This one pot easy paleo pumpkin chili can be made with beef or your favorite ground meat and is ready in 30 minutes! It’s a hearty, comforting, healthy Paleo and Whole30 meal that everyone will love, even the kids!
If you haven’t ventured into savory territory with pumpkin yet, you are in for a TREAT! A deliciously paleo and Whole30 compliant treat, that is.
And, even if you’re a regular on the savory pumpkin train, this recipe will still knock your socks, er, oven mitt, off! (Don’t burn yourself.)
It’s easy and relatively quick to make (weeknight friendly!) and healthy of course! Extra pumpkin means extra veggies PLUS a thicker chili.
This chili feeds a big family with little effort, and is lower in carbs than a few of my other chili recipes made with sweet potatoes.
I made it extra flavorful with fall spices, in addition to the traditional chili seasonings.
You can also adjust how spicy it is to your preference, so that even your kids will eat it. Are you sold yet? Let’s get into the details!
What You Need to Make Paleo Pumpkin Chili
The pumpkin pie spice adds a warm flavor to the chili that makes me want to put on a sweater and jump in a pile of leaves.
Or, put on a sweater and make a cup of tea (more my speed!) You don’t actually “taste” the pumpkin but you do get a nice thick chili with little effort which is amazing.
Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare this chili:
- ground beef
- ground pork or turkey (or all beef, if you prefer)
- onion
- green bell pepper
- jalapeno pepper
- garlic
- sea salt
- crushed tomatoes
- diced tomatoes, not drained, no salt added
- pumpkin puree
- chili powder
- smoked paprika
- chipotle powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- pumpkin spice (or cinnamon)
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired
- other toppings like sliced avocado, diced red onion, and Kite Hill Sour Cream
How to Make this Easy Pumpkin Chili
You can make this on the stovetop in a dutch oven, or in a slow cooker if you prefer.
Heat your dutch oven and add a little cooking oil. Add the beef and pork and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and stir occasionally to brown.
Once it’s about 2/3 done, add the onions and peppers. Stir and continue until the meat is browned and onions and pepper start to soften. Add the garlic and jalapeño pepper, stir, and cook another minute.
Lower the heat and add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, pumpkin, sea salt and all spices. Bring to a boil, stirring.
Once bubbling, lower heat to a slow simmer, cover, and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour to thicken and combine flavors.
The flavor will only get better the longer this chili simmers, which makes it great for leftovers too.
Slow cook directions:
Brown the beef and cook the onions, peppers and garlic as directed, then transfer to your slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours.
Toppings For Paleo Chili
Luckily there are super delicious options now that are totally paleo!
When I first started out the paleo diet, I didn’t have almond milk sour cream or clean options for dairy free cheese.
I LOVE the Kite Hill sour cream and use it regularly to top chili, burrito bowls, tacos, etc. It’s awesome.
I didn’t have any avocados around when I shot these photos, but sliced avocado with a little lime is great too, along with fresh cilantro and diced red onions.
Add a little cheese if you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free, OR use a great vegan cheddar like Violife!
You can serve this chili alone or with some grain free tortilla chips (like Siete) for dipping! I even made some nachos with the leftovers.
By the way, the leftovers taste just as good, if not better (as with most chilis) so you can make this ahead of time and simply reheat it prior to serving.
Are you ready to cook? This is so easy that even if you don’t feel like cooking, it’s doable, promise! Grab your favorite chili pot and let’s go!
Easy One Pot Pumpkin Chili {Paleo, Whole30}
Easy Pumpkin Chili {Paleo, Whole30}
This easy one-pot paleo pumpkin chili can be made with beef or your favorite ground meat and can be ready in just 30 minutes! It's a hearty, comforting, healthy and Whole30 compliant meal that everyone will love, even the kids!
Ingredients
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef
- 1/2 lb organic ground pork or all beef, if preferred
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil, to brown the meat
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced
- 3/4 - 1 teaspoon sea salt adjust to taste
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes not drained, no salt added
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp chipotle powder *1/2 tsp if you want more spice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice or cinnamon, if preferred
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Stovetop directions:
-
Heat a duch oven over medium high heat and add coconut oil. Add the beef and pork, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and use a spoon to break up lumps to evenly brown.
-
Once 2/3 done, drain some fat if you like (not all) and add the onions and peppers. Stir and continue to cook 2 minutes or until beef is browned and onions and pepper start to soften. Do not drain any more fat. Add garlic and jalapeño, stir, and cook another minute.
-
Lower the heat and add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, pumpkin, 1/2 tsp salt and all spices. Stir to combine well, then raise heat to bring to a boil. Once bubbling, lower heat to a slow simmer, cover, and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes (and up to 45) to combine flavors. The flavor will only get better the longer this chili simmers, which makes it great for leftovers too.
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Garnish with cilantro, sliced avocado, red onion and Kite Hill sour cream, if desired, to serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Slow cooker directions:
-
Brown the beef and cook the onions, peppers and garlic as directed, then transfer to your slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours.
Recipe Notes
*Add more or less chipotle powder to control how spicy your chili is.
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Easy Pumpkin Chili:
Want More Paleo and Whole30 dinner ideas? Try one of these!
Tomato Basil Chicken with Roasted Butternut Squash
White Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes
Easy Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sausage and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Acorn Squash
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This sounds good but I really don’t want to taste pumpkin in my chili,so what I am getting at is do you taste the pumpkin?
While you don’t actually taste the pumpkin, you do taste the pumpkin pie spice, so, if that’s not your thing you can replace with more cumin/chili powder. Hope this helps!
You don’t taste the pumpkin purée at all. The first time we made it, the pumpkin pie spice we used was a little overwhelming. I made it last night in the crockpot and used half of the pumpkin pie spice listed and we got only the subtle notes of the clove and all-spice. My hubby had two bowls!
I made a similar recipe with sweet potatoes awhile back and it was a hit. Anxious to try this. You don’t specify organic ingredients although I see that you use them. Some of the same brands I use but I think it’s good the more we talk about not using ingredients that are not organic (sorry double negative). After watching the GMO summit, I am never going to serve anyone, let alone myself, any food that is GMO, which, horribly, most are. They are so very dangerous to out health and their use guarantees us a life of pain and misery if not premature death. I shudder to think of all the children who are being fed this garbage by parents who just don’t know. We all need to spread the word. Thanks for all the great recipes.
I think you’ll like this 🙂 I almost always link to products I use, but don’t specify organic necessarily in the recipe ingredients, figuring people will choose the products that are right for them. Unfortunately all organic all the time isn’t accessible for everyone, it would be incredible if it were!
It should be though. When I visited my brother in San Diego he even had access to fresh tumeric root! I think he lives nearest to the best stocked grocery store I have ever seen! And it wasn’t the biggest store
I’ve ever been in but they carried everything you could want or need. They had refrigerated Kimchi too I enjoyed my visit. I can’t find those things anywhere else. I’m concerned that many don’t even know how important nonGMO is. Until I got very ill, I didn’t have a clue, and I was a nurse with a degree! I will make this first chance I get!
I buy a lot of grass fed beef and pork, and look forward to trying your chili.
Hope you like it 🙂
Hi Michele,
I recently signed up to receive your receipes!
My fiancé and I just made this last it was delicious! He likes anything pumpkin and we were very curious what it would taste like after smelling it simmering! Delicious and kept us going back for more! Thank you! Definitely want to learn more about whole30 and paleo we have been reducing our sugar and being a lot more conscious of it and reading labels!
Your posts are very informative and inspiring!!
🙂 Natasha & Devin
Hi! So happy you guys liked this. I hope you try a few more recipes! Always feel free to email/comment with any questions that come up 🙂
Cooking it now and tastes great! I don’t have ancho chili powder so I added extra chipotle chili (flakes, not powder) and smoked paprika. Thank you!!
Hope you enjoyed!!
I was a bit skeptical, but I had some grass fed beef I needed to use, and all the rest of the ingredients, so I made this tonight for later. OMGoodness! Unbelievably delicious! I loved the smoky sweetness. I think I’ll be trying a LOT more of your recipes this month, doing a Whole30.
Hi Michelle, I would like to make this, but where I live I am unable to find any of the chili powders you use, or the smoked paprika, just the regular paprika. Will the taste change drastically I wonder if I used just regular chilli powder and paprika. I have liquid smoke. Would that be ok to use? Any substitutions suggestions? Thanks.
No it won’t change it much so I think using those are just fine 🙂
Really enjoyed this chili! (Although I’m still trying to get used to eating it without beans, cheddar cheese, and crackers.)? Thanks Michelle!
whoops sorry! Michele 🙂
Haha I’m glad you liked it! You can add a bit of nutritional yeast for a Whole30 friendly “cheesy” flavor, I’m sure it would be yummy. As for the crackers, crispy roasted sweet potato fries are a great sub 🙂
Such an interesting combination of flavors! I liked it when I made it on Sunday but it was even more delicious when I reheated the leftovers for lunch yesterday (and yes, I am eating it for lunch again today ha)… Who knew pumpkin puree would work so well in a chili recipe. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked it! Love when the leftovers actually taste better!
wow, it looks awesome. When I see the picture of this water comes in the mouth. It looks so tasty and delicious. I can’t wait for this.
I made this last night and adjusted the spice level a bit – my husband is a heat wuss. And it was delicious! The pumpkin and pie spice add such a great depth of flavor.
Enjoying a bowl of this chili right now! Thanks for sharing!
Yum, enjoy!
First time making it with pumpkin. So so good! Such a big hit!
This is a staple at our house now! Works great in the crockpot
Okay, I’m pretty sure you’re my food blog spirit animal. Every single recipe I’ve made from your site has been a total hit and this was no exception. The flavors were so fantastic and reminiscent of Fall. The only modification I made was to add roasted butternut squash.. thank you!!!
YUMMY! The pumpkin flavors were so subtle and savory. My boyfriend was a skeptic and thought he’d prefer classic chili…well he LOVED this.
Suggestions: I almost doubled the quantity of every spice except the pumpkin pie spice(we wanted bold and it tasted great).
And for fun we added cubed sweet potato which ended up being a nice paleo alternative for traditional bean texture.
Great recipe. But why the instruction to drain the fat? It’s grass fed so it’s healthy. And our brains need it. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/diagnosis-diet/201903/the-brain-needs-animal-fat
This is so yummy! I’ve brought it to potlucks and it’s ALWAYS a hit!
Love your recipes! My hubby and I have done our first round of Whole30 and we wouldn’t have made it without your site! Thank you for making low sugar, whole-ingredient recipes!
So surprised. Did not taste the pumpkin at all. Did not add pumpkin spice. I did add one sweet potato cut in small pieces. Also one medium zucchini. Also used green and red bell pepper. Also used beef and ground turkey. Served with white rice. The whole family loved it. My new go to chill 😊
How much is one serving?
Delicious!!
I love so many of your recipes and have made a file folder of them. But I wanted to know if you have a cookbook. I know you have one for baking but would love to purchase a cookbook!
This chili is so good! It is spiced perfectly. My whole family loved it!
Love this recipe! I used ground turkey and added cannelli beans!
Is a serving 1 cup? can you clarify? Thanks!
Hey Michelle! Love this recipe! Just wondering if it is freezable. Thank you!
Yum! Great Chili! I used the slow cooker method and it was nice and thick. Added a side of Guacamole. Much better than chili beans!
Excellent recipe! Everything was easy to find in my local store.
This is so delicious and velvety… I added some organic black beans and pinto beans (we’re not doing W30 right now). I made a giant double batch to freeze half. I will definitely make this chili again, thanks!
very very useful article
nuts bazaar
Super yummy Chili! It is highly requested by my College Kids! Best with organic pumpkin!
Another amazing recipe!! So fall and so delicious!!! I like spice so I added the extra bit of chipotle powder. I absolutely love the blend of the flavors!!!
Followed recipe but found it bland. Amped up all if the spices and it was good
Thanks for sharing your knowledge in this informative blog. Solar
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I make a similar one with sweet potatoes. How about using all ground chicken or turkey instead of beef. Will that work? Trying to reduce cholesterol. Has anyone tried that?