Healthy Turkey Chili
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Published Oct 03, 2023, Updated Jan 14, 2025
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This healthy turkey chili is made with kidney and black beans, corn, tomatoes and a blend of spices. It’s the perfect meal to serve for game day or as an easy dinner!
I don’t know about you, but the second cool weather hits, I crave chili! I love all types of soups and stews, but I think chili takes the cake and this turkey chili might just be my favorite chili recipe I have on EBF.
It’s hearty, filling and always serves a crowd. Comfort food in a bowl! It doesn’t hurt that it’s super easy to throw together and packed with healthy ingredients.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Chili
This turkey chili stands out for all the right reasons:
- Flavor-packed – With a blend of spices like chili powder, cumin, and paprika, each bite is a burst of flavor.
- Nutritious – Lean ground turkey and a variety of beans make this a protein-rich and fiber-filled option.
- Topping freedom – Whether you like your chili topped with shredded cheese, avocado, or a dollop of sour cream, this dish works as the perfect base.
- One-pot magic – Simple to prepare and even easier to clean up, it’s the ideal weeknight or meal-prep dish.
Ingredients Needed
- ground turkey – traditionally ground beef is used for chili, but we’re keeping things on the lighter side with ground turkey for this version.
- vegetables – yellow onion, garlic and frozen sweet corn
- chicken broth or vegetable broth – chicken or vegetable broth are great options. I recommend using low sodium so you can control the saltiness of the soup.
- diced or crushed tomatoes – adds a great savory flavor to this chili.
- beans – I like to keep things easy and used canned beans (drained and rinsed), but you can certainly cook your own beans from scratch if you have the time. I used a blend of red kidney beans and black beans, but you can use different beans if needed.
- olive oil – to sauté the vegetables and ground meat in for the stovetop method. Avocado oil works as well.
- seasonings and spices – chili powder, paprika, cumin, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, sea salt and pepper
- optional toppings – avocado, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), shredded cheese, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño, etc.
Customize Your Turkey Chili
The best part about chili is how versatile it is! Here are some ideas on how you can customize this chili:
- Spice: If you wish to add more spice you could add a chopped jalapeño or crushed red pepper flakes to this chili.
- Vegetarian or vegan option: Ditch the meat and add more beans to this chili. Or you can follow my vegetarian chili recipe.
- Different meat: Feel free to swap the ground turkey for a different meat of choice. This chili would be delicious with ground chicken or ground beef.
- Different or more vegetables: Add extra vegetables to your chili for added flavor and nutrition! Bell pepper, zucchini or carrots sound delicious to me but you really can’t go wrong.
How to Make
Making this easy turkey chili recipe only takes four steps! Here’s how to make it:
Step 1: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking until fragrant and the onion is translucent.
Step 2: Add ground turkey, salt, and pepper, cooking until the turkey is browned and cooked through.
Step 3: Add stock, tomatoes, beans, corn, and spices. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve the chili warm with your favorite chili toppings. I love serving mine with avocado, sour cream and cornbread.
Brittany’s Tip
- Don’t skip the simmering – Let the chili simmer for at least 20 minutes (or longer if you have time). The longer it simmers, the more the flavors can meld together, making your chili even tastier.
For those who prefer to cook in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, I’ve included instructions for those methods in the recipe notes below.
How to Serve Chili
I recommend topping this chili with shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and avocado, but you can top it with anything you’d like! It’s a filling meal on its own, but if you want to pair it with some sides here are some suggestions:
- With bread: I love eating chili with my pumpkin cornbread muffins or vegan cornbread. It’s also delicious served with crusty bread (like sourdough bread), crackers (I love my almond flour crackers) or even tortilla chips.
- Side salad: Add some fresh veggies with a side salad. I have a ton of salad recipes to choose from, but something light and fresh like this garlicky kale salad or spinach salad would be perfect.
- With grains: If you want more volume, you can serve this chili over quinoa or brown rice. I find that when I serve over a grain, I need less chili overall to feel full. You could also add cauliflower rice for more veggies.
How to Store Leftovers
Let the chili cool completely before storing in an airtight container. The chili will last 3-4 days when stored in the refrigerator and can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, make sure to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
You can reheat in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes if you’re in a rush.
Frequently Asked Questions
This turkey chili has a mild level of spice, thanks to the chili powder and optional jalapeños. If you prefer more heat, you can add extra jalapeños, a pinch of cayenne, or even a diced chili pepper to kick it up a notch!
Yes, you can easily swap the ground turkey for ground beef if that’s what you have on hand. Ground chicken also works well for a leaner option!
Yes! While the recipe calls for kidney and black beans, feel free to swap them out for pinto beans, or even chickpeas. They’ll work just as well and give you a slightly different flavor profile.
If you like your chili on the thicker side, you can add a can of tomato paste or purée some of the beans and stir it back into the soup. Another option is to simmer it longer to reduce the liquid.
More Chili Recipes to Try
- Healthy White Bean Chicken Chili
- Easy Vegetarian Chili
- Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
- No-Bean Chili (Beef Chili)
- Vegetarian Green Chili
Popular Soup Recipes
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Mexican Sweet Potato Chicken Soup
- Taco Soup
- Turkey Soup
Be sure to check out all of my soup recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth or vegetable stock
- 1 28 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn
- 2 ½ Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ -½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Toppings of choice: avocado, sour cream (or yogurt), shredded cheese, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once oil is hot add onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring frequently until mixture is fragrant and onion is a bit translucent.
- Add turkey, salt and pepper to the pot and cook, breaking apart meat with a spatula until evenly brown and cooked through.
- Add stock to the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, corn, chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Bring chili to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve chili warm with toppings of choice. Some ideas include avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, green onion, etc.
Video
Notes
- Start by heating the oil in a large skillet oven over medium heat. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently until the mixture is fragrant and the onion is translucent.
- Add in the ground turkey, salt and pepper and cook until the turkey is browned evenly and cooked through.
- Add all your ingredients (except for the toppings) including the cooked turkey, onions and garlic to your slow cooker/crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours until veggies are cooked and tender.
- Add oil to Instant Pot and put on sauté setting. Add onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add turkey, salt and pepper to the pot and cook, breaking apart meat with a spatula until evenly brown and cooked through.
- Press cancel on the Instant Pot and add stock, tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, corn, chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Place the lid on the pressure cooker, lock lid and make sure the pressure release valve is closed.
- Then press the soup/stew button or “pressure cook” and set time to 15 minutes.
- Once the timer reaches 0, the cooker will switch to keep warm. Carefully switch the pressure release valve to open to manually release the pressure. (I use tongs for this).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my go-to chili recipe. It’s so easy to make and tastes amazing. We don’t miss the beef at all and my 10 month old daughter eats it too! (We don’t add the cayenne). It’s perfect for a Fall, Winter, or early spring meal. Yum!
Yay! So glad this chili recipe is a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it! 🙂
Can I make this without tomatoes? I really want to try this recipe but my friend can’t have tomatoes…what would you recommend?
The tomatoes do add a ton of flavor and help create the base of this chili, but you could try it with more broth instead? The chili might be more brothy, but I bet it would work. You’ll have to come back and let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Delicious, easy, and filling. My husband did not miss the beef at all. Definitely will make again.
YUM! I am so glad to hear this recipe came out great and you both loved it. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Absolutely delicious & so easy to whip together for a weeknight meal! 🤗
YUM! So glad you are loving this recipe and it turned out great for you. Thanks so much for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Excited to make this for friends! There will be 4 of us and we are all good eaters. Should I double recipe, and if so, will it still fit in standard size large pot? Thank you! 💚
Yes, I would recommend doubling this recipe, Erin. PLUS the leftovers are SO good! It should still fit in a standard size large pot. Enjoy!
I made this recipe in my instant pot and it was so delicious! The flavours are great and it was very filling.
Yay! I am so happy to hear you loved this dish and it turned out amazing for you. Thanks for your review and star rating, I truly appreciate it!
Delicious! I see on the nutrition info it says a serving size is 1/4 of recipe, but what quantity is that? 1 cup? 2 cups? My bf is trying to track what he eats. Help!
Hi Kayla – I would need to check this again when I make it. If you made it before I am able to get back to you, this recipe makes 4 servings so I would recommend equally portioning it out into 4 different containers. Hope that helps for now, but I will get back to you with the exact answer next time I make the recipe!
Love this! I’ve been craving chili, but So Cal is still in the 80’s🙄. This is so similar to my mom’s recipe that I make all the time, except yours has the addition of corn, delish!
Amazing! So happy to hear you’re loving this recipe, Thea. Hopefully, it cools down for you soon! Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I just made this chili and it’s easy to make and is delicious! I love your recipes Brittany!
YUM! Perfect recipe for the fall and winter. Glad you are loving this chili, Kate. Thank you for your review & star rating, I appreciate it!
Simple to make, fast and delicious chili – thanks for another healthy yummy dinner! I’ve been following you for awhile and purchased your latest cookbook. I enjoy easy going and positive attitude.
Thanks!!
Hi Linda – This makes me so happy to hear! I am so glad you’re loving my recipes and my cookbook too! Thanks for your support and for coming back and leaving your review & star rating, it truly means so much to me!