Instant Pot Turkey Chili is a protein packed healthy chili recipe. This cooks quickly in the pressure cooker and is great for game day and family meals. It also freezes nicely for later. Garnish with your favorite chili toppings!

INSTANT POT TURKEY CHILI

During the winter months we eat a lot of chili in my house.

It really is the best comfort food filled with protein, warm spices and just makes you feel satisfied on those cold days.

Today’s Instant Pot Turkey Chili recipe is a healthy turkey chili recipe that I make a lot.

You can also make this Slow Cooker Turkey Chili if you prefer that version.

It is such an easy thing to throw together for the perfect meal during the week or game day and also makes great leftovers.

It is a meal I often make on the weekends for meal prep.

I also really like that chili is healthy, loaded with a good dose of protein from the meat and beans and leaves you feeling full.

Today’s ground turkey chili takes your favorite stove top or slow cooker chili and makes it in the pressure cooker.

One thing I love about the pressure cooker is that it keeps everything in one pot and you can have a meal on the table in under 40 minutes with almost no work.

If you like instant pot recipes try this Instant Pot Turkey Taco Pasta, Instant Pot Pork Chili, Instant Pot Taco Soup, Instant Pot White Chicken Chili or this Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup.

Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili

• Lean Ground Turkey: I used lean ground turkey in this recipe but you can easily swap out ground beef, ground chicken or ground pork.
• Sweet Onion and Garlic: Sweet onion adds so much flavor to the chili but you can skip onion if you don’t want to use it or try red onion, shallot or white onion. Garlic also adds a lot of great flavor to the chili. I used fresh garlic but you could swap out garlic powder.
• Red Bell Pepper: When I make chili I love using red bell pepper because of the sweetness it adds. You can use green bell pepper or any color you have on hand. Poblanos would also be a great option.
• Jalapeño: Jalapeño isn’t necessary but it adds a spicy kick to the chili. You can leave it out if you want.
• Spices: Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Oregano, Cayenne Red Pepper: This spice mixture is my favorite in chili. You can use more or less to your liking. If you don’t like spice leave out the cayenne red pepper.
• Beans: Black Beans, Kidney Beans: The beans I used are black beans and red kidney beans. You can swap those out for other beans like white beans, red beans, chickpeas or pinto beans.
• Tomato Paste and Diced Tomatoes: The tomato paste and diced tomatoes help bulk up the chili and add that tomato flavor to the chili.
• Corn: I added canned corn to the chili which you can leave out. You also could swap for hominy or leftover cooked sweet corn.
• Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock: Chicken broth or stock works but you also can sub in vegetable broth if that is what you have on hand.

How Do You Make Chili in the Instant Pot?

A couple of months ago I shared a recipe for Easy Instant Pot Beef Chili, which my family loved.

I feel like I perfected that chili recipe in the pressure cooker which made this recipe easy to make following those instructions.

You will start by using the sauté mode on your pressure cooker. Turn it to the high setting and let it heat up. Once it is heated add the olive oil.

1. Cook Turkey: Once the pressure cooker heats the oil add turkey to the bottom of the pot and let it sit for a few minutes and brown on the bottom.

From there you will break the meat apart and continue to sauté until the meat is browned. Drain the meat of any fat and discard and set the meat aside.

2. Saute the Vegetables: Put 1 additional Tablespoon of olive oil in the pressure cooker and add the garlic and onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and jalapeño and all of the spices and continue to sauté until the bell pepper is tender. Put the ground turkey back in and 1/2 a cup of the broth.

3. Deglaze the Pot: Use your spoon to deglaze the Instant Pot, making sure to scrape away all of the browned bits of food. This helps to ensure that your food doesn’t burn during the pressure cooking phase.

4. Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the broth, beans, the tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn and seal the lid. Make sure not to stir as you want the tomatoes and beans on the top.

5. Pressure Cook: Close lid and pressure cook on Manual at High Pressure for 5 minutes, followed by quick release when time is up. Carefully open the lid and give it a stir.

6. Serve Soup: Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite toppings like cheddar cheese.

Store the leftover turkey chili in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

This also freezes well for later. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How Do I Thicken the Chili:

If you want it to thicken the chili up more you can put the lid back on and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

You can also use 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon water and mix those two together and then add it to the chili to thicken or add additional tomato paste to the chili and stir.

What Else Can I Add to this Instant Pot Turkey Chili Recipe

I love modifying recipes based on what is in my fridge and pantry. Here are some ideas to mix up your healthy chili recipe:

1. Beans: Add a variety of beans. Some of my favorites in chili are white beans, pinto beans, chickpeas or navy beans.
2. Hominy: If you have a can of hominy in the pantry throw that in. We love the texture it adds to chili.
3. Spicy: For the spicy chili lovers, chop up a jalapeño and throw that in. You can also add hot sauce and extra cayenne pepper. If you have a chili seasoning that often will add extra heat.
4. Poblanos: If you love the flavor of poblanos you can easily add a chopped poblano when you are cooking your bell pepper and onion.
5. Garnishes: When it comes to toppings I love setting out a variety for people to pick from. Some ideas are green onions, red onion, cilantro, sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, salsa, hot sauce, pickled onions, pickled vegetables, guacamole and salsa verde. 

Other Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like:

INSTANT POT BEEF CHILI

INSTANT POT FRIED RICE

INSTANT POT BEAN SOUP

INSTANT POT BEEF STEW

INSTANT POT CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE

INSTANT POT STUFFED PEPPER SOUP

What to Pair With This Easy Instant Pot Turkey Chili:

While I always think a big slice of cornbread goes best with chili here are some other ideas:

SIMPLE MASSAGED KALE SALAD

MEXICAN STREET CORN

AVOCADO KALE QUINOA SALAD

SIMPLE GARLIC PARMESAN GREEN BEANS

SIMPLE ROASTED BROCCOLI