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
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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.
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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.
Absolutely delicious! My husband is not a huge fan of ground turkey or sweet potatoes, but he loved this chili. We will definitely make this again soon.
Love to hear when a recipe wins over someone who doesn’t necessarily like the individual ingredients! Thanks for sharing Katie.
I have been making this recipe for years. I am 68 & stopped eating beef about 12yrs ago. Relied on lean ground turkey for my protein. Awesome!
Hi Susan! I have been replacing ground turkey in a variety of recipes over the years for that leaner protein, too. So glad you like this recipe and took the time to let others know!
I’ve made this recipe before and we love it! I’m going to make it again for a book club meeting; any recommendations for cheese pairings for a charcuterie board to go with it?
Great idea! I think of a sharp cheddar since it would cut across a little of that sweetness from the sweet potato and go well with the tex-mex flavors. But I’d definitely ask your cheese expert at your local grocery store. I always depend on our cheese gal at my local Hy-Vee for these kinds of decisions.
Is pre-cooking the sweet potatoes necessary with the amount of time in the slow cooker?
Actually, I tested this recently and you do NOT need to precook them. Sauteeing adds a little more texture/flavor, but this is still absolutely delicious if you throw them in there uncooked. Enjoy!
This turkey chilli was a big hit in our house. I usually am not a big fan of chilli but went back for more. Yum
Great to hear that, Amy. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Can this be cooked from frozen in the Instant Pot? Or would I need to thaw and then cook?
Made this last week. Delicious and easy to make. Great combination.
Just had it for lunch today! It’s so flavorful. Glad you liked it too.
How would you make this in the Instant pot? Sauté as directed and then use “stew” function?
Never mind! I found it in Freezer to Cooker!
Joanna, how long did you cook for in Instant Pot? High pressure? Going to try to do the same!
I just added in the IP instructions at the bottom of the recipe card. I hope that’s helpful!
Amazing!!! Making tonight. Thank you!
Can I make the recipe through step 5 and then freeze portions? I am planning meals for after surgery and want things as easy as possible.
Yes, absolutely! I hope it’s helpful and healing for you.
We loved this chili! It tasted so warm and good on a cool evening in Michigan.
I will definitely be making this in the future and sharing with friends who appreciate good chili.
That’s great! Thanks for the feedback!
We love this for family dinner and it is GREAT for sharing with a group! It doubles well!
Yay! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Is there any reason you couldn’t leave the skins on the sweet potatoes?
You totally can. I roast them that way all the time. Just scrub them well.
hello!! quick question, i don’t have a crockpop, how else can i cook this? thank you 😉
You can make this on the stove. Just simmer for about 15-20 minutes (or longer, if you want), stirring occasionally, after cooking the potatoes and ground turkey.
Made a double batch in our large cooker, and my husband objected to freezing the leftovers as planned. So that’s a big thumbs up!
My only two cents – might be nice if the sweet potatoes were firmer, so maybe add in the last 20 minutes, or skip the saute step. And might be helpful to list the total volume or what size crock pot to use – I spent a minute debating whether the doubled recipe would fit. But all’s well, and it worked great in the end!
I’m new to your blog but have made two recipes in two days, and am now super inspired to get back to freezer cooking! Thanks a million.
Hi Lisa! This recipe is one of my absolute favorites! I have family visiting (7 adults total – 5 grown men!) and I’m thinking of making a double batch too but didn’t know if I needed to cook them separately or dump it all in the crockpot. So that worked ok for you? What size crockpot did you use? And did you keep timing of cooking the same with double the ingredients?
Hey Tiffany. It will be a full crock and may take a little longer to cook through (although probably not much) if you double it in a 6 quart slow cooker, but it can be done. Or you could borrow an extra from a friend and have two batches going at once. Either way should work! Good luck
This looks delicious-I’m trying it! thanks!
I made this tonight & it was a hit per 5 kids, my hubby, mom & I! Loved the sweet potatoes in it! Yum! Thx for sharing!!! 🙂
Sweet! So glad to hear that!