Creamy White Turkey Chili Recipe

This white turkey chili recipe is pure comfort in a bowl. It’s creamy, cozy, and packed with ground turkey, white beans, and a velvety, perfectly spiced broth. Not too heavy, just really, really tasty.

I thought I had enough chili recipes in my life, but this white turkey chili proved me wrong in the best way. The broth is silky and rich, but somehow still light, and the white beans and veggies make every bite hearty and fun, with all those different textures and pops of color. This is the kind of food that just makes you happy.

You start with a quick homemade spice mix, and then finish things off with a little cream cheese. It might sound a bit strange, but trust me, it makes the broth so creamy, without weighing it down. If you love this, you should definitely check out our white chicken chili or our tomato-based turkey chili, too.

Key Ingredients

• Spice Mix: We use some of our favorite spices for this chili. You will stir together cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, chili powder, and a pinch of cayenne for a little heat. It’s simple, but so flavorful, and I’m willing to bet you already have most of these in your spice cabinet. We also toss in a bay leaf later on.
• Turkey: We like to use ground turkey with a little fat (92% lean is our go-to). If you use ground turkey breast or 99% lean ground turkey, the chili will be lighter, but it can turn out a bit crumbly and dry. You can swap in ground chicken if that’s what you have on hand. We use ground chicken in our white chicken chili.
• Vegetables: We pack this chili with veggies for lots of texture and flavor (onion, celery, garlic, and bell peppers). We usually go for one yellow and one red bell pepper for a pop of color, but use whatever you have on hand. Right at the end, we stir in a big bunch of kale. We’re big fans of lacinato kale (the kind with flat, dark green leaves), but curly kale works too.
• White Beans: We love beans in our classic chili, so of course, they’re in this one. Use two cans of your favorite white beans. Cannellini, Great Northern, or navy beans all work great.
• Stock: The chili simmers in a light, creamy broth. You can use chicken stock or vegetable broth, whatever you prefer.
• Cream Cheese: Here’s our secret for that velvety, creamy broth. We melt some cream cheese in before simmering everything together. It doesn’t make the chili heavy or gloopy, just keeps it light and creamy.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Creamy White Turkey Chili

Tip 1: Use our spice blend. For the best flavor, use our spice mix with cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. The cayenne adds heat, so hold back if you are sensitive, or lean into more if you love spicy chili!

Tip 2: Brown the turkey. When cooking ground meat, like ground turkey, it’s a good idea to brown it first in a little oil. This makes the turkey taste better and gives it a much nicer texture in the chili. You’ll brown the turkey in olive oil with a bit of salt and about half of the spice mix.

Tip 3: Quickly sauté the veggies. When your turkey is browned (it doesn’t need to be fully cooked), remove it from the pot and then cook the vegetables in a bit more oil with the remaining spice mixture. That means the onion, celery, garlic, and bell pepper go into the pot. You aren’t looking to cook them completely, just for a few minutes to give them a head start.

Tip 4: Use cream cheese. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the cream cheese in this chili. When adding it, stir it into the vegetables and let it soften and melt into an almost-smooth sauce. Then, add stock and a bay leaf to make the creamy broth.

Tip 5: Simmer for 15 minutes. Since our turkey is mostly cooked, the veggies got a head start, and we are using canned beans, you don’t need a long simmer time. 15 minutes is just right for making sure everything is perfectly cooked, and the kale (which we stir in towards the end) has enough time to turn tender.

Serving Suggestions

A bowl of this chili is perfect topped with cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, sliced jalapeño or Serrano pepper (for heat), and crunchy tortilla chips. Sliced avocado or guacamole would be lovely, too. I also love pickled onions and cowboy candy when I have them in the fridge. A slice of homemade cornbread is a good idea, too!

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