Instant Pot ground turkey and white bean chili is really easy to make - just drop all the ingredients in the pot! Tomatillo salsa (salsa verde) gives this turkey chili just the right amount of flavor and heat.
My goal was to make this Instant Pot ground turkey chili recipe as easy as possible.
That means:
- No prep work
- No dirty dishes (except the one pot you cook it in)
- Minimal ingredients
Of course, it had to be delicious too!
Just a handful of ingredients - including ground turkey and canned white beans - make a surprisingly flavorful chili once you add a few spices and a jar of tomatillo salsa.
This turkey and white bean chili is easy, fast and flavorful. The perfect weeknight dinner!
Looking for more Instant Pot white bean recipes? Try Instant Pot White Beans (dried beans), Instant Pot white bean soup or Instant Pot white bean, cabbage and tomato soup.
Looking for more Instant Pot chili recipes? Try Instant Pot vegetarian chili or Instant Pot sweet potato & black bean chili.
Ingredients
Ground Turkey: Both white and dark turkey meat can be used. You can also substitute ground chicken.
Canned white beans: Any variety of canned white beans can be used.
Tomatillo salsa: Tomatillo salsa is found in most grocery stores next to tomato salsa. It is often sold both on the shelf and in the refrigerator case. You can amp up the heat by choosing hot salsa, instead of mild or medium.
What is Tomatillo Salsa?
Tomatillo salsa, or salsa verde, is green salsa made from tomatillos and green chiles instead of tomatoes. The salsa has a bright, tangy flavor. Salsa verde is often made from roasted tomatillos, which gives the salsa a smoky flavor. However, you can also make raw salsa verde.
Tomatillos are a small, bright green fruit covered in a papery skin. They look a little bit like hard green tomatoes. Before using a tomatillo, remove the husk and rinse the fruit to wash off the slightly sticky film that covers it.
Salsa verde is usually available in hot, medium and mild spice levels. Tomatillos are not spicy, so the spice level depends on the chiles added to the sauce. Sometimes the salsa is bright green, and sometimes it has a darker, less vibrant color.
Looking for more recipes that use salsa verde? Try Crock Pot green chile chicken.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Saute ground turkey in the Instant Pot. Season with cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder and salt.
Step 2: Add tomatillo salsa, canned white beans and water
Step 3: Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure
Creamy White Turkey Chili
This recipe for white bean and turkey chili is lighter than most white chili recipes, which add dairy products for a rich, creamy texture.
If you'd like a creamier white chili, you can stir in one (or more!) of these ingredients after the turkey chili has cooked.
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- Half a block of cream cheese, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup (or more) creme fraiche
For a creamy, dairy-free white chili you can puree 1 can of the white beans in a blender or food processor before adding it to the chili.
Chili Side Dishes & Garnishes
This chili requires no prep work. Full disclosure, though - you'll need to prep some sides, because what's chili without sides?
I'm talking about grated cheese, green onions, cilantro, sour cream, avocado...you know, the usual!
Turkey and white bean chili is a full meal, but if you'd like a side dish then try:
- Corn on the cob
- Cornbread
- Sliced polenta tube, briefly warmed in a pan with olive oil or butter
- Chips and guacamole
Recipe Questions & Answers
Yes! To make Instant Pot chicken chili, just use ground chicken instead of ground turkey.
Any variety of canned white beans can be used for turkey or chicken chili.
I haven't tested this recipe with dried beans. This is meant to be a quick and easy chili recipe, and for that reason I always make this chili with canned beans.
If you want to try dried white beans, you'd need to pre-soak the beans overnight first so that they cook quickly and add more water or broth to the recipe.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
Print
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot White Bean and Ground Turkey Chili
Chili doesn't get any easier than this! Just drop all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Tomatillo salsa (salsa verde) gives this ground turkey and white bean chili just the right amount of flavor and heat.
Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 10 minutes to reach pressure + 15 minutes to cook + 10 minutes to release pressure.
10/29/20 Update: This recipe has been updated with a shorter cooking time
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Instant Pot
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons oil (sunflower, avocado or olive oil)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 2 cans of white beans, drained (any type of white bean is fine)
- 6 to 8 ounces (about 1 to 1 1 2/ cups) tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)*
- ½ cup water or broth
*You can use mild, medium or hot salsa
Garnishes: Serve Instant Pot white bean and turkey chili with sides like salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, green onions, sliced jalapeno, cilantro, chips, and avocado or guacamole.
Instructions
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot and heat the oil. Add the turkey and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until it doesn't look pink anymore. As the turkey cooks, break up the big pieces with a spatula and season the meat with cumin, oregano, garlic powder and salt.
- Stir in the white beans, salsa and water/broth.
- Secure the lid and turn the pressure release valve to sealing.
- Press the Manual button and program the cooking time for 15 minutes at high pressure.
- When the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes. Move the release valve to venting to release any remaining steam before opening the pot.
Notes
Dried Beans: If you've recently cooked a batch of dried beans, you can add 3 cups of cooked white beans to this recipe instead of canned beans.
Water or Broth: You can use water or broth for this recipe. I usually use water. However, if you've recently cooked dried white beans in the Instant Pot, you can save the broth that the beans cooked in and use the bean broth for this recipe.
This is a fairly thick chili. If you prefer a thinner chili, then add another ½ cup of water/broth before it cooks.
This recipe was tested in a 6-quart Instant Pot
Janet Duncan
The ratio of Salsa Verde and broth is off. Should be 1 1/2 c. of broth to 1/2 cup of salsa. It was way to vinegary for a chili, but the cook times were good. We added a lot of cheese and avocado to make it edible. And scooped it up with chips.
Jenny Meier
Thanks for the feedback. I usually use a jar of salsa verde from Trader Joe's that works really well in the recipe but I've noticed that some other brands of salsa verde (especially those that are fresh and in the refrigerator case) are more watery and/or vinegary than others.
Sandra DeMaria
I've made this several times. It is so good. Do you by chance have the nutritional info for it?
Jenny
I'm so glad you like it! I just posted nutritional info at the bottom of the recipe.
Laura Barno
This was so yummy!!
Jenny
Yay! So glad that you liked it.
Melissa
Delish! And soooo easy. I don't think an instant pot is needed you can just do on the stove it doesn't take long for it to cook. My turkey was 1.3 lbs so I added a third can of beans a can of corn and an entire jar (16oz) of salsa Verde. At the very end I added fresh spinach as we are trying to up our veggie intake. I could go either way on that addition. I'll definitely be making this again.
Jenny
So glad you liked it, and thanks for the tip about also making it on the stove. What a great idea to add fresh spinach!
Samantha Ellyn
Quick, easy, delicious and healthy... Will definitely make again, thank you!!
Jenny
Thanks Samantha, so glad you liked it!
Yolima
I did not have the tomatillo salsa and it was still delicious ! Thanks for the recipe !
Jenny
Thanks for letting me know, I'm so glad you liked it!
Danielle
I have to admit I was skeptical when I saw how simple the recipe was. But the flavor blew us away! This is SO freaking good, we can't wait to make it again. Thank you for this easy weeknight gem!
Jenny
So glad you liked it!
S.
I like this easy combination of ingredients!
Jenny
Thanks!