Easy High-Protein Instant Pot Turkey Chili
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This healthy instant pot chili is the perfect meal for cold days. Don’t know about you, but a book, blanket and bowl (of chili) is all I need when the weather starts turning.
Loaded with white beans, corn, turkey and tomatoes, this chili is full of rich flavors with just a little kick of spice from green chilis. We add a touch a cream and arrowroot powder to make this a robust and hearty meal you’ll have all week long.
The best part about this easy meal is adding your favorite chili toppings. Don’t be shy ya’ll. I love sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Try my chicken and white bean chili or black bean chicken chili for different, but equally as delicious, variations.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 33 grams of protein.
- Easy one pot meal with pantry staples.
- Great way to meal prep.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients Instant Pot Turkey Chili. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Lean Ground Turkey: ground beef, ground chicken or ground pork.
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Fresh Garlic
- Great Northern White Beans: pinto beans, red kidney beans or black beans.
- Green Chilies
- Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies: I used Rotel Original.
- Chicken Broth: chicken stock or vegetable broth is fine.
- Corn: fresh, frozen, canned or grilled.
- Fat-Free Half and Half: makes your soup rich and creamy. You can substitute it with Greek yogurt or full-fat coconut milk.
- Arrowroot Powder: used as a thickening agent. You can use cornstarch at a 1:1 ratio.
Variations
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese, fresh chives, green onions, diced avocado or a dollop of sour cream.
- Adjust the heat level by adding hot sauce, cayenne pepper or jalapeños.
- Add tortilla chips for some crunch.
- Add green pepper or sweet potatoes.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is gluten-free, as written.
- For dairy-free, omit the half and half.
How to make Instant Pot Turkey Chili (a step-by-step guide):
Step 1: brown ground turkey
Turn on the Instant Pot to the sauté function. Add the olive oil, ground turkey, onion, and garlic (image 1).
Cook, breaking up the turkey with a spoon, until the turkey is browned and the onion is softened (image 2).
Step 2: add seasonings and mix ins
Add the cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper and mix evenly into the turkey to coat (image 3).
Add the beans, rotel, green chilies, chicken broth and corn. Stir until well combined, scraping up the browned bits (image 4).
Step 3: pressure cook
Close the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set the timer for 15 minutes. When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
Step 4: make it creamy!
Open the lid and turn the Instant Pot back to the sauté mode. In a small bowl, whisk together the half and half and arrowroot powder. Stir the mixture into the chili (image 5). Cook the chili for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it thickens to a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Expert Tip!
Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot after browning the turkey to avoid anything burning.
Recipe FAQs
Chili gets better the next day as the flavors blend together. Keep any leftover turkey chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Re-heat over the stove on medium-low heat or the microwave. You can freeze the chili in freezer-safe containers and use it within 3 months.
Toppings, toppings, toppings! Olives, green onions, cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, etc. Serve with a side of bread for dipping to really live a little.
Pre-cook the turkey on the stove and season with seasonings. Add to the crockpot. Add all the remaining ingredients, stir and cover with the lid. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes prior to serving remove the lid and add the arrowroot/half-and-half blend and stir to combine. Let the chili continue to cook on the LOW setting for the remaining 30 minutes, or until it has thickened to a creamy consistency.
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven brown the turkey and season with seasonings. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Remove the lid and add the arrowroot/half-and-half blend and stir to combine. Simmer until the chili has thickened and reached your desired consistency.
Check out some of our other healthy recipes!
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Instant Pot Turkey Chili
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Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. lean ground turkey 99/1%
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained 15.5 oz. each
- 1 can chopped green chilis 4 oz.
- 1 can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies 10 oz.
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregeno
- 1 tsp. salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup corn (frozen, fresh, or canned) 70g
- 1/2 cup fat-free half and half 105g
- 2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder cornstarch is fine too
Optional Toppings
- shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped fresh chives
- diced avocado
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- lime wedges
- hot sauce
- sliced jalapeño
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Turn on the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Add the olive oil, ground turkey, onion, and garlic. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a spoon, until the turkey is browned and the onion is softened.
- Add the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and mix evenly into the turkey to coat. Add the beans, rotel, green chilies, chicken broth amd corn. Stir until well combined.
- Close the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set the timer for 15 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure. Open the lid and turn the Instant Pot back to the sauté mode.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the half and half and arrowroot powder. Stir the mixture into the chili. Cook the chili for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it thickens to a creamy consistency.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary and serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are always an estimate and will change with substitutions.
- Substitute ground turkey with ground chicken or beef.
- Use any desired beans.
- Add spices to taste.
- Add 1 de-seeded jalapeño for added heat.
Delicious when first made, even better as a leftover!
Hi! Only have 1 pound of turkey, do you think that would be OK and keep all the other ingredients to the serving Size you indicate?
Hi ,it does look delicious can I make this without the Insta Pot.
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe! We found it when doing a search for ground turkey recipes, in our attempt to eat healthier food. This was so simple yet has SO much flavor. We will definitely be making it regularly.
Yay! So glad to hear you loved it. Thank you!
This is delicious and easy and it’s on repeat in our home. The first time I made it my parents were at our house for dinner and we all loved it! I love how flavorful but lean this recipe is so that I can add all the yummy toppings like avocado and cheese. I like Greek yogurt so choose that instead of sour cream but I use the plain Oikos Pro for a little more protein and a little fat but lots of creaminess.
Made this on the stovetop and it turned out so good! Topping bar included Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, jalapeños, hot sauce and oyster crackers (per my 4 year olds request).
I have always loved white chili but this one, the best of the best! I did the crockpot version as I do not have an instant pot and it came out perfect. Highly recommend. The only issue I had was I used cornstarch instead of arrowroot and it clumped up (even after stirring) so it did not thicken up as it should have, but it was still so good! I’m sure the leftovers will thicken up in the fridge.
Really good!!! I did feel like it took longer than 25 min though. Toddler approved as well which is a plus!
I’m glad you liked it!! Probably from waiting for the IP to come to pressure, always feels like a lifetime waiting on that thing.
Doubled the batch to freeze some and OMG. So delicious. Didn’t change a thing!!!
Right!? Freezing is the BEST.
This is a weekly favorite of ours! I’ve substituted the ground Turkey for ground chicken and it’s just as good!
I’ve done that many times : ) So glad you enjoyed and it’s in the weekly rotation.
Can I cook this on the stove or in a crock pot instead?
Definitely – I have instructions in this post on how to do that!
Delicious! No season adjustments needed for this household of two. Thank you for the servings adjuster…huge + for us. Look forward to trying more of the recipes, yum!
Delicious! No season adjusts for this household of two. And thank you for the servings adjuster…huge + for us. Look forward to trying more of the recipes, yum!
Made this tonight as my first chili/soup of the season, and it was perfect. This will be my go-to white chili now, for sure. Easy to put together, and I made homemade protein cornbread muffins (from another favorite IG macro girl that i love) while it cooked. Yummy!!! So glad I have some leftovers to enjoy this weekend too.
Oh I’d love that cornbread recipe!