Healthy Instant Pot Turkey Zucchini Chili with Veggies – Quick and Simple
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Instant Pot Turkey Chili is the kind of dinner that you make when you want something hearty but don’t have all afternoon to make it. Lean ground turkey and plenty of vegetables keep it lighter than traditional beef chili, but it’s still filling and full of flavor. The Instant Pot does all of the work, so dinner is on the table in about 40 minutes. And if you are cooking for one or two, the leftovers are even better the next day.
Updated February 2026 with improved steps and helpful tips.
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Recipe Highlights
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes + Pressure 10 Minutes + 15 Minutes Release
Total Time: 50 Minutes
Serves: 6 – Easy to scale up or down
Notes: Great for leftovers, and freezes well.
- Turkey and vegetables are sauteed, then pressure cooked for 10 minutes.
- This is a spicy recipe, but the heat can be adjusted by skipping the jalapeno pepper or using a milder one.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Ground turkey – ground beef, chicken or pork will work too.
- Onion – all purpose or sweet.
- Garlic or garlic powder
- Red bell pepper – Orange, yellow or green are ok.
- Jalapeno pepper – Use Anaheim for milder chili or leave the hot peppers out.
- Zucchini – yellow or green
- Diced tomatoes – canned or fresh
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Black or kidney beans
- Fresh Cilantro and Fresh Lime Juice to finish
Missing an ingredient? Find a substitute with the ingredient swap assistant!
- Prepare: Chop the veggies, measure spices, drain beans, squeeze lime and chop cilantro. Then set the Instant Pot to saute.
- Sauté the turkey: Heat the Instant Pot on sauté. Add oil, swirl to coat, then cook the ground turkey until mostly brown.
- Sauté the vegetables – Add the peppers and onions, cook for 3 to 5 minutes until they begin to turn soft, and stir in the spices.
- Pressure cook: Add the tomatoes and give them a gentle stir. Cover the pressure cooker and set it to cook on high for 10 minutes.
- Release: Once the cooking process is done, let it natural release for 10 to 15 minutes, then quick-release.
- Finish: Stir in beans, lime juice, and cilantro, set to warm, and heat for 5 minutes.
Tips
- Don’t crowd the Instant Pot while sautéing. This recipe works best in a 6 quart sized Instant Pot. If you have a smaller sized pressure cooker, cook the turkey in batches so it browns instead of steams.
- Add the spices before the liquid. This helps the spices bloom and coat the meat for better flavor.
- Stir in the beans after pressure cooking. They’ll warm through without turning soft and mushy.
- If the chili tastes too spicy, add a squeeze of lime or lemon juice to mellow the heat.
- The cook time is 10 minutes, but plan for another 10 to 15 minutes for the pot to come to pressure.
Turkey Chili Serving Suggestions
This chili is flexible and fits any appetite. Here are some ways to serve it:
- Top bowls with chopped avocado or homemade guacamole, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream and shredded cheddar.
- Sprinkle on extra cilantro, a splash of lime juice or green onions for freshness.
- Serve with baked tortilla chips, cornbread or over brown rice for extra heartiness.
How to Store Leftover Chili
Turkey chili is perfect for making extra. Store cooled chili in airtight containers:
- In the fridge: Up to 4 days, ready to reheat in minutes.
- In the freezer: Up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Craving more easy ground turkey ideas? Don’t miss my complete guide to ground turkey recipes—it’s packed with simple, flavorful dinners for every night of the week. Check them out here.
Leftover Suggestions
Leftover chili is so versatile and can be re-purposed in so many ways. Here are a few ideas for using up this Instant Pot Chili:
- Serve leftover chili on top of a bed of greens for a salad or add it to a Mexican Chopped Salad.
- Stuff it into a shell or tortilla and make tacos.
- Spread it on top of tortilla chips and make nachos topped with homemade pico de gallo and homemade guacamole.
- Serve leftover turkey chili on top of a hot dog.
- Stir it into your favorite mac and cheese.
- Serve it over rice or pasta.
- Stuff into a baked potato.
- Stuff it into peppers for spicy stuffed peppers or make mini pepper nachos.
- Fill an acorn squash with it to make an easy version of Tex-Mex Stuffed Acorn Squash.
Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe Variations
Mild – Leave out the jalapeno peppers or substitute them with a milder pepper such as a poblano pepper.
Sweet and Spicy – Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a tablespoon of honey to taste.
Vegetarian – Double up on the amount of vegetables and add an extra cup of beans for veggie chili.
Sweet potato turkey chili – Replace zucchini with diced sweet potatoes and use black beans and a dash of cinnamon.
Want more zucchini ideas? Don’t miss this collection of easy favorites.
Turkey Chili Recipe FAQs
Plan for about 50 minutes total. The recipe lists 15 minutes of prep time, 10 minutes of pressure cooking, and another 25 minutes for the pot to come to pressure and release.
Yes, brown the turkey in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes, then add spices, tomatoes, and beans. Cover and simmer on low heat for at least one hour, then stir in cilantro and finish with a squeee of lime.
Yes. Cook the turkey in a skillet, then add it to the slow cooker with the other ingredients (save the beans for the end). Cook on low for 4 hours, stir in the beans and enjoy.
Yes. Leave the beans out or replace them with more vegetables or more meat based on what you want.
Have you tried these healthy chili recipes?
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Click on serving size to scale this recipe
Easy Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 pound ground turkey
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bell peppers any color, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper – chopped
- 1/2 small zucchini diced or shredded
- 1 carrot diced or shredded
- 2 cups chopped or diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 1/2 cups beans any variety
- 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: chop up the vegetables, measure the spices, drain the beans, squeeze the lime juice and cilantro.
- Heat the pressure cooker on saute setting.
- Once the pressure cooker is hot, add the olive oil; swirl it around the instant pot to make sure the bottom of the instant pot is coated with oil, and add the turkey.
- Cook until the turkey is almost cooked through; add the vegetables, cook for 3 to 5 minutes and add the onion, peppers, zucchini, carrot and garlic. Cook until the vegetables begin to turn soft.
- Cancel the saute function and stir in the spices.
- Add the tomatoes and give them a gentle stir. Cover the pressure cooker and set it to cook high for 10 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking process is complete, slow-release for 10 minutes longer. Carefully manual release the remaining pressure.
- Stir in the beans, chopped cilantro and lime juice. Cover the cooker loosely and set the heat to warm. Serve once the beans are heated through.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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