Our Pumpkin Chili is an easy, delicious and creamy pumpkin chili recipe that can be made in the slow cooker or on the stove top! Perfect for Fall!
The Best Pumpkin Chili Recipe
As the fall weather begins to turn cool and crisp, there is nothing we love more than a crockpot full of pumpkin chili cooking all day long! The amazing aroma makes the house feel warm and cozy. And then at the end of the day you have a delicious meal that is ready to be served! Perfect for busy weeknights. The whole family is going to love this one and everyone can top it the way they want!
Looking for More Chili Recipes?
If you love making chili as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Best Ever Short Rib Chili!
What You Will Need
- yellow onion – provides some depth to the flavor.
- garlic – because pretty much every savory recipe better with garlic!
- ground beef – we used ground beef but you could also use ground turkey.
- canned whole tomatoes & canned tomato paste – the perfect tomato-base for a great chili.
- pumpkin puree – gives some added nutrition plus a slight change to your normal chili flavors that make it perfect for fall!
- red kidney beans – a classic for any chili plus a bonus of adding some more protein.
- bay leaf, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, pepper – the amazing blend of spices that bring this chili to life! Printable recipe for chili seasoning found here!
- toppings (i.e. sour cream, shredded cheese, green onion, red onion) – these are a few of our favorites but feel free to top any way you want.
Looking To Spice It Up
You can really adjust the spice level of your chili to meet your personal preferences. Feel free to add more chili powder for a stronger flavor or even a little cayenne pepper to really take the spice level up a few notches!
How To Make Pumpkin Chili
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to drizzle some olive oil in a dutch oven and begin cooking the onion.
Now add the ground beef, move around the large pot, and cook until brown.
Then add the rest of the simple ingredients to the soup pot.
Mix to fully combine and let it all simmer, covered, for about 30-60 minutes. We definitely find that the flavor is even better when you lean more towards 60 minutes than 30. Option to cook in the slow cooker, you can just let it hangout for 6-8 hours on low and then enjoy!
Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Best Way To Serve Pumpkin Chili
Our favorite side dishes to serve with a nice, warm bowl of chili are – cornbread, seven layer salad, or butternut squash. Just make sure you also add all the best toppings, like sour cream, chopped green onions, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, red onion, etc. And if you have leftover chili or are looking for a fun new way to serve it, make some slow cooker baked potatoes and make a chili baked potato!
Storage & Freezer
Refrigerator: after it has fully cooled you can place it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer: let it full cool and then place in an airtight container in the freezer for 4-6 months!
Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Best Turkey Chili
Paleo Chili
Comforting Irish Beef Stew
Easy Beef Ragu
Easy Pumpkin Chili
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Slow Cooker or Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pumpkin Chili – an easy, delicious and creamy pumpkin chili recipe that can be made in the slow cooker or on the stove top! Perfect for Fall!
Ingredients
Chili:
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 lb ground beef (I used 85/15)
- (1) 28oz can whole tomatoes (don’t drain)
- (1) 6oz can tomato paste
- 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 15oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2–3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Toppings:
- sour cream (regular or dairy free sour cream)
- shredded cheese (dairy-free or regular)
- green onion, sliced
- red onion, diced
Instructions
- Beef + Onion: Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion; break apart and more around until fully cooked. Drain grease.
- Slow Cooker: Transfer to a slow cooker, along with the whole tomatoes (use knife to cut them into quarters), tomato paste, pumpkin puree, kidney beans, bay leaf, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook: Cover and let cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours.
- Taste + Serve: Make sure to taste and add additional salt and chili powder, as desired. Ladle into bowls and serve with your favorite toppings!
Notes
- Stove Top Method: to make this in a stove top simply use a Dutch Oven and follow the directions as-written (except you, of course, don’t need to transfer anything to the slow cooker). Simmer, covered, for 30-60 minutes and then serve.
- Whole Tomatoes: feel free to use crushed tomatoes instead.
- Beans: we only call for 1 can of kidney beans, but feel free to add up to two and use a combo of whatever you wish – we like red kidney beans, butter beans, black beans, etc.
- Storage: after it has fully cooled you can place it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: let it full cool and then place in an airtight container in the freezer for 4-6 months!
- Turkey: feel free to sub turkey for the ground beef.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 159
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 267.5 mg
- Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Protein: 17.3 g
- Cholesterol: 33.9 mg
Stefanie T says
Soo flavorful. Made this tonight on the stovetop. I let it simmer for a few hours until dinner time. Topped with sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. Thank you Erin for a great recipe!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Stefanie!!