The BEST EVER Pumpkin Chili – Pumpkin isn’t just for dessert! This pumpkin chili is a savory, filling meal you’ll make over and over.
Recipe, post, and photos updated Sept. 2017. Originally posted Sept. 2013.
I remember once going through the checkout with a few cans of pumpkin in my cart and the cashier holding it up, bewildered. “What do you make with this? I’ve only ever tried pumpkin bread.”
My heart broke for her.
I LOVE pumpkin things. Always have. Our family has been making these pumpkin muffins since I was in junior high, which sort of opened the door for All The Pumpkin Things ever since.
As much as I love sweet applications–blender pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cake, pumpkin oatmeal, etc. I really REALLY love savory applications for pumpkin too.
I’ve tried it in soups (amazing!), curry (amazing!!), and chili (amazing!!!). It’s just one of my forever favorites and this pumpkin chili is exactly the reason why.
Pumpkin is SO full of nutrients. It’s an amazing source of vitamins, fiber, and all sorts of other goodies that keep us young and healthy. It’s another reason we try mixing it in whenever we can.
In savory applications like this one, you actually don’t even really know it’s there. Instead, you just get an extra layer of vegetable-y goodness, silky texture, pretty color, and delicious flavor. It’s a trick you can use with any chili recipe, really. Just stir in a can of pumpkin to your favorite chili recipe and enjoy all the benefits!
This makes a spectacular Halloween pre-trick-or-treating meal. Hearty, festive, and…well…not candy-ish. It’s a favorite all through the colder months (and throughout the year because #teamforeverpumpkin). Add a side of pumpkin cornbread muffins and you’re in business!
PS – Pro tip: make it ahead of time (the day before or morning of) so the flavors can develop even more. It just gets better with time!
Notes on the Recipe
Paleo? Vegan? Try this! – This is a SUPER adaptable recipe and can fit almost any dietary restrictions. For a paleo version, skip the beans and add an extra bell pepper and another 1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey. For a vegan version, skip the meat and add another can of your favorite beans (kidney beans or another can of black beans are my two favorite choices).
Can I freeze this? Yes! My favorite way for easy thawing is to put it into a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out any extra air and lay it flat on a plate or in a pan while it freezes. That way, you don’t end up with any surprise spills in your freezer and it freeze flat which makes for faster thawing.
Can I make this in a slow cooker? YES! That’s another reason it’s so great. You can choose to brown your beef and drain the fat before adding it to the crock (no need to cook any other ingredients), or if you’re using lean meat, you can toss it in raw. Just give everything a good stir and set to cook 2-3 hours on HIGH or 4-5 hours on low. I love this slow cooker because it has an automatic warming function (switches to warm when it’s done cooking) and is so easy to program.
Want to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree? My friend Melissa has this easy method for making you own!
Any tips for toppings? Absolutely. While the traditional cheese and sour cream might be your faves, I love using a dollop of this avocado ranch (paleo or vegan!) on top for a great dairy-free version.
You Might Also Like…
- Gluten Free (or Not!) Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
- Creamy Avocado Ranch (a great paleo/vegan sub for sour cream)
- Pumpkin Taco Soup (another awesome savory pumpkin dish!)
- How to Make Pumpkin Puree from a Pumpkin
- 1lb ground beef*
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling)
- 1 (15oz) can pinto beans, not drained
- 1 (15oz) can black beans, not drained
- 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, not drained
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil
- In a large soup pot, brown ground beef with pepper, onion, and a drizzle of olive oil. As the meat and veggies are cooking, sprinkle over chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion, powder, and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. When the meat is cooked through, and the veggies are tender, add pumpkin puree, undrained beans, and the tomatoes with their juice to the pan. Cover and simmer until ready to eat.
For a paleo version, skip the beans and add an extra bell pepper and another ½ lb. ground beef or turkey.
For a vegan version, skip the meat and add another can of your favorite beans (kidney beans or another can of black beans are my two favorite choices).
I love chili in all it’s varieties!
A certain house guest of your, LOVED this chili and is looking forward to having it again soon!
This looks delicious!
When I was young, the only way we had pumpkin was roasted pumpkin.
Yup, just roasted in the oven, no spices or anything else 😛
To say I am not a brave eater or cook is an understatement, so I very seldom actually try your amazing recipes, but this I may have to try!
Hope you’re doing well! We think of you often 🙂
I love pumpkin anything! I keep at least six huge cans of pumpkin in my pantry at all times (Costco’s always goes on clearance in the winter, and it is a WAY better deal than pureeing your own – which is what I tried a couple years ago. Dumb.) I am definitely trying this.
As soon as I read your title, I realized that pumpkin was MADE for chili. Thanks for the light bulb!
Emily, I am eating this as I type and I can’t stop. Thanks for coming up with dinner for tonight! It’s been great to follow your blog. I didn’t even know you had it until after we moved away from Provo. I love it when I see a pinned recipe and follow it back to your site (it has happened many, many times)!
I look forward to your pumpkin recipes every year!
Autumn officially hit the UK this week and I have already baked spiced pumpkin pecan muffins and had pumpkin oatmeal for breakfast 🙂 This will definitely be on next weeks menu!
Oh my goodness. This isn’t something I would have ever come up with on my own, but it just sounds soo good!
Hi Emily, do you think this could be made in the crockpot ? Love ALL of your recipes. Sometimes eat them 2-3 days in a row
Kate – I imagine so. I’d probably add a little water (maybe 1/2c?) and then cook it on high for 3-4 hours or slow for 5-6. If you try it in the slow cooker, let me know!
Yummy (even my picky eater ate it), quick to make, cheap, and nutritious. Can’t get better than that! This recipe is going on our regular rotation for the winter. Thanks for all the great soup recipes, they are the best for busy fall school nights.
I added cocoa, cinnamon, brown sugar, tomato sauce, water and a ton more heat to it. It’s fabulous.
Can you please send me your recipe?
Yum, I made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit at our house. I love the creaminess the pumpkin adds. Thanks for sharing!
Tara – So glad you liked it! We made it again this weekend and just love it!
I’ve been dying to try a pumpkin chili for years! This will be my year!
I’m so excited that this freezes well! I have a friend who just had a baby so I think I’ll send her half the batch ready to eat and the other half frozen and ready for later! Gorgeous pictures too friend!
Made this last night and it is fabulous. Only thing to note is that it makes a TON – I wasn’t able to fit everything into my slow cooker (realized this as I was halfway through adding the canned ingredients) so I had to pivot to a half slow cooker / half stovetop cooking method. (Maybe I just have a small slow cooker?) Either way, I’m looking forward to having this in the fridge all week and some more in the freezer for later this fall!
Oh shoot! I didn’t think about what size slow cooker. I have this 6 quart slow cooker. I should have mentioned that! So sorry for the inconvenience!
I made this the other day for a chili-cookoff at work (I don’t know results yet!) but made it in slow cooker and let it cook for 6 hours on low, didn’t add any water or anything – it seemed there was plenty of liquid. It was good, even my mother who is picky about pumpkin enjoyed it. Getting to the point – I have a 6 qt and it filled it up about 1/2 way, but each cooker is different. Thanks for the easy recipe – I can make it either on stove or in slow cooker!
I’m so glad! It’s one of our very favorite recipes!
I love anything pumpkin, so I made this for lunch and it was so delicious. This recipe goes into my
“favorite” recipe box. Thanks for sharing.
I’m SO happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!!!
Do you think I could make it the night before and refrigerate it? It’s for a birthday party and I’d love to have it done ahead of time.
ABSOLUTELY! It only gets better with time! It’ll last in the fridge for around a week, so you can absolutely make it ahead of time.
Looks so yummy!!
I am going to make this for our chili cook off at our church. I’m thinking I have to double this. Would you double every ingredient.
And if I use a slow cooker would you add beef broth, and how much?
Nancy – I apologize for not getting back to you sooner! I would double every ingredient. I don’t think you’d need to add any extra liquid to it. Good luck at the cook off!
This has been one of my favorite chili recipes for the last year. I love making it for people and then after they’ve eaten some, the shock on their face when I tell them there’s pumpkin in there is pure gold!
When I make this for cook-offs, I like to add a little extra kick depending on my mood. I always make it in the slow cooker (6 quart) and I throw in 1 or 2 jalapeños, depending on the size, I get one can of diced tomatoes with chiles and one without (15 oz), toss in some red pepper flakes, and maybe a habanero if I’m really feeling spicy.
I also stick in two cinnamon sticks to cook the 5 hours with the chili and pull them out before serving. It complements the pumpkin really well. I’ve also started adding a bottle of dark stout beer to it to make it less thick and further compliment the pumpkin flavor. The beer also compliments the beef!
Amber – it was so wonderful to read this comment tonight! I absolutely LOVE your suggestions! I’ll have to give them a try!
Would you still use the full contents of a tin a beans, including liquid if it was beans in salted water? What about beans in water with a firming agent like Calcium carbonate? I wasn’t sure about either of these, so ended up rinsing the beans that had firming agent in with them and using the liquid & beans from one tin that was just beans and water.
Beth – That’s a great question! I hadn’t thought about that since I usually buy low-sodium or no salt added beans. I think I’d do exactly what you did. 🙂
This turned out amazing. I did make a few changes. I used 2 lbs of ground beef (only because I like thick chili) , one whole yellow onion, 5 cloves of fresh garlic (in place of the powder), a can of kidney beans (along with the other beans mentioned), 18 oz can of tomato paste, a tsp. of cinnamon and about a cup of chicken broth because I needed some more liquid. Oh!! And I quadrupled the chili powder and added some extra cumin. It turned out slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and soooo good. Thank you for the recipe!
Wow! That sounds delicious!