This Slow Cooker Pumpkin Turkey Chili Recipe is the perfect hearty recipe for fall with a hint of pumpkin spice.
Once fall starts coming around we start seeing Pumpkin Spice Everything! As soon as the first leaf falls in the northern climates it’s a mad rush to grab the pumpkin.
But it seems like almost all the foods using pumpkin are sweet. Why is that? Pumpkin is actually a vegetable and we usually see veggies in savory dishes rather than sweet.
So, amid all the pumpkin muffins, cookies and cakes of the fall, I want to share this Slow Cooker Pumpkin Turkey Chili recipe.
This pumpkin chili is a hearty and delicious meal perfect for fall. And one of the great things about it is that it cooks right up in the slow cooker.
And using ground turkey rather than beef (which of course you can do instead if you want), it makes a lean meal packed with veggies and beans.
Since this recipe calls for browning the turkey and onions before adding to the slow cooker, I love to use my Cuisinart 3-In-1 Cook Central Multi-Cooker.
It lets you brown/saute the food right in the cooker and then switch over to continue to cool on a slow cook setting. It means no extra dishes and basically one less step.
If you won’t be browning your turkey in a slow cooker, then I recommend using a slow cooker liner for this dish. You can find them here.
Once you are done cooking and serving, just pull the liner of the pot and throw away. You’ll be left with a totally clean slow cooker with nothing to wash!
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Turkey Chili Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 15 oz. can chili beans
1 15 oz. can seasoned black beans
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
How to Make Pumpkin Turkey Chili in the Crockpot:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add ground turkey and chopped onion. Continue to cook until ground turkey is crumbly and no longer pink, and then drain and discard any fat.
2. Transfer cooked turkey and onions to a slow cooker and stir in all remaining ingredients. Set Crockpot to the low heat setting. Cover and cook for 3 hours.
3. Serve hot with cheese sprinkled on top, if desired.
Chili is always great served with a crusty bread. We recommend our Easy Garlic Cheese No Knead Bread recipe!
What is Pumpkin Pie Spice?
Don’t worry if you don’t have Pumpkin Pie Spice in your spice cabinet. You can easily make your own pumpkin pie spice with four common spices. Here’s how to do it:
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
- 1 15 oz. can chili beans
- 1 15 oz. can seasoned black beans
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Once oil is hot, add ground turkey and chopped onion.
- Continue to cook until ground turkey is crumbly and no longer pink, and then drain and discard any fat.
- Transfer cooked turkey and onions to a slow cooker and stir in all remaining ingredients.
- Set crock pot to the low heat setting. Cover and cook for 3 hours.
Michelle says
WOW this was amazing! My friends and family loved it !
Thanks for sharing this . I even pureed my hollween pumpkin .
We are making our second batch today double it up to freeze some.
Chrysa says
Oh, yay! I’m so glad you all loved it! Thanks for letting me know.
Becky Dreger says
I made this for the second time yesterday. I was delicious. I’m sure I’ll live it even more once I get my sense of smell back. (List due ti COVID.)
My husband loved it.
Adrienne says
Hi! My family loves this recipe! Any idea of the nutritional values for this weight watcher?
Chrysa says
Hi. I just added the nutritional calculations to the recipe card. (Just a note though that the calculations are done automatically so might not be 100% spot on!)
Adrienne says
Made this last night for dinner, and it was delicious! I may never eat chili without pumpkin again!!
Chrysa says
I’m so glad to hear you liked it!
Linda Kinsman says
What a tasty looking recipe! I like the idea of adding pumpkin to chilli. Makes me hungry look at your photos!
Dandi D says
I’ve never tried chili with pumpkin in it before, but it sounds like it’s really yummy!
Janet W. says
This looks like a delicious recipe! I love this time of year where I can make warm meals like this! Yum!
Jeana says
This recipe sounds great! I can’t wait to try it. But pumpkin is not a veg, it is a fruit. No matter….it’s great served many, many ways. =) Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Stephanie Larison says
My husband’s two faves, pumpkin anything (haha) and chili. He’d love me forever if I made this for him.