Pumpkin Chili
This gluten free Pumpkin Chili Recipe is a twist on the classic, incorporating rich, earthy pumpkin puree for a fall-inspired comfort meal! Garnish with sour cream and fresh cilantro for a hearty and satisfying meal that celebrates the flavors of fall!
Why We Love Pumpkin Chili
To me, fall is chili season, even more so than winter. I love simmering big pots of traditional chili once the weather turns cold and serving it with fluffy cornbread.
Usually, I add beer to my traditional chili recipe to offer a deeper note. I carried on the fall flavors in this Pumpkin Chili recipe by pouring in apple hard cider instead. The apple undertones in the chili balance the spice, making this chili recipe very hard to resist!
Adding pumpkin to chili sounds odd, but trust me when I say it offers so much flavor for this savory pumpkin chili! Substituting pumpkin for tomatoes does several wonderful things…
- It gives the chili a sweet rustic essence and deep flavor.
- It provides a thicker luxurious texture.
- It’s a fabulous platform for fall spices.
- And it tastes great with pork or chicken, if you aren’t a beef lover.
Update: Last fall, my daughter Ava and I entered our best pumpkin chili recipe in a local chili cookoff—and won! In the last two years since I originally posted this recipe, several people have emailed me to say they had also used it for neighborhood, state fair, and sponsored chili competitions, and they all placed in first or second place!
Ingredients You Need
Healthy gluten-free pumpkin chili uses minimal ingredients for a super flavorful stew. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground Pork or Chicken – for a richer chili, use ground pork
- Onion – sweet onion is best
- Red Bell Pepper – diced
- Garlic Cloves – freshly minced
- Chipotle Peppers – canned in adobo sauce and chopped
- Pumpkin Puree – 100% canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- Hard Cider – for a depth of flavor
- Kidney Beans – or black beans, for added protein and texture
- Chicken Broth
- Spices – chili powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon, bay leaves and salt (or swap cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice to bump up the pumpkin flavor!)
How to Make Pumpkin Chili
Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground pork and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chipotle peppers. Cook until the meat is browned and the onions are soft.
Pour the pumpkin puree, hard cider, beans, and chicken broth into the pot. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Stir well.
Simmer for at least 30 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro, red onion, and avocado! Enjoy!
Get the Full (Printable) Pumpkin Chili Recipe + VIDEO Below!
Serving Suggestions
Pumpkin Chili is a hearty and comforting meal that can be enjoyed on its own. I highly recommend topping your bowl off with sour cream, cilantro, red onion, avocado, and crushed tortilla chips or Fritos!
If you are looking to serve sides along with your chili, try serving it with some of my favorites:
- Fluffy Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Homemade Tortillas
- Cornbread Muffins
- Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Lentil Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Jennifer Aniston Salad (Bulgar Wheat Recipe)
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! You can use any ground meat you prefer. Ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, or ground chicken are all great options. You can use ground chicken or turkey for a leaner pumpkin chili recipe!
To make a vegetarian pumpkin chili, omit the ground meat and increase the amount of beans you add to the recipe. You can use a combination of kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans, or use just one or two of them. Use water or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. This pumpkin chili is already dairy-free, so for vegan pumpkin chili, use vegan toppings!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through!
Generally, yes. You want to simmer your pumpkin chili for at least 30 minutes, but it will develop more flavor the longer you simmer it. It would be ideal if you could simmer it for up to one hour to let the flavors come together!
More Chili Recipes We Love
- Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Chili Mac and Cheese
- Best Turkey Chili
- Frito Chili Cheeseburgers
- Nachos with Chili Con Carne
- New Mexican Green Chili
- Vegan Chili
- Paleo White Chicken Chili
- Paleo Chicken Chile Verde
Pumpkin Chili Recipe + Video
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground pork, or ground chicken
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 29 ounces 100% pure pumpkin puree (1 can)
- 2 bottles hard cider, gluten-free (12-ounce bottles)
- 2 cans kidney beans, drained (15-ounce cans)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-2 bay leaves
- Optional Toppings: sour cream, cilantro, red onion
Instructions
- Place a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the ground pork and break into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chipotle peppers. Cook until the meat is browned and the onions are soft.
- Pour the pumpkin puree, hard ciders, beans, and chicken broth into the pot. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Stir well.
- Simmer for at least 30 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve warm with toppings if desired.
Excellent! I followed recipe first time, second time making added a bottle of chili sauce. A keeper
I have been making this for a few years, and it is time for me to express my appreciation for this recipe. As soon as I get a sense of the first faint whiff of fall, I make this because it is simply amazing. The flavors blend together so well that I just cannot get enough of it when it is sweater weather (or sweater weather adjacent). I find that following the recipe as closely as possible is the best bet. I have tried to “dress it up, dress it down” and it is never as good. I’ve made it a few times for a chili cookoff, and it is always in the top three (I blame the normies for their unsophisticated palettes; I mean, who votes for a chili with noodles??!?!? Also, I swear to god, Beth, if you bring Skyline one more time…..)!
You are one of my fall cooking heroes.
I won our neighborhoods chili cookoff also! It’s my new favorite recipe : ) A lot of ppl thought it was curry based & turkey, not pork.
Great recipe! I cooked it the evening before, refrigerated it overnight, and then placed it in a slow cooker for a few hours before serving it at the office lunch potluck. Huge hit! Will save this recipe!
This is the best chili! everyone who has tried it loves it.
This sounds amazing but before I go making it, what did everyone use for Hard Cider?
What kind of hard cider, there are a lot of different kinds. There’s even pumpkin hard cider in my store. We are feeding kids, don’t want it to taste like liquor
Hi Cindy!
Just pick a light crisp cider you would enjoy sipping. The flavor simply compliments the pork and pumpkin.
I used Angry Orchard. It’s my favorite to drink.
I looked through all of the reviews of your very well loved pumpkin chili recipe and I don’t remember seeing any question about using all beef instead of the pork. My mom always used just ground beef. I’m not sure at all about liking ground pork but I know that’s just me. Just wondering if you’ve tried it with just beef and how it tasted. I plan to do the pork if you have any negative thoughts about the beef. 😊 Thanks!
Not OP but I always use ground beef with my chili. I have used 93/7 lean up to 80/20. I think somewhere in the middle makes the best. 90/10 is my favorite but I’m use to the leaner meat
Nice alternative to traditional, tomato-based chili…very tasty!
This was delicious, a really creative combination of ingredients, especially the use of hard cider and pumpkin. Definitely one I’ll be making again!
Wow! Been looking for a no tomato chili bc of my acid reflux and this hit the spot !!!! It was DELICIOUS! I left out the chipotle peppers, and used apple cider instead of a hard cider and it was soooooo good! Had a sweet potato which I added and some sweet corn. YUM!
I paired this chili with a castiron cornbread for some friends that came over and everyone loved it. Definitely adding this to my recipe book!