I love all things pumpkin, and I’m not sorry about it. I also love just about every iteration of chili that is out there (see my Homemade Chili recipe and the long list of variations you can make). So it’s only fitting that I combined my two fall loves. Adding pumpkin is a super easy way to add a dose of nutrients to your pot of chili without changing that classic chili feel. The flavor and texture blend seamlessly into a pot of classic chili and even kind of makes it feel a tad lighter, so I’m totally into it!
What Does Pumpkin Chili Taste Like?
Okay, if you’re looking at me with a side-eye over the idea of putting pumpkin into your chili, just hear me out. The flavor difference is subtle and won’t make your chili taste like pumpkin soup! It makes the chili a little more saucy and rich, without being overly heavy. The pumpkin adds a little earthiness and a super subtle sweetness, which is nice because I usually add a little bit of brown sugar to my chili, but I was able to skip that with the pumpkin. And since I like to load up my chili with a lot of spices (see my homemade chili seasoning), the flavor of the pumpkin is not super noticeable.
And I think this is a good time to mention that you don’t want to taste your chili until it has simmered on the stove a while. You might be tempted to give it a taste right after you add everything to the pot, but at that point, it does not taste good. The chili needs time to do its thing. The spices need to bloom, the flavors need to cook down and combine. Give it time, and then taste. Be patient!
Make it Vegetarian or Vegan
It’s super easy to make your pumpkin chili vegetarian or vegan. Just swap out the ground beef for an extra can of beans, cooked lentils, some crumbled tempeh, or your favorite ground beef substitute. Most of the flavor in this chili comes from the chili seasoning, tomatoes, and other vegetables, so you can safely substitute the beef without too much of an effect.
Use a Different Meat
You can also swap the ground beef out for a different kind of ground meat. Ground turkey is very popular for pumpkin chili because it has a lighter flavor to match the lighter flavor of the pumpkin, but I also think that some Mexican chorizo would be awesome. Those smoky spices would pair perfectly with the flavor of the pumpkin.
Is Pumpkin Chili Spicy?
The recipe, as written below, is only as spicy as the chili powder you use. Many grocery store chili powders tend to be quite mild, but some brands can be spicy. So, if you’re sensitive to heat, make sure you use a chili powder that is mild. I find that McCormick brand chili powder is pretty mild.
If you want to add more heat to your pumpkin chili, feel free to dice up a jalapeño and sautéing that with the onion and garlic in the beginning. You can also add some chipotle powder to the chili seasoning, or dice up a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and stir that into the chili. There are a lot of options!
By the way, you should totally make some cornbread to go with your pumpkin chili. Try my classic homemade cornbread, jalapeño cheddar cornbread, or sweet potato cornbread!
Easy Pumpkin Chili
Servings 6 1.25 cups eachIngredients
Chili
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.28)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 lb. ground beef ($5.35)
- 1 15oz. can kidney beans, drained ($0.59)
- 1 15oz. can black beans, drained ($0.55)
- 1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes ($0.69)
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin purée ($1.05)
- 1/2 6oz. can tomato paste (5 Tbsp) ($0.25)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
Chili Seasoning*
- 1 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Add the garlic, onion, and olive oil to a large pot. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are tender (about 5 minutes).
- Add the ground beef and continue to cook until the beef is browned and cooked through.
- Add the kidney beans (drained), black beans (drained), diced tomatoes (with juices), puréed pumpkin, tomato paste, water, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on top of the pot and allow the chili to come up to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Allow the chili to simmer for 30 minutes.
- After simmering for 30 minutes, give the chili a taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot with your favorite toppings (sour cream, cheese, green onion, corn chips, etc.)
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Pumpkin Chili – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
Add one pound ground beef and continue to sauté until the beef is cooked through.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot: 1 15oz. can black beans (drained), 1 15oz. can kidney beans (drained), 1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes (with juices), 1 15oz. can pumpkin purée, ½ of a 6oz. can tomato paste, 2 cups water, ½ tsp smoked paprika, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Stir until everything is well combined.
Place a lid on the pot and allow the chili to come up to a simmer. Let the chili simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After simmering 30 minutes, give the chili a taste and add salt if needed (I did not add any extra).
Serve hot with your favorite toppings! I especially like something creamy on my bowl, whether that is cheese, avocado, or sour cream. :)
So yummy!! Easy to make as well. The serving size of 1.5 cups Is a bit big for me, so I’m going to try 1 cup and 1.25 cups to see which size works best for me. Will definitely make again.
I will be making this for the second time. I love especially for this time of the year!!
Delicious! I made mine vegetarian and added an extra can of beans. I also added a tablespoon of lime juice to punch up the flavour a bit. We topped it with cheddar cheese ate it with tortilla chips.
Really delicious. Substituted with ground turkey and cayenne instead of paprika. Quick and easy to make.
I’ve made this a couple of times now and it is a big hit especially with my little one! Delicious and easy. Love it!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. If substituting crushed tomatoes for diced tomatoes, would the amount be the same? Thanks.
I would probably do the same amount, yes. :)
So good! I had to make a couple of substitutions to use what I had and threw it in the crockpot for 4 hours. Instead of tomato paste, I added another can or diced tomatoes. I didn’t drain the the beans either and didn’t add the water.
Another winner! Great blend of flavors and spices. Didn’t have kidney beans, so used black and white beans. Sautéed the onions and meat in the Instant Pot, added the rest of the ingredients then cooked on high pressure for 15 mins. Love this easy recipe.
I’ll be saving this one. It was a hit with my otherwise picky kids. I paired it with the normal cornbread recipe attached but added white cheddar and parsley into the cornbread before baking, and did them as cornbread muffins instead. Just wow.
Great chili! I needed a quick chili recipe & stumbled across this one – I liked it right away because I always love adding pumpkin to chili. I swapped out the beef for a couple cans of beans (black & kidney), swapped the diced tomatoes for crushed (so my littles would eat it), and forgot to add any oil. I sautéed the onions in my instant pot, then added the other ingredients, and left it ‘cook’/flavor-meld on the keep-warm setting for a few hours (2-3?).. my husband and 5 year old both say it’s really really good. Thanks!
So easy and tasty! And I feel like more healthy than usual chili because of the pumpkin.
I made this Sunday and everyone loved it. It really is super-creamy and hearty and had a nice color, and you really can’t taste the pumpkin. I used Incogmeat-o as the ground (fake) beef and it was very tasty — that particular ground substitute has a particularly smoky flavor already but overall it wasn’t too smoky, just yummy. Thanks for the great and easy veg or veg-modifiable recipes.
I made this the other night and I am obsessed with it! I subbed a can of cooked lentils for the beef and topped the chili with green onion, sour cream, and tortilla strips and it was perfect! I will definitely be making this again!
Oh my gosh, this is so good! I have my signature chili recipe that I thought was the bomb and would never change … then I saw this recipe using pumpkin, hmmm. I followed this recipe to the letter – the only way to truly test – and OMG! It’s fabulous. I made cornbread as an accompaniment. Thank you for this recipe inspiration. Who knew pumpkin would elevate chili this way 👍🏻
this AMAZING! made this tonight and by the time it’s ready you really can’t tell there’s pumpkin in it! it’s suuuper thick, which i love in a chili, it’s easy, and it’s great comfort food. plus pumpkin is so so good for you and the ultimate veggie sneak. for sure going into my regular rotation!
Fabulous! My family loved it. Used turkey sausage instead of gr. beef. Kids added toppings like sour cream, cheese and frito corn chips. What a hit!!