White Bean Turkey Chili ready in 30 minutes is the best for a quick, adaptable, tasty dinner. Gluten-free, dairy-free soup thats simple enough for a weeknight meal but delicious enough for entertaining.
Turkey white bean chili is the ultimate hearty and comforting one-pot meal. Packed with protein, fiber, and flavor, this chili is surprisingly easy to make and perfect for chilly nights. As a busy home cook, I’m always looking for recipes that are budget-friendly, nutritious, and simple enough to throw together on a weeknight. This turkey bean chili checks all the boxes!
Why Turkey White Bean Chili Is So Satisfying
There are a few key reasons why turkey white bean chili makes such a satisfying and nutritious dinner option:
-
Turkey provides lean protein. Ground turkey is very versatile and a great way to get protein into your diet. A 4 oz serving contains around 26g of protein with minimal fat and no saturated fat. Turkey provides 12% more protein ounce for ounce compared to chicken breast. The high protein content helps keep you feeling full and energized.
-
White beans pack fiber and nutrients. Beans are highly nutritious providing a hefty dose of fiber iron, magnesium, potassium and more. They are also very filling thanks to all that fiber and plant-based protein. Just 1/2 cup of white beans contains about 110 calories and 7g of fiber.
-
Spices add big flavor. A blend of chili powder, cumin, oregano and other spices gives this chili tons of flavor without extra sodium or fat. The spices add depth, smokiness and just enough heat.
-
It’s budget-friendly Beans and ground turkey tend to be very affordable ingredients This recipe uses pantry staples so you don’t have to buy anything too exotic or expensive,
-
You only need one pot. From start to finish, this entire hearty meal comes together in just one pot. That makes cooking and cleanup a breeze!
-
It’s highly customizable. Don’t like something in the recipe? Swap it out! You can customize this chili with different beans, veggies, seasonings and toppings to suit your tastes.
With all these benefits, it’s easy to see why turkey white bean chili should be in your regular recipe rotation. Keep reading for tips on how to make it.
Tips For Making The Best Turkey White Bean Chili
Follow these simple tips for turkey bean chili that’s flavorful and hearty every time
-
Start with aromatics. Cook down an onion and garlic base before adding the ground turkey. This builds a flavorful foundation.
-
Brown the turkey well. Be sure to break up and cook the ground turkey until nicely browned. This enhances the flavor.
-
Simmer the chili. A long simmer blended all the ingredients and allows the beans to soften. Aim for at least 1 hour.
-
Finish with lime. Add some brightness at the end with a squirt of fresh lime juice. This helps balance the flavors.
-
Top it off. Garnish with toppings like shredded cheese, scallions, avocado, cilantro or sour cream. This adds freshness and texture.
-
Make it ahead. Leftover chili keeps well for about 4 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. It’s perfect for meal prepping!
Incredible Topping Ideas For Turkey White Bean Chili
One of the best parts about chili is customizing each bowl with fun toppings. Here are some of my favorites:
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
- Scallions
- Diced avocado
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Crumbled queso fresco
- Diced red onion
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
- Diced jalapeño
- Hot sauce like Cholula or Tapatio
- Cooked and crumbled bacon
Feel free to go crazy with the toppings bar! Let everyone customize their bowl to their liking.
Satisfying Turkey White Bean Chili Recipes To Try
If you’re sold on making turkey white bean chili for dinner soon, here are some top-rated recipes to consider:
The Defined Dish’s Turkey White Bean Chili
This recipe uses bold Southwest spices like cumin, oregano and chili powder to add tons of flavor. It simmers for 25 minutes to let the flavors develop. Topping ideas include cheese, avocado and cilantro.
Food Network’s Turkey White Bean Chili
Food Network recommends an 8 hour soak for the dried beans to achieve a silky texture. The chili simmers for 45 minutes then gets finished with cream and cilantro. Serving suggestions include sour cream, cheese and scallions.
Rancho Gordo’s White Bean Turkey Chili
This one uses Rancho Gordo heirloom beans as the base along with roasted poblanos, serranos and tomatillos. It simmers uncovered for 1-2 hours. Top with queso fresco, cilantro, scallions and lime wedges.
All three of these recipes produce a hearty, satisfying and protein-packed turkey white bean chili using similar techniques. Try one or make them all and freeze the leftovers!
Satisfy Your Craving For Comfort
When the weather turns chilly and you’re craving comfort food, turkey white bean chili really hits the spot. This one-pot meal is packed with flavor, easy to make, and highly nutritious. The lean turkey, fiber-filled beans and bold spices will leave you feeling satisfied.
With so many ways to customize your bowl with fun toppings, turkey chili is a crowd-pleaser the whole family can enjoy. I hope these tips and recipe ideas inspire you to make this hearty classic soon. Stay cozy!
Tips for Making White Turkey Chili
Turkey: For the ground turkey, you can use ground turkey breast or regular ground turkey. If you are using turkey breast, I recommend increasing the oil from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon, so the turkey doesnt stick to the pot. Also, you can substitute ground chicken or ground beef if needed.
Broth: Water is an easy substitute for the chicken broth in the recipe and one that I make often. You can also use vegetable broth or beef broth.
Garlic clove: Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder in place of the garlic clove if desired.
Veggies: If you do not like bell peppers, omit them and add an extra onion. Vice versa if you want to skip the onion.
Already gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free, Turkey White Bean Chili can fit almost any dietary preference.
However, if you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, you can add an extra (15-ounce) can of white beans to add protein and substance to the chili.
Salsa: Additionally, you can use a different type of salsa to change the flavor. Regular tomato salsa will work. And you can also use mild, medium, or spicy salsa depending on your heat preference.
Cumin: Because there are few ingredients, there isnt much you can do to change the flavor. However, you can omit the cumin if you dont like it because the salsa already maximizes the flavor in this salsa verde turkey chili recipe.
Cant find salsa verde: Thats ok! You can use any type of salsa. It might not be a white-based chili if you use regular, tomato salsa. However, itll still be delicious.
Forgot to sauté the onions or bell peppers: Add them into the chili whenever you realize you forgot to add them. Then cook for an additional 20 minutes to allow them to soften.
As with almost every soup or chili, this White Bean Turkey Chili is fabulous to make ahead of time. Simply make as directed and keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Another option for making ahead of time is to chop the onion, bell pepper, and garlic in advance and store them in the fridge (up to 3 days) or freezer (up to one month) until ready to use. You can add them to the recipe when directed straight from the fridge or freezer.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
When freezing, I like to freeze in smaller containers. This helps so you only need to defrost the amount you are consuming at that time and not a huge batch of chili.
To reheat from the fridge: you can add to a soup pot and reheat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. Or add to a microwave-safe bowl and reheat at 60-second intervals, stirring in between, until warm.
To reheat from the freezer: you can put the container in the fridge 12 hours before eating to defrost completely.
Or defrost in the microwave in 2-minute intervals at 30% power (or according to the microwave directions).
I like to transfer to a soup pot when the chili is able to release from the container. Then, add a little bit of water to the pot with the frozen soup. Reheat it over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Great Northern Beans, White Kidney Beans, and White Cannellini Beans are all great for chili. You can also use Navy Beans or Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas).
If you are trying to decrease the sodium content in your chili, rinse the beans before adding. Otherwise, you can add the liquid if you want. It will make the chili a little thicker than if you simply add water. However, its not a noticeable difference, so it really doesnt matter.
Beans and veggies provide you with fiber and nutrients. Bell peppers, onions, tomatillos, and garlic are all full of health benefits (click the links to read more about them).
The turkey and beans give the chili satisfying protein to keep you full. Plus, soup is hydrating for colder months when its typically harder to remember to drink enough water throughout the day.
About White Bean Turkey Chili
Soups are fabulous for filling, satisfying, and healthy meals when the weather starts to get even the slightest bit of a chill.
Its so nice that everything is cooked in one pot (love a good one-pot meal!) and how easy it is to get a balance of protein, veggies, and fiber in one bowl.
This White Bean Turkey Chili is no different, and its a rockstar recipe in my opinion because its delicious, easy, quick, and gets rave reviews.
Its super fast to make but still tastes wonderfully home-cooked. Its a spicy but not make-your-eyes-water-and-nose-run type of spicy.
And my favorite part: its full of vegetables and oh so filling. Plus, it freezes beautifully and is very budget-friendly — less than $3/serving!
Bonus points for the fact that it is incredibly adaptable to what you have on hand with the type of salsa you use, the veggies you add, and even the protein you choose.
So if youre looking for something quick to make for a delicious dinner tonight, this is it.
Its an easy, one-pot, comforting meal you can feel good about serving your family or even just for yourself to have a nourishing meal in the fridge or freezer ready to enjoy at any time.
Also, I highly suggest doubling the recipe to freeze for later or to serve for guests during cold weather months.
Oil: I typically use olive oil, but avocado oil and even coconut oil will work in this chili recipe since you are only using one teaspoon. The small amount of oil adds a touch of flavor and ensures that the turkey and vegetables do not stick to the pot.
Ground turkey: Regular ground turkey (that is usually noted as 85/15) is what I like to use as it is budget-friendly and has a good amount of flavor. Turkey breast also works very well in this chili but it has a little less flavor and it can be dry if you only cook the chili for 15 minutes. You can also use ground chicken in a pinch.
Note that if you use ground turkey breast, youll want to increase the oil to one tablespoon instead of one teaspoon. I also like to cook the chili a little longer if using turkey breast so the flavors have time to infuse the turkey and keep it from being dry and/or flavorless.
Onion & Bell pepper: Like most soups and chilis, I add onion and bell pepper. I typically go for a yellow onion and green bell pepper because they are more budget-friendly, but any color onion (white, yellow, or red) and any color bell pepper will work well in this White Bean Turkey Chili.
Garlic: The garlic clove adds a little more flavor to the chili, but you can always substitute it with garlic powder if needed.
White beans: Simply use any type of white bean you like. I typically go with Great Northern Beans or White Kidney Beans/Cannellini Beans. You can also use Navy Beans or even Garbanzo Beans in a pinch.
Honestly, any bean will work so you can also use black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans you can; obviously, it will no longer be White Bean Turkey Chili but that doesnt matter.
Salsa verde: Salsa verde is a salsa made with tomatillos, and its the green salsa you see next to the tomato-based salsas in the store. You might see this salsa can be labeled as salsa verde, green salsa, or tomatillo salsa.
Salsa verde has a slightly sweeter, tangier taste than red (tomato-based) salsa, and it is delicious. Be sure to check the spiciness level of the salsa; they are similar to regular salsas.
If you like salsa verde, youll also want to try this Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Pork.
Broth: Chicken broth bumps up the flavor – vegetable broth or beef broth are other good options. Homemade or storebought are both great, but you can also use water. The broth will give the chili a little bit more flavor but its not noticeable enough to stress if you forget it.
If you use water, be sure to taste the chili before serving. You might want to add another ¼ teaspoon of salt or garlic powder to add some more flavor.
Spices: To give extra flavor to the chili, add cumin, salt, and black pepper. Cumin can be omitted, and you can substitute cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for the black pepper. Or omit it if you want a more mild chili.
Toppings: Some of my favorite toppings for White Bean Turkey Chili are sliced or diced avocado, plain yogurt or sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, or chopped cilantro.
- olive oil 1 teaspoon: $0.08
- ground turkey 1 pound: $4.99
- onion 1 medium: $0.68
- bell pepper 1 medium: $0.98
- garlic 1 clove: $0.06
- white beans 1 can: $0.99
- salsa verde 16 ounces: $1.98
- broth 2 cups: $1.14
- salt ¼ teaspoon: $0.01
- black pepper ⅛ teaspoon: $0.02
- cumin 1.5 teaspoons: $0.19
TOTAL COST: $11.12 or $2.78/serving (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2023)
Note that this is not the recipe; its simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.
Easy White Chili | Turkey Chili Recipe
How do you make a white bean Turkey chili?
A delicious, creamy White Bean Turkey Chili recipe made with canned white beans, ground turkey, aromatics and spices – no tomatoes! Heat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium flame. When hot, spray with oil. Add onions and garlic, saute until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Do white beans make a good white turkey chili?
The white beans play two roles in this healthy white turkey chili. The beans give the chili the heartiness that every chili needs and they work as a thickener. Half of one can of beans is mashed and added to the chili, then cooked down for 20-30 minutes until the chili has reached the desired thickness.
Can you make white bean Turkey chili without tomatoes?
A delicious, creamy White Bean Turkey Chili recipe made with canned white beans, ground turkey, aromatics and spices – no tomatoes! This easy chili can be made on the stove, slow cooker or Instant Pot. Leftovers taste even better the next day for lunch!
Can you put sour cream in a white bean Turkey chili?
Fat-free sour cream: The sour cream will be used at the end of the recipe, garnishing each serving of this white bean turkey chili. Ruthie Darling for Taste of Home In a large saucepan, combine the cannellini beans, chicken soup, turkey, milk, green chiles, cilantro, minced onion, garlic powder, cumin and oregano.
Is white bean Turkey chili gluten-free?
White Bean Turkey Chili is hearty and healthy with lean ground turkey, white beans, fresh lime and plenty of spice! It’s gluten-free and freezer-friendly! This morning was so cold and foggy that I wanted to stay indoors in my cozy clothes and skip spin class.
What goes well with white turkey chili?
This white turkey chili with beans and green chiles is seasoned perfectly with garlic, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon for a hearty, flavor-packed meal.