Easy to make, this maple-spiked Smoky and Sweet Turkey Chili from Maple, by Katie Webster, is a healthy and delicious addition to your chili recipe collection!
You’re going to think I’ve gone mad, when I tell you that I devoured this sweet and savory Smokey & Sweet Turkey Chili for breakfast this morning. I mean, really, who eats chili for breakfast? Cookies for breakfast? Yes. Cake for breakfast? Yes. Pudding for breakfast? Yes. Pie for breakfast? Yes. But chili for breakfast?? Yes!!!
And after I share the super simple recipe with you, you’ll not only want to eat chili for breakfast yourself, but you’ll also want to devour all the other 99 sweet and savory recipes featuring pure maple syrup in Katie’s gorgeous new cookbook, Maple.
Before I share the recipe with you, here’s a peek at what you’ll find in Maple…
Maple by Katie Webster: Cookbook Review
Written and photographed by one of my favorite healthy recipe food bloggers, Katie Webster of Healthy Seasonal Recipes, Maple is a gorgeous full-color cookbook featuring 100 sweet and savory recipes infused with, you guessed it, my favorite go-to natural sweetener, pure maple syrup!
Besides this amazing Smokey & Sweet Turkey Chili, you will find breakfast recipes {Dutch Baby Pancake with Maple Rhubarb Compote}, drinks & appetizers {Maple Margarita & Brie with Maple, Walnuts, and Figs}, soups, side dishes, and salads {Carrot Ginger Soup with Maple Yogurt, Maple Glazed Carrots, and Kale Skillet Salad with Walnuts and Maple}, main courses {Maple ginger Roasted Salmon}, and, yes, desserts, like Maple Pear Ginger Sorbet and Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Pie.
Quite frankly, the first time I cracked open my copy of Maple, I wanted to devour every. single. recipe.
Besides the recipes, you’ll love learning about the history and modern day technology behind collecting pure maple syrup, as well as getting a glimpse in to Katie and her family’s adventures in “backyard sugaring” in North Country Vermont.
Although living in San Diego, I’m about as far away as it gets in the United States from Northern Vermont, I have fond memories as a kid when my grandmother’s childhood friends from New Hampshire would send us a big jug of pure maple syrup each Christmas, and my dad would take me, and that big ol’ jug, to the local mountains when it snowed so we could feast on “maple syrup snow cones”. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Smokey and Sweet Turkey Chili Nutrition Notes:
- This Smoky and Sweet Turkey Chili is naturally gluten-free, wheat-free. grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
- Omit beans for a Paleo version.
- Omit turkey {and add more beans, or tofu/tempeh} for a vegan or vegetarian version.
- Omit onions {or substitute with sauteed zucchini}, garlic {may substitute with garlic oil}, and kidney beans {may substitute with canned, rinsed lentils or garbanzo beans} for a low FODMAP version-the spices and maple syrup give it a lot of flavor on its own!

Smokey & Sweet Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or organic canola oil, divided
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 large Spanish onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground dried chipotle, or to taste
- 4 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
- 1 15- ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup dark pure maple syrup
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup toasted pepitas
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until completely browned. Transfer turkey and any juices to a bowl and set aside.
- Return pot to medium-high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion, garlic, and salt and cook, stirring often, for 6 to 10 minutes, until onion is soft and browned.
- Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, and chipotle and cook, stirring, for 30-90 seconds, until spices are fragrant and starting to toast and darken slightly.
- Add vinegar and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute,until liquid is evaporated.
- Add water and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits and spices from the bottom of the pot.
- Add tomatoes, beans, syrup, and browned turkey, stirring to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 14 minutes, until turkey and onions are tender.
- Serve topped with avocado, cilantro, and pepitas.