Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Sweet Potato
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This lean, healthy slow cooker turkey chili is not only hearty and absolutely delicious, but it’s also chock full of fiber, protein, and nutrients. It’s also gluten-free & dairy-free! This crockpot chili is delicious and fresh but is also a great make-ahead meal.
Or try our Instant Pot Turkey Chili or Stovetop Turkey Chili instead.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavorful: It has a medley of spices and textures that lend complexity to this chili. Don’t worry, it’s not too spicy though. Our Slow Cooker Steak Chili is another winner dinner.
- Healthy: It’s filled with wholesome ingredients like lean turkey, lots of veggies, and beans, so this chili is packed with protein, fiber, and nutrients.
- Versatile: We have well-tested instructions for Instant Pot Turkey Chili and Easy Turkey Chili for the stovetop too.
- Great for Meal Prep: We love to prep this one as a Crock Pot Freezer Meal. Check out our freezer prep instructions on the recipe below.
- High in Protein: We explain how important protein is in our Round up of High Protein Slow Cooker recipes. This turkey chili fits the bill with 21 grams per serving.
Ingredients Needed
Here are some of the powerhouse ingredients in this delicious, yet oh-so-healthy chili…
Substitutions & Variations
- Ground Turkey – You can use ground chicken instead.
- Petite Diced Tomatoes – You can use regular diced tomatoes or fire roasted diced tomatoes (which add more flavor).
- Sweet Potato – Butternut squash can work instead.
- Black Beans – You can substitute kidney beans.
How to Make Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Saute Sweet Potaotes
In a large skillet or pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat until shimmery. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until softened and starting to take on some color. Season lightly with salt and pepper while they cook. Transfer to a plate and set aside
Brown Meat Mixture
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat until shimmery. Add the onion, jalapeno, and turkey and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the turkey is cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain off some of the excess liquid/grease and return to the hot burner. (Tip: I do this by holding a lid on top and cracking it just a little while draining the liquid into a bowl.)
Add More Ingredients
Add the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano (crush it in your hand first) to the skillet and stir to coat the meat mixture. Cook for only 1 minute to release the flavors of those ingredients. Transfer to the slow cooker insert.
Slow Cook & Serve
Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, the cooked sweet potatoes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. Stir in the lime juice when done.
Taste and season with more salt or lime juice to your preference. Chili will thicken as it sits and cools slightly. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.
Topping Ideas for Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
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- Diced avocado
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- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
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- Shredded cheddar cheese
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- Crushed corn tortilla chips
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- Thinly sliced green onions
Can I Freeze Turkey Chili?
You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for the best freezer meals. This is one of them! It’s one of my favorite soups to make at the beginning of the week and freeze for lunches.
There are two ways to make this a freezer meal:
1) Prepare it so it will be ready to dump in the slow cooker later. Here’s how:
- Follow step 1, but set the sweet potato aside to cool instead of transferring it to the slow cooker.
- Follow step 2 and let the meat mixture cool.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes and meat mixture to a gallon-size freezer bag or container and add the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Seal, toss gently to combine, and freeze.
- To prepare from frozen, thaw and transfer the chili to the slow cooker. Follow steps 4 and 5.
2) Fully cook and cool the soup and freeze it in small containers. Use one of our safe thawing methods when you want to eat it! Pro Tip: I love using Souper Cubes for freezing soups.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Use our Instant Pot Turkey Chili recipe or Stovetop Easy Turkey Chili recipe instead.
You bet! This is a great recipe for anyone trying to avoid gluten and dairy in their diet. Just skip the sour cream topping at the end and you’ll have yourself a super healthy bowl of chili!
If you want a few more gluten-free, dairy-free soup options, try one of these:
– Stovetop Chili
– Pizza Soup
– Coconut Curry Soup
– Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
– Pumpkin Chili
More Amazing Chili Recipes
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Sweet Potato and Black Beans
This lean slow cooker turkey chili is not only hearty and absolutely delicious, but it’s also chock full of fiber, protein, and nutrients. It’s perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner and then leftovers for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 3 cups 1/2-inch diced peeled sweet potatoes (about 1 large)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeno pepper (about 1 small)
- 1 pound 99% lean ground turkey
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (2 teaspoons pre-minced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano, crushed in hand
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, juices and all
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste (1-2 small limes)
- Optional toppings for serving: lime wedges, diced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions or chives, cilantro leaves, hot sauce, etc.
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Saute Sweet Potatoes: In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat until shimmery. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until softened and starting to take on some color. Season lightly with salt and pepper while they cook. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Saute Meat Mixture: In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat until shimmery. Add the onion, jalapeno, and turkey and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the turkey is cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Optional: Drain off some of the excess liquid/grease and return to the hot burner. (Tip: I do this by holding a lid on top and cracking it just a little while draining the liquid into a bowl.)
- Add More Ingredients: Add the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano (crush it in your hand first) to the skillet and stir to coat the meat mixture. Cook for only 1 minute to release the flavors of those ingredients.
- Slow Cook: Transfer the meat/veggie mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, the cooked sweet potatoes, 3/4 teaspoon salt*, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. Stir in the lime juice when done.
- Serve: Taste and season with more salt or lime juice to your preference. Chili will thicken as it sits and cools slightly. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.
*Use 1 teaspoon salt if you used low sodium chicken broth.
Freezer For Later:
- Method 1 (before slow cooker): Complete recipe through Step 3. Add the cooked and cooled meat and vegetables to a gallon-sized freezer bag or container. Then, add the remaining ingredients from Step 4 to the same bag. Seal, toss gently to mix, and freeze.
- Method 2 (fully cooked): Fully cook and cook the chili. Freeze in a large freezer bag or in individual containers.
Prepare From Frozen:
- Method 1 (before slow cooker): Thaw for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator. Cook according to instructions beginning with Step 4.
- Method 2 (fully cooked): Thaw in the refrigerator. Warm on the stovetop, in the crock pot, or in the microwave.
Notes/Tips
- I updated this recipe on 11/13/24 to more closely match our cookbook recipe in From Freezer to Cooker. I also incorporated a few techniques I’ve learned for adding more flavor–toasting the tomato paste and spices and adding in lime juice for acid at the end. I also increased the jalapeno amount slightly (don’t worry it’s not too spicy at all). All of those changes add up to a better recipe in my opinion. I hope you enjoy it! (If you prefer the old version, you can print off the original version here.)
- Other Versions: Use our Instant Pot Turkey Chili recipe or our Easy Turkey Chili recipe for the stovetop.
- Be sure to chop and lay out all your ingredients and equipment before beginning this recipe, since it goes quickly once you begin.
- The jalapeño adds a low level of heat in the background—not overpowering at all. If you like more heat, add more jalapeño or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- I love to freeze this chili in 2-cup glass containers with lids or Souper Cubes so I can warm them up for lunches in the microwave.
- You can double this recipe in a 6-quart slow cooker. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to saute the turkey and vegetables in two batches.
Photos and video by Whitney Reist of Sweet Cayenne.
Where does the tomato paste go?
Hi Jocelyn. I edited the recipe to include the tomato paste in the directions. It is mixed it with the seasonings and diced tomatoes, etc. before slow cooking. Sorry we omitted it. Thank you for asking so we could make that change.
Super delicious! Altered the recipe by omitting the jalapeno and using one chipotle chile in adobo sauce plus 1 tsp extra adobo sauce. Decreased the chili powder to 1-1/2 tsp and the cumin to 1 tsp. Will make again!
Hi Danielle. Glad you were able to make a few tweaks to better match your family’s tastes. Thank you for detailing them for others to know about!
Hi! First time visitor to your site, was wondering if I could use another protein that’s not turkey? Or perhaps sub chickpeas?
Hi Christine. You could sub ground chicken for the turkey. And you could certainly sub any other ground meat, but would need to adjust seasonings a bit. If you sub chickpeas, let us know how it turns out! So glad you found us!
This has become a staple in our house for guests and for everyday. It’s such a crowd pleaser!
Glad to hear this Anna! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Absolutely delicious! This will be added to my must repeat recipes.
Wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
The ground turkey, sweet potato, and black bean chili is delicious and filling! My husband doesn’t love ground turkey or sweet potatoes, but said this chili was really good 😉.
Oh wow! That’s awsome that your husband liked this chili given that he doesn’t like two of the main ingredients. So glad you gave it a try and that you left a review for others to know that they might enjoy this recipe even if they too don’t love ground turkey or sweet potatoes!