Instant Pot Turkey Chili

This Instant Pot Turkey Chili is made with ground turkey, beans, veggies and spices quickly in your pressure cooker with a taste like it has been simmering all day. You can also make it with dried beans!

Love healthy chili recipes? Try our reader shared Instant Pot beef chili or wildly popular Instant Pot white chicken chili.

This Instant Pot turkey chili tastes like the best turkey chili that has been simmered on the stove all day! Flavorful, comforting and hearty bowl of homemade chili entire family will love. Even kids because this soup is not spicy.

Not all but many recipes make sense to be converted to Instant Pot recipes. And turkey chili is one of them. Because it’s easy!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Make it your own: This is why I love making chili! Because I can customize it and I know everyone will dinner. Even kids’ picky friends, let’s face it!
• Healthier: By using ground turkey instead of ground beef, we avoid eating about 28 grams of saturated fat. Healthier is only Instant Pot vegetarian chili.
• Easy recipe: Although total cooking time with pressure build up is about 30 minutes, 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.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Turkey Chili

• Ground turkey: Lean or extra lean ground turkey, even ground chicken will be great in this recipe.
• Beans: You can use any combination of beans. I like to use red kidney beans, pinto beans and any white beans like navy, cannellini or lima. More varieties, more flavor. If you cook dried beans without salt, add 1 teaspoon salt.
• Corn: Fresh, canned (drained) or frozen corn (no need to thaw).
• Canned diced tomatoes and paste: No need to drain diced tomatoes. If you have Rotel, diced tomatoes with green chilies, even more flavor.
• Broth or stock: Pick low sodium. I like to use organic low sodium bouillon cubes mixed water to save storage space, packaging and money. Or Instant Pot chicken broth or Instant Pot beef bone broth when I have it on hand.
• Spices: Chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper.

How to Make Turkey Chili in Instant Pot

This Instant Pot turkey chili can be made in 6 quart Instant Pot and 8 quart Instant Pot as written. For 3 quart, half the ingredients and keep same cooking time.

• Brown the meat: Saute ground turkey just enough to separate into small pieces. It doesn’t have to be cooked through or browned.
• Add remaining ingredients: Add broth, onion, garlic, bell pepper, corn, beans, chili, powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste in this exact order, just like listed in the recipe. Do not stir to avoid the Burn message.
• Cook: Pressure cook chili on high pressure for 15 minutes. Release pressure using Quick Release or you can let pressure cooker come down on its own with Natural Release.

Tips for Best Results

• Browned bits of meat stuck to the pot: Deglaze the pot only if you see the bottom has stuck bits to it. Add 1/2 cup broth and deglaze the pot. My 6 quart Instant Pot runs hotter and browns more than 8 quart one.
• Make sure tomatoes are on top: Add ingredients in the order listed in the recipe with diced tomatoes and tomato paste going in last. This is to avoid the Burn message.
• Don’t stir before cooking: Again it helps to avoid the Burn message. If you stir, tomato can be touching the bottom of the pot and its sugars burning.
• Don’t double the recipe: I do not recommend to double this recipe even in 8 quart Instant Pot because ingredients will not fit and pot won’t come to pressure! What you can do though, add extra 1 pound of meat and a can of beans, then adjust seasonings to taste at the end.
• To thicken the chili: This chili will thicken with time but if you want it to be very thick right away, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and add to the pot. Then press Saute, stir and simmer for a few minutes until thickened.

Can I Make It with Dried Beans?

Yes! By super popular demand I have tested this Instant Pot turkey chili with dried beans. Result was ah-mazing.

Not only it is convenient, cheap and lower in sodium version of chili, the stew comes out more hearty thanks to a bean broth. Texture wise similar to healthy white chicken chili where we mash some beans for hearty thick stew texture.

To make chili with dried beans, you do not have to soak them. Use 2 cups rinsed dried beans with 4 cups of broth and pressure cook for 40 minutes.

If you cook red kidney beans in Instant Pot or black beans in Instant Pot, they only take on average 12 minutes with NPR. But because we have many other ingredients in the pot, cooking time is 3 times longer. Just like with Instant Pot rice and beans cooked together in a pressure cooker. Science!

Serving Suggestions

• Fixings: Serve chili traditionally with shredded cheese, plain yogurt or sour cream, green onion, cilantro, lime and avocado. And how can you forget a slice of buttery almond flour cornbread or some cornbread muffins?!
• Serve as an appetizer: With tortilla chips for dunking.
• With a salad: Mexican kale salad or Mexican street corn salad would go well with this turkey chili.
• Stretch it: Make Instant Pot turkey chili go further served over Instant Pot baked potatoes or Instant Pot spaghetti squash.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Hearty soups and stew without tender vegetables freeze well. Cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: Simmer on the stovetop covered on low heat, stirring occasionally and until warmed through.

FAQs

More Chili Recipes to Try

• White bean pumpkin turkey chili
• Buffalo chicken chili
• Ground chicken chili
• Crockpot white chicken chili

More Instant Pot Recipes

• Instant Pot taco soup
• Instant Pot ground turkey quinoa bowls
• Instant Pot meatballs

Looking for more ideas? Check out this collection of our top healthy Instant Pot recipes!