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This award winning Turkey Chili is thick and hearty and bursting with flavor.  This healthier chili recipe is loaded with tender beans, lean ground turkey, and the perfect blend of spice.

Bowl filled with turkey chili, topped with sour cream, onion and cheese.


 

All about this healthy Turkey Chili..

This is my all time favorite recipe when it comes to chili. I love the ease of my 20 minute Texas Chili, but I think I love the combination of flavors and textures in this chili even more.

It’s the same recipe that I use in my Easy Chili Recipe, except in that version I use ground beef. It’s the same recipe, except here, we’re using ground Turkey to make it lighter!

Ingredients Needed:

Ingredients needed to make turkey chili laid out on the counter.

Notes on some ingredients:

  • Ground Turkey: this can be substituted for ground chicken or beef if needed.
  • Green chiles: these add a very mild flavor. If you would prefer more heat in your chili you can use a jalapeno instead.
  • Black beans & kidney beans: canned beans work great in this recipe. You can always swap out the beans for another kind if you would prefer.

How to make (step-by-step)

How to make turkey chili, dutch oven showing ground turkey and onion cooked, then additional ingredients being added.

On the Stovetop:

  • Step 1: Add the meat to a large pot or dutch oven. As the turkey is cooking, add the chopped onion to cook also. Once the meat is cooked and the onion is softened, drain any excess moisture. Add the garlic and allow it to cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Step 2: Add all the other ingredients. Bring the chili to a simmer and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes. Serve and top with all your favorite toppings!
How to make turkey chili in a slow cooker, cooking the meat in the skillet, then adding the ingredients to the slow cooker.

In the slow cooker:

  1. Step 1: Cook the meat: even though this is a slow cooker recipe we want to cook the meat first in a skillet. Along with the onions to soften them. Then we can add that to the slow cooker.
  2. Step 2: Add all other ingredients to the slow cooker. Then we can let this cook together for the rest of the day.

Expert Tips:

  • Cut the sugar: You can leave out the brown sugar if desired, to cut out sugars of course. I do like adding the sugar because it helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Another option would be to use honey instead, or substitute with a coconut sugar. 
  • Sneak in some Vegetables: add in some additional veggies if you want! Some great options are corn, peppers, diced zucchini, diced sweet potato, or butternut squash. If adding in fresh veggies, add them in the last 30 minutes of cooking in the slow cooker, that way they don’t get too mushy. 
Pot filled with cooked turkey chili, topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

FAQ’s:

Can I substitute ground beef or another meat for Turkey?

Yes, absolutely. You can substitute the turkey for a ground beef, pork, or chicken.

Can I use leftover chopped turkey?

Yes! In this case the meat would already be cooked, so you would just need to sauté the onion and start from there. Add the shredded or cubed meat in with all the other remaining ingredients and cook until heated through.

Favorite topping ideas:

One of the best parts about any chili recipe is being able to customize with your favorite toppings! When serving a large pot of chili for dinner for the family, or if you’re expecting company, creating a topping bar is a great idea. This way everyone can top their bowl with what they enjoy. Some ideas are:

  • Cheese: of course, shredded cheese is a must when having chili! Some mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, pepperjack, or Monterey Jack are all great options. 
  • Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt: the cold creamy tang of either of these options contrasts with the warm heat of the chili and is typically welcomed! 
  • Onions: chop up some white onion or slice some green onion to go on top for a fresh flavor. 
  • Cilantro: always a win with Tex Mex lovers. 
  • Chips: some fresh homemade tortilla chips, or Fritos pair perfectly with this thick chili. 
  • Tortillas: I personally love having a fresh stack of flour tortillas with my chili. 
  • Avocado: another creamy option that helps take off some of the heat of the chili 
  • Hot sauce: for those that need even more heat! 
Up close look at turkey chili, showing chunks of ground turkey and beans

Serve this chili with:

More Chili and Soup Recipes:

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Award Winning Turkey Chili

4.98 from 742 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 6 hours 25 minutes
Total: 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 5
Author: Serene
This healthy turkey chili recipe is thick and hearty and bursting with flavor. Loaded with lean ground turkey, tender beans and the perfect spice blend.
Serving of turkey chili in a white bowl.

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 (15 ounce can) tomato sauce
  • 1 (14.5 ounce can) diced tomato
  • 1 (7 ounce can) diced green chiles
  • 1 (15 ounce can) kidney beans drained, rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce can) black beans drained, rinsed
  • 1-2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp brown sugar

Toppings

  • sour cream
  • cheese shredded
  • green onion sliced

Instructions 

Slow Cooker

  • Add the lean ground turkey, and onion to a medium size skillet. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and the turkey is completely cooked. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
  • Remove from heat and add to the crockpot.
  • Add in all the other ingredients, stir to combine. Cook over low heat for 4-6 hours.

Stovetop

  • Add the meat to a large pot or dutch oven. As the turkey is cooking, add the chopped onion to cook and soften.
  • Once the meat is cooked and the onion is softened, drain any excess moisture. Add the garlic and allow it to cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Add all the other ingredients. Bring the chili to a simmer and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes. Serve and top with all your favorite toppings!

Video

Equipment

Notes

Chili Powder: Start with 1 tbsp and add more to taste. 
Storage:
  • How to Freeze this turkey chili: let the chili cool to room temperature. Add to a freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for 3-4 months. To reheat, thaw the chili in the refrigerator overnight, pour into a large pot and heat over medium heat for 20 minutes, until warmed through. 
  • Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 364mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 995IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Recipe first posted November 21, 2014. Updated on February 27 with new photos and video. Recipe is unchanged, but instructions for stovetop were added.

Welcome to my kitchen!

Welcome to the House of Yumm!! My name is Serene. I’m the food photographer, recipe developer, and official taste tester around these parts.

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145 Comments

  1. Hi! This is the only Chili recipe I ever make, I love it so much! Super easy and packed with so much flavor! I wouldn’t ever change a thing. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  3. Tried this recipe this past Friday for when my mom came to visit. It was just my husband and I living together . It was DELICIOUS. We ate it with sour cream along with shredded cheese on top and used the Tostitos chips with the hint of lime to dip into it. One bowl was super filling and satisfying. I followed everything to the T minus the garlic powder since I didn’t have any. Whoever said it was way too spicy must have accidentally misread 1 7 oz can of green chilies as 17 oz can lol. I thought it had a good amount of spice and its 100x better than Wendy’s chili.

    Thanks for the recipe! Im eating some leftovers right now as I’m typing this lol.

    Reply

  5. Hi There:

    I found this recipe on PINTEREST and it was a HUGE hit with my family. They were commenting on how good it smelled when I browned the turkey. When it finished cooking in the crock pot, they gobbled it up. So easy and so delicious. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  7. I’ve made this recipe about 10 times now. My husband and 2 boys devour it every time! Delicious, cost-effective and healthy!

    Reply

  9. Have you ever made it without the the ground turkey to make it vegetarian? I love this recipe and make it all the time (so thank you!) and I want to make it for a girls weekend lunch, but one of the girls is vegetarian. Wondering if I should just add more beans if I omit the ground turkey?

    Reply

    1. Hi Nikki! I haven’t made it without the turkey, just because I haven’t needed to make it vegetarian before. But it definitely will still work! I would add maybe an extra can of beans just to give a little more substance to it, but it’s still going to have the same taste without the meat 🙂 Enjoy!!

      Reply

  10. my husband and I got our first crock pot and this is the first recipe we made in it. We bought all the ingredients from Trader Joes. The had fire roasted canned diced tomatoes and we used two 4 oz cans of green peppers. Also we used the TJs taco seasoning instead of chili powder and a whole chopped yellow onion. The finished product tastes like the chili from Wendy’s which we love. Thank you for this super tast and easy recipe

    Reply