This turkey chili recipe has been on the regular rotation for years. It is hearty, meaty, and so easy! This chili can be made in 30 minutes on the stovetop or as a crockpot turkey chili.

Chilis are quite popular in our house like this easy beef chili or instant pot white chicken chili.

Turkey chili served in a bowl topped with cheese, avocado, sour cream and cilantro

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Turkey Chili Recipe:

Turkey chili is loaded with lean ground turkey making it healthier than traditional chili but just as hearty and satisfying.

My friend Gina from nursing school, shared this award winning slow cooker chili recipe with me. She made it for a chili cook-off fundraiser and I couldn’t stop refilling my bowl. It’s delicious!

Chili Toppings!

Every good chili needs a “chili bar” to go long with it. We love all the fixings including:

  • Shredded cheese (Mexican, cheddar, Colby Jack, etc)
  • Sour Cream
  • Sliced Avocados or Spicy Guacamole
  • Cilantro sprigs or chopped cilantro
  • Lime wedges to squeeze over chili
  • Chopped green onion or diced red onion
  • Sliced jalapeños (fresh or canned)
  • Sliced olives
  • Tortilla chips

Turkey chili recipe up close in a bowl with ground turkey, beans, corn, tomatoes and with chili toppings of avocado, sour cream and cheese

Ingredients for Turkey Chili:

Since canned food are the largest source of BPA (here’s more info on that from Mayo Clinic) in people’s diets which is a big no-no for pregnancy and children so you can cook your own beans or look for canned foods specifically marked “BPA free.”

Ingredients for Turkey Chili

How to Make Turkey Chili:

Stovetop chili is the quickest and easiest way to make chili. It all comes together in one pot and the cooking time is minimal. We added Amazon affiliate links below to tools used to make this chili.

  1. In a pot or Dutch oven, saute ground turkey in 1 Tbsp olive oil 5 min, breaking it up with a spatula
  2. Add diced onion, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute 5 min until onions are soft.
  3. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then simmer* for 20 minutes.

*For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered. Cover with lid or partially cover to retain more of the liquid for a looser chili.

How to Make Turkey Chili in a potCombining all ingredients for turkey chili in the pot

How to Make Crockpot Turkey Chili:

I love crockpot chili recipes; set ’em and forget ’em. I make this slow cooker turkey chili in the morning and it’s ready for my children to enjoy when they get home from school. Here are the steps to make this in a crockpot:

  1. Saute the ground meat and onion and seasonings as usual.
  2. Transfer ground turkey mixture to crockpot, add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
  3. Set on low for 3 to 4 hours until piping hot. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Crockpot turkey chili served in a bowl

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Turkey Chili Recipe

4.92 from 106 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
This turkey chili recipe has been on the regular rotation at our house for years. It is hearty, meaty, and so easy! This chili can be made in 30 minutes on the stovetop or as a crockpot turkey chili. 
This turkey chili recipe is on the regular rotation at our house for years! It is hearty, meaty, and so easy! This chili can be made in 30 minutes on the stovetop or as a crockpot turkey chili. Serve in warm bowls with tortilla chips and your favorite chili toppings. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 bowls of chili
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1 medium purple onion, diced
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt , or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
  • 15 oz black beans, drained and lightly rinsed
  • 15 oz pinto beans with juice
  • 15 oz white beans with juice
  • 2 oz jar of diced jalapeños or green chilis, or to taste
  • 30 oz canned diced tomatoes, seasoned or plain
  • 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 15 oz corn, drained (or use 2 ears cooked corn)

Instructions

  • In a 5 Qt pot or dutch oven over medium/high heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and sautee 1 lb ground turkey until cooked through (5 min). 
  • Add diced purple onion, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Saute 5 minutes or until onions are softened. 
  • Add drained and rinsed black beans, pinto beans with juice and white beans with juice. Also add diced jalapeños, canned diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and drained corn.
  • Stir to combine and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste towards the end of cooking (I like to add an extra 1/2 tsp salt). 

Nutrition Per Serving

211kcal Calories28g Carbs21g Protein2g Fat31mg Cholesterol841mg Sodium817mg Potassium6g Fiber5g Sugar420IU Vitamin A15.5mg Vitamin C61mg Calcium3.5mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Turkey Chili Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
211
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
2
g
3
%
Cholesterol
 
31
mg
10
%
Sodium
 
841
mg
37
%
Potassium
 
817
mg
23
%
Carbohydrates
 
28
g
9
%
Fiber
 
6
g
25
%
Sugar
 
5
g
6
%
Protein
 
21
g
42
%
Vitamin A
 
420
IU
8
%
Vitamin C
 
15.5
mg
19
%
Calcium
 
61
mg
6
%
Iron
 
3.5
mg
19
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Turkey Chili
Keyword: crockpot turkey chili, turkey chili
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 211

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

This recipe was first published in 2014. We improved the recipe slightly and updated some of the text and photos in 2019. Here’s what it used to look like: 

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili Recipe from

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Josephine
    February 4, 2024

    I absolutely loved this! I am a big beef eater since I was a kid, but I’ve been trying to cutback on beef now that I’m in my mid sixties. 😕
    I didn’t have everything in this recipe, but it was a recipe I could use to easily sub what I had on hand. Some turkey chili recipes I found were over the top with complicated with double the ingredients you really need for chili!
    So, to start, I had the ground turkey. I subbed 3-10 oz cans of Rotel fire roasted tomatoes with chiles for the 30 oz can of diced tomatoes. No purple onion, only Vidalia. I subbed a jar of bruschetta sauce for the tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning for oregano. I had to go with what I had!
    I did have all the other seasonings and it came out perfect.
    I don’t usually rate recipes if I don’t follow them exactly, but I really believe what I got was solely because I used this recipe as a template and I’m so grateful I found it!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 5, 2024

      Thanks so much for this info. I’m glad that it was a success! We appreciate your review, Josephine.

      Reply

  • A. Groark
    December 15, 2023

    I made this last night and it was AMAZING!

    I don’t love corn but it was fine in there. Wondering if I could sub chickpeas instead.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 15, 2023

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, A!

      Reply

  • Andrea
    November 27, 2023

    This is soooo good and is a great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. The corn really adds a great flavor too. My husband says it is the best turkey chili he’s ever had. I used a can of Peruvian beans which also added a slightly sweet taste. Yummy

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 27, 2023

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Andrea!

      Reply

  • Kelly Dimuzio
    August 23, 2023

    Natasha, our family truly enjoyed this. We ate it with cornbread. Yummy! I doubled it so we can have it for dinner tomorrow! 🙂

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 24, 2023

      Yummy indeed! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

      • Kelly Dimuzio
        September 18, 2023

        I’m cooking this again tonight! How do I order your cookbook?

        Reply

        • NatashasKitchen.com
          September 18, 2023

          Hi Kelly! You can click on Cookbook at the top of the page.

          Reply

  • Deanna
    October 29, 2022

    I am wondering if leftover Thanksgiving turkey can be used in this recipe? If so, when should it be added? Would about 2 cups cooked turkey sufficient?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      October 29, 2022

      Hi Deanna! I think you could make that work. I would add it toward the end. Without having tested it myself, I do not have an exact quantity but you can add it to your preference.

      Reply

    • Tim
      March 10, 2023

      Deanna, you can make it with leftover turkey. First time I had turkey chili was in the Navy….I was hesitant, but it was pretty good. Just shred the meat by hand and add it. You won’t be disappointed.

      Reply

  • Elsa Romero
    October 23, 2022

    I made two versions of this chili today for a group of 15 people for a long day of watching sports. One in the crockpot and one in dutch oven on stove top. Made 2 adjustments, 1/2 lb more of turkey and substituted 1/2 of tomato sauce for “el pato sauce” to add spice. I paired the turkey with Ina Garten jalapeño cheddar cornbread. The meal was a big hit but the stove top version received the better reviews. This recipe is a keeper for sure!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 24, 2022

      Nice! Thanks for sharing that with us, it is helpful and useful info!

      Reply

  • Erom666
    October 23, 2022

    I made two pots of this chili today for a whole day of watching sports( Baseball NCLS & Sunday NFL games) with a large group of people. One version in crockpot and one version in stove top in Dutch oven. Both were very good but the stove top version received the better reviews from other people. I made minimal adjustments to the recipe; added 1/2 lb more turkey, and substituted half of tomato sauce for el pato sauce to add some spice. I paired it with Ina Garten’s jalapeño cheddar cornbread… everyone loved the meal and asked for the turkey chili recipe!

    Reply

  • Andrée Hodge Bélanger
    March 7, 2022

    8 servings is a lot for the two of us. Can I freeze half of it?
    Thanks,
    Andrée

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 7, 2022

      Hi Andree, I haven’t tried freezing it, but the ingredients are pretty freezer friendly so I think it would work well. 🙂 Also, I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • Jennifer
    November 1, 2021

    Hi Natasha!
    Made your turkey chili today and loved it! The only change I made was using one can of diced tomatoes and one large can of crushed tomatoes because that’s what I had. The flavor was fabulous! Thanks for another great recipe!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 1, 2021

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jennifer! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!

      Reply

  • Cecilia
    August 2, 2021

    I’m so excited to try this but I only have beef not turkey 🙁 could I use that instead?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 2, 2021

      Hi Cecilia, I think the process will be very similar and it is doable. We have a stove top beef chili recipe here and the directions should be pretty similar.

      Reply

  • JJ
    May 4, 2021

    Thank you so much for sharing this amazing and simple recipe! I nailed it the first time haha! planning to keep it as a go-to dish. Do you have any suggestions on how to ease the gassiness caused by the beans?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 5, 2021

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply

    • A
      March 12, 2022

      Drain and Rinse all the beans – it forsure helps with that problem! If it gets too thick and needs more liquid, just add some broth or something

      Reply

  • Rose bustamante
    April 16, 2021

    Hi sweetheart I know I’m not on the right recipe,it’s your meatloaf I was never crazy about meatloaf but after doing your recipe I’m hooked.so once a month my family wants me to do meatloaf 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰thank you Natasha I will send you a pic of my meatloaf next month…..

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      April 16, 2021

      That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! It sounds like you have a new favorite!

      Reply

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