hire an editor for your recipes and your website! Most all your recipes have at least one major error in them.
The name of this recipe is deceiving. This soup is not baked!
It’s a spin on baked potato soup…that’s why it’s called that and why “baked” is in the title.
THIS SOUP IS AMAZING. We spent most of our dinner discussing how good it tasted!!!! Thank you!
Thank you so much!! xT
Fall in a cup! Delicious. My picky-eater husband also loved it. Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
Hey Michelle! So glad you loved this soup! xT
Very tasty and adaptable, and being vegetarian I came up with a great replacement for the bacon: I diced an additional sweet potato, fried it in butter and salted smoked paprika till crispy and used as topping on the soup with the herbs and scallions. It’s totally the type of flavorful-and-fuss-free soup to impress guests with, thanks so much for the recipe!
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have a great fall season! 🙂 xT