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This turkey pumpkin chili recipe is fast, healthy, and easy to make. It’ll warm you right up this fall!
You may enjoy my Easy Cincinnati Chili next for another creative chili recipe.
Well, it’s October, and you know what that means. People go crazy for pumpkin. Like I say every year, I’m not a big pumpkin fan. I don’t do PSLs. I don’t even like pumpkin pie. With that said, this blog isn’t about me… it’s about what you guys like. And to tell you the truth, I am actually pretty ok with many savory pumpkin recipes. This chili isn’t in-your-face pumpkin, but it is really tasty.
I have more turkey chili recipes on my blog that you may enjoy, including this Turkey Sweet Potato Chili, my Turkey White Bean Chili, this Instant Pot Turkey Chili, and my Crockpot Turkey Chili.
This turkey pumpkin white bean chili is pretty forgiving. You could easily throw in extra veggies from your fridge if you have some, and if you’re looking for a way to use up pumpkin puree, you don’t need to be totally exact with how much you add. A little more definitely would not be a problem. You could also add more ground turkey than I suggest if you want even more protein in here. Change up the variety of beans if you wish. It’s all good!
Because chili tends to taste even better a day or two later, this is the perfect meal prep recipe. Make a batch on the weekend and enjoy the leftovers all week!
How to make turkey pumpkin chili
- Sauté your onion in a soup pot;
- Add the turkey in and “brown” it;
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes;
- Serve it up and top with your favorites! (Full instructions and ingredients are in the recipe card below)
Super easy and quick.
Pumpkin chili topping ideas
- Chopped avocado
- Cilantro
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Mexican cheese blend (or use grated cheddar)
- Tortilla strips/chips
A few recipe notes:
- When reheating the chili (either from frozen or refrigerated), you may need to add a bit more liquid (I suggest just adding some chicken broth).
- If you don’t want the chili to be spicy, omit the cayenne pepper.
If you like savory pumpkin recipes, try my Pumpkin, Mushroom, and Spinach Pasta, this Pumpkin and Cauliflower Soup with Ginger, or this Pumpkin Mac and Cheese.
Will you make this easy pumpkin chili? Are you into pumpkin season?
Questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (I used turkey thigh)
- 1 small green bell pepper chopped
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can white (cannellini) beans drained
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can red kidney beans drained
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Garnish (optional): Mexican cheese blend, cilantro, sour cream/Greek yogurt, avocado, etc.
Instructions
- In a soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté the onion with the olive oil for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ground turkey and continue cooking, breaking the meat up with your spoon, for another 5 minutes.
- To save time, during steps 1 and 2 I like to prep the other ingredients since you only need to stir periodically.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and give it a good stir. Increase the heat to high, and just when it starts to boil, reduce the heat so it's simmering. Cook the chili for 10-15 minutes, stirring periodically.
- Serve as-is or with desired toppings.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This pumpkin chili was amazing! My husband and I enjoyed it and it made a lot and was good using it for food prep for work lunches.
I’m thrilled to hear that!! 😀 Thanks, Sarah!
This unfortunately was wayyyyy too hot it wasn’t edible. I used a little under the two tablespoons chilli pepper and no cayenne. Was the two tablespoons and typo? Was in supposed to be teaspoons? Such a shame and waste. Not sure how anyone could eat that.
Hi! You wrote “chili pepper”, which concerns me, as the recipe calls for chili powder. Most brands of chili powder are not particularly spicy. Chili powder is a blend of ground chili peppers along with things like garlic, cumin, and paprika. It sounds to me like you may have not used chili powder at all but ground chili peppers, which is not what this recipe requires.
Excellent
Thank you!
Made this for my husband and I and we loved it! It is so flavorful. My only critique would be that it seemed filling heavy and needed more “liquid”. I added additional broth and water then called for to make it just perfect. Thanks for another great recipe!
You’re welcome! Yup, definitely easy to add a little more broth to tweak it to your tastes. 🙂
Could I brown the meat and then throw this all in the crockpot?
I don’t see why not! 🙂
Absolutely delicious. So easy to make. Perfect amount of spice. My 10 month old even got to enjoy some of the turkey and beans. Total hit in our household. Will definitely be in our dinner rotation this fall (and winter)
I’m thrilled to hear it, Lauren!! 😀 Thanks for your glowing review!