Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans is picture perfect comfort food at its finest. Big on flavor, high in protein, and a good source of complex carbohydrate, this easy to prepare meal is just as nourishing as it is delicious. 

Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans - an easy, flavorful slow cooker chili recipe that is high protein, low-fat!

With so many chili recipes out there, nailing down a favorite is a moving target. 

During the years that I had gut issues, I went bean-free and sometimes nightshade-free with my chili. In fact, I sometimes still do this.

Sometimes Iโ€™m feeling my Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili or my Pumpkin Chicken Chili, whereas other times Iโ€™m feeling some Crock Pot White Chicken Chili, or my Best Steak Chili Recipe

Well, I can safely say this Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans is a remarkable meal, worthy of putting on repeat.

It uses simple ingredients, with a couple you ordinarily wouldnโ€™t think to use that level up the experience.

All in all, this chili recipe is gluten-free, high in protein, a good source of complex carbohydrates, low in fat, and macro-friendly.

Ideal for active folks who pay attention to their macros or just anyone who enjoys a hearty meal.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Black Beans - an easy crock pot dinner recipe that is high protein, low-fat and marvelously delicious!

 

Ingredients for Turkey Chili:

Onion, garlic, turkey, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, cacao powder, chili powder, pure maple syrup, bell pepper, carrots, and black beans.

The ingredients you may be less familiar with in chili are the cacao powder and the pure maple syrup. The cacao powder adds richness to the chili (it doesnโ€™t taste like chocolate, donโ€™t worry), and the pure maple syrup adds a very subtle sweetness to offset the acidity from the tomatoes.

I find a generous amount of chili powder to be more than adequate for flavoring the soup. Some folks like to add additional herbs and spices, which is delicious as well. 

For the purpose of keeping the ingredient list reasonably short, and for the sake of simplicity, weโ€™ll do just fine with chili powder!

Chili powder is a blend of ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and dried oregano, and sometimes cayenne pepper. If you prefer making your own blend based on the portion of each you enjoy, feel free to do so, or whip up this Homemade Chili Powder recipe from Spend With Pennies.

Easy Crock Pot Turkey Chili - made with simple, clean ingredients for a filling and healthy meal

Recipe Adaptations:

There are plenty of ways you can change up this recipe to make it your own. Here are some ideas:

  • Use a combination of ground beef and ground turkey instead of all turkey.
  • Add a couple tablespoons of flour to make the broth thicker.
  • Omit the cacao powder, or use regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Leave out the pure maple syrup or swap it for molasses or cane sugar.
  • For the spice fanatics, add 1 to 2 serranos or jalapenos (keeping the seeds, not discarding them), or you can add 1 (7-oz) can of spicy Ortega chilis, or 1 to 3 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce.

If youโ€™re sensitive to nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.), follow my Nightshade-Free AIP Chili Recipe. It gets rave reviews, even from folks who arenโ€™t nightshade-free!

How to Make Crock Pot Turkey Chili:

Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, pure maple syrup, cacao powder, chili powder, sea salt, bell pepper, carrots, and black beans to your crock pot and stir it well. 

Stir the crushed tomatoes, broth, chili powder, cacao powder, black beans, carrots, and bell peppers together in the crock pot

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or thick-bottomed pot and add the onion. Sautรฉ, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to turn golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sautรฉ another 2 minutes.

Scoot the onions off to the side to make room for the meat and add in the meat. Allow it to brown for 2 to 3 minutes before flipping and browning another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Use a spatula to break up the meat into smaller chunks.

Sautรฉ the onion and brown the turkey

Transfer the sautรฉed onion and meat mixture and stir well until incorporated.

Add the sautรฉed onion and meat to the crock pot

Secure the lid on the crock pot and set it on High for 4 to 6 hours or Low for 7 to 10 hours.

Crock pot turkey chili in a slow cooker

Serve the chili with your choice of toppings, and enjoy!

I go with Greek yogurt, avocado, red onion and green onion. Sometimes I add chopped bacon and grated cheese and I always do a nice shower of hot sauce.

Ground Turkey Chili Crock Pot recipe - easy, quick, healthy dinner recipe

As is customary, you can always serve it up with my Gluten-Free Cornbread!

That’s it! I hope you love this ground turkey chili recipe as much as we do!

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili with Black Beans - an easy crock pot dinner recipe that is high protein, low-fat and marvelously delicious!

Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans

4.23 from 9 votes
The easiest, most flavorful turkey chili recipe made simple in a slow cooker for a healthy meal!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 lbs ground turkey*
  • 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp cacao powder
  • 3 Tbsp chili powder
  • ยฝ tsp sea salt to taste**
  • 1 large green bell pepper diced
  • 2 large carrots chopped
  • 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

  • Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, pure maple syrup, cacao powder, chili powder, sea salt, bell pepper, carrots, and black beans to your crock pot and stir it well.ย 
  • Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or thick-bottomed pot and add the onion. Sautรฉ, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to turn golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sautรฉ another 2 minutes.
  • Scoot the onions off to the side to make room for the meat and add in the meat. Allow it to brown for 2 to 3 minutes before flipping and browning another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Use a spatula to break up the meat into smaller chunks.
  • Transfer the sautรฉed onion and meat mixture and stir well until incorporated.
  • Secure the lid on the crock pot and set it on High for 4 to 6 hours or Low for 7 to 10 hours.
  • Serve the chili with your choice of toppings, and enjoy!

Notes

*Use any ground meat you prefer - you can go with ground beef, pork, or chicken or a combination thereof. I often mix beef and turkey.
**How much salt youโ€™ll need is dependent on your personal taste as well as if there is already salt in your chili powder and/or crushed tomatoes

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6 ยท Calories: 412kcal ยท Carbohydrates: 42g ยท Protein: 50g ยท Fat: 6g ยท Fiber: 12g ยท Sugar: 13g
Author: Julia
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crock pot turkey chili, ground turkey chili, how many calories in turkey chili, how to make turkey chili, is turkey chili healthy, slow cooker turkey chili, turkey chili recipe
Did You Make This Recipe?I want to see it! Tag @the.roasted.root on social media!
The BEST Slow Cooker Turkey Chili Recipe with black beans. Easy, high protein low fat, healthy dinner recipe

Julia Mueller
Meet the Author

Julia Mueller

Julia Mueller is a recipe developer, cookbook author, and founder of The Roasted Root. She has authored three bestselling cookbooks, – Paleo Power Powers, Delicious Probiotic Drinks, and The Quintessential Kale Cookbook. Her recipes have been featured in several national publications such as BuzzFeed, Self, Tasty, Country Living, Brit.co, etc.

Read More

Need Help With Dinner?

View More Dinner Ideas
4.23 from 9 votes (9 ratings without comment)

Join The Discussion

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.