Easy One Pot Pumpkin Turkey Chili Recipe for Chilly Days
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This One Pot Pumpkin Turkey Chili recipe is delicious and hearty, perfect for brisk fall days. Filled with wholesome ingredients, it’s a 30-minute nourishing, flavor-packed dish made with lean ground turkey, tomatoes, pumpkin purée, beans, and veggies.
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With autumn’s busy days, this turkey pumpkin chili is a quick-fix meal for any weeknight, game day, tailgating, or a cozy fall weekend. For me, it’s this year’s Halloween chili recipe!
Nothing says fall quite like a big pot of chili, especially when you add pumpkin puree to it! While we enjoy chili often in the fall, we also love Healthy Vegetarian Chili and Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Quinoa and Black Beans.
3 Favorite Things I Love About Pumpkin Turkey Chili
There are more than three reasons to make this easy turkey chili recipe, but here are some of my top three reasons the family loves it.
- Fall vibes: You say “pumpkin,” and immediately, it transforms into something special for fall!
- Nourishing ingredients: A chili recipe packed with wholesome ingredients like vegetables and fiber-rich beans.
- Easy one pot meal: When the days get busy, one-pot recipes are essential– plus, they bring all the cozy vibes to dinner.
Nourishing Ingredients in Pumpkin Turkey Chili
It’s been said that “Beans could be nature’s perfect food.” Combining the nutrients of that perfect food with other ingredients in pumpkin chili becomes a satisfying, even more delicious dish. Here are some of the nutritional benefits of its ingredients:
- Pumpkin is packed with potassium, helping the body function more efficiently to eliminate excess sodium.
- Onions are also packed with nutrients, are high in vitamin C, contain powerful antioxidants, and are rich in B vitamins.
- Garlic is a good source of nutrients like manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, selenium, and fiber. It also contains anti-viral properties to help boost immunity.
- Beans are a powerhouse food packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, according to 2021 research in Nutrients. “But what really takes them to the next level is their unique combo of plant protein and fiber.”
Pumpkin Turkey Chili Ingredients
You will find ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but this will give you an idea of what you need to make this turkey pumpkin chili
- Lean Ground Turkey or your favorite ground meat like chicken or beef
- Canned Beans: I like to use a combination of beans like black beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans
- Tomatoes: Look for canned tomatoes with green chiles, although plain diced tomatoes work fine. For a bit of heat, I reach for fire-roasted tomatoes. And to add another layer of flavor, we’ll also use a bit of tomato paste.
- Pumpkin purée: Be sure to reach for pure pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie mix.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, carrots, celery, bell pepper in your favorite color. You can also add a jalapeno pepper for additional flavor and heat.
- Chili Spices: Chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, and smoked paprika (or sweet paprika if you prefer). If you want to add additional heat, a pinch of cayenne pepper would be delicious too.
- Olive oil or Avocado oil for sauteing the veggies.
Helpful Kitchen Tools When Making Turkey Pumpkin Chili Recipe
You will need a 5 to 6-quart large pot or Dutch oven. I use my favorite 5-quart Staub Coquette, but a soup pot also works. A chef’s knife is helpful when chopping onions, carrots, celery, and mincing garlic.
See all my favorite kitchen tools on the 31Daily Master List!
How to Make One Pot Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a brief overview of how to make this easy pumpkin chili.
Step 1: Saute onions, carrots & celery- Step 2: Add bell pepper
- Step 3: Brown ground turkey
- Step 4: Add spices & tomato paste
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Then add diced onions, carrots, and celery; and sauté until tender. Add the bell pepper and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- Scoot the veggies to the side of the pot and add the ground turkey. Cook until it’s no longer pink and break it up while it sautees. Then add the garlic, jalapeño, tomato paste, spices, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
- Finally, pour in the tomatoes with their juices, drained beans, canned pumpkin puree, water, and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
Favorite Toppings for Pumpkin Chili
The toppings are a great way to add additional flavor to this healthy pumpkin turkey chili. Here are a few topping ideas we love:
- Chopped avocado
- A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley
- Chopped green onions
- Shredded cheese
Side Dishes to Serve with Pumpkin Chili
For me, it can’t be chili night without cornbread and a large green salad.
How to Store Pumpkin Turkey Chili
This recipe makes a big batch, so you will likely have leftovers for lunch the next day. Yay! Store the turkey chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for longer storage. In the heart of winter, this chili is so incredibly yummy!
More Chili Recipes You’ll Also Love
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One Pot Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 medium)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper optional for heat, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoons smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
- fine sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 14.5 ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles
- 3 15 ounce cans beans drained (black, kidney and pinto beans are good choices)
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin purée
- 1-2 cups water to cover
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery; sauté until the onions are tender — about 3-4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- Scoot the vegetables to the side of the pot and add the ground turkey. Cook until it is no longer pink, stirring occasionally and breaking it up with a spatula — about 3-4 minutes. While the turkey is cooking, measure your spices into a small bowl. When the turkey is no longer pink, add the garlic, jalapeño, tomato paste, spices, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
- Add the tomatoes, drained beans, pumpkin purée, and water, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, stirring occassionally until thickened.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This chili is delicious! Hubby freaked when he saw the can of pumpkin, but he agreed this chili is really good. The pumpkin just adds a bit of sweetness and makes the chili creamy. I followed the recipe. I added a little more than two cups of water. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Leslie! Your comment made me laugh because it was the exact same response I received when my husband saw the can of pumpkin. And… he also loved it! Thank you for sharing and for trying the recipe!