Instant Pot Ground Turkey Lentil Chili–this healthy, easy pressure cooker turkey lentil chili is the perfect meal for any night of the week. It fills you up without filling you out while still having tons of flavor.
Get the slow cooker version of this recipe
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Instant Pot Ground Turkey Lentil Chili
Today’s recipe is one of my slow cooker favorites that I’ve made in the pressure cooker. It’s a healthy lentil chili that’s made with ground turkey. I usually always have the ingredients for this recipe at my house so it’s a perfect option for a weeknight dinner or sometimes I even make it and put it into individual containers and freeze it. That way my husband can grab one of those containers and bring it to work and have a healthy, filling lunch.
National Chili Day
Today is National Chili Day! I’m celebrating by sharing with you some amazing chili recipes from some food blogger friends.
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili from Ashlee Marie
Homemade 3 Bean Vegetarian Chili from An Italian in My Kitchen
Taco Chili from Simply Stacie
Easy Chicken Enchilada Chili from Creations by Kara
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili from Real Mom Kitchen
Slow Cooker Chili from Pretty Providence
Creamy White Chicken Chili from Crumb
Instant Pot Chili from Savory Experiments
Sweet Potato Chili from Namely Marly
Pork Verde Chili from The Baker Upstairs
Slow cooker turkey chili from My Mommy Style
Instant Pot lentil and bean chili from Supergolden Bakes
Jalapeno Popper Turkey Chili from Premeditated Leftovers
Award Winning Crockpot Chili from Heather Likes Food
Save this recipe for later on Pinterest!
What Instant Pot/Slow Cooker Did You Use?
For this Instant Pot Ground Turkey Lentil Chili recipe I used this Instant Pot IP-LUX60 V3 Programmable Electric Pressure Cooker. It’s 6 quarts, so the same size as most slow cookers. It cost me around $80 on Amazon. When I made a similar recipe in the slow cooker I used this 6 quart KitchenAid Slow Cooker.
Instant Pot Ground Turkey Lentil Chili
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This healthy, easy pressure cooker turkey lentil chili is the perfect meal for any night of the week. It fills you up without filling you out while still having tons of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup dry green lentils
- 2 cups water
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot onto “saute.” Brown the ground turkey. Add in the diced onions, garlic, tomato paste and salt and cook until meat is browned and onions are soft and translucent.
- Add in the lentils, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder, cumin and pepper.
- Cover the Instant Pot and turn it to “manual,” set the timer to 10 minutes. Make sure the valve is set to “sealing.”
- When the timer beeps let it sit for 10 minutes and then slowly release the pressure by moving the valve to “venting.”
- Remove the lid and ladle the chili into bowls. We topped ours with a dollop of sour cream and some diced green onions.
Notes
Click here for the slow cooker version of this recipe.
I used my Instant Pot IP-LUX60 V3 Programmable Electric Pressure Cooker for this recipe.
This recipe is gluten free.
- Method: Instant Pot
Nutrition
- Calories: 306
- Sugar: 6.2 g
- Sodium: 959 mg
- Fat: 9.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 12.2 g
- Protein: 30.7 g
- Cholesterol: 77 mg
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I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never cooked with lentils though love lentil soup from a couple local restaurants so want to make some. But reading about them for this recipe, there seem to be some real differences, like French green lentils being much smaller and more peppery than brown, but both holding their shape well, and the red and yellow being split so creamier.
I have the petite French green lentils (from Canada!) but wondered which green lentils you used. Tempted to get the non-French but would love your take on lentils. And a great recipe for lentil soup!
Thanks, Karen!
★★★★★
I think mine were actually the brown lentils. They were not a bright green. More of a green/brown color.
Your recipe sent me to lentil nerd-land and I read about the different types. Green often are green/brown or green/gray. They and brown hold together well in chili, soups, etc. The tiny green French ones also hold together and are more peppery, and the French ones from the Puy region are gray-green and even more peppery and “flinty,” whatever that is. The red and yellow ones tend to disintegrate, make things creamy, and black lentils are the rarest. LOL
Did I pass the pop quiz? I did make it and it is absolutely delicious. Next I’d like to try meat-free and also lentil soup. Thank you!
★★★★★
Wow you definitely passed the test! 😉
Question: Will try this tomorrow, though with extra lean ground beef since it’s thawed and needs to be used. Next time ground turkey.
Linda (above) added chipotles to give it a smokey flavor. I’m a hot spice wimp and they’re medium heat so not for me, but would love a little smokiness. There’s Liquid Smoke, smoked paprika, anything else? Or if I use one of those, any sense of quantity? Thanks in advance!
(BTW, for the millionth time I made your country boil this week — with double the Old Bay of course — and we love it as much today as ever. For the first time used frozen corn cobettes on top of everything and they were nice and hot.)
★★★★★
Hi Beth, I would try a half teaspoon of liquid smoke or a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika. Enjoy!
Hello Karen I have a question I’ve made this recipe before and we love it, but I want to make it for my daughter but right now she’s not eating no meat what can you recommend for a substitute of the turkey meat I was thinking maybe mushrooms but I don’t know if it will work.
Yes chopped mushrooms would be great! Or try the Beyond Meat products.
Hi there, was hoping to see if this recipe is ok without lentils? I’m completely out 🙁
Personally I wouldn’t make it without lentils. That’s the base of the chili. You could try using rice or dried beans instead.
Excellent!
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Linda!
AMAZING! Was sooooooo delicious & EZ to make! Will be using this recipe from now on for our chili…..so much more nutritious & tasteful. Thanks for suggesting this, Karen. The sour cream & green onions on top were the “coup de grace”! Can’t wait for leftovers. Your lentil soup was so good as well. Hubby said to add these 2 recipes to my “favorites of all time” list!!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you tried it Kim! I knew you would love it!
This is delicious, but way too much salt and I love salt. I will only use 1 tsp next time. I didn’t use tomato paste and instead used a 15 oz can of tomato sauce (maybe my salt issue?). It was great. My family doesn’t like anything spicy either, so I halved the chili powder and didn’t use any pepper. No complaints and it was very flavorful. We will be making this again! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks for the 5 stars Danielle!
Thank you! Great recipe. If I wanted to double it would I keep the cooking time at 10 minutes and just double all of the ingredients?
★★★★★
Yep that’s what I would do!
Great recipe!!! I have a question about the nutrition information listed. Is that per serving or for the 6 servings? Thanks
It’s per serving So 1/6 of the pot
How much is in a serving? A cup?
So good. We subbed Bison and brown lentils. Just needs a bit more chili powder and cayenne for some heat.
★★★★★
Sounds like a great version. I wish we could get Bison here for cheaper!
We make this over, and over, and over.
★★★★★
It’s one of my favorites too! Glad you found it!
This is my very favorite instant pot recipe and I have been pressure cooking a long time. I make this at least once a month. The only thing I change is to add about 1/2c red wine when I brown the turkey and onions. I also use a can of tomatoes with diced Chili’s instead of one can of each. Love to top it with cheese sour cream and avocado. I am single so I eat it all week and never ever get sick of it. I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing. I didn’t even know I loved lentils!!
★★★★★
I totally agree with you Sarah. This is one of my favorites. It doesn’t seem like it would be that good but it really is!
Hiya! Just wanted to drop a line and tell you how delicious this is. I’ve made it many times and so far my most favorite way to make it is to use a can of diced tomatoes with Chiles and also add 1/2 a can of chipotles. I slice the chipotles up. 1/2 a small can for a double recipe. So you don’t need that much. It gives such a smoky flavor. Thanks so much for the recipe. Love it!
Oh yes I bet the chipotles bring it to a whole new level!
this is one of my favorite recipes – i make it all the time! tonight, i’m a little short on the lentils – i only have about 3/4 cup of lentils – all of the stores near us were sold out so i have to make do with what i’ve got.
do you think i could reduce the water a bit, to not make the chili too soupy? what would you recommend – maybe 1.5 cups instead? thanks!
I’d do 1.75 cups of water. Should be just fine!
thanks for replying so quickly! for the record, it was PERFECT. 🙂
I loved the lentil chili it was so delicious and easy to make, but mine came out dry I don’t know why but we still enjoyed it thank you for the recipe
Hi! Can I swap French lentils for the green lentils? Would I use the same amount?
yes absolutely and keep the same amount.
This was amazing! So easy, and different than your run of the mill chili, plus healthy. I will definitely be making this again! (Also, I almost never leave recipe reviews.)
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Lauren!
Soooo good!
So glad you liked it Alexandra!
Easy, nutritious and most importantly DELICIOUS! It’s my go to chili recipe!
★★★★★
Yay!!! Me too. I really love it.
Honestly, this did not look good to me, but I had to try it with all the positive reviews.
IT IS EXCELLENT. So yummy and FILLING. (and healthy!) Can’t beat that!
Thank you for another wonderful recipe that I’ve added to my instant pot recipe collection!
SEEEEE! I know people don’t want to make it because it doesn’t look great but it is! Thanks for giving it a shot!
As an update… I have been enjoying this recipe SOOOO MUCH. I had a friend unexpectedly drop by yesterday and needed to come up with something fast. Since I live alone I have been eating this for a few days now. I didn’t have enough leftover for both of us but I had 2 beautiful red peppers in my fridge… I think you can see where I’m going with this… so I stuffed the peppers with this chili; covered with foil and baked for 25 minutes in 400° oven (convection). I then topped with sharp cheddar cheese and baked (uncovered) for another 5 or so minutes just to melt the cheese. DELICIOUS! The only thing I would change is with esthetics. An orange or yellow pepper (or even green…yuck) would have been GORGEOUS.
★★★★★
Oh wow this is a brilliant idea! I love it. Thank you for sharing. I will try it next time I make the chili.
I just finished a bowl of this deliciousness but had to leave a THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU before going to get another ladle of this chili. My lentils have been in my pantry for awhile and needs another 2 minutes or so to get tender but that is not the fault of the recipe. SOOOOOO TASTY!!!
★★★★★
Yay! Sharon I’m glad you tried this recipe it is one of my absolute favorites!
All the other reviews have convinced me to make tonight! Thanks so much. Didn’t have a clue what I was going to make. 🙂
I hope you liked it Ann!!!
I love this recipe! I discovered it a few months ago when I first started WW. I have made it twice already. I do like to also add a can of chili beans for a little extra flavor. 😋
★★★★★
Yay!! Good plan on the beans 🙂
Loved this. Lots of flavour. Will make again.
Glad you liked it Bonnie!
Could I use brown lentils in place of the green ones? Same cooking time, etc.?
Thank you,
Frances
Look at other comments! I was thinking the same thing and someone else used brown lentils successfully! My family will go “ewwwww” at the green lentils…brown ones will disappear into it much more easily! And my hubby hates beans and will be thrilled!!!
Yes!
This is my family’s by far favorite winter/fall meal. In fact we literally had it last night for dinner. I rave about this easy meal all the time. Thank you for sharing it with us.
★★★★★
Oh my gosh this is so great to hear!!
I’ve made this in the crock pot before and it was delicious. Just tried it in the instant pot. Even better! I loved the flavor and thought the lentils cooked to the perfect consistency. And so quick! One of my favorites to make and bring as leftovers to work for lunch with shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado.
★★★★★
I love this one too! You just talked me into making it again tonight 🙂
What is the serving size?
About 1 cup
This is a staple in our house & sometimes I have to make 3x’s the batch because we love it. Never get tired of it. Thanks!
★★★★★
Mare, I agree with you! This is such an underrated recipe. I wish I could get more people to try it. I guess lentils just aren’t that popular 🙂
I’m saving it and going to try this soon. We love lentils. Looks easy, healthy, and delicious. Thank you!
You will love it I promise!
Did you drain the tomatoes? I have made this before and it is my favorite instant pot recipe but I can’t remember if I should drain the tomatoes🤣
Hi Sarah, nope don’t drain the tomatoes!
Delicious! Easy and relatively quick. My only complaint is I should have doubled the recipe as it doesn’t make that much. Next time!
★★★★★
I love this one too! And yes doubling it is a great idea 🙂
Good but needs more salt and chili powder. Would make again
★★★★
Thanks Michelle!
Just made this and the flavor is great but some of the lentils aren’t cooked all the way.
Dang! Can you reseal the pot and cook for any extra couple minutes.
Made this tonight and was blown away by how flavorful it was! We subbed brown lentils and only put in 1 tsp salt and it turned out great! Thank you!
★★★★★
NICE! We love this one too.
If I double this do I still do 13 min? I did 2lb of meat and 2 cups of lentils
You may want to only do 10 minutes because it will take longer to come to pressure.
Did it work when you doubled it and did 10 min? I love this recipe too and I want to try to make a double batch. Thank you so much!!!!
Hi Karen!! I came across your recipe through Pinterest and I’m interested in trying it. I have leftover cooked turkey breast in the freezer I want to use up. Would you suggest I cook everything but the turkey first for 13mins and then put the turkey in to warm through for 10mins or so?
Yes, that would work!
I have the instant pot mini – can I just cut all the ingredients in half with same cook time?
yes, except you need to make sure there is enough liquid for the pot to come to pressure.
Hi, I want to make this but only have ground chicken. Do you think this will ok?
That will totally work!
Great flexible base recipe. I added a can of black beans and a can of kidney beans, substituted a couple jalapenos (seeded) for the canned chilies and two chipotles in adobo to spice it up, subbed fire roasted tomatoes and added ancho chili powder and litelife soy crumbles rather than turkey (the crumbles soak up a lot of spice) Also used veggie broth instead of water. Came out great and vegan!
awesome! I’m so glad you could make this work for you.
So delicious! I used yellow lentil instead of brown which gave it a creamy texture. I also added a ton of garlic, fresh tomatoes instead of canned and fresh Jalapeños. I also chopped up cilantro and added it at the end. Reminds me of Mexican lentil soup. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
I like your ideas! They all sound so delicious 🙂
Really great! I subbed brown lentils and added sweet corn. Great easy and healthy dinner!
★★★★★
when you click manual, do you select high or low pressure?
high pressure!
I have an 8 qt pot. Can I double or even triple this recipe? I’d love to make for my son’s birthday party. We’ll have about 20 people to feed.
I bet you could double it, probably not enough room to triple!
Great recipe! We did this as our first IP meal and loved it. Quick question are the nutrition facts per serving of the whole meal?
★★★★
Hi, they are per serving 🙂
Made this today for dinner and it came out delicious. I doubled the recipe and added extra water. It came out perfect and my family loved it. Definitely a keeper!
can you make this with frozen ground turkey?
I’m not sure how great that would work since the turkey is supposed to get browned in the first step. Maybe add 1/2 cup broth to the pot and pressure cook the frozen turkey for 5 minutes. Then follow the recipe as it is written.
This was delicious! The only thing I would do is add another half a cup of water, because it came out kind of dry in mine. My three-year-old asked for seconds and thirds.
★★★★
Nice! Glad you liked it 🙂
I am making this recipe now and followed the steps. My instant pot red BURN. Any tips on how to make sure that doesn’t happen? I’m not sure where I went wrong. Thanks!
Bummer! I have read that sometimes when people use tomato based products they get the burn message. Maybe just “layer” the ingredients with the water on the bottom.
Usually if you get the burn notice it’s because after browning meat the bottom wasn’t scraped clean and there was residue left… just make sure you scrape the bits off the bottom before pressure cooking!
I am just making this right now and realized there are not beans of any kind. I”ve never made chili without beans. 😛
Did you like it?
Just made a batch and a half in our 6 qt (?) Instant pot. Only change was I added a diced fresh jalapeno. Really delicious! Thanks for the easy and healthy recipe!
★★★★★
You’re welcome Pamela! Glad you liked it 🙂
This is very tasty. My husband and I both liked it, although it is better the second day when the flavors come together. Thanks a lot for this recipe, I will definitely make it again.
★★★★★
Yep, the second day is better. That’s why we like the leftovers so much 🙂
I just made this today. It is a dreary rainy day and it looked like the perfect lunch. And it was!! My husband even liked it and he isn’t a lentil fan! Definitely a keeper and shareable recipe! Love that you offer both slow cooker and instant pot versions
I think lots of people think they don’t like lentils but if they’re cooked right they will like them!!
Oh wow, this looks YUMMY! I love that you used ground turkey. I’ll have to try this recipe and see what my family thinks.
★★★★★
They will love it!
This looks so hearty and delicious, and perfect for a cold night!
It is!
Your photos are gorgeous! Plus, it’s just a perfect time for chili because it’s so cold! Better weather coming soon (we hope!!). And I’m definitely adding your recipe to my list of recipes to veganize. 😍
Thanks so much Marly!
I found some lentils in my food storage room and wasn’t sure what to do with them. I’ll have to give this a try, it looks super yummy!
Thanks Kara! It is one of my most favorite recipes ever. Very easy to make and healthy too.
My family would love this, I can’t wait to make it.
★★★★★
Thanks Rosemary! I think you’ll really like it 🙂
Can i do this with frozen turkey?! I’m an instant pot newbie!
Is the turkey already browned?
Hi Karen,
Thanks for this amazing recipe. I made this today and it was sooo yum! I portioned it into small containers to freeze and take to work for a healthy lunch. Starting the year off right – thanks again!
★★★★★
What a good idea. I love this as leftovers. It tastes better the next day.
Wow, just made this as last minute dinner and it was fabulous! A little sharp shredded cheese on top and it was so satisfying. Thanks!
★★★★★
Hooray! and hooray for the cheddar!
I made this tonight, and it was excellent. So easy, and lots of flavor for turkey chili.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it! This is one of my favorites.
I have a 3-quart Insta Pot, but I would love to try this recipe. Do I need to half the recipe, or is there still plenty of room in the 6-quart one when you make it?
I don’t think you could double it but I bet you could 1 1/2 times the recipe!
I have a 6qt, and a double recipe fills to just below the max line on the liner pot. Doubled the recipe exactly, and cooked exactly as directed for single recipe. It was perfect.
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing!
We just got an Instant Pot for Christmas. This was the second recipe I’ve made. It turned out great! Loved it! This will definitely be made again.
★★★★★
Hi Kelly, I know that you will love your IP! I’m glad you tried this recipe. We really like it at our house and make it often.
Made this without the green chilis or tomato paste because we didnt have any and were broke till Friday, but this was amazing, and I will definitely be trying again maybe with ROASTED Fresh chilis?
★★★★
roasted would be amazing!
Going to make this tomorrow! Does no pre soaking for the lentils need to be done?
Lentils do NOT need to be soaked.
I made it for dinner tonight, and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★
You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
This is outstanding!! I am a Weight Watcher member and on the new Freestyle plan, this chili is ZERO points!
★★★★★
wow! cool! I am not familiar with the freestyle plan but I like the sound of it 🙂
This is the second recipe I’ve tried in my new instant pot. It was delicious! Served it topped with a little sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese. I used ground turkey breast, so added a tablespoon or so of olive oil to brown the very lean meat. The little green lentils were ideal.
★★★★★
I like this one a lot too, Bonnie!
If I double this does it change the cooking time?
Nope! Keep the cooking time the same.
If you double, do you double all ingredients, including the water?
★★★★★
yes!
Hi Karen, do you use high or low pressure for this recipe?
high
Just tried this and it turned out great. Love the tiny green lentils — they keep their shape so nicely. The only change I made was to add some diced green bell pepper, since I didn’t have a can of diced chiles. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
Good idea on the green peppers, Linda!
Hello, I made this recipe and it tastes great! I am new to instant pot and this is the second time making soup/stew where the liquid has cooked down, I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. It says “on” for about 12 minutes while it heats up I’m assuming, then goes to the 13 min I set it for. Am I doing something wrong??
Thanks Amy
I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong!! If you like your stews and stuff more liquidy then add an extra cup of broth.
I’ve never used green chilies, my kids are both under 5 so bas8cally spice averse but they like flavor. Should I omit those? Are they spicy?
I figure I’ll cut the chili powder down by half…. I’ve only made one other chili recipe and it was on the stove so I’m new to chili and the IP!
green chilies are not really spicy they just add flavor. I’m more worried about the picante sauce. Make sure to use mild.
Will red lentils work and will it be the same time?
Yes, they’ll work. Same cooking time 🙂
I made this last night for dinner. Stumbled onto the recipe as I had a pound of ground turkey and leftover tomato sauce in the fridge plus a smidgen of lentils in the pantry and was looking for a recipe to use ’em up. No diced tomatoes so I subbed an equal amount of crushed and I also used chicken stock vs. water. Really delicious topped with some grated cheddar and bit of sour cream.
★★★★★
That sounds fantastic, Sarah!
I made this tonight for supper, and on this cool spring evening it was just right. I used brown (not green) lentils and they worked out fine. We topped it with grated cheese and sour cream. I’ll make this one again.
Thanks!
so happy to hear this! We had it tonight and it was awesome with some sour cream 🙂
Thank you Karen for this instant pot ground turkey lentil chili.
Tonight i will make this for my family.
I am glade that i found your wonderful blog. I will try all you dishes.
★★★★★
Thanks Ashley, I hope you like it!