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I couldn’t think of a better recipe to kick the month off than this healthy slow cooker turkey and white bean chili. Nothing beats a slowly simmered chili on a cold October day. Made with ground turkey, bell peppers, smoky chipotle peppers, white beans, and served with sharp cheddar cheese and avocado. This bowl of chili is a hearty, healthy and cozy dinner that you can feel good about eating.

overhead photo of Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili with beer bread and spoons in photo

Happy October first! It’s the month of all things Halloween and as you can tell from Saturday’s “spooky” Poison Apple Martini I am very, very excited! I love the month of October so much, and I’m looking forward to all that is to come!

I spent the weekend finally getting caught up with work. And while I’m still not where I’d like to be, I am entering the month feeling a little more on top of things and a little more confident. It feels good. My goal for this month is just to take things one day at a time. In an effort to not feel like I’m being pulled in a million different directions, I also want to focus my energy on one project at a time. I put my new mantra into practice over the weekend and so far so good. Fingers crossed I can’t stick with this. My mom always says it’s best to take things one day at a time, so I’m listening to her words of wisdom. After all, it’s true what they say, moms know best.

No real reason in sharing all that, other than a little positive Monday pep talk for us all…

Ok, I’ll go back to writing about what I am good at now, the food.

Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili slow cooker bowl

How much do you guys love chili?

It’s always been one of my favorites come the fall, but growing up the only chili I ever knew was Cincinnati style chili. If you’ve never experienced Cincinnati chili, it’s just a thicker chili served over angel hair pasta. It is my mom’s favorite. To this day, the only way she will eat chili is over pasta and topped with cheddar. The only way…so yes, when I gave the family this chili to try, she indeed ate it over pasta.

Anyway, point is, I didn’t grow up eating bowls of chili. So making a soupy style chili feels like something completely new and different to me. I’ll always love Cincinnati chili, but I also love today’s healthier chili probably just as much.

side angled photo of Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili with spoons and towel in photo

On to the details…

To start, you’ll want to brown the ground turkey on the stove-top. You can also use ground chicken, both will work equally great. I know that this extra step is a bit of a pain, but trust me, when working with ground meat it’s a step you have to take. On that note, I recently got a slow cooker that can also brown meat before you begin slow cooking. It’s a game-changer. I highly recommend investing in an all in one browning slow cooker if you love slow cooking.

Brown the meat, add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and set for six or so hours. Then come home to the most delicious smells and dinner that’s ready for eating. Does not get better than that.

To bump up the flavors of my chili, I used a mix of chipotle chili peppers, chili powder, and my secret ingredient, apple butter. I know it may seem weird to use apple butter in chili, but the sweetness balances out the spice of the chili. Go with me on this, promise it takes the chili to a who would have known delicious level.

Finish each bowl off with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, and green onions. AND serve with the 5 Ingredient Honey Butter Beer Bread from the cookbook. A bowl of chili is not complete without beer bread.

Also, while I am providing you guys with Instant Pot directions, I much prefer this recipe to be made in the slow cooker if time allows. No matter how much pressure cooking you do, nothing will be the same as slow cooking a chili all day long. It gives the chili time to develop flavor and creates the most wonderful smells throughout your house.

I highly recommend making this for Sunday night dinner and then enjoying the leftovers throughout the week. Perfection.

overhead photo of Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili with hand in photo dipping bread into chili bowl

If you make this Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 849 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  • 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the turkey and brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
    2. Transfer the turkey to the bowl of your slow cooker. Add in the red bell peppers, chipotle peppers, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, apple butter, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. During the last hour of cooking, stir in the beans. If your chili is too thick, add the remaining broth to thin as desired. 
    3. Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, and green onions. Eat!

Instant Pot

  • 1. Set the instant pot to sauté. Add the olive oil and onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the turkey and brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Turn the instant pot off.
    2. Add in the red bell peppers, chipotle peppers, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, apple butter, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on soup/chili for 25 minutes.
    3. Once done cooking, use the quick release and release the steam. Stir in the beans. Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, and green onions. Eat!
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Comments

  1. This sounds so yum for Halloween night do you think I could use pumpkin butter instead …. It’s what I have

    1. Hi Kelly,
      Sure, that would be great to use! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT

  2. I’ve always eaten my chili over pasta because that’s how my mom and grandma have always made it. I never knew it was called Cincinnati chili! We’re not crazy haha.

  3. Hi Tieghan! One thing I appreciate about your recipes (other than that they’re delicious!) is that you always give instructions for stovetop cooking in addition to slow cooker and instant pot, but there aren’t any here. How long would you recommend cooking this on the stovetop? I’ve sort of retired my instant pot and slow cooker out of disuse — they’re high up in a cupboard, and I can’t get to them without a lot of trouble and help from my husband. Thanks!

    1. Hey Helen,
      Thanks so much for your kind message! You can simmer on the stove top for 2-3 hours, should be great! I hope you love the recipe! xx

  4. I’m only going to make this for 2 people. Should I just have the ingredients. This seems enough for 4 people.

    1. Hi Lisa,
      Yup, I would just cut the recipe in half, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT

  5. This recipe looks delicious but my family will not eat peppers or anything spicy. Can I make this without peppers and omit anything spicy?

    1. Hi Beth,
      You bet, just skip this peppers and this recipe is not spicy:) Please let me know how it turns out, I hope you love it! xT

  6. 5 stars
    This was gorgeous. It’s going on the cold weather menu this year. We made nachos with the leftovers and they were lovely too. My 6 year old loved it too.

    1. Hey Lynn,
      Happy Sunday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

  7. Hello! Wondering if I can make this on the stove in my Le Cruset and keep on low for a while or if it is better to use a slow cooker?

    1. Hey Kate,
      Totally, that would work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx

  8. 5 stars
    Perfect dish for a chilly football Sunday. My husband could not raving about how delicious it was along with the 5 ingredient beer bread.
    You are the absolute best. Thank you for sharing always.

    1. Hey Amanda,
      Happy Monday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was tasty for you! Thanks for making it:) xx

  9. 5 stars
    Super tasty, I’ll make this again. Never would have thought to put apple butter in chili but I think it completes it. I made the instant pot version.

    1. Hey Lauren,
      Happy Monday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was tasty for you! Thanks for making it:) xx

  10. I made this in a 5 quart slow cooker. It was delicious! I will make again! However, I need to buy a new slow cooker and see you suggested a self browning one. Do you use the 7 quart for this recipe?

      1. Thank you for your quick response and recommendation. I was concerned that this 7 quart size slow cooker would be too big for this recipe. I’ll be making this again next week!

  11. 5 stars
    Made this chili for the first time this week. Holy cow was it good! My husband, who complains whenever I try to lighten up a recipe with turkey, loved it. He went back for several helpings and raved even more when he had some the next day. This recipe was a big hit made as is and I will definitely be adding to my fall/winter menu rotation. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!

    1. Hi Ann Marie,
      Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xT

  12. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner yesterday and it was so good. Great depth of flavor from the chipotles and not so heavy because of the turkey. I will definitely be making this all winter.

  13. 3 stars
    I made this today – followed the recipe exactly. We thought the cinnamon was very overpowering and was all we could taste. I’ll probably omit the cinnamon if I make it again or cut it to a half tsp. But very simple to make. I’ve always put brown sugar in my chili so the apple butter was a fun take on the sweetness addition.

  14. 5 stars
    I made this for my Bible study last night and it was a total hit! I woke up early and cooked the onions and turkey, added everything to the crockpot, and let it cook for 8 hours while I went to work. When I got home – it was perfect! I added the beans and let it cook for an additional 30 mins.
    The toppings we used were cilantro, avocado, cheddar cheese, and green onions! The possibilities are endless. Healthy and everyone left full!
    Wonderful recipe (as always!).

    1. Hey Kathleen,
      Fantastic! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) xx

  15. 5 stars
    This chili is so tasty! I used 2 c. chicken broth and 1 c. water. I didn’t have apple butter so I left it out. But, I added 2 carrots, grated. I only used 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. I added 3 chipotle peppers in adobo plus a teaspoon of adobo sauce. I might add a cup of white corn next time. The seasonings blended nicely overnight..almost better the next day! Will definitely make this a lot this Fall/Winter.