Instant Pot Turkey Chili is packed with meat, white beans and veggies. This flavorful meal will quickly become a dinner favorite!
Original post: May 2019 | Updated: March 2021
Why This Recipe Works
If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you know that I am a huge comfort food fanatic. It is one of my food loves and specialties. And I enjoy all types of comforting food, no matter what time of year it is. Many people associate comfort food with winter, but not me! You can find a variety of comforting meals in my kitchen any time of the year.
I made this delicious slow cooker version of White Turkey Chili a looooong time ago and it was insanely off-the-charts good. And since I am now such an Instant Pot Duo fan, I recently created a pressure cooker version of one of my favorite types of chili. I LOVE this recipe. It is a dinner favorite and also a great option to serve at larger gatherings.
How To Make Instant Pot Turkey Chili
Step 1
Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add the olive oil and heat for 2 minutes. Toss in onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro and sauté for 3 minutes.
Place 2 pounds of ground turkey in the pot and cook until it is no longer pink. Drain, if needed.
Step 2
Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and mix well. Add the cannellini beans, butter beans, corn and chicken stock or broth to the pot. Use a heavy-duty or wooden spoon to give the mixture a good stir.
Place the cover on the pot and set the timer to 20 minutes on high pressure (use the chili setting!). It will take the pot around 24 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.
Step 3
When the cook time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
Remove the cover and serve immediately. Top with shredded cheese, if desired!
Recipe Notes
- To add some spice to this chili recipe, add a can of green chilis and/or a chopped jalapeno pepper along with the onion and bell pepper. You could also add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper!
- Easily transform this into white chicken chili by using chicken instead of turkey! Either use ground chicken OR add 2 uncooked chicken breasts to the pot along with the liquids and spices. When the chili is done cooking, remove the chicken and shred. Return to the pot and stir!
- Change up the beans! If you are not set on keeping this chili white, feel free to use any other variety of beans! Kidney, pinto or black beans would all taste great.
- Throw in a can of diced tomatoes for added flavor.
- Go crazy with the toppings! One of the things I love about chili is that there are about a million delicious, acceptable toppings to throw on top before diving in. Here are just a few ideas to get you started: avocados, shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, tortilla strips and red pepper flakes.
How To Make Hot Dog Chili Sauce
Don’t use any old chili recipe to pile on top of hot dogs. This delicious recipe details how to make hot dog chili sauce so the consistency is just right!
Chili Dinner Ideas – Recipes and Sides!
Click over for chili dinner ideas with a variety of recipes and side dish recommendations, as well. Or use this post as your guide for dinner ideas using leftover chili so nothing goes to waste.
Appetizer Ideas
Chili dinners are the best in those cold winter months! If you are looking to round out your meal, peruse this roundup for ideas about what to serve for appetizers for chili dinner.
How To Thicken This Meal
If you make a delicious batch and find that it is not thick enough for your liking, we have some simple methods that will fix it! Read on for tips about how to thicken chili.
Bean Substitute Ideas
Whether you can’t eat beans or you just don’t have any on hand, learn what to substitute for beans in chili!
What To Do With Leftovers
If you have leftovers (and it’s very possible that you will because this makes a large batch), please check out these delicious recipes to help use them up:
Instant Pot Recipes
The list of recipes you can make in an Instant Pot is endless! It can act as a slow cooker, saute pan, steamer, rice maker, yogurt maker and pressure cooker. It can cook soup, chili, pasta, meat, potatoes, veggies, cake, beans and so much more. Here are a few of my favorite Instant Pot recipes:
- Steamed Artichokes are easy to make in your Instant Pot so don’t be intimidated by how fresh artichokes look!
- Make comforting, hearty Instant Pot Goulash for dinner and you’ll have food on the table in 30 minutes!
- Make a batch of comforting Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup. This will save you time and produce the most delicious, perfectly cooked soup!
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are creamy, smooth and delicious! You will enjoy the ease of making potatoes for your dinner and holidays this way!
Comfort Food Recipes
Last but not least, here are some other comfort food options to make your life even more delicious:
- Best Ever Goulash
- Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Easy Baked Meatballs
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Tater Tot Hotdish
- Broccoli Cheese Soup (this is a copycat of Panera’s famous recipe!)
Do I Need To Drain Canned Beans
I always drain my beans to avoid adding extra salt and starch and I think the liquid gives it a different flavor. However, you are not going to seriously damage the recipe if you add the liquids from the cans. I know people who love it!
Dried Beans vs Canned Beans
There are benefits of using both dried and canned beans. Dried beans are more affordable than canned beans and they do not come with the added starchy liquids that canned beans do. Canned beans are quick and easy and do not require pre-soaking, decreasing the amount of time spent on a recipe.
Rinsing the beans: Before adding canned beans to a recipe, rinse with water and drain 2-3 times first.
Soaking the beans: Before adding dried beans to a recipe, soak them according the recommendations on the package.
Adjusting amounts: Use half the amount of dried beans in a recipe that calls for canned beans and use double the amount of canned beans in a recipe that calls for dried beans.
Why Does It Take So Long For My Instant Pot To Pressurize
The time leading up to actual cook time may seem long and even confusing (“What is going ON in there?!”), but it’s an important part of the process! The Instant Pot is working on building up the appropriate amount of pressure that it will be cooking the food at.
It handles liquids and solids differently and also fresh and frozen differently, so the time can vary. Most recipes take between 10 and 25 minutes to build up pressure.
FAQ About Turkey Chili
One serving contains approximately 400 calories. The lean meat used in the dish makes it healthier than it’s beef chili counterpart. It is low in fat and most of the calories in the hearty soup come from the beans.
Any type of bread or garlic bread pair well with turkey chili.
Turkey chili will remain fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge, when stored in an air-tight container.
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Instant Pot Turkey Chili Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 jalapenos finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 30 oz Cannellini beans rinsed and drained (2 cans)
- 15 oz butter beans 1 can
- 30 oz corn kernels drained (2 cans)
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded, for topping
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute. Add the olive oil and heat for 2 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add turkey and cook until no longer pink; drain, if needed.
- Add the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and mix well. Add the cannellini beans, butter beans, corn and chicken broth to the pot. Use a heavy-duty or wooden spoon to give the mixture a good stir.
- Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 20 minutes on high pressure (chili setting). It will take the IP around 24 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking
- When cooking is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release. Remove cover and serve immediately. Top with shredded cheese, if desired.
Notes
- To add some spice to this chili recipe, add a can of green chilis and/or a chopped jalapeno pepper along with the onion and bell pepper. You could also add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper!
- Easily transform this into white chicken chili by using chicken instead of turkey! Either use ground chicken OR add 2 uncooked chicken breasts to the pot along with the liquids and spices. When the chili is done cooking, remove the chicken and shred. Return to the pot and stir!
- Change up the beans! If you are not set on keeping this chili white, feel free to use any other variety of beans! Kidney, pinto or black beans would all taste great.
- Throw in a can of diced tomatoes for added flavor.
- Go crazy with the toppings! One of the things I love about chili is that there are about a million delicious, acceptable toppings to throw on top before diving in. Here are just a few ideas to get you started: avocados, shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, tortilla strips and red pepper flakes.
Neither your recipe nor your commentary mention how much chicken broth to add! I was going to use this recipe but since the most important part is missing I’ll go find another.
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. We switched the way we display our recipe cards and that was a big miss. I hope you give it a try.