Creamy Turkey Pumpkin Chili
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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.
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Delicious! Will definitely make again.
This was really yummy and perfect for Halloween. I made half with turkey then up’d the veggies and added rutabaga for my veggie friends. Everyone loved it!
I was wondering if the nutritional facts are correct – 1g = 290 calories? I hesitate to make this recipe (which sounds amazing) the nutrition is correct.
Yes, 290 calories is how it’s calculated. It should say “1 serving” not “1g” I use a third party nutrition calculator so it might vary from one that you use.
I plugged this into My Fitness Pal and the calories were a lot higher! 420 per serving. I left out the coconut milk, which is what I was going to use and it brought the calories down to 350.
It’s always a good idea to use your favorite calorie counter as they can vary.
Love love loved it. The only thing different I did was add a can of green chilies. Thank you for this recipe, it really was fabulous.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. My entire family loves it! It’ll be added to our Fall/Winter rotation.
Hi! Was wondering for cooking this in a crockpot, when should I add the beans?
Hi Callie – You would add the beans along with the pumpkin I just corrected that-sorry that step wasn’t clear
Can I opt for Almond Milk instead of whipping cream? (Dairy Free)
Yes, you can substitute with plain almond milk. You might want to simmer for a few extra minutes after adding it so it will reduce and thicken a bit. You could also use coconut milk or omit all milk completely.
This is one of the best chili recipes i’ve ever made!!!
So I realized afternoon putting the canned pumpkin into the pot that I mistakenly used canned pumpkin pie filling. It tasted amazing! Good mistake.
Wow – that’s great to hear! Sometimes we make good mistakes 🙂
I’ve made this twice now and it’s definitely a wonderful cozy soup! I did add in a small diced sweet potato along with a little extra broth, and cooked in slow cooker and the recipe came out excellent . Thank you for incorporating such a lovely fall/winter ingredient list along with several cooking options. It’s now added to my deck of recipe cards 🙂
This was great. I used Italian sausage instead of turkey, and I’ve made it twice, and both times it was well received. Also made a double batch the first time and took the extra to work. Everyone asked for the recipe. Love it!!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Hi Vanessa – The chili will keep in the fridge up to 5 days and frozen 1 month.
This looks so good! What a great lunch meal prep for the fall!
Do you think ground beef would work in this as well as turkey?
Hi Amber – yes you can swap beef for the turkey. You might want to drain some of the fat before simmering though because it’s not as lean as turkey – up to you!
Could this be made in the pressure cooker? Also, could coconut milk be used as a substitute for the heavy cream?
Hi Nicole – I think the chili will taste really good with coconut milk instead of cream – go for it! I added directions to the recipe card for making this in a pressure cooker.
I used coconut milk, and it turned out great. I cannot eat dairy, tomatoes, or peppers, and therefore haven’t been able to eat chili for years. Thank you for bringing chili back into my life!
Hello. Just curious. What size onion, celery & what size carrot? They all come in various sizes & I don’t want to add too much or too little of any of the ingredients. (Maybe you can give me cup size of those ingredients) Also want to know, if I can’t find crushed chili, if I can sub it for red pepper flakes? I looked it up, & maybe a place or two have the chili flakes, but red pepper flakes seem to be what is showing up (was wondering if it’s really just the same thing) & I keep that in the house so I’m hoping it can be used.
Hi Daniele – Great questions! One medium onion should do it, which is usually about 1 cup chopped. Two medium-large carrots, also about 1-1 1/2 cups chopped and 2 whole celery ribs with the top and bottom trimmed. Yes – crushed red chili is exactly the same as red pepper flakes.
Would this stay well if frozen?? Looks great!
Yes – it will freeze well for a month or so. Enjoy!
Thanks for asking this. I was just about to ask the same thing! Great minds think alike.
Hi! Can this be made in the crockpot???
Hi Carmela – Yes, totally can! I updated the recipe with instructions. Enjoy!
Had this tonight for dinner with some crusty French bread. DH and I both loved it! Flavor was outstanding. Would also be great in the slow cooker. Will be adding this one to our regular rotation!
This looks absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to try it! XO
Hope you enjoy it! xo