This Turkey Chili recipe is healthy, bold, and scrumptious. It’s easy to make and perfect for meal prep. It’s high in protein and packed with flavor. The recipe includes a how-to video, step-by-step instructions, and lots of tips and variations.
Oriana’s Thoughts On The Recipe
This Healthy, Low-Carb Turkey Chili is an easy one-pot meal full of flavor and made with ingredients you probably have in your fridge! Loaded with healthy, lean, nutritious ingredients, this Healthy Turkey Chili is hands down the best turkey chili we’ve ever made.
What I Love About This Recipe
Ingredients, Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities and instructions (scroll down).
- Ground turkey: Make sure to use a lean version. I usually buy 93% lean 7% fat. You can also use ground chicken if you prefer.
- Seasoning: A mixture of salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin provides the perfect background to make all the other flavors shine. I keep spices simple because my kids are very picky, but feel free to add some heat with cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. Or add more flavor by adding spices and herbs, such as paprika, turmeric, oregano, or whatever sounds good to you.
- Veggies: You’ll need onions, bell peppers, and garlic.
- Tomatoes: I like to add Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, plus tomato sauce. If you don’t want to use tomatoes with green chilies, you can use plain petite diced tomatoes.
- Sweet potatoes: I love the sweetness and color sweet potato adds to this recipe. Don’t skip them!
- Chicken broth: I use chicken broth instead of beef broth to keep things light, but you could also use vegetable broth if you like.
How To Make Healthy Turkey Chili Step-by-Step
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities and instructions (scroll down).
Making this turkey Chili couldn’t be any easier!
- Brown the Turkey
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add the Veggies
Add onions, peppers, and garlic, and sauté for about 3 more minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, sweet potatoes, and broth; mix until well combined.
- Simmer
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro if using. Serve with shredded cheddar and sour cream if desired.
Additions & Variations
Use ground chicken in place of ground turkey.
Add some heat with cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
Add extra flavor with more spices, such as paprika, turmeric, cumin, or whatever sounds good to you.
Add in extra veggies or leave out anything you don’t have on hand. This recipe is super easy to customize!
Add 1 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained.
Add 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, rinsed and drained
Healthy Turkey Chili Crockpot Version
This recipe can be easily made in the slow cooker! In my opinion, there is nothing better than homemade chili simmering in the slow cooker all day…especially in the fall or winter! To make this recipe in the slow cooker, follow these steps:
- Brown the meat. Nowadays, many slow cookers have the browning feature; if yours hasn’t, just brown the meat over the stovetop in a skillet.
- Add the Veggies. Add onions, peppers, and garlic, and sauté for about 3 more minutes.
- Transfer to the Slow Cooker. Place the browned turkey and veggies in the slow cooker and add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, sweet potatoes, and broth; mix until well combined.
- Slow Cook. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
Serving Ideas
I love to serve this chili with my BEST Eggless Cornbread. You can also serve the chili over a bed of cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
My Favorite Toppings for Chili
- Sliced fresh avocado
- Thinly sliced jalapeño
- Shredded cheese
- Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Freshly chopped cilantro
Storing & Freezing Instructions
I usually double or triple my chili recipe so I can store the rest for days I don’t want, or I’m too busy to cook.
- Store: Let the chili cool completely and place it in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Let the chili cool completely and place it in an airtight freezer container or plastic bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Heat in a saucepan over medium-low heat (or the microwave) and serve. If frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight.
PRO TIP: If you are short of time, defrost in the microwave. Then place it in a saucepan, add ½ cup of water (or broth), cover, and heat over low heat until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it can be healthy! How healthy? It depends on what ingredients you use. These are my favorite swaps to make chili healthier but still delicious. To make your chili healthier, I recommend using ground turkey or chicken, instead of beef. Do not add any extra oil. And finally, add lots of herbs and spices to enhance the flavor.
Absolutely! Chili always tastes better the next day after the flavors have had time to really meld together, so feel free to make this up to 2 days in advance, store it in the fridge, and reheat it on the stovetop on low until warmed through.
Yes, you can! Skip the ground turkey and swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth. Add 2 – 3 cans of beans to substitute the protein.
More Healthy-ish Recipes You’ll Love!
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- Easy Tuna Ragu [Keto and Whole 30 Friendly]
- Skinny Oven Fried Pork Chops [KETO friendly]
- Copycat Chick fil A Superfood Salad
- Skinny Glazed Salmon
- Skinny Oven Fried Chicken
- Easy Skinny Arroz con Pollo
- Easy Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
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Recipe Card
Easy Turkey Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lb (900 g) ground turkey
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 cup bell pepper, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (10 oz) Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
- 1 can (29 oz) tomato sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (read notes)
- 9 oz (250 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
- Chopped cilantro to serve (optional)
- Shredded Cheddar to serve (optional)
- Greek yogurt or sour cream to serve (optional)
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned and no longer pink, about 10 minutes—season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add onions, peppers, garlic, and sauté for about 3 more minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, sweet potatoes, and broth; mix until well combined.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro if desired.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Video
- Use ground chicken in place of ground turkey.
- Add some heat by adding 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add extra flavor with more spices, such as paprika, coriander, oregano, or whatever sounds good to you. I recommend adding 1 teaspoon.
- Add in extra veggies or leave out anything you don’t have on hand. This recipe is super easy to customize!
- Add 1 (15 oz) can of dark red kidney beans, rinse, and drain.
- Add 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, rinsed and drained.
- Brown the meat. Nowadays, many slow cookers have the browning feature; if yours hasn’t, just brown the meat over the stovetop in a skillet.
- Add the Veggies. Add onions, peppers, and garlic, and sauté for about 3 more minutes.
- Transfer to the Slow Cooker. Place the browned turkey and veggies in the slow cooker and add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, sweet potatoes, and broth; mix until well combined.
- Slow Cook. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
This recipe was originally published in January 2020. The recipe remains the same, but more notes, tips, photos, and information have been added to the post in February 2025 to make it as helpful as possible!
Hi Oriana,
I’m going to try this recipe tonight. I know the nutrition value is a rough estimate and I’ll figure a few things on my own but what is a “serving size?” A cup, two cups? I’m trying to figure carbs for my son who has Type 1 Diabetes. Thank you.
Hello Tamra! The serving size is about 2 cups. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
I made this last night for dinner in my crockpot and it was so good. I loved it. I used 1 lb of turkey (because that was all I had) and added mushrooms because I had them and wanted to use them up. It was so wonderful, I am looking forward to having it for lunch today! This will be my go-to chili recipe from now on. Thanks!
Hello Caryn! We love this turkey chili too. I usually make a double batch and freeze half for a day I have no time to cook. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know! =)
I imported this recipe into ‘MyFitnesspal”. I changed nothing, made sure it matched for 6 servings.
I verified that all the ingredients imported correctly.
the PER SERVNG calories calculated out at 531 !!!!!
After REMOVING the cheddar cheese and sour cream, the servings calculated at 360 calories.
After REDUCING the Turkey amount, to 1 lb (instead of 2) for 6 servings, the calories went down to 248……..
I believe you need to make a change to this recipe to NOT include the optional cheese and sour cream and to reduce the amount of turkey in order to make your ‘Healthy Low Carb Turkey Chili accurate to the nutrition you claim.
Hello Barbara! Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate, and it can vary depending on the products used, so I would highly recommend using your own tools to calculate it. Thanks so much for your feedback and for trying my recipe.