The Best Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe - iFoodReal.com (2024)

Hearty and comforting Healthy Turkey Chili is bursting with flavor thanks to lean ground turkey, kidney beans, and the perfect blend of spices. Prepare on the stovetop or slow cooker for the best game day meal or an easy dinner!

We also adore this turkey pumpkin chili.

Fall is the perfect season for enjoying warming soups and stews like this healthy turkey chili. Inspired by The Biggest Loser TV show, it’s hearty comfort food to the max and satisfies any cool weather cravings.

Plus, it just happens to be easy to make and filled with better for you ingredients! That is what makes it the best healthy turkey chili recipe if you ask me.

While we love making award winning Instant Pot chili with ground beef, this homemade ground turkey chili is a low fat, healthier alternative packed with flavor and lean protein! Each bowl will practically be licked clean.

This healthy chili recipe is thick in texture, full of classic flavors, and just begging to be topped cheese, avocado, or crushed tortilla chips. Save some for leftovers, as it tastes even better the next day!

Ingredients and Notes

This healthy turkey chili recipe uses whole food ingredients including pantry staples and fresh vegetables.

• Ground turkey: Lean ground turkey makes this a healthier chili. Ground chicken could be used as your type of ground meat, too.
• Vegetables: You’ll need garlic cloves, white or yellow onions, celery and bell peppers. I used one red bell pepper and one green pepper. You could add 1 1/2 cups corn if desired.
• Beans: Canned beans save time, although you can cook dried beans from scratch. I used Instant Pot kidney beans and canned white beans, although any variety works like black beans, cannellini beans or pinto beans. Avoid chili beans as they have added seasoning.
• Chicken broth: Vegetable broth or chicken stock also could be used.
• Tomato sauce: Or crushed tomatoes.
• Olive oil
• Chili seasoning and spices: This simple turkey chili is seasoned with chili powder, taco seasoning, salt, black pepper, and chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. If you love lots of spices, add some cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, too.
• Optional toppings: Avocado, plain Greek yogurt (or a dollop of sour cream), shredded cheese, cilantro, jalapeno slices, chopped green onions, tortilla chips etc. Note that any toppings added will alter the low calorie chili nutritional information.

How to Make Healthy Turkey Chili

Here is a quick overview in photos how to make healthy turkey chili. There is full recipe card below.

All you need to know is that this easy turkey chili recipe is a simple one-pot meal. Add your ingredients to a stove top pan and let them cook to develop amazing flavors.

1. Brown the meat: Preheat a large 5–6-quart Dutch oven, heavy bottom large pot, or large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey and cook until it crumbled into small pieces (around 5 minutes), stirring and breaking it up constantly.
2. Sauté onion and garlic: Add the chopped onion and garlic and reduce stove to medium heat. Allow them to sauté for a minute or two, stirring occasionally.
3. Brown remaining vegetables: Then add the finely chopped celery and bell pepper and cook for a further five minutes. Stir only occasionally to allow the veggies to brown (which will provide tons of flavor to the healthy turkey chili).
4. Simmer: Add the ground turkey and all the remaining ingredients back into the Dutch oven/pot, stir, and cover with a lid. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Can I Make Turkey Chili in Crockpot?

Yes. You can also make this into a slow cooker turkey chili and leave it to simmer all day. A warm bowl of chili is a perfect meal for cold days and busy weeknights!

1. Sauté ingredients: First, brown lean turkey, onion, garlic and vegetables in pan (as written above for stovetop version).
2. Transfer to slow cooker: Along with the meat and veggies, add the beans, tomato sauce, broth, chipotle pepper, and seasonings to the crockpot. Then, mix, cover, and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Finally, adjust to taste preference, and serve with your favorite toppings!

Can I Make This Healthy Chili in the Instant Pot?

Sure! First saute your ground turkey for about 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients adding tomato products last. Do not stir. Pressure cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. After Quick Release, stir and enjoy.

Also be sure to check out this Instant Pot turkey chili.

How to Serve This Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe

The best part of a bowl of chili is that it’s a healthy meal on its own! That being said, I live with hungry boys and they enjoy when it’s served with cornbread muffins or almond flour cornbread.

My preference is to serve healthy turkey chili with a fresh green salad or something light like this avocado salad recipe.

Of course the best turkey chili recipe is served with toppings! In my opinion, shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, yogurt, and diced red onion are not to be missed.

How to Store Leftovers

After the chili cools slightly, place in an airtight container and refrigerate the leftovers for up to 5 days.

To store longer, cool completely to room temperature and transfer to the freezer up to 3 months. We are a huge fan of leftovers and this healthy turkey chili recipe is great for easy meal prep!

More Chili Recipes to Try

• Instant Pot white chicken chili
• Healthy white chicken chili
• Crock pot buffalo chicken chili
• Ground chicken chili recipe
• Keto chili recipe

Browse all healthy chili recipes!