The BEST Healthy Turkey Chili recipe full of fresh veggies, lean ground turkey and loaded with flavor! The perfect cozy chili you can easily make in our instant pot, crock pot or right on the stove!
This healthy turkey recipe has been one of the most popular recipes on my site for the past 10+ years! I absolutely crave chili in the fall and this protein-packed recipe has always been a weekly staple in our home in the colder months. It also really comes in handy when meal planning during the week. Not only does this simple turkey chili recipe make a ton, but its full of veggies, lean turkey, tender beans and is packed with flavor. Great for those busy weeknights, cozy weekends and a great recipe for game day! Serve with my honey cornbread muffins and you’ve got the perfect meal!
Why You’ll Love This
- This heart turkey chili recipe is thick and chunky with so much flavor!
- Healthy comfort food that is packed with protein and nutrition.
- Has just the right amount of spice that is cozy without being too hot.
- Can easily be made in your instant pot, slow cooker or right on the stove.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- ground turkey – I used 2 pounds of ground turkey, but you could use ground beef for beef chili, ground chicken or even ground sausage. You could also swap out the meat for some extra beans, chickpeas or even lentils to make vegetarian chili or vegan meal.
- veggies – combination of yellow onion, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and jalapeños for some spice, but you could also add in some chopped carrots, sweet potato or corn.
- beans – I used a can of kidney beans, but you could add black beans, pinto beans, white beans or simply leave them out altogether.
- tomatoes – I like to use a mixture of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes, along with some tomato paste to thicken up the chili. You could also use tomato sauce.
- beef broth – I used a low sodium beef broth which adds depth of flavor and thins out the chili, but you could also use chicken broth, chicken stock or vegetable broth.
- garlic – this really punches up the flavor and is a must in this soup! Feel free to use garlic powder if that’s all you have on hand.
- hot sauce – gives this chili a kick of heat and more flavor depending on what spice level you want. A little bit goes a long way.
- sweetener – I know this seems weird, but I always like to use one packet of Stevia in this chili and you’d be surprised what a difference it makes! Feel free to use any type of natural sweetener or even 2 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup. Brown sugar or regular sugar works too.
- seasonings and spices – combination of chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Red pepper flakes made a great addition for a little kick of heat.
How to Make Healthy Turkey Chili
- Brown the turkey. In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground turkey, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned. Drain off any excess liquid and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Sauté the veggies. Drizzle a little olive oil in the hot pan and add in the onion, bell peppers and jalapeños, cooking about 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat, until onion is translucent and peppers have softened. Stir in the garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds.
- Let the chili simmer. Add back in the cooked ground turkey, along with the remaining ingredients, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover, allowing the chili to simmer for about 30 minutes or up to an hour, stirring occasionally so the chili doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add toppings. Ladle the chili into bowls, add your favorite toppings and enjoy! One of my favorite chili recipes!
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Favorite Chili Toppings
There are so many fun toppings you can add to this easy turkey chili recipe, I mean the possibilities are endless! Here are just a few that we love:
- Avocado
- Cotija cheese or cheddar cheese
- A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Cilantro or parsley
- Red or green onions
- Sliced jalapeños
- Crumbled tortilla chips, Fritos or cornbread
Prepping and Storage
To Store: The best part about this turkey chili is that leftovers taste ever better the next day so this is great for meal prep! This chili will last up to a week stored in a sealed, airtight container in your refrigerator.
To Freeze: This chili freezes really well too! Let it cool completely and store in a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw completely overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove top or in your microwave.
More Chili and Soup Recipes
- Classic Beef Stew
- Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
- Crock Pot Butternut Squash Chili
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
Hope you all enjoy the BEST Turkey Chili recipe and if you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
The BEST Healthy Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lbs lean ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, I used Texas Pete
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 packet Stevia
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground turkey, crumbling with a spoon, until browned. Drain off any excess liquid and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Drizzle a little olive oil in the hot pan and add in the onion, bell peppers and jalapeños, cooking about 3 to 4 minutes, until onion is translucent and peppers have softened. Stir in the garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add back in the cooked ground turkey, along with the rest of the ingredients, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover, allowing the chili to simmer for about 30 minutes or up to an hour, stirring occasionally so the chili doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Ladle the chili into bowls, add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made this a few times now, usually with chicken because my grocery store doesn’t ever seem to have fresh ground turkey.. However! It’s delicious. Instead of that stevia packet I have added fresh pineapple and just the juice that accumulated from slicing it. It’s a nice addition 🙂
This is the best chili ever! It is perfect with the turkey to make for a healthier meal and with plenty of leftovers it makes a perfect lunch for the next day!
will definitely be making this soon! just a quick question- I will be using my slow cooker, should I be browning the turkey with onion and garlic or should the onion and garlic go in the slow cooker raw? thanks!
Yes I always brown the meat first, but you can add everything else raw!
Excellent!
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll give it a try. I wasn’t sure whether turkey would work, so I am glad that someone across the pond, the home of decent chilli, has done it. Cheers, Jim.
Just wondering if you know the sodium content for serving size 🙂
Hi Ashley! Sodium amount is 825.7 mg per serving 🙂
Great recipe! Just made it and was seriously impressed how well it came out. Will definitely be making this one a lot this winter..
This chili is the best chili EVER. I was making healthy recipes before getting married and my hubby-to-be is not a big “healthy eating” fan. I made this and he was blown away. All his guy friends ask me to make it before a football game. We make two batches at a time so we can eat it all week. Amazing amazing recipe!! Share it at bridal showers every time a recipe card is given out. Cannot share this recipe enough!
Aww that’s amazing BethAnn!! SO glad to hear you all love this! 🙂
recipe turned out kind of dry. included juice from tomatoes. rinsed kidney beans. Is it supposed to be like that? Good taste but no liquid so is paste-y
Hmm I’m surprised this came out dry for you, did you drain the canned tomatoes? I always use the juice from the tomatoes and the crushed tomatoes (28 oz large can) also creates a liquid as well. Next time you make this feel free to use less tomato paste or omit it altogether if you like! I prefer a thicker chili, but removing the paste will help achieve a more liquid-like consistency next time 🙂
This is a go to meal for my husband and I!!! So delicious!
One question, do you ever make extra and freeze it for later? If so what does that process look like? Do you simply put it in freezer bags in the freezer and just thaw the night before? Or is there a process to freeze it correctly?
Thanks!
I like to divide my chili up into small portions in sealed containers or freezer bags and they should be good in the freezer for up to 4 months. You really can’t go wrong with freezing chili! 🙂