This instant pot turkey chili is the BEST turkey chili for Sunday game day or any chilly night. Thick, hearty, and saucy loaded with turkey, veggies, and beans!
I have a very similar recipe using the crockpot to make this delicious healthy turkey chili. But, for those of us who can’t wait 4-8 hours, here is the IP of this delicious turkey and butternut squash chili!
PS – this recipe also freezes BEAUTIFULLY! I froze it along with 12 other freezer meals for my maternity leave. You can find instructions and tips to freeze this recipe (before or after cooking) in this post.
Cook This Turkey Chili In The Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
With the Instant Pot, the clear advantage (over the slow cooker) is the ability to saute the ground turkey and onions in the same pot you are going to cook with. I totally cheated here because I used the IP to saute the ground meat for the slow cooker version and then again for the Instant Pot version. If you have an IP and you want to make two batches and freeze one like I did, you can do the same thing.
I sauteed the ground turkey with onions in avocado oil and then added 1 tablespoon of chili powder directly on to the meat. It adds WAY more flavor to the meat and final product if you add some chili seasoning to the meat, versus just at the end.
Once the meat is done, you can dump in the remaining veggies and beans. I chose to use unsalted beans and diced tomato so that I could control the amount of salt in the recipe. Nothing worse than a recipe that is too salty, ugh, gross. You can always add salt, but you can’t take it away.
Then you dump in the sauce, broth, and seasonings and stir it all up. You can give it a couple of taste tests now if you want since the meat it’s fully cooked it’s technically safe, but probably best to wait till after because your taste test won’t be a true representative of the final product.
I cooked mine on high pressure for 5 minutes then I let it naturally release for 20 minutes.
Here is the thing, that sounds nice but you should keep in mind you will have a FULL POT so it probably took 20-25 minutes for it to come to pressure in the first place. So for the total cooking time in the Instant Pot, we are talking more like 45 minutes to an hour.
If you haven’t purchased an IP yet, I recommend reading what I want you to know about the Instant Pot before picking one up. For my IP veterans, my IP is a 6-quart version. This recipe will work in a larger IP but not a smaller one.
I expected the Instant Pot method to produce a chili that had less flavor than the slow cooker version, but I was totally wrong. It was just as good and took 1/8 of the time to make!
I kept the basic recipe on the mild side, so it was husband and child-friendly, but I provided notes in the recipe card on how to spice things up if you want!
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Instant Pot Turkey Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb 99% ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 can no salt added red kidney beans rinsed, 15 ounces
- 1 can no salt added black beans rinsed, 15 ounces
- 1 green bell pepper seeded, deveined, chopped
- 1 jalapeno OPTIONAL - see notes
- 15 ounces cubed butternut squash (4 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can no salt added diced roma tomatoes 15 ounces
- 2 cans tomato sauce 15-ounces each
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2-4 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt more as needed
Toppings (optional)
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- cilantro
- green onion
- avocado
Instructions
- Turn IP to sautee function. Sautee onions for 1 minute in avocado oil until they are translucent and tender. Then add the ground turkey and brown it until fully cooked. When the turkey is almost done the cooking, add 1 tbsp of the chili powder to it and finish cooking it. Sautee onions for 1 minute in avocado oil until they are translucent and tender. Then add the ground turkey and brown it until fully cooked. When the turkey is almost done the cooking, add 1 tbsp of the chili powder to it and finish cooking it.
- Once the turkey is fully cooked, turn off the instant pot and add the rest of the ingredients into the instant pot. Once the turkey is fully cooked, turn off the instant pot and add the rest of the ingredients into the instant pot.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to seal. Cook on high for five minutes and then let the pressure naturally release at least 20 minutes. Make sure to follow the manual for safety settings and procedures when operating. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to seal. Cook on high for five minutes and then let the pressure naturally release at least 20 minutes. Make sure to follow the manual for safety settings and procedures when operating.
- Season it with more chili powder and salt to taste! Season it with more chili powder and salt to taste!
- Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and green onions.
Notes
- Add 1 chopped jalapeno to cooking. Add it at the same time you add the beans and green pepper.
- If you need to keep it mild for others but want a spicy version for yourself here is what I did: I added sprinkles of cayenne pepper the first night I ate it. But, when I went to store it I split the leftovers into TWO containers. In my container, I placed jalapeno slices on top. The next day when I went to eat it I removed the jalapeno slices but the chili was PLENTY spicy and delicious!
- I have a 6 quart IP, this recipe will work in a larger IP, but not a smaller one.
Nutrition
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