Creamy Turkey Pumpkin Chili
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Ground turkey and canned pumpkin puree cook quickly into a rich, spice-warmed chili — no beef, no hours on the stove. Pumpkin thickens the broth and tempers the chili powder’s heat and a splash of cream at the end enriches the texture. Three cans of cannellini beans make it filling without weighing you down, and it reheats beautifully.
Why pumpkin is more than a pretty color
- A can of pumpkin puree is also a thickening agent — no flour, no cornstarch, no forty-minute reduction simmer required.
- No tomatoes. This isn’t a red chili — the thick pumpkin and a full pot of white beans give it a lovely autumnal color.
- The cream, stirred in off the heat right before serving, is what tips the texture from thick to actually creamy.
“I love this recipe!! Made it for my whole family for a family weekend and it was a huge hit! !”
~ Heather
Get the right can, and the rest is easy
- Pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Same aisle, same-looking can, completely different chili. Pie filling comes pre-sweetened and spiced, not what you want in this recipe. And no, adding pumpkin to turkey chili does NOT make it taste like dessert. Think of a how a creamy butternut squash soup is surprisingly savory.
- Ground turkey: I usually choose dark (thigh) meat because it’s fattier (and therefore tastier), but of course you can use ground turkey breast if you prefer. More options: Instead of turkey, try ground chicken, pork or even a vegetarian sausage.
- Canned white beans: Creamy-textured cooked cannellini beans are my first choice. They have a plump shape and pleasing tenderness that I love. You can substitute with any small white bean such as navy beans or even pinto beans.
- Heavy cream: I’m gonna be honest. You don’t need heavy cream. The cooked chili has a beautiful creamy texture already from the pumpkin puree and the white beans. But just a few tablespoons to finish the dish makes this even rich-tasting and comforting. If dairy isn’t your thing, try a full-fat oat milk or other unsweetened dairy substitute.
Rounding out the bowl
This chili is thick, rich, and a little sweet from the pumpkin — it wants company that contrasts with it instead of feeling heavy. A romaine lettuce salad with tahini caesar dressing brings the acid and crunch the chili doesn’t have on its own. Cabbage slaw with champagne vinaigrette does the same job with more snap — so good if you want something a little sharper and crunchier. And if you’re setting this out for a crowd, a bowl of three-ingredient guacamole alongside allows people to build their own bowl.
Creamy Turkey Pumpkin Chili with White Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
- 1 finely chopped onion, (1 cup)
- 2 chopped carrots, (1 ½ cups)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds (675 g) ground turkey, thigh or breast
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or sage, (or a mixture of one or more)
- 1 15-ounce (285 g) can unsweetened pumpkin purée
- 2 15-ounce cans (850 g) drained cannellini beans, navy beans, or pinto beans
- 2 cups (500 ml) chicken broth
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream, optional
Instructions
- Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into a 4 or 5 quart soup pot or Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots and 2 2 stalks celery, chopped. Cook until the vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, stirring to coat in the oil. Add 1 ½ pounds ground turkey and cook until it's no longer pink, stirring and breaking the meat up with a spoon, about 8 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or sage1 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin purée, 2 15-ounce cans drained cannellini beans2 cups chicken brothand 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, partially cover and cook 20 minutes, adjusting the heat so it doesn't boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in ½ cup heavy whipping cream, if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve warm in bowls.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Follow step 1 and 2. Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker and add the herbs, beans, pumpkin, 1 1/2 cups broth and salt.
- Set to cook on low for 6 hours or 3 hours on high.
- Stir in the cream and serve.
- Set your pot to Saute. Follow the steps in step 1 and 2.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the cream to the pot as in step 3.
- Cover and set to pressure cook for 10 minutes, allowing pressure to release naturally.
- Stir in the cream and serve warm.
- Instead of turkey, try ground chicken, pork or even a vegetarian sausage.
- Fresh herbs make a huge difference. If you can find the classic Thanksgiving trio of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme, use all three, Dry herbs are fine to use, too, but use half the amount listed in the recipe — 1 1/2 teaspoons.
- To freeze, cool the chili and pack into freezer containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost function of your microwave. Enjoy within 1 month.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
Professionally trained cook, cookbook author, and the person behind every recipe here. I cook the way I was trained: Start with good ingredients, understand why they work, and don’t apologize for the salt. These are the recipes I actually make, for the people I love. Read more about me here.
Leave a comment and star rating
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Tasty chili recipe with nice mix of spices/herbs – very forgiving with adjusting ingredients used. In our grocery stores ground turkey is sold by the pound and we prefer a higher protein/carb ratio so instead of having a 1/2 lb of ground turkey leftover we used two 1 lb packages of ground turkey and one 15 oz can of cannellini beans. There are plenty of beans to keep the chili creamy and if you add cream or other dairy (we used half and half) it will be even more creamy. Couldn’t find our crushed red pepper so substituted cayenne pepper (used 1/8 tsp). We have a friend who cannot eat beans due to digestive issues so we may try to make this for her substituting some chopped mushrooms instead. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Found this recipe a few years ago and now has become one of our family’s favorite fall and winter chilli!!! Love it and thank you for the recipe!!!
Can the pumpkin chili be doubled in the instant pot?
Hi Linda – Yes, but only if your pot is large enough (you don’t want to fill it more than 2/3), such as an 8 or 10-quart size.
This is delicious!! I used 3 cans of beans, chicken bone broth instead of regular broth, and did 1 TBSP each of rosemary and thyme. Absolutely to die for! Perfect cozy fall chili.
Yay! I’m happy to hear that Leah! Three cans make a hearty bean chili for sure.
Hearty, healthy and delicious, I plan on making this often.
So yummy. I have been making this at least once a month since September. Thank you.
I LOVE this recipe. As does my husband! It is a “forever” recipe in our home. I have made it several times and the flavors are just wonderful. If we are in the mood, sometimes I add a little heat, like chopped green chiles, adobo, or just a pinch of cayenne. It is easy to reheat when leftover, and also freezes well.
Even if you think you don’t like pumpkin, try it! It is healthy too!
As soon as there’s a slight breeze in the air I start cooking this chili! Its been a family favorite of our for a few years now! Thanks!
Oh, that’s so nice to hear!
This is delicious. Used 1 tbsp fresh rosemary then half sage, half thyme, both dried, for the second tbsp. Definitely would use all three. Will be adding to my favorite recipe list!
This is excellent. Loved the medley of textures, flavors and colors. It’s my 2nd recipe but like the cannellini beans and heavy cream.
I’ll be making this several times!
This is a new favorite! I followed the recipe exactly (my own pumpkin puree and cooked beans,) and I used sage for the herb. I made it in the crockpot, and it was perfect.
Made this recipie with some modifications per your viewers.Won 1st place in a chilie contest.Used fresh pumpkin puree with 70 to 30 turkey toground beef.
Wow, that’s awesome!! Congrats on the win.
Have you had success with using black beans as well? Thanks!!
I haven’t added them to this specific dish, but you certainly can! Keep in mind they’re not as creamy textured as white cannellini beans. Pinto beans would also work!
I love it. Did some modifications myself, switched the beans with kidney beans, used 70\20 turkey to beef ground meat and i made the pumpkin puree myself, because they don’t sell it in my country. The recipe is 10\10 absolutely beautiful and tasty
This was great. I took quite a few liberties with this recipe. I used smoked paprika instead of regular, and I added a teaspoon and a half of cinnamon. In addition to dried sage and thyme, I added freshly grated nutmeg. I used Better Than Bouillon beef stock paste. I then added two cups of homemade veggie stock along with a teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce and two bay leaves. YUMMY!!! SO MUCH FLAVOR and so filling!
The spices sound perfect! Glad you enjoyed it.
Have you used unsweetened Coconut Milk instead of cream?
Hi Alyson – You can absolutely substitute with coconut milk!