The joy of a home cooked meal made in the ease of your crockpot. This slow cooker Turkey Taco chili is bursting with flavor, vegetables and protein…making it the perfect healthy dinner any night of the week.
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There is something simply magical about walking through your door after a busy day and smelling dinner already done. Like, truly relaxing and comforting.
And when that smell is from a cozy chili cooked to perfection in your slow cooker and it is a chilly autumn day…well, the magic just got leveled up a bit.
I might be a full-time blogger these days, but when I started this crazy journey that is TNN, I was a full-time teacher and mom that was just pooped at the end of the day. Cooking dinner would be the last thing I wanted to do, but I still wanted some healthy awesomeness to feed myself and my family.
Thats when my love affair with slow cookers started. If it could be dumped into my crockpot before I walked out the door, I made it. And, thus, I started making lots of recipes for you folks that offer the same real food goodness and ease.And now I am adding this slow cooker turkey taco chili to the crockpot dinner line-up.
Chili might be my favorite thing to make in my slow cooker, since it is so hearty and you can jam pack it with so many good things. Namely veggies! You guys know that is how I like to roll. And this slow cooker turkey taco chili checks off all those marks.
Why this recipe is awesome
- Super easy! Quickly sautee the onions and ground meat on your stove top and then dump everything in your slow cooker, stir, turn on your crockpot and see ya at dinner time!
- Loaded with veggies! Veggies make this chili extra filling and add all kinds of nutrients to dinner! And I give you extra ideas below on how you could veggie-loaded this chili even more!
- The leftovers are magical. You know some things that are just kind of blah the next day? Not this slow cooker turkey taco chili! Snag the leftovers for an easy lunch the next day or add it to your freezer stash for a healthy dinner to reheat on a hectic day.
Tips for making slow cooker turkey taco chili
- Use fire-roasted tomatoes for an easy extra addition of flavor. And if you like extra heat, get the tomatoes with added chilies!
- Make sure your carrots is evenly chopped, otherwise some pieces will cook faster than others and not have an even texture throughout the chili
- Make sure you slow cooker is big enough. I did this recipe in a 4.5 quart slow cooker and would definitely use that size or larger. If you are working with a smaller slow cooker, just half the recipe to keep things safe
- Know you slow cooker. Don’t ask me why, but slow cookers are like jeans and no two brands are the same as far as standards. High on your slow cooker might be a lot hotter than it is on mine…so cooking time might be less. Or maybe your low setting is super low…and so cooking time will be longer. Chances are, this wont be your first slow cooker recipe, so just be sure to adjust the setting and time to fit your unique gadget.
Suggested adaptations
- Veggie-load it even more! Add some butternut squash into the mix or some sweet potato puree! Or stir in some baby spinach at the end to wilt in the hot soup! Pump up those veggies however you like!
- Make it in your Instant Pot! I love my IP for busy days when I don’t think about dinner at 7am (go figure!). You can easily make this chili in your pressure cooker by combining everything as directed in your Instant Pot and then cooking on Manual High Pressure 22 minutes, then Quick Release.
- Cook it on your stove top! Just combine everything in a big pot, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, slow heat and allow it to simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until carrots are cooked through and tender.
- Make it vegetarian. Just sub the turkey in this recipe with more cooked beans!
- Make it Paleo & Whole30! Replace the beans in this recipe with more turkey or another ground meat!
Other taco recipes you are going to love!
- Healthy Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Veggie-Loaded Shrimp Taco Bowls
- Veggie-Loaded Mini Taco Meatloaves
- Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos
Did you make this recipe? And did you love it? Awesome! I’d love for you give it your review below! 👇 And make sure to share your creations on by tagging me on Instagram!
Slow Cooker Turkey Taco Chili
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1 cup bell pepper deseeded and chopped
- 15 oz cooked black beans drained and rinsed (omit for Whole30)
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 28 oz diced tomatoes for extra flavor, fire roasted suggested. For extra spice, get the ones with added chilies
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning see below for my home recipe
- 1 cup broth or stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder I made this mild enough for kids, so if you like extra heat, increased the chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- sliced avocado, green onion and cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and sauté for about 3 minutes. Crumble ground meat into the hot skillet with onions and cook until turkey is browned, but still slightly pink. Note: This is an optional step but will help with the flavor and texture of your soup
- Pour meat and onions to your slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir a few times to combine
- Cover slow cooker; cook on high setting for 3-4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours .
- Once done cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with chopped green onion, shredded cheese or sliced avocado if desired and serve.
For taco seasoning
- Combine everything in an air tight jar and put lid on. Shake a few times to combine.
- Use what you need for this recipe and save the rest for another meal!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
New favorite chili recipe. The whole family loved it and it was super easy.
This recipe is so good. My girls who aren’t big fans of carrots ate 2 bowls without even knowing they were there. It is so easy to make and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. Definitely a new staple in my house.
Yay! I am so glad it was a hit. And I agree, a good simple dinner recipe is always so nice to have for the rotation!
Hi! This looks so good and easy! I see carrots in the picture and in the blog write up but they are not listed with the ingredients in the recipe. How much of the chopped carrots do you use? Thanks!
Hi Kate! Thanks for catching that typo! I’ve updated the recipe
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.
This is one of our favorites! So easy and so delicious. Extras freeze up wonderfully for an easy dinner another night!
I LOVE a good freezer meal! Makes life so much easier.
I’m sure this recipe is great but not as a slow cooker recipe. I used ground turkey and cooked the chili on low for 6 hours. The turkey literally disintegrated into the mixture and it became a soup with a disgusting texture. We ate it for dinner tonight and then proceeded to throw out the rest. I may try to make this recipe again but over the stove top next time!
Thanks for the feedback, April. I actually have been retesting this recipe and just updated it with a few tweaks that I think might make to the recipe a better texture in the future. I have included stove top and Instant Pot instructions in the post too!
Omg. All day, I smelled this cooking while I worked and I couldn’t wait for it to be done. So good! Absolutely will make again.
I’m so glad you liked it! I agree, the smell makes it hard to resist.
I made this recipe in my IP after sautéing the ground turkey and onions for a one pot meal. This was absolutely delicious and leftovers were almost better than the day of cooking (although that could simply be because I was dreaming about having those leftovers for lunch all morning). A little sprinkle of cheese on top gave a little extra oomph. This is definitely going on my winter recipe list!
I am so glad you loved this as much as we do! I love leftover chili for lunch on a winter day. The flavors are a little bit extra awesome after they have sat together for a bit and it is so comforting. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!