Instant Pot Turkey Chili

🥓 Ingredient notes

Most of your prep work that goes into this pressure cooker turkey chili recipe is simply dicing veggies, then opening cans. The pressure cooker does most of the work!

• Bacon - the flavor starts from a foundation of salty crunchy bacon.
• Bell pepper, onions, and garlic - then the flavor builds with sautéing diced red bell peppers (you can also use yellow bell pepper), yellow onion (can substitute red onion), and minced garlic.
• Ground turkey - It's best to use ground turkey meat that is around 85% lean/15% fat. You want some fat to help build flavors and to keep the meat from drying out. If you prefer to have ground beef, you can use that instead of ground turkey.
• Beef broth - you can use your own homemade broth, or use one (14.5 ounce) can of beef broth. If you don't have beef broth, you can use chicken broth instead. Just be aware that it won't have the same depth of flavor as beef broth.
• Canned beans - I use a mix of one can each of pinto beans (or white beans), black beans, and red kidney beans. Use your fave hearty beans!
• Canned tomatoes - I love the extra flavor that canned diced fire roasted tomatoes add to this chili. You could also use regular diced tomatoes instead.
• Tomato paste - a small (6-ounce) can of tomato paste.
• Worcestershire sauce - Worcestershire sauce is what gives this chili an extra rich umami flavor!
• Herbs and spices - The final touches to make this super flavorful, rich, hearty pressure cooker chili is in the herbs and spices. Use oregano, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.

🧀 Substitution options

DAIRY OR DAIRY-FREE: On its own, this is a dairy-free chili recipe. However, for add-ins and garnish, I have used regular cheddar cheese and regular sour cream for the dairy lovers in my life. I simply sub those out for dairy-free sour cream and dairy-free cheddar cheese.

SPICE: This is a milder (yet still super flavorful!) chili recipe. Most of my recipes are on the milder side, because it's much easier to spice up a recipe than it is to cool it down. Like it spicy? Add jalapeños in the chili and/or on top as a garnish. You can also adjust the spices to your preferred level of heat.

VEGGIES: I like to add more veggies when I can into a dish. Diced carrots, green peppers, red onions, potatoes, and even small chunks of butternut squash would be yummy additions to this. You could even make this a vegetarian chili by subbing out the ground meat for butternut squash and more veggies. Just try to balance out the amount of veggies you put into the recipe for the amount of meat you are taking out of the recipe.

✅ Step-by-step instructions

Here are step-by-step photos and helpful cooking tips for making this chili recipe. A full ingredient list and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Press the Sauté function on your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi, then add the bacon.

2. Sauté until the bacon is crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate or bowl lined with paper towels. Drain some of the grease, leaving about a tablespoon of grease in the pot.

3. Add the red pepper, onion, and garlic to the pot. Sauté, stirring regularly, until the peppers are slightly soft.

4. Add the ground turkey and break up the meat with a wooden spoon. as you do so, mix the meat in with the veggies.  Cook just long enough to brown ground turkey, about 4 to 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. This will help you avoid a BURN notice while pressure cooking.

5. Add the beans (make sure they are drained), tomatoes (undrained), tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce.

6. Then sprinkle in the oregano, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Stir the ingredients together gently just enough to mix in the herbs. You don't want all of the tomatoes and tomato paste at the bottom, as that may cause your Instant Pot to give off a BURN notice.

7. Seal and lock in the pressure lid, making sure the pressure release valve is in the SEAL/SEALING position. Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) setting on your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi on high pressure. Set the timer for 20 minutes.

8. Once the 20 minutes is up and the pressure cooker is done cooking, allow the unit to Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes (in other words, don't touch it for 10 minutes), and then move the pressure release valve over to Venting to allow for Quick Release. Once all pressure has been released and the pressure release indicator knob is all the way down, very carefully twist and open the lid.

Serve immediately and with your choice of favorite chili toppings. We love bacon, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and/or sliced jalapeños. 

Kitchen tools and equipment

OPTION 1: Ninja Foodi - I make this chili often in my Ninja Foodi. I have the 8-quart XL Deluxe Foodi, but you can also make this in the 6-quart Foodi. And yes, that is my cookbook, The Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Meal Prep Cookbook, in that first photo! ;)

OPTION 2: Instant Pot - We've also made this recipe several times in my 8-quart Instant Pot. And I have been told others have had great success making this recipe in their 6-quart Instant Pot.

NOTE: While cooking times remain the same, the 8-quart multi-cookers can take a few extra minutes to come to pressure. And no matter what size multi-cooker you have, you want to be sure to never add ingredients above your Ninja Foodi/Instant Pot fill line.

OPTION 3: Slow Cooker - If you don't want to make this in your instant pot, or if you don't have a pressure cooker, you can easily make this yummy chili recipe in a slow cooker. You can also make this in a dutch oven on the stove. You just need to make a few adjustments, which I've noted in the NOTES section of the recipe card below.

To make this chili, you will also need:

• Cutting board
• Knife
• Can opener
• Strainer or colander
• Wooden spoon

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

🍽 Serving ideas

This chili goes great with some tortilla chips or homemade bread for dunking. Serve it alongside Garlic Parmesan Knots or Garlic Rosemary Focaccia. Both are delicious and hearty enough to not fall apart in the chili.

Or serve this chili with some bright veggie sides like Air Fryer Broccoli or Radish Carrot Salad.

🍷 Wine pairings for chili

I enjoy a bigger red wine with this ground turkey chili. Go for a medium- to full-bodied red that has high tannins and high acidity to help balance the spices in this dish.

A peppery Tempranillo stands up beautifully to this hearty chili and complements the spiciness of the dish, as would an Argentinian Malbec.

You can also pair this with a classic California full-bodied red, such as a Zinfandel or Napa Valley Cabernet.