This healthy turkey chili recipe is packed with protein and nutrients from lean ground turkey and sweet potatoes, making it a satisfying and delicious meal for any time of the year. Perfect for meal prep and leftovers, it's easy to make and sure to be a hit with the whole family.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It makes an easy one-pot meal! This chili makes an easy and delicious go-to recipe for busy weeknights or Sunday game day! It comes together quickly and is hands-off once all the ingredients are added. This one-pot sausage and kale is another favorite for quick weeknight meals!
It's a great recipe for meal prep. I am a huge fan of leftovers and this chili makes the perfect recipe to prep for the week! It heats up wonderfully and tastes just as good as the day you made it! I like to make extra and freeze it so we always have leftover chili on hand.
This healthy chili recipe makes a great meal year-round. This chili is not just great for winter months, it makes a delicious comfort food recipe any time of the year!
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey - using lean ground turkey breast keeps this chili lower in calories and fat making it a great healthy dinner! You can substitute the turkey for ground chicken if you're looking for another healthy alternative to ground beef.
- Sweet Potatoes - turkey and sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven! Not only do the sweet potatoes provide great flavor but they also add substance and texture making this a complete and perfect meal!
- Black Beans - I love black beans in this recipe but feel free to swap them out for your favorite variety of beans or what you have on hand such as pinto beans or red kidney beans.
- Olive Oil - this ingredient can be swapped for avocado oil as well.
- Chili Powder - the staple of any chili seasoning - chili powder gives this stove top chili its classic chili flavor!
- Cinnamon - this is the secret ingredient that makes this the best turkey chili recipe. This warm spice adds so many layers of delicious flavor!
- Diced Tomatoes - diced tomatoes add delicious flavor and added texture to this chili. To spice it up a bit you can use fire-roasted tomatoes!
- Chicken Broth - for an added boost of health benefits you can also swap your chicken stock or broth with chicken bone broth! Feel free to use vegetable broth if that's what you have on hand.
- Toppings - top your chili with all of your favorite toppings such as tortilla chips, red onion, and a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt.
How To Make This Recipe
- Add the olive oil to a dutch oven or large pot and brown the ground turkey until cooked thoroughly over medium heat.
- Remove the turkey and set it aside.
- Saute the onion and garlic in another teaspoon of olive oil until soft and translucent.
- Add turkey back to the pot with onions and add the chili spices. Stir and cook for one minute.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients; the tomatoes and juices, chicken stock, beans and diced sweet potatoes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high heat and bring the chili to a simmer. Allow the chili to cook for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes have softened.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with cheese + all of your favorite toppings and serve hot.
Substitutions
This healthy chili recipe is so versatile and can be adapted to use whatever ingredients you have on hand! Here are some of our favorite substitutions (and additions):
- Add some heat: If you like some heat to your chili, consider adding in peppers or chilies. Cayenne pepper and green chilies are both great options.
- Add extra veggies: This chili is great as it's packed full of healthy ingredients, however, if you'd like to add even more veggies try adding in green bell peppers and cauliflower rice! This is a great way to bulk this recipe up giving you a thicker chili.
- Swap out the beans: Maybe you don't have black beans on hand or prefer another variety. You can mix and match or completely omit the black beans all together. Pinto beans, red kidney beans, and cannellini beans are all great options for chili beans.
- Tomato-based Chili: In addition to the diced tomatoes, you can add a small amount of tomato sauce or tomato paste to create a more traditional tomato-based chili that is still healthy and full of nutrients and lean protein. This Instant Pot Taco Soup and this Easy Minestrone Soup are also great alternatives that contain tomatoes!
Leftovers and Storage
This recipe is great for leftovers! I would even dare to say this ground turkey chili is even better the next day!
You can store this chili in the refrigerator in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also store it in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Chili
While this simple turkey chili recipe makes a complete meal on its own, you can never go wrong with adding sides to a warm bowl of chili!
This gluten-free corn casserole makes the absolute best side for any chili! But if you're looking to add more veggies or greens into your meal, these healthy side dishes are also great options:
Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute the ground turkey in this recipe for ground beef?
While you can use ground beef in place of ground turkey in this recipe, understand that it will substantially increase the calories and fat content of the chili. If you're looking for a chili or soup recipe that uses ground beef, give this Hamburger Soup a try!
Can I make this chili recipe in the instant pot?
Yes, this chili recipe can be made in the instant pot using the saute mode and following the directions for the above stove-top chili. You can also try this Instant Pot Turkey Chili with Quinoa!
Is this healthy turkey chili low in calories?
Yes! Using a lean protein like ground turkey keeps this chili very low in calories. Depending on the toppings you use, a bowl of this chili is under 200 calories!
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Healthy Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¼ lbs ground turkey 85% lean
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock or broth gluten free
- 2 cups diced sweet potatoes
- 1 can black beans rinsed
- salt and pepper
- shredded cheddar for serving
Instructions
- Put a swirl of olive oil in a dutch oven and brown turkey until cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Brown onion and garlic in another teaspoon of olive oil until done.
- Add turkey back to pot with onions and add spices. Stir and cook for one minute.
- Add tomatoes and juices, chicken stock, beans and sweet potatoes.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are softened.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with cheese and serve hot.
Annie
What a great looking chili! Total comfort food!
Karen Kelly
Thanks Annie!
Christina Oliver
I made this for my kids and they loved it
Karen Kelly
Christina, thanks so much for letting me know. I'm so happy to hear they liked it, because I know how picky kids can be!
Katie
could use beef instead? I have trouble finding good ground turkey. The recipe looks yummy and I can't wait to try it.
Karen Kelly
Katie, yes you can absolutely use beef. Get a lean ground beef or you will have to drain off the fat. Good luck and hope you like it!
LINDSEY D
can you make this in a crock pot instead?
Karen Kelly
Hi Lindsey, I think you could but you would have to brown the turkey first in a skillet. I haven't tried it myself so I can't be sure how it will turn out. Hope it works for you!
Meeta K
I do prefer the beef version but always come back to turkey for some variety. This looks great!
Karen Kelly
Thank you!
Cheryl
This is super easy, fast and delicious, however does anyone have the nutritional breakdown for it? I can figure it out, but if its already out there, why reinvent the wheel. Thanks!!
Karen Kelly
Sorry I don't have that Cheryl. I need to start doing that for all my recipes! Thanks!
lorie
Wow..tried the chili...it is amazing with salad and toast.
Definitely a keeper in this household.
Karen Kelly
Lorie, Thanks so much for letting me know. These comments mean a lot to me!
Peg
Definitely trying tonight!!
Ann
Delicious and so easy.
Karen Kelly
Thanks for letting me know Ann! Your ratings mean a lot to me!
Jenni
I LOVE chili for dinner! Love that you made it healthier with turkey!
Calleigh
I wasn't a fan of ground turkey until I tried this chili dish. My family didn't even know ground turkey is in it until I told them lol. I made this chili in mild flavor so anyone can eat it. Thank you for sharing.
Karen Kelly
Thanks so much Calleigh!
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts
I love the use of turkey mince. we so often use it instead of ground pork.
This looks delish!!!!!
And the use of turkey makes it healthy so I can justify a bit of sour cream right?
Karen Kelly
Yes! Bring on the sour cream!
Danielle
I love a hearty turkey chilli. So easy to do and very comforting on a cold day like today.
Annemarie
Chili is just about my favorite meal, and this version looks amazing! I love that you used turkey.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Love the addition of the cinnamon and the sweet potatoes Karen! This would be perfect for the rainy weekend ahead!
Carley
What a great recipe! I loved it.
However....the sweet potatoes never got soft for me....any tips on how to make them soft?
I’d love to make this again!
Karen Kelly
Carley, sorry to hear that. I cut my sweet potatoes into a small dice. Also, the recipe says to cook until potatoes soften so I check them every once in a while by sticking a fork in them. If they aren't done, I keep cooking.
Beth
In the crock pot now!!! I’ll report back!!
starla
do you think this would hold up if frozen and then re-heated?
Karen Kelly
Yes, I've done that before and it worked well. You might need to add a bit of liquid to it when you reheat it.
foodneverythingelse
This Chili looks very comforting and all the ingredients looks very flavourful
Jill
My kids both love the Fuller House show too! I always like chili - healthy or not. Love that you added sweet potatoes to this healthy turkey chili recipe!
Andrea Metlika
This looks perfectly delicious! never had sweet potatoes or any potato in a chili, I've got to try this.
Ellen
So much flavor and I love that you used ground turkey. Makes it a bit healthier!
Chantal
I usually use ground turkey to make meatloaf, this would be a nice change from the norm
Abigail
Can you cook this in a regular pot if you do not have a dutch oven?
Karen Kelly
Yes totally!
Ann K.
Best chili recipe ever! I experimented and put onions and garlic in an Instant Pot on the sauté setting first, then I added the diced potatoes and stirred for a few minutes until the potatoes got a little color on them. And since I try to avoid using as few pots/pans as possible, I then made a little circle in the Instant Pot and poured a little olive oil before browning the turkey along with everything else. I added salt at this point as well to taste the mixture after the turkey cooked. All other steps remained the same for the most part except for the spices, which I added after putting the tomatoes and beans. Once the sauté setting went off on its own, I then put the whole thing back on sauté to thicken it up. If there’s anything left, I leave it on warm overnight, and it’s still perfect and maybe almost a touch better the next day. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Karen Kelly
So glad to hear how you liked it!
Caroline Georgieff
Hi there
I have been making your recipe for a couple of years now and it is a family favourite. I love how simple and flavourful it is. I am just trying to work our the macro nutrients for a serving. I see that your recipe is based on 8 servings, but I am unclear of the quantity that makes a serving (Eg: 1 cup or 2 cups). If you could clarify, that would be great. Thanks!
Karen Kelly
I think it works out to be about one cup. Glad you like the recipe!
Diane
This is a very tasty recipe. I’ve made it a few times now and tonight I used butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes. They were perfect.
Karen Kelly
Great additions!