Crockpot Ground Turkey Chili
by Katie Webster
January 27, 2023 Jump To Recipe
This Ground Turkey Crockpot Chili is the best ever! It is veggie-loaded and so simple to prepare. Just brown the ground turkey in a skillet, mix it into the slow cooker with the other ingredients and turn it on! Then just sit back and relax and let the crockpot do all the work.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Crockpot Turkey Chili
My motto is that you really cannot have enough chili recipes! I have shared a variety of healthy chili recipes over the years, from meal-prep Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili, Maple Turkey Chili, and Crockpot Veggie Chili, all the way to my first Turkey Chili made with Pinto Beans – just to name a few!
Needless to say, I have covered a lot of ground. So I was kind of surprised to realize I had never shared a crockpot turkey chili recipe!
Recipe Highlights
- Takes less than 30 mins of hands-on time!
- Loaded with fresh veggies that break down as chili cooks for low-calorie bulk – you’ll never know they’re in there!
- Bold spice blend- this is not your everyday slow cooker chili!
- Customize with your favorite chili toppings.
- Only 368 calories, 10 grams of fiber, and 24 grams of protein per delicious serving.
- Hands-off slow cooker meal – let the crockpot do all the work!
Key Ingredients for this Recipe
- Oil: Avocado or olive oil
- Ground Turkey: One pound, or a 20.8-ounce package
- Seasonings: Ground chili powder, ground cumin, salt, cinnamon, minced garlic
- Vegetables: Bell peppers (any color), zucchini, onion, crushed tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), kidney beans, tomato paste.
- Sweetener: Sugar or maple syrup, optional
- Optional Garnishes: Greek yogurt, scallions, cheddar cheese, cilantro, avocado, and pumpkin seeds.
- Water
Step By Step Instructions For Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Step 1: Brown Turkey
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and then add your turkey. Crumble the meat with a wooden spoon until it’s broken into smaller pieces and is no longer pink. This should take 6 to 8 minutes.
Step 2: Season
Sprinkle the meat with chili powder, cumin, salt and cinnamon. Stir the seasonings well over heat until it’s fragrant. This will take about 30 to 90 seconds. Pour in half a cup of water and stir to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Remove the skillet from the heat and scrape the mixture into the insert of a large (6 quart) slow cooker.
Step 3: Add Vegetables
Add the peppers, zucchini, onion, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, and garlic to the turkey mixture. Stir well.
Step 4: Cook
Cover the slow cooker and set it on low for 8 hours, or 4 hours on high.
Step 5: Serve and Garnish
Taste the chili and add sugar or syrup if desired. Serve in a bowl, topped with optional garnishes.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Yes, you can. To start, brown the turkey with the sautee function. Then, simply stir in the remaining ingredients! Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes and you’re done!
Yes, just make sure you allow it to cool before storing it. Serve the chili within 4 days.
Combine the browned ground turkey and the other ingredients in the slow cooker insert, cover, and then you can refrigerate it overnight. Then in the morning set the insert into the cooker and cook as directed on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours).
Rewarm the chili on your stovetop. You may need to thin it with a little bit of chicken broth to reheat.
Yes, it’ll keep in airtight storage for up to 6 months in the freezer. When thawing, allow it to do most of the work in the refrigerator and then rewarm it on the stovetop with a bit of chicken broth.
You can add whatever vegetables you like! I enjoy this combination of veggies though because they are soft enough to break down almost completely in the slow cooker. It creates a fantastic texture, added nutrition, and low-calorie bulk without feeling like you’re chomping on vegetables.
Substitutions and Variations to Try
- Instead of kidney beans, try using black beans!
- Add in some freshly chopped jalapeno with the other veggies for a little flavor kick.
- Stir in 1 cup of thawed frozen corn kernels at the end for added texture (and delicious corn!).
Serving Suggestions
Chili Toppings
- Greek yogurt for a creamy and cool balance to your chili
- Scallions or green onions
- Cheese: cheddar cheese, Colby Jack, Pepper jack, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican cheese like crumbled Cotija
- Cilantro
- Avocado or guacamole for healthy fats
- Pumpkin seeds
- Pickled jalapenos
- Crushed tortilla chips or homemade baked corn tortilla strips
Additional Ground Turkey Recipes To Try
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Crockpot Ground Turkey Chili Recipe
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 mins
- Yield: 11 cups 1x
Description
This Crockpot Turkey Chili recipe is the best ever! It is veggie-loaded and so simple to prepare. Just brown the ground turkey in a skillet, mix it into the slow cooker with the other ingredients and turn it on! Then just sit back and relax and let the crockpot do all the work.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey (20.8-ounce package works too)
- 3 tablespoons ground chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup water
- 2 bell peppers, diced (any color)
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 2 cloves
- 2 teaspoons sugar or maple syrup, optional
- Optional Garnishes: Greek yogurt, scallions, cheddar cheese, cilantro, avocado, pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey, and crumble with a wooden spoon until broken into small pieces and no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt and cinnamon. Stir well over the heat until fragrant, 30 seconds to 90 seconds. Pour in ½ cup water and stir to scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the skillet. Remove from the heat and scrape the turkey mixture into the insert of a large (6 quart) slow cooker.
- Add peppers, zucchini, onion, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and garlic into the turkey mixture and stir well.
- Cover and set on low for 8 hours, or 4 hours on high.
- Taste and add sugar (or syrup) if desired. Serve topped with optional garnishes.
Notes
To prepare ahead: Combine the browned ground turkey and the other ingredients in the slow cooker insert, cover, and then you can refrigerate it overnight. Then in the morning set the insert into the cooker and cook as directed on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours).
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Active Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours, 15 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 12 g
- Fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 24 g
Keywords: Slow cooker turkey chili, crockpot turkey chili, crockpot ground turkey chili, slow cooker ground turkey chili
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
Hey Katie!!! Haven’t cooked one of your recipes in awhile but this was a real winner.
I am not a fan of chicken chili but there is lots of seasoning and thus lots of flavor in the dish. It made a huge amount for the two of us but I know it will freeze well. I added the maple syrup and we found it took the flavor in a good direction.
Take care!
★★★★★
Hi Debbie! So nice to hear from you. I hope you and Peter are well. Yay, I’m glad you were inspired to try this new chili recipe and double yay that you liked it! Thanks so much for letting me know. That means a lot.
This recipe is easy and delicious! It made two meals for us. I made it according to the recipe, leaving out the sweetener. We decided, however, that it needed a bit of sweetener after all, so for the second meal I added a teaspoon of sugar. (Here in California maple syrup is way too expensive right now!) For toppings we had Mexican cheese blend, pickled jalapenos and avocados. This will definitely be in regular rotation. Thank you!
Isn’t it funny how just a smidge of sweetness really balances the whole flavor profile? You would never know it was in there, but it does taste better. Thanks for coming back to report on how it went. I am glad you liked it!
I don’t see an amount for the chipotle chili powder. Maybe I’m just not seeing it. Thanks!
Thanks for catching that. In earlier versions of the recipe I tried it with chipotle but it was too spicy and took it out of the recipe. I must have left that in the method of the recipe and forgot to delete it. Fixed now! Let me know if you make it and how it comes out.