Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili
Our Instant Pot Award Winning Chili Recipe is going viral but we couldn’t help but create a healthy instant pot turkey chili recipe for all of you looking for healthy instant pot recipes!
We hear you loud and clear. Cade and I are sitting on the couch watching the Olympics while the kids are in bed (Women’s Snowboarding to be exact, and Chloe Kim is KILLING IT!!!) and writing this Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili recipe for you all because holy moly, the requests just keep pouring in!!
We almost didn’t post our classic chili recipe because we figured that everyone was totally set in their ways with their own favorite chili recipes, but boy were we wrong! It’s going crazy on our site!
Immediately we started hearing that we needed a vegetarian and a healthy chili recipe, but we can only test so much, so first up, our Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili! It’s turkey bacon to still give that hint of bacon goodness, but in a more lean way, along with ground turkey, and lots of tomato flavor.
Alright, friends if it was you wanting a healthy Instant Pot dinner recipe, this turkey chili in an Instant Pot is for you!
What’s in Instant Pot Turkey Chili?
For this healthy Instant Pot chili recipe, you’ll need ground turkey, turkey bacon, a mixture of black and pinto beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes, tomato paste, three kinds of peppers, red onion, chicken stock, and a variety of dried herbs and spices.
We really wanted to create an Instant Pot turkey chili recipe that could be made with ingredients you already have on hand. You might need to pick up a few of these healthy turkey chili ingredients at the store, but I’m sure you have most of them in your pantry already. Instant pot chili isn’t hard to make, and we wanted to ingredients list to reflect that!
How to Make Ground Turkey Chili in an Instant Pot
Turn your instant pot to sauté and cook bacon until crisp. Once cooked, remove the bacon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any extra grease.
Add the onions and peppers to the electric pressure cooker and cook until tender. Then, add the ground turkey and brown. At this point, you’ll want to drain off any excess grease before adding in all of the remaining ingredients.
Then, simply turn the Instant Pot to “chili” and cook! If you don’t have a “chili” setting, then just use the high pressure setting. Once cooked, you’ll need to allow the pressure to release for 10-15 minutes or quick release with the vent.
Serve nice and hot with your favorite chili toppings! We love to eat it with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, jalapeno slices, Fritos, tortilla chips, or some green onion slices on top!
How Long Should You Cook Instant Pot Turkey Chili?
Most batches of this award winning turkey chili will be done after 18 minutes. However, we’ve had a few times when the flavor just wasn’t there yet, so feel free to pressure cook a little longer for more flavor, or if your beans are not as tender as you’d like.
What Size Instant Pot Do I Need?
What size of Instant Pot is this healthy turkey chili recipe for? We used a 6qt 7 Function Instant Pot, but you could use a bigger model just fine.
Tips for Making Turkey Chili in an Instant Pot
When creating this healthy Instant Pot chili, we ditched the red kidney beans to lighten things up a little more as kidney beans have a heavier flavor. If desired, you can double the pinto beans, if you prefer your turkey chili to have more beans.
PRO TIP: Because turkey bacon is leaner, you’ll want to add in a drizzle of olive oil while it’s cooking or you’ll possibly trigger the burn error.
Instant Pot FAQs
If you’ve got any questions about cooking in an Instant Pot that aren’t answered below, please refer to our Award Winning Instant Pot Chili Recipe.
What Instant Pot is Best for a Small Family? We get a lot of questions about what Instant Pot to buy, especially for small families like our own and we still stand by the 6 qt 9 Function Instant Pot. If you have more than three children and they are older then yes, go for the bigger model, but we don’t think you need a bigger size otherwise. We especially like this model because it has the chili function as well as the yogurt. And you know how we are obsessed with our Instant Pot Homemade Yogurt!
What Does Instant Pot Burn Error Mean? If you’re cooking your chili or our beef stroganoff for example, and you get the burn error that merely means that your Instant Pot is experiencing an overheat error. Your Instant Pot has a feature built in that recognizes when the bottom is getting too hot, dry and overcooked so it will stop the heating process to avoid any further issues.
Why Does it Say Burn on My Instant Pot? Before we go any further into the recipe, let’s chat about the number one question we’ve been getting about cooking in an Instant Pot: why does it say “burn” on my Instant Pot, or “ovht” error on my Instant Pot?
If you get this error you probably don’t have enough liquid at the bottom of the pot. For example, in chili if you get it when cooking your bacon you probably don’t have enough fat rendering out or the pan got too hot before adding the meat so it immediately burned it.
Common Mistakes for Burn Error on Instant Pot
Sauté Function on Instant Pot
Probably the most common mistake leading to the burn error comes from using the sauté function. Instant Pot is awesome in that you can sauté directly in the inner pot, but that means that little brown bits will be stuck to the bottom of the pan which not everyone takes the time to properly clean off those bits before turning it to pressure cook.
Not Turning the Venting Knob to Sealing Position
One of the biggest mistakes that new Instant Pot users make, but later correct quite quickly is forgetting to turn the venting knob to sealing position. Because all of that moisture is now escaping out of the vent you’ll end up with a dry pot bottom and burned food.
How to Clean an Instant Pot
There are actually a few different things you need to do to clean your Instant Pot, but not all are necessary after every use.
Cleaning the Pot of an Instant Pot
After making dinner you should clean the pot of your Instant Pot. Handle this just like any other pot and give it a quick scrub down in the sink. We always prefer the sink over a dishwasher in order to get those little bits off of the bottom.
How to Clean the Lid of an Instant Pot
- Remove the vent knob and check inside for any food or residue and use a small brush to clean it out if necessary.
- Remove the Float Valve, the hole next to the vent knob is the float valve found under the lid. Make sure it’s wiped clean.
- Remove the anti-block shield, found right next to the float valve and wipe clean.
- The silicone sealing ring (the silicone sealing ring is that cloudy, silicone ring under the lid) should be removed every now and again to remove lingering smells and to make sure everything is functioning and not damaged. If you notice cracking or deformation of the sealing ring, you should replace it right away. (Here’s where you can buy replacement Instant Pot Sealing Rings.)
- The silicone ring can be washed in the dishwasher or soaked in vinegar first to remove odors.
How to Remove the Discolored Finish on Instant Pot Inner Pot
To remove the common rain-bowing effect on the stainless steel inner pot you’ll want to use vinegar.
How to Clean an Instant Pot with Vinegar
Wipe your Instant Pot inner pot clean. Pour in enough white vinegar to cover the bottom of the pot. Let the vinegar sit for 5-7 minutes. Now scrub clean as normal.
Never use steel wool to clean an Instant Pot, as it will scratch the surface of the Instant Pot inner pot.
Now, no more talk about cleaning, let’s talk about eating this Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili! IT’S SO GOOD!
And if you need to know how to make any of the basics in the Instant Pot, check out our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet!
Can I Make This Recipe on the Stove Top or in a Slow Cooker?
The answer is yes and yes! It’s easy to make this recipe using either method. Just depending on what your schedule is, we have the cooking method to meet your needs! Scroll down to the end of the recipe card for instructions on using the stove or a slow cooker to make this recipe.
Storage Tips
Store: Leftover turkey chili should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days.
Freeze: This chili freezes extremely well! Let it cool completely, then place in a large ziploc bag or FoodSaver. Squeeze out as much air as you can, then lay flat in your freezer. It will keep for up to 2 months.
Reheat: You can reheat leftover chili from the fridge in the microwave or on the stove top. If your chili is froze, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
Sometimes it’s hard to find a hearty chili recipe that is healthy and still tastes like a million bucks, and this easy instant pot turkey chili checks both of those boxes! It’s less than 250 calories per serving with 20+ grams of protein! Now that’s a winner recipe!
More Chili Recipes:
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Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili
Description
Our Instant Pot Award Winning Chili Recipe is going viral but we couldn't help but create a healthy instant pot turkey chili recipe for all of you looking for healthy instant pot recipes! Course 100 Family Favorite Easy Healthy Recipes, 50 of the Best Easy Soup Recipes for Families, Favorite General Conference Food Ideas
Keyword chili, healthy, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, healthy recipe, instant pot, slow cooker, soup, turkey
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes minutes
Total Time 33 minutes minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 246kcal
Author Sweet Basil
Turn your instant pot to sauté and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, stirring often to cook evenly. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
8 Strips Turkey Bacon
Add the onions and peppers and cook until tender. Add the meat and cook until browned. Drain off any excess grease, we just tilt the pot and use a large spoon. Add all of the remaining ingredients and 3/4 of the bacon and stir to combine.
1 1/2 Pounds Ground Turkey, 1 Can Pinto Beans, 1 Can Black Beans, 1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes, 1 Can Tomato Paste, 1 Red Onion, 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, 1/2 Orange Bell Pepper, 1 Jalapeño, 2 Cups Chicken Stock, 1 Tablespoon Oregano, 1 teaspoon Cumin, 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, 1 Tablespoon Garlic
Turn the instant pot to chili and cook for 18-20 minutes. Allow pressure to release for 10-15 minutes or quick release with the vent.
Serve with limes, sour cream, cheese, and a little bacon!
Sour Cream, Cilantro, Cheese
Most batches will be done after 18 minutes, however we’ve had a few times when the flavor just wasn’t there yet, so feel free to pressure cook a little longer for more flavor or if your beans are not as tender as you’d like.
For the stove: Cook everything in the pot just like you do for the instant pot and then allow to simmer on low heat for 3 hours.
For the slow cooker: Cook the bacon and set aside on a plate. Cook the onion and peppers and set aside on another plate. Drain any excess grease and add the meat, cooking until browned. Add everything into the pot, leaving out a little bacon for garnish and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
To freeze, cool the chili completely. Place in a large ziploc bag or FoodSaver, removing all air and freeze by laying flat for up to 2 months.
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 1059mg | Potassium: 712mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1813IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg
We recently attended a chili cook-off which kicked my obsession with finding an Award Winning Instant Pot Chili Recipe into high gear.
READ: Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili