This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.
You can all thank my sister Karami for this recipe – and introducing me to how amazing pumpkin is in chili. Pumpkin chili might just be one of my new favourite things. Yes, we all might be “over” the pumpkin craze now because it’s November and technically we are moving on to bigger, more Christmas-y things. I must confess however that I am a pumpkin lover all year-long.
How to Make Pumpkin Chili
Sometimes it seems thanks to (wonderful) things like Pinterest and Facebook that we are besieged by everything in season and then…crickets. I honestly have started to tune out all of the pumpkin recipes that are all over the place come September and October. I want to eat pumpkin year round and not just when Starbucks releases their pumpkin spice latte and we all go crazy for it.Thus my writing up of a pumpkin chili recipe in mid-November. Man, I’m such a rebel.
The secret to an amazing soup, chili or stew is to puree a small amount of it at the end to thicken it up. I haven’t bought a new hand blender in years and the one I have now works well, but this one is infinitely better. We used it at my sisters to blend up the chili in a rather small pot, without making a mess. Remember that secret of mine : always blend in a small amount at the end of cooking and you’ll have the best tasting chili/soup ever!
This chili is pretty darn fast to make and it’s healthy to boot. You use a can of pumpkin puree ( not pie filling!) which helps to thicken it up and gives it a slight hint of pumpkin taste. You’d be surprised how it doesn’t overpower the entire chili, it simply infuses a little flavour – and a lot of health benefits – into it.
Did I mention that we add in a little cinnamon as well? Don’t be scared. It’s ok.
A bit of cinnamon in this chili is simply wonderful. You may even want to add more! Think of how cinnamon is amazing in curries and you will understand how cinnamon in a chili is a very, very good thing. I would actually add more but I didn’t want to scare my family off too much at first. Cinnamon in a chili is something that you almost mentally have to get over first.
Who would have thought pumpkin was great in chili? Not Mike, that’s for sure, yet he loved this chili. It’s going to be a new favourite this winter!
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
White Bean Pumpkin Chili
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 310
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 large white onion diced
- 14 ounces pure pumpkin puree
- 14 ox diced tomatoes
- 19 ounces white kidney beans
- 2 tablespoons chili powder or to taste I use around 2 1/2
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons onion salt
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
- extra salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fry ground beef and onions in the bottom of a large stock pot until the ground beef is brown and the onions are soft. Drain grease.
- Mix in the pumpkin, tomatoes, beans and spices.
- Simmer in the pot until the beans soften slightly. The longer you simmer, the more time the spices have to meld together.
- At the very end, use your hand blender to puree a small amount in the pot, (maybe a cup) this thickens the chili and makes it amazing!!!
- Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Made this recipe?
Share a photo of what you made on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thekitchenmagpie or hashtag it #thekitchenmagpie.
Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Learn to cook like the Kitchen Magpie
A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook
Cookies, Candies, Cakes & More: Vintage Baking to Celebrate the Festive Season!
Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky
A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts
The Prairie Table
Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together
Leave a Comment or Recipe Tip