Cozy Pumpkin Chili with Turkey and Beans

Pumpkin chili with turkey is amazing on a cold, dreary day. I like to call it “darn healthy pumpkin chili,” but it’s also darn good!

It’s a nice, hearty, comforting fall dinner that’s packed with protein, fiber, and vegetables. Yet it comes in around 200 calories per cup. It’s dairy-free as written and can be easily modified to make it gluten-free.

The pumpkin adds a hint of sweetness and makes a smooth, thick, luxurious sauce. I kept the classic chili flavors but added a hint of warming pumpkin spice.

The ingredient list looks long because of the homemade spice blend. I promise, it’s easy to make and totally worth it. I played around with the spice mixture for this chili for a year, and every ingredient adds to the flavor.

It’s a perfect dish for meal prep because this healthy pumpkin chili is even better the next day! It freezes well, and you can easily double it to feed a crowd. We often feed folks who avoid eating beef, and this is the perfect option for serving them. It’s so hearty and flavorful that beef enthusiasts also love it.

It’s perfect for pumpkin season. You can make your own pumpkin puree if you like.

The Homemade Spice Blend

A homemade savory spice blend adds a hint of pumpkin spice to classic chili flavors. It includes chili powder, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves, salt, and pepper.

The Chili Ingredients

• Use olive oil to cook in and keep the lean turkey from sticking to the pot.
• 93% lean ground turkey makes this ultra-hearty and adds a meaty texture while keeping the recipe light.
• Onion, bell pepper, and garlic create a flavorful base.
• Soy sauce and Better Than Bullion are flavor builders! They add a salty layer to season the chili and build umami. If you don’t keep better than bullion, you can substitute chicken broth and omit the water.
• A can of pumpkin puree replaces most of the tomatoes or starch in a traditional chili recipe. It’s lightly sweet, smooth, and creamy. It makes a nice, thick sauce and adds a perfect autumn flavor.
• A can of fire-roasted tomatoes adds texture, flavor, and keeps this feeling like chili!
• Canned pinto beans, kidney beans, and white cannellini beans make this pumpkin chili extra hearty and satisfying.

Substitutions

• Use beef: Try it with 93% lean ground beef instead of turkey.
• Change the beans: Swap the cannellini beans for black beans.
• Use chicken broth: If you don’t have Better than Bullion, use 1 cup of chicken broth instead and omit the cup of water.
• Make it gluten-free: use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
• Use fresh pumpkin: follow my recipe to make your own pumpkin puree. Then use 1 ¾- 2 cups of it in place of the canned pumpkin in this recipe.

How to Make it

Here is your visual guide to making this chili. I know that sometimes it helps. The full ingredient amounts and concise instructions are in the recipe card below!

Prepping your ingredients before you start making the chili makes cooking so much easier! It’s especially important to premix your spices. This way, the peppers and onions won’t burn while you’re measuring everything.

Go ahead and add all the spices for the chili seasoning to a small bowl. Mix them with a spoon, and set the bowl aside.

Now, chop the onion and bell pepper. Then, mince the garlic. Keep the garlic separate because you won’t be adding it at the same time.

Go ahead and open all three cans of beans. Dump them into a colander or large mesh strainer. Rinse them good with cold water and let them drain. Set them aside.

Time to start cooking! Heat an enameled Dutch oven (preferred) or a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once the pot is preheated, add the oil and heat until it’s hot. Then, add the ground turkey and cook it, breaking it up and scraping the bottom of the pot as it cooks. It won’t brown like beef, but that’s ok.

Once the turkey is done, add the chopped onion and pepper to the pot and continue cooking until they begin to soften. It will take about 5 minutes.

If your pot starts to get too hot, adjust the temperature to keep the bottom from scorching.

Now, stir in the minced garlic and all of your seasoning mixture. Keep stirring for about a minute. It should be sizzling and very fragrant. Now, stir in the pumpkin puree. Then, stir in the tomatoes, soy sauce, bullion, and water.

Add the rinsed beans last and stir until the whole thing begins to bubble. The mixture will be too thick to look like a rolling boil. Remember to adjust the heat if the pan gets too hot. You don’t want the bottom to scorch.

Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down to low and give it one last stir. Then, cover the pot and let it simmer for 1 hour. Stir it occasionally to keep it from scorching.

Uncover the pot, stir, and serve.

Enjoy!

When to Serve Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin chili with turkey is the best comfort food on a chilly fall day. It makes a festive dish for Halloween or autumn parties. And, it’s the perfect way to warm up after a day at the pumpkin patch or orchard.

Pumpkin chili is also great for football season. You can transfer it to a crockpot and bring it to a tailgate or potluck. It’s also an ideal Sunday dinner to enjoy with the game. You can totally make it ahead of time and reheat if you’re on a time crunch.

Don’t forget, you can also serve a cup of chili as an appetizer or a light lunch.

Get the Recipe

Cozy Pumpkin Chili with Turkey and Beans

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This pumpkin chili with turkey and beans is easy and delicious!

• Author: Mandi
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
• Yield: about 10 cups 1x
• Category: Chili
• Method: Simmer
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Chili Seasoning

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the Chili​

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 3 cloves of garlic
• all of the chili seasoning blend (recipe above)
• 1 15–ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1 15–ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bullion chicken flavor base*
• 1 cup water
• 1 15–ounce can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15–ounce can of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15–ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

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Instructions

1. First, mix the spices for the chili seasoning in a small bowl and set aside. You will use the entire mix for 1 batch of chili.
2. Then, use a colander or large mesh strainer to rinse and drain all 3 cans of beans and set aside.
3. Now, peel and chop the onion and deseed and chop the bell pepper, and peel and mince the garlic. Keep the garlic separate.
4. Heat an enameled Dutch oven or a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until hot. Add the ground turkey and cook it, breaking it up and scraping the bottom of the pan as it cooks. Once the turkey is done, add the diced onion and pepper. If the pan starts to run too hot while cooking, adjust the heat.
5. Continue cooking about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and seasoning mix and continue cooking for about 1 minute, until fragrant and sizzling.
6. Stir in the pumpkin. Then, add the tomatoes, soy sauce, bullion, and water. Stir to combine. Then, add the beans. Continue cooking until it begins to bubble, stirring frequently.
7. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from scorching.
8. Stir and serve.

Notes

• Leftovers can be stored in the fridge up to 4 days or frozen.
• *If you don’t have better than bullion, you can use 1 cup of chicken broth and omit the 1 cup of water.
• It’s dairy-free, and you can use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce to make it gluten-free.
• You can substitute 97% lean ground beef for the turkey.
• If you want to make it with fresh pumpkin, follow my recipe to make fresh pumpkin puree and use 1 ¾ cups of it in the recipe in place of the can of pumpkin.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: about 1 cup
• Calories: 251
• Sugar: 6.1 g
• Sodium: 772 mg
• Fat: 7.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
• Trans Fat: 0.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 30.1 g
• Fiber: 10 g
• Protein: 16.5 g
• Cholesterol: 33.7 mg