This is smoky and spiced turkey sweet potato chili, and it’s as hearty and satisfying as it is flavorful! It comes together in the slow cooker with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, beans, a generous dose of seasoning, and a little jalapeรฑo heat.
Do you rely on your slow cooker a lot? Itโs my top choice for satisfying dinner recipes like creamy chicken & corn soup, slow cooker turkey meatballs, and honey teriyaki chicken. After some chopping and brief cooking, the trusted slow cooker can take over for today’s turkey chili recipe, too.
Plus, this chili makes a big batch that reheats well, making it a convenient and practical option for busy schedules. It’s no surprise this tops my list of 30 delicious fall dinner recipe ideas.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili Overview:
- Flavor: A bowl of generously spiced chili is quintessential comfort food, and this turkey chili delivers! The rich, well-seasoned turkey and tomato base is balanced with the natural sweetness of the sweet potato and corn. Smoked paprika adds a smoky flavor, and you can adjust the level of spice/heat to your taste (see below for more on that).
- Texture: Every spoonful is packed with tons of texture: tender ground turkey, soft beans and sweet potato, and semi-crisp and juicy corn and peppers.
- Ease: This is a pretty simple chili recipe. Prep/chop your ingredients, mix up an easy seasoning blend, brown the turkey on the stove, then toss everything into the slow cooker.
Possible Ingredient Substitutions
With so many flavorful ingredients mingling in this one-pot dish, this chili is a whole meal in one. It is also very adaptable, so you can change it up to suit your taste and preferences. For example, you could swap out the kidney beans for black beans (or even double the amount of beans), or add in your favorite vegetables. This vegetarian pumpkin chili is also pretty customizable.
- Ground Turkey: As written, this is a very hearty chili with 2 lbs. of ground turkey. Instead of turkey, you can use ground beef or chickenโchef’s choice! Or feel free to skip the meat and double the sweet potato and beans.
- Green Pepper, Onion, and Tomatoes: These aromatic staples make up the foundation of most chili recipes, including cornbread chili casserole and slow cooker chicken chili. I use and recommend canned petite diced tomatoes.
- Corn: Kernels of corn provide a sweet, juicy contrast in flavor and texture. You can use fresh scraped off the cob, canned (drained), or frozen corn. If you don’t care for corn in your chili, you can skip it. Feel free to add another bell pepper (any color) or another can of beans.
- Kidney Beans: These beans have a mild flavor, which allows them to pair nicely with bright, spicy flavors. Feel free to swap for black beans insteadโit’s great both ways.
- Seasoning: Chili would be bland without a medley of spices. I like to mix up a double batch of the spice mix in the recipe below, which is like a homemade taco seasoning, and save half in an airtight container to use for next time. If using store-bought taco seasoning packets, you need 2 packets for the entire recipe.
This recipe used to call for quinoa, and you can certainly still add it for an extra thick chili. It soaks up a lot of liquid, so you’ll add it toward the end of the cooking time.
This recipe cooks on low heat in the slow cooker for 7 hours. If you’re looking for a slow cooker and need a recommendation, I have this one and this one, and both are fantastic.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook this chili on the stove. See detailed recipe Note below.
How Spicy Is This Turkey Sweet Potato Chili?
The heat level here is up to you! Add more jalapeรฑo if you like your chili with a kick, or omit it entirely for a mild chili. The type of chili powder you use makes a difference, too. Have you heard of the Scoville scale? It’s a measurement of how hot/spicy different chili peppers are, rated in SHU (Scoville heat units). It’s a big range! Check the label of your chili powder for a heat rating. Some of the most common ones you’ll find in the spice aisle of the grocery store are ancho chili powder (mild), chipotle chili powder (medium), and cayenne pepper (hot). My team and I typically make this turkey sweet potato chili with a mild chili powder.
Toppings & Sides
Toppings such as shredded cheese, sliced avocado, and/or sour cream cut through and complement the richness and spice. I love garnishing it with fresh chopped cilantro or green onion, too.
And no matter how you customize it, make sure you serve this chili with buttery cornbread, cornbread muffins, or this honey skillet cornbread. Chili + cornbread = a forever-favorite duo! Sweet potato dinner rolls would also be fantastic.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 7 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is spiced sweet potato turkey chili with an unbeatable smoky flavor and rich, hearty consistency. It comes together in the slow cooker with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, beans, a generous dose of seasoning, and a little jalapeรฑo heat.
Ingredients
Seasoning Blend
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder*
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Chili
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds (907g) 92โ97% lean ground turkey
- 2 (14-ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 (7- or 8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups (480ml) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 2 cups diced, or 270g)
- 1/2 cup (65g) diced yellow onion
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 (14-ounce) can (drained and rinsed) or 1 package of frozen corn
- 1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small jalapeรฑo, minced (seeds removed)*
Instructions
- Make the seasoning blend: In a small bowl, mix together all the seasonings. Set aside.
- Brown the turkey: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground meat. Cook and stir for 4 minutes, then add 2 Tablespoons of seasoning blend. Stir and break up the meat as much as possible as it cooks for another 4โ5 more minutes, or until completely cooked through.
- Make the chili: Transfer the cooked meat to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredientsโincluding the remaining seasoning blend. Stir everything together until combined. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Serve chili warm. Feel free to add optional toppings such as chopped cilantro, green onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or avocado slices. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing: Let chili cool completely before freezing. Freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat on the stove on medium heat for 20โ30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Skillet | 6-quart or Larger Slow Cooker (like this one or this one)
- Spiciness: For a milder chili, omit the jalapeรฑo. Make sure you read the label on your chili powder to determine the heat level. We typically use a mild chili powder in this recipe, but if you like your chili spicy, feel free to use a medium or hot chili powder.
- No Slow Cooker? No Problem. Follow recipe through step 1. You can cook the meat in a very large pot or Dutch oven and just use that to cook the chili, too. Once meat is cooked, add the remaining ingredients. Stir everything until combined, and cook on medium-low heat for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Changes in 2024 from the original recipe: This recipe used to be called “Taco Spice Turkey Chili” and I made several updates to improve the flavor and consistency in 2024, so I renamed it. I now use kidney beans instead of black beans, and leave out the quinoa. The recipe used to call for 2 taco seasoning packets, but I now use a homemade seasoning blend. I also now use 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste to help thicken the chili. You will love the updated version above. If you want to add quinoa, stir in 1/2 cup (85g) uncooked & rinsed quinoa 45 minutes before the slow cooker chili finishes cooking, or 15 minutes before the stove-top chili finishes cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 245
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 812.3 mg
- Fat: 10.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.6 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 62.6 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this chili for my Bible study this week and it was a HUGE success. I have never made chili before, but it was very easy with Sally’s easy to follow instructions. I’m going to be making thos again soon cor a chili cook off, and this time I’m using one of Sally’s recommendations to make it spicier. I’m sure it will be a hit!!!
My husband doesnโt care for sweet potatoes so what would you suggest as a substitution?
Hi Laurie, you could try butternut squash instead. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally and Team:
Could leftover roasted turkey be used instead of ground? Thinking about leftover turkey from Thanksgiving this weekend.
Jenn
Hi Jenn! We’re sure you could. You would add it towards the end so it doesn’t get overcooked.
Made this, was fantastic. Hubby couldn’t stop going back for more! Used fire roasted dices tomatoes and no corn, doubled the beans. Used white yams since that’s what I had. Spices and flavor was great, sometimes these slow cooker meals can be bland, this wasn’t the case. Will definitely make this again!
Could I substitute butternut squash for sweet potato?
Butternut squash won’t hold its cubed shape quite as much but will work fine!
Actually a question about chili powder. The chili powder I have is itself a blend and not hot. Powdered chiles like ancho etc. are different and are just chiles. Which should I use?
Hi Alison, the not-hot one is like what use here!
I made a version that was a mix between the old and new recipes….no corn and added quinoa back in. We prefer the black beans over kidney beans and also upped the amount of sweet potatoes. Spice level can be modified to your family’s preferences. It’s also easily cooked in a Dutch oven. Served with sourdough dinner rolls. What a great autumn dish for supper!