Instant Pot Turkey Chili is ultimate fall and winter comfort food. Ground turkey, beans, veggies and spices simmer for 20 minutes in your electric pressure cooker with a taste like it has been cooking all day.
Chili is filling, cheap and healthy. Our favorites include buffalo chicken chili and healthy turkey chili.
Instant Pot Chili
This Instant Pot turkey chili tastes like it has been simmering on the stove all day. Flavorful, comforting and hearty bowl of homemade chili entire family will love. Even kids because this stew is not spicy. But you can, if you wish.
This is why I love making chili. Because I can customize it and know everyone will eat dinner. Even kids’ picky friends. Let’s face it.:)
And did I say this chili is healthy?! By using ground turkey instead of ground beef, we avoid eating about 28 grams of saturated fat. Crazy!
Why Cook Chili in Instant Pot?
There is only a handful of recipes that make sense to be made in a pressure cooker. And Instant Pot chili is one of them. Because it’s easy.
Although total cooking time with pressure build up is about 1 hour, prep time is only 15 minutes and you walk away. No waiting to boil or stirring. And chili will taste just like your mom used to make.
Still on a fence about Instant Pot? Check out which one I recommend to buy from my experience. Own one but still not 100% confident around it? Read my Instant Pot guide.
How to Make Instant Pot Chili
I’m including ingredients amount for 6 quart and 8 quart Instant Pots. For 3 quart, half the ingredients of a 6 quart recipe and keep same cooking time.
- Saute ground turkey just enough to separate into small pieces. Instant Pot’s stainless steel pot doesn’t really brown meat, so do not wait for that.
- Add remaining ingredients in exact order listed in the recipe. Do not stir to avoid Burn.
- Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. If you have time, cook for 30 minutes. I noticed the flavor is more deep and consistency more hearty. But 20 minutes will do just fine. Keep in mind chili thickens as it sits and keeps “cooking” even after Instant Pot is turned off.
- Wait 5 minutes and do Quick Release of pressure. Or let pressure cooker come down on its own with NPR. Chili will be thicker this way. Release pressure outside to prevent your house smell like chili for days.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use a combination of large meaty beans like red kidney beans, white beans or pinto beans.
- Ground chicken will work just as well.
- Instead of broth, I use organic low sodium bouillon cubes because I like the convenience and no waste. You can use stock from a carton or just water.
- I often use frozen vegetables like chopped pepper, corn and frozen cooked beans to save time.
- Add smoked paprika for smoky flavor. If you like chili spicy, add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or 1-2 tsps hot sauce.
- I have used venison cut into small pieces many times instead of ground meat.
What to Serve Chili With?
- Serve chili traditionally with shredded cheese, plain yogurt or sour cream, green onion and cilantro.
- You can also serve chili as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
- Make Instant Pot turkey chili go further served over boiled, baked potatoes or sweet potatoes. Or quinoa and brown rice.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes. Hearty soup and stew without tender vegetables freeze well. Cook, cool completely and freeze in glass container for up to 3 months.
To thaw, defrost on a counter or in the fridge overnight. Forgot to thaw ahead? Place container in a bowl with warm water. Just make sure to let glass warm up a bit on a counter to prevent glass from cracking.
Then in either scenario, simmer on the stove covered on low, stirring occasionally and until warmed through.
More Instant Pot Stew (Soup) Recipes
Looking for more dinner ideas? Check out my most popular collection of 30 healthy Instant Pot recipes.
PrintInstant Pot Turkey Chili
Instant Pot Turkey Chili is ultimate fall and winter comfort food. Ground turkey, beans, veggies and spices simmer for 20 minutes in your electric pressure cooker with a taste like it has been cooking all day.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 34 minutes
- Yield: 7 (6 Qt.), 10 (8 Qt.) servings 1x
- Category: Soup and Stew
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
6 Quart Instant Pot
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 cups water + 1 bouillon cube (or stock)*
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup corn, canned or frozen
- 2 x 14 oz can any beans
- 2 tbsp chili powder*
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 6 oz can tomato paste, low sodium
- Avocado oil
- Green onion, cilantro, cheese, plain yogurt (for toppings)
8 Quart Instant Pot
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 4 cups water + 1 bouillon cube (or stock)*
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 2 cups corn, canned or frozen
- 3 x 14 oz can any beans
- 2 1/2 tbsp chili powder*
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 6 oz can tomato paste, low sodium
- Avocado oil
- Green onion, cilantro, cheese, plain yogurt, for toppings
Instructions
- On Instant Pot, press Sauté and let appliance preheat until display says Hot.
- Swirl a bit of oil to coat, add turkey and cook for 4 minutes, constantly breaking into small pieces with spatula. Meat won’t get browned and some pink pieces are OK – our goal is just to create small pieces of meat for every spoonful of chili.
- Add water + bouillon cube (stock), onion, garlic, pepper, corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Cancel to turn Sauté off. Then press Pressure Cooking on High for 20 minutes.
- Display will say ON, Instant Pot will take about 20 minutes to come to pressure, you will see a bit of steam coming out from a valve, then float valve will rise and countdown from 20 minutes will begin.
- After 20 minutes, display will say OFF and Instant Pot needs to bring pressure down, which will be indicated by a dropped down float valve and takes about 20-30 minutes (Natural Release). I recommend you do it with chili as it will thicken and become more flavourful.
- OR you can do Quick Release (if you are in a rush) by turning pressure valve to Venting position, which takes 2-3 minutes. I recommend doing so outside to avoid smell and mess in the house. You can also increase cooking time to 30 minutes with Quick Release (if you have time).
- Open the lid, stir and serve hot with your favourite toppings.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
Notes
- Use a combination of large meaty beans like red kidney beans, white beans or pinto beans.
- Ground chicken will work just as well.
- Instead of broth, I use organic low sodium bouillon cubes because I like the convenience and no waste. You can use stock from a carton or just water.
- I often use frozen vegetables like chopped pepper, corn and frozen cooked beans to save time.
- Add smoked paprika for smoky flavor. If you like chili spicy, add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or 1-2 tsps hot sauce.
- I have used venison cut into small pieces many times instead of ground meat.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
OMG!!! I commented earlier before I made the chili but this was a BIG hit in my home tonight. My husband and kids LOVED it!!!! Thanks so, so much. This is a new staple dinner in our home😊!
Tiffany
★★★★★
So happy to hear, Tiffany!
This was my first instant Pot recipe. So easy and delicious!! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes:)
★★★★★
Yay! So happy to hear, Joanne! Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to let me know you enjoyed my recipe.
Made it, loved it, will make it again! 😀
★★★★★
Awesome, super happy to hear, Tanya!
Hi Olena!
Could you please put up the nutrition information for your recipes. Thanks very much!
It’s there! Inside the recipe card. Just give it a few seconds, it loads a bit slower than we scroll today haha.
Made this tonight and it was fabulous!!! I love the flavor and the calories. Thank you for sharing
★★★★★
Awe, you are so welcome! So happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe!
I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out great, very flavorful:) We had 40 degree temps here in Florida, which is unusual, so I couldn’t wait to make this turkey chili. Thank you,
★★★★★
So happy to hear, Diane. Gosh, take me to Florida haha.
Thank you for the chili recipe. We loved it. Now we have dinner for 2 more nights.
You are very welcome!
Thanks for this recipe, Olena (and the reminder today to rate what we make!) I had the recipe in the back of my mind all summer, but this past weekend I came down with a cold and knew that it was finally chilli time. This was delightfully easy to make and can be customized to one’s own spicyness preference. I do have one question, though: Do you drain or rinse your beans before adding them to the pot? Apologies if you’ve already answered this in the comments–I haven’t read through them yet. Again, thanks for all you do. I love your recipes! 🙂
★★★★★
Awe, you are so welcome! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes, Heidi! No worries. Yes, you always want to drain and rinse canned beans. I make mine from dried without soaking in Instant Pot now. Hope you are feeling better.:)
Hi, is it OK to double the recipe? I have a 6 quart IP.
Milka
You have to use 6 quart ingredients measurements stated in the recipe for 6 quart pot. You can’t exceed max PC line otherwise IP won’t come to pressure. So the answer is no. You would have to use 2 IPs to double the recipe. Or cook 2 times.
I have a 3 qt instant pot. Do you think this recipe could work for me?
For sure! Just cut the 6 quart ingredients amount in half. Same cooking time. Please let me know how you liked the chili. Would love to know!:)
Made this in my 6 Qt. Power Quick Pot and it is delicious! Perfect for a rainy day dinner (except for the trip to the store for ingredients). Thanks for the details, pictures and notes. I’m used to making chili in slow cooker after browning the meat and cooking the onions on the stovetop. It was so easy just to make it all in the pressure cooker and so much faster. I’ve got leftovers in the fridge and some in the freezer, too. I’ll be looking at your other recipes for next week!
★★★★★
Good thing you didn’t have to walk to the store.:) So happy to hear you liked it. That’s what Instant Pot is for – to save time. Common mistake people make is browning the meat and veggies. And cooking too long. Please let me know what other recipes you try.:)
I have only made chili 2 times prior because it gives me horrible indigestion. I found this recipe and decided to try it with my new IP. It was a HUGE hit in my house tonight. I soaked 1 cup of red kidney beans last night and cooked them today in the IP. I was trying to keep the sodium lower. The cooking of the beans was so easy and worth it!! I did 3 C water with 1 C chicken bone broth I had left over from Christmas cooking. I changed the seasoning only a tad because I used canned chili tomatoes (Wal-Mart brand) and since I am new at this I didn’t realize it was already seasoned with chili powder. I thought it meant they were just cut small and puree for the chili texture. LOL…I said I was a Chili Newbie!! I did add only 1/2 of the recipe chili powder and cumin for that reason. I did add more ground turkey that was already fully cooked prior to add more consistency to the mix. Thank you for posting this recipe!!! It was amazing and def making it again!!!!!!!
★★★★★
Well that was a pretty great success for a chili newbie. Too funny. I know the name “chili” can be confusing. Was to me for a while too. Good job!
This looks great! I have a Wolfgang Puck pot that works similar to the Instant Pot. Can I follow the same time requirements to cook this? Thank you!
★★★★
Yes for sure. Just make sure it’s on high pressure.
Thank you so much! I am a new IP cooker, so I looked for an simple and delicious recipes with a proper directions.
This one is my whole family favorite!
★★★★★
Awesome!:) Simple is best – makes you love cooking more.
Finally an Instant Pot chili recipe that doesn’t burn. Thanks for the tip about tomatoes.
★★★★★
Now I had to buy an instant pot. Lol. You’re never allowed to take this blog down!! Lol (I ordered one of those lodge Dutch ovens that will be here tomorrow – hope I won’t be needing anymore kitchen ware. Haha)
OMG you are funny! That dutch oven is the last dutch oven you will own. In the kitchen, you need just a few BUT good appliances. All I use VERY often is dutch oven, blender, food processor, pots, ceramic skillet and slow cooker/Instant Pot. Everything else is kinda not necessary, just cool. You will love your new tools!
Well… gotta match you know!! Lol! I’d never even heard of an instant pot before Boxing Day when everyone was after them. But I think I can ditch my rice cooker/steamer now. Lol I use that ‘better than boullion’ goopy gel stuff from Costco not cubes – should I dissolve it first or just throw it in? (It’s mega low sodium. Love the stuff)
Haha. Yes, you can just throw it in. Just FYI even organic one has maltodextrin in it, a preservative. I didn’t know and was buying it. I was very surprised. Just so you know.
Huh. Wouldn’t you know it!! Sheesh! Thank you for that!
Thanks for the bouillon cube recommendation I’ve been looking for one that has no MSG forever!