This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This 30-minute ground turkey pumpkin chili recipe is fast, healthy, and easy to make with pantry staples. It’ll warm you right up and smells wonderful as it’s simmering away!
Try my Pumpkin and Lentil Soup or Easy Pumpkin Soup from Canned Pumpkin next.
Why you’ll love it
People go crazy for pumpkin season, and this ground turkey chili will hit the spot for those cravings. It’s not in-your-face pumpkin, but it is really delicious! I’m not a PSL kinda gal, but I do like savory pumpkin recipes every so often. This pumpkin chili is just so cozy.
Because chili tends to taste even better a day or two later, this is the perfect seasonal meal prep recipe. Make a batch of this pumpkin chili on the weekend, and enjoy the leftovers all week! It’s made with everyday seasonings and canned goods for a low-effort meal.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – tasty base aromatics. I like sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Turkey – we’re using lean ground turkey. It’s an affordable and nourishing protein.
- Green bell pepper – for some veggie goodness. Any color works.
- Diced tomatoes – these are canned at peak ripeness
- Pumpkin puree – it’s canned 100% pure pumpkin (don’t confuse it with pumpkin pie filling)
- Canned beans – I use cannellini/white beans and red kidney beans
- Seasoning – my warm seasoning blend includes chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper
- Chicken broth – for more savory goodness and the base of the sauce
Pro tip
Since stovetops and cookware vary, feel free to add in more broth if needed/you prefer chili with more liquid.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here is my Dutch oven. I love using cast iron for soups, stews, and chilis. Grab a trivet for it as well.
- This is my trusty can opener for the tomatoes, pumpkin puree, and beans.
- Mince the garlic cloves with a squeeze of this garlic press.
How to make turkey pumpkin chili
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the onion in the olive oil until softened. Add in the garlic and ground turkey, breaking it up as you go along, until browned. Prep the other ingredients.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Cook until reduced to your liking. Season with salt & pepper to taste, and serve with desired toppings (suggestions below).
Substitutions and variations
- 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.
- Change up the variety of beans if you wish or leave out/swap a seasoning. It’s all good!
- If you don’t want the chili to be at all spicy, simply omit the cayenne pepper.
What to serve with turkey pumpkin chili
- Some of my go-to toppings for this chili include chopped avocado, cilantro, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, Mexican cheese or grated cheddar, and tortilla strips/chips.
- A salad rounds out the meal. Try this Fall Salad with seasonal ingredients or this Roasted Butternut Squash Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese to change it up.
- A slice of fresh crusty bread or cornbread works too!
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- 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.
More easy chili recipes
If you made this easy pumpkin chili, please leave a star rating and review below! Reader feedback is really valuable. You can also tag me on Instagram with any S&L recipe.
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
I liked the added creaminess and nutrition the pumpkin added. Yummy recipe!
Thank you, Ann!
Quite good. Flavors are complex. I felt it needed more broth and added a couple more cups. All in all…..yum!
Thank you!
I made this chili last night and we loved it. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you!!
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!