Hearty and healthy, Three Bean Turkey Chili is easy in your crock pot or made it fast on the stovetop with ground turkey, beans, and pantry ingredients.
One of my best chili recipes, it has world-class taste and is guilt-free, with less than 3 grams of fat and 220 calories per serving.
Ingredients
Ground turkey
Vegetables—onion, celery, jalapeno pepper, diced tomatoes, tomato paste
Pantry ingredients—chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Beans—pinto, black, and kidney beans
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Featured Comment from Dea
"WOW!!!!! Made this for the first time today and so much great flavor!!!! The house smelled so good I could barely wait for dinner time!!! "
A flexible recipe that can use other ground meat, leftover turkey, or rotisserie chicken—or skip the meat and make it as vegetarian chili. Instructions for 2-quart mini crock pots to full size are in the discussion. And if you need it fast, opt for the stovetop method—ready in 30 minutes.
The beans in this chili are a balance of kidney beans with pinto and black beans, although you may substitute white beans like great northern or navy beans—–all in a flavorful spicy broth.
Don't miss some of my favorite chili recipes, like Small Crock Pot Chili, Small Crock Pot White Chicken Chili, Simple Texas Chili, and Healthy White Chicken Chili.
👨🍳How to Cook Turkey Chili in a Crock Pot—Step-by-Step Photos
1. Use ground turkey; other meat may be used, or go vegetarian.
2. Brown the meat.
3. Dice the celery, onion, and jalapeno pepper.
4. Drain and rinse the beans.
5. Mix all ingredients in the crock pot.
6. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
♨️Making turkey chili on the stovetop
This is a fast and easy recipe to cook on the stovetop. It will be done in as little as 30 minutes, but the longer it simmers, the better. Try for an hour or more if you can.
- Start browning the meat in a large Dutch oven-type pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery while you do that. When browned and the celery and onion are tender, drain any liquid.
- Stir in all the other ingredients, then bring to a low boil over medium heat. Then, decrease the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for a minimum of 15 minutes, but an hour is better.
- If using leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken, add it after cooking the onion and celery in a bit of oil.
Make it your way—variations and options.
- I prefer ground turkey in this recipe or use other ground meat. Leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken may be substituted—2 to 3 cups per pound of ground meat. Or leave the meat out for a delicious vegetarian chili.
- Any combination of beans will work. I suggest pinto, black, and light kidney beans. Use low sodium, drain, and rinse. Other beans, like white beans, may be used.
- You can add other vegetables, like bell peppers or green chilies.
- This is a thick chili if you use 1 cup of broth. If you want medium thick, use 2 cups of broth. Add 1-2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth for a turkey soup thickness.
- This is about a 2-3 out of 10 on a heat scale with the jalapeno but no Ro-Tel. A level the whole family, even the kids, will love. Add the Ro-Tel will be about 4 out of 10 level of heat. And add a second jalapeno for 6 out of 7.
↕️Size of the crock pot and adjusting the recipe size
The full recipe makes 12-13 cups of 8 servings of 1 ½+ cup each. Crock pots should not be filled over 75%, so that needs 4 ½ quarts or larger.
To use a 2-quart mini-crock pot, make a half recipe, but do not add the broth until the end of cooking. Otherwise, a half recipe needs a 2 ½ quart or larger slow cooker.
A double recipe would need a large crock of 8 quarts or larger. If you want a larger recipe, increase the recipe by 50% to 12 servings that will work in a 6 ½ quart or larger crock pot.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to 4 for a half recipe or 12 for a larger recipe of 150%.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- Use the crock pot size discussed above.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
🍽️ Serving
I like to top tomato-based chili with a dollop of sour cream and a shredded cheddar cheese sprinkle. Then garnish with a slice of avocado, sliced scallions, or cilantro.
Serve with tortilla chips, healthy low-fat biscuits, cornbread, or cornmeal biscuits, and you have a filling and hearty chili dinner.
Storage of leftovers
To store leftover chili, it is good in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4 days or frozen for 4 months.
If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat in a saucepan. You can reheat it in a microwave, also.
❓FAQs
The Worcestershire sauce pops up the "meaty" to almost beef-like taste for the turkey.
Any ground meat needs to be browned before cooking in a slow cooker. If you don't, the meat will clump, and all the fatty drainage will be in the crock pot.
There are three steps to control the sodium in chili. The first is obvious: don't add extra salt.
Next, only buy low-sodium ingredients. Canned beans, broth, and Worcheshire sauce are available in most markets.
Lastly, rinsing the beans also removes some sodium—estimates vary, but removing about a third of the sodium is the common estimate.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
📖 Recipe
Three Bean Turkey Chili
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 ribs celery - Diced
- 1 onion - Large
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 28 oz dice tomatoes - may substitute one 10 oz can of RoTel for one 14 oz can of diced tomatoes.
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 to 2 cups chicken broth - Low sodium
- 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce - Low sodium if possible
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt - adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 45-48 oz Beans-pinto, black, and light kidney beans suggested—low sodium and rinsing. - three cans
Instructions
- Start by browning 1 pound of ground turkey in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Dice two ribs of celery and one large onion. Dice one jalapeno pepper.
- Rinse and drain three cans of beans; low sodium preferred. I used pinto, black, and light kidney beans, and that is the combination I recommend.
- To a 4 ½ quart or larger crock pot, add the cooked ground meat, prepared veggies, and two 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes (substitute one 10 oz can of Ro-Tel for one can if you want.) Also, add one 6 oz can of tomato paste, 1 to 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth, 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic powder.
- Mix well. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Instructions for adjusting the size of this recipe are in the post.
- This recipe adapts well to precooked shredded meat like leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken. Just add 2-3 cups the last hour of cooking and skip the ground meat. Details in the post.
- Use the ground meat of your choice, but I prefer ground turkey. Just skip the meat and use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.
- Substitute a can of Ro-Tel for one can of the diced tomatoes for added taste and a bit more heat.
- This is about a 2-3 out of 10 on a heat scale. You can add a second jalapeno, use the Ro-Tel, or add ¼-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- If sodium is a concern, use lower sodium products and rinse the beans well.
- I assume a serving size of about 1 ½ cups per serving. This should be good in the refrigerator for 4 days. It will freeze well for 4 months.
Stovetop Method
- This is an easy recipe to cook on the stovetop. It will be done in as little as 30 minutes, but the longer it simmers, the better. Try for an hour or more if you can.
- Start with browning the meat in a large Dutch oven-type pan. Add the onions and celery while you do that. When browned and the celery and onion are tender, drain any liquid.
- Add all the other ingredients and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Then, decrease the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for a minimum of 15 minutes, but an hour is better.
- If using leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken, add 2-3 cups after cooking the onion and celery in a bit of oil.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor Note: Originally published November 1, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Barbara says
I’m so happy that I found this website. Thank you Dr. Dan! I bought ingredients for three recipes last week, but I made the 3 bean turkey chili twice because it was so good. I make it on the stovetop. My long-term plan is to make a variety of meals for the freezer, but when I’m not eating this, I’m thinking about it!
Dea Varner says
WOW!!!!! Made this for the first time today and sooooo much great flavor!!!! The house smelled so good I could barely wait for dinner time!!! The husband who tends to be a chili purest and usually only likes beef in his chili, went back for seconds, raving about how good it was!!! This recipe is totally a keeper, worthy of 5 stars and will definitely be made again!
Valerie says
I made this chili with ground turkey and it was delicious! Tomorrow I think I'll make it without the meat for my sister who is a vegetarian. I will use vegetable broth instead of the chicken. I'll let you know how she likes it!
DrDan says
Hi Valerie,
I did this once veggie and thought it was excellent, just as good as the turkey. Actually, a beef version was not quite as good I though.
Thanks for the note
Dan
Vernon says
Made this today. Dang! Really really, did I said really great. I usually put hot sauce in my chill. Not this time. Just about as your pork tenderloin recipe, which I love!!!!!
Brandon says
Amazing quick chili recipe. I added bell peppers (orange red and green) because I love the flavor they bring to the chili and the juice. Also I think you meant two ribs of celery, not two stalks ^.^
Brian says
Yes, chopped green and red bell peppers up the flavor, color, and nutrition.
I use 90 - 93% lean ground sirloin (or similar beef on sale) which needs no draining, plus several tablespoons of healthy olive oil. A bottle of lager beer substituted for the broth works, too, as a variation. A mashed anchovy or two boosts the umami aspect without a trace of fishiness; if used omit the Worcestershire sauce.
As expected, even better on reheating the next day. Our standard chili!
Karen says
We made this using one half pound of ground turkey. It is so flavorful, I would not hesitate to do it completely meatless. My husband liked it so much, he said just forget all those other chili recipes and use this all the time! Thanks for a great recipe!
DrDan says
I really like this recipe and think it will be a major part of my after holiday diet.
Thanks so much for the note and rating.
DrDan
Cathie says
excellent recipe. We can't get RoTel brand in Canada so I substituted two cans of tomatoes with garlic oil and one can of green chilies. Left out jalapeño as we don't like too much heat.
Enjoy your blog and your dogs!