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Who else loves a good chili?! Hearty, tomato-y, ground pieces of meat, nicely spiced, tender beans, loaded with toppings – comforting, and warming. I am a huge fan. My all-time favorite is my beef chili, inspired by my grandma’s chili, which I ate loads of when I was a kid. I am always up for trying, and making various versions of chili. This turkey pumpkin chili has permanently made it onto my favorite chili list!
Turkey pumpkin chili is a lighter, healthier version than your traditional chili. The pumpkin provides a slightly sweet, squash-like flavor that is velvety in texture, and compliments the ground turkey, and the white beans nicely. You have a bit of acidity from the tomatoes, and a hint of sweet warming spice from the cinnamon, along with the more traditional chili spices that are earthy, and smoky. There is crunchy celery, and leafy kale for texture and veggie nutrition. Top it with plenty of shredded Monterrey jack cheese, green onions, and crushed tortilla chips for crunch.
This chili is light, yet hearty, and bursting with flavor. It’s easy to make – one pot, 35 minutes. And it’s the perfect way to warm up during the fall and winter. It’s naturally gluten free, and can be made dairy free.
Not to mention, turkey pumpkin chili is healthy!!! It’s got lean protein from the ground turkey and beans, along with plenty of fiber from the pumpkin, beans, and kale, and complex carbs. Since it’s loaded with veggies I consider this chili to be a meal-in-one; although, I sometimes like to serve it with a simple side salad, as a way to get even more veggies into my meal.
This recipe was originally published in 2018. I have continued to make this turkey pumpkin chili several times during the colder months and we have always enjoyed it. It deserved a glow up, a moment to shine!
Ingredients for turkey pumpkin chili
As always, the list of ingredients, along with their measurements are in the recipe card below.
- avocado oil, or light olive oil – just a touch to help us cook everything up since we won’t get much grease from the lean turkey meat.
- lean ground turkey – I love using a lean ground meat, such as turkey, for this recipe. Feel free to use ground chicken, or lean ground beef, if you prefer.
- yellow, or white onion – what is a good chili, or a soup, without some sautéed onion??
- garlic cloves – the same can be said for garlic. So. much. flavor.
- chili powder – can’t have chili without some chili powder. Just a hint to lend that chili flavor, but not so much that it overpowers the flavor of the pumpkin.
- black pepper – I love the subtle heat black pepper provides.
- cumin – a smoky, earthy, spice without the heat.
- cinnamon – just a hint, enough to provide a nod of that fall, warming spice that goes so well with the pumpkin. Don’t worry, it’s not overpowering.
- nutmeg – this serves the same purpose as the cinnamon.
- low sodium chicken broth – to provide the soup base of the chili.
- canned pumpkin puree – it adds such a lovely rich texture, and naturally sweet flavor to the chili.
- canned fire roasted tomatoes – a hint of acidity and tomato-y goodness that we all associate with chili.
- kosher salt – to bring out all the flavors in the soup.
- white beans – such as cannellini beans, white kidney beans, or navy beans. They’re mild in taste, soft, and perfect with the pumpkin and turkey flavors.
- celery – it provides a nice crunch to the chili – this is essential in chili, IMO.
- kale – the kale provides a healthy leafy green in the chili, and it works well with the flavors.
Optional Toppings
- Monterey jack cheese – a mild, creamy cheese that compliments the chili nicely.
- crushed tortilla chips – for a nice crunchy, salty topping.
- green onion – a subtle, fresh oniony flavor is nice.
- sour cream – for an extra creamy element to the chili.
How to make turkey pumpkin chili
Of course, the full directions are in the recipe card below, but here is a preview.
- prep – chop up the veggies as instructed.
- cook the turkey and onion
- cook the spices – cooking the spices helps to bring out their flavor.
- simmer
- add the remaining ingredients – celery, beans, and kale. Simmer again.
- serve – serve with the various toppings in bowls for guests to add the toppings onto the chili as they like.
Does this turkey pumpkin chili taste sweet from the pumpkin?
No. Pumpkin isn’t very sweet when it’s unsweetened.
It does provide a hint of natural sweet flavor to the overall chili, but it’s not overpowering.
Is turkey pumpkin chili healthy?
Yes.
It’s got a lean protein in the ground turkey. The beans provide more protein, and fiber. The kale, celery, and onion provide a nice amount of healthy veggies. Plus the pumpkin provides more fiber, and vitamins.
I would say this chili is winning at the healthy contest!
What kind of toppings can I put on my turkey pumpkin chili?
You can put whatever you like on your turkey pumpkin chili.
Here are my favorite toppings:
- shredded Monterey jack cheese – melts nicely, but is mild in flavor.
- crushed tortilla chips – for a salty crunch.
- green onion – for a fresh onion taste.
- sour cream – for extra creaminess. (TBH, I don’t always add sour cream, it depends on my mood).
Is turkey pumpkin chili good leftover?
Yes.
The beautiful thing about chilis is they are even better leftover. Always. There is something about the way the spices and the flavors continue to meld together to become even more flavorful.
I would consider this chili to be a great one for meal-prep. I like to make a huge pot of it in the beginning of the week and have the leftovers for dinner all week long.
Equipment I used to make this recipe (affiliate links)
- plastic cutting board – this is my favorite cutting board for when I need to cut up an onion, which tends to leave behind a smell on wood cutting boards.
- chef’s knife – my favorite knife for chopping a lot of veg.
- garlic press – makes working with garlic easy.
- Dutch oven – my go-to for making big pots of soup/chili.
- meat chopper – love how easily I can break up my ground turkey into fine crumbles.
- automatic pepper grinder – this automatic pepper grinder is life changing!!!
- food processor – use the shredding blade to make shredding the cheese even easier.
Reasons you will love this turkey pumpkin chili
- it’s delicious
- it’s light, yet hearty.
- it’s comforting
- it’s easy to make – 35 minutes, one pot
- it serves a crowd – 8 to 10 people
- it’s even better the next day eaten as leftovers
- it’s gluten free
- it’s healthy – packed with veggies, fiber, and lean protein.
- it’s perfect for soup season!
More soup recipes to cozy up to
- lasagna soup
- instant pot white chicken chili
- the best beef chili (with beans)
- healing roasted tomato and red pepper soup
- traditional Irish stew (with beef or lamb)
- chicken tortilla soup with homemade tortilla strips
- the best egg drop soup
- instant pot lentil soup
- homemade corn chowder
- the best chicken noodle soup
- dairy free zuppa Toscana
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Turkey Pumpkin Chili (Healthy)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 10 1x
- Category: soup, entree, poultry, dinner
- Method: saute, simmer
- Cuisine: gluten free, diary free, healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
You will love how hearty, yet light this chili is. Turkey pumpkin chili is bursting with pumpkin, lean ground turkey, white beans, and veggies. Top it with with cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and green onions. It’s warming, and cozy – the perfect healthy meal for fall and winter.
Ingredients
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or light olive oil, divided
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (can sub ground chicken, or lean ground beef)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Morton) – If using table salt, reduce to 1/4 teaspoon
- 1 yellow, or white onion, chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 15 ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Morton) – If using table salt, reduce to 1 to 2 teaspoons
- 2 15 ounce cans cannellini beans/white kidney beans, Navy beans, or Great Northern beans (see notes)
- 3 to 4 ribs of celery, chopped
- 2 to 3 cups kale, stems removed and finely chopped
Optional Toppings
- Monterey jack cheese
- crushed tortilla chips
- green onion, chopped
- sour cream
Instructions
- Prep – Prepare the onion and garlic, as instructed above. Also measure out the chili powder, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg and place them into a small bowl.
- Cook the turkey and onion – Heat a large dutch oven, or stock pot over medium heat, once heated add the avocado oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the ground turkey. Use a meat chopper, or wooden spoon to break up the ground turkey into crumbles. Add the onion and garlic, along with the 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt – sauté until the onions are tender, and the turkey is fully cooked – about 5 minutes. If there happens to be a lot of grease from the turkey, remove most of it.
- Cook the spices – To the turkey mixture, add the chili powder, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
- Simmer – Add the chicken broth and use your wooden spoon to scrape along the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add the cans of fire roasted tomatoes, and pumpkin puree – along with the 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. While the chili is simmering, prepare your kale, and drain and rinse your cans of beans.
- Add the remaining ingredients – Stir in the drained, white beans, celery, and kale. Allow the chili to simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, covered. Or until the celery is tender, but still a little crunchy, and the kale has wilted and is tender. Taste and adjust seasonings at this time, adding the remaining teaspoon of kosher salt, if needed.
- Serve – Serve the chili with bowls filled with shredded Monterrey jack cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and green onions for people to top their chili with as they desire. NOTE: I like to serve this with a simple side salad sometimes to round out the meal.
- Store leftovers – This recipe makes a lot of leftovers, which is a good thing because it is delicious re-heated. Allow the chili to mostly cool before transferring to air tight containers. It will last in your fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
Bean options – Originally when I published this recipe in 2018 it called for black beans. Since making it in the years since I originally published the recipe we found that we prefer using one of the variety of white beans – they are more mellow in taste and allow the pumpkin flavor to shine through. However, if you love black beans, feel free to still use 2 cans of black beans in this recipe instead of the white beans- they are often paired with pumpkin and other squash flavors, so they are still a good choice.
Dairy free – To keep this recipe dairy free simply use a dairy free sour cream and dairy free cheese for the toppings, or omit the sour cream and cheese completely.
Side salad for serving – I sometimes will serve this chili with a simple side salad to stretch out the meal, and to easily add even more veggies to the meal.
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