Homemade Turkey Chili is quick and easy to prepare and is packed with lean protein, fiber, plenty of flavors, and is perfectly spiced to create a delicious cold-weather warming stew. This Turkey chili recipe is hearty and healthy and made with simple ingredients–it’s a comforting complete one-pot meal cooked in one pot to keep you full and satisfied for hours.
Healthy Turkey Chili
This Turkey Chili recipe is a lighter, healthier version of the classic chili because it’s light on fat, loaded with lean protein and nutrient-dense beans, and full of flavor.
While some homemade chilis bubble on the stove for hours, this shortcut version uses canned tomatoes and beans, which means it cooks quickly, but still has all of the tangy taste and thick texture of the “traditional type”. We make it so easy to combine ground turkey, tomatoes, aromatics, and beans, spice it up, let it simmer, and serve a simple, yet satisfying meal.
I love to feed my family nourishing, nutritious food that is hearty enough to fill them up but made with healthy ingredients, especially when it can be made as a one-dish dinner. While this chili recipe may be easy, the blend of spices infuses every bite with delicious flavors that can be adjusted with an extra heat factor or boosted with your favorite add-ins.
There is nothing more inviting than a big bowl of filling comfort food to warm you up this winter.
Why We Love This Turkey Chili Recipe
- Quick and easy to make in one pot so clean up is easy.
- Loaded with protein and fiber, plenty of flavor, and perfect blend of spices.
- Allergy friendly recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, and nut free.
- Easy to customize with your favorite adds or leave out anything you don’t have on hand.
- Perfect for tailgates, meal prep, and week day dinners.
Turkey Chili Ingredients
- Ground turkey: Any type of ground meat will do.
- Yellow onion, chopped: Another type of onion, like red, sweet, or white, can be used instead. If you don’t have any onions, add some onion powder to the dish instead.
- Chili powder
- Salt
- Cumin
- Garlic powder: If you would like to mince some garlic and add it to the meat instead, feel free!
- Canned red kidney beans, undrained
- Canned pinto beans, undrained: Black beans or another favorite type of canned bean can be substituted here or for the red kidney beans.
- Canned fire roasted tomatoes, undrained: You can use regular canned diced tomatoes as well.
- Canned tomato paste: For a little thinner sauce, use tomato sauce instead.
- Optional garnishes: Sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped parsley
Ground Turkey Chili Recipe Substitutions & Additions
- Make It Meatless: You can skip the meat and add more beans, like white or black beans, veggies, or even quinoa.
- More Meat Options: Try the classic ground beef, ground chicken, ground sausage, or even shredded pork instead of ground turkey.
- Add Some Spices: Feel free to use other spices such as paprika, dried oregano, ground cayenne pepper, ground coriander, or any other you like.
- Veggies: Add some veggies to the mix, such as bell peppers, corn, roasted green chilies or zucchini for an additional boost of vitamins and nutrients.
What to serve with Turkey Chili
Pair turkey chili with some cornbread, tortilla chips, a sprinkle of cheese, and a dollop of sour cream—oh, and don’t forget the green onions for that extra kick!
Recommended Tools
- Large dutch oven or pot
- Measuring tools
- Mixing tools
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to make Turkey Chili
My favorite part of this recipe is how quickly and easily it comes together!
- Add ground turkey, onion, chili powder, salt, cumin, and garlic powder to a large pot and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Pro Tip: Cook until the onions soften and the turkey is no longer pink.
- Drain the grease from the pot.
- Mix in the kidney beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and tomato paste and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover the pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Serve hot with optional garnish. Enjoy!
Best Turkey Chili Storage Tips
- How long does Turkey Chili last in the fridge? Store any leftovers, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze your chili in a freezer-safe container for 4-6 months.
- To Reheat: Reheat your chili in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Ground Turkey Chili FAQs
You can absolutely make a vegetarian chili. Simply make it meatless and add more beans, veggies, or even quinoa to the mix.
You do not need to add broth to this Turkey Chili recipe. The canned tomatoes, bean liquid, along with the other ingredients will make enough “broth”. You want the chili to have a thick consistency.
I love to eat this chili all by itself. However, you can also eat it with a variety of sides such as rice, cornbread, baked potatoes, tortillas, hot dogs, nachos, or tacos.
Add some cheddar or Colby jack cheese on top while it is still hot (as recommended in this recipe), and you will get a delicious melty mess. Sour cream adds an incredible creamy taste. And don’t forget that you can add scallions, bacon, guacamole, tortilla chips, fresh tomatoes, or fresh onions on top as well!
Yes, this recipe can easily be made in a slow cooker or instant pot. Check out my other chili recipes using these 2 cook methods. See them here: Slow Cooker Chili and Instant Pot Chili
Leftover chili can be used in other delicious recipes to create a new dinner dish. Use your chili in my Chili Cheese Dog Casserole recipe, Chili Cheese Dip, or Chili Cornbread Casserole.
Other Stew and Soup Recipes
Ground Turkey Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 15.5 ounce can red kidney beans undrained
- 15.5 ounce can pinto beans undrained
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes undrained
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- Optional garnishes: Sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, add the ground turkey, onion, chili powder, salt, cumin, and garlic powder. Cook until the onions soften and the turkey is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain grease.
- Pour in the red kidney beans, pinto beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and tomato paste.
- Stir everything together and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Serve hot with sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped parsley, optional.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftovers, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze your chili in a freezer-safe container for 4-6 months.
- To Reheat: Reheat your chili in the microwave or on the stovetop.
