Pumpkin Chili with Black Beans and Chickpeas is a great alternative to a regular chili! This healthy and gluten-free stew is a perfect family weeknight dinner for those cold days in the Fall.
What could be better than healthy comfort food on a cold night? This pumpkin chili is so good - it will disappear fast from your table. I am so happy to share this recipe because it is such a winner and is so different from a regular chili!
This recipe features black beans and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) instead of meat. However, you can add any type of cooked ground meat (beef, pork, or chicken) to this chili if you like. The recipe is super versatile. This pumpkin chili is healthy, vegetarian, and gluten-free. It's great comfort food on a cold night in the fall or in the winter.
If you want to try other interesting versions of regular chili, check out butternut squash chili and pumpkin quinoa chili.
Pumpkin Chili - Savory Recipe
- This is definitely a SAVORY pumpkin chili, without any sweetness or spices that are usually associated with pumpkin.
- This is chili, first and foremost, so the only spices here are chili powder and cumin, just like in a regular chili.
- There is no cinnamon, no nutmeg, no pumpkin pie spices in this recipe.
Healthy and Gluten-Free
- This pumpkin chili is packed with fiber and protein and rich in nutrients.
- Garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) contain some key vitamins and nutrients, such as iron, zinc, phosphate, and vitamin K.
- Black beans are a source of manganese, zinc, copper, calcium, and magnesium.
- Tip: when buying beans, get the variety with no salt added to reduce your sodium intake.
Substitutions
- This recipe includes 2 types of beans: black beans and garbanzo beans. You can also use any other type of white beans instead of garbanzo beans.
- This recipe does not have meat, however, you can include any type of meat of your choice, such as cooked ground beef, chicken, turkey, or pork. You can also add finely shredded cooked beef, chicken or turkey.
Tips for making the best pumpkin chili
- Just like with any chili recipe, the spiciness is a very individual thing. This recipe provides the exact amount of spices to use, however, use your own taste as a guide. Add extra cumin or chili powder, depending on how spicy and flavorful you like your chili.
- Don't add 2 tablespoons of chili powder all at once to the pumpkin chili. Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder first, taste the chili, and then proceed with the second tablespoon.
- Make sure to add salt at the same time when adding spices. This will help you to get the right amount of seasoning and spiciness.
- The recipe produces 4 medium-size servings. You might have to double the recipe if you plan to serve this for dinner as the only meal for 4 people.
Other Pumpkin Chili Recipes
What to serve with Pumpkin Chili?
- Garlic and Bacon Green Beans sautéed in olive oil and butter. These crunchy beans make a great holiday side dish! It's a perfect recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries will be a delicious addition to this chili. This recipe is healthy, gluten-free, vegetarian, and rich in fiber!
Pumpkin Chili with Black Beans and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree from the can or homemade
- 1 cup tomatoes from the can
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
- 15 oz black beans (425 g), from the can
- 7.5 oz garbanzo beans (212 g), from the can
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder (start with half the amount, and add more, to taste)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder (start with 1 tablespoon, and add more, to taste)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot or skillet, cook chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium heat until soft.
- Add pumpkin, canned tomatoes (chop them up into smaller chunks), vegetable stock (or water), black beans and garbanzo beans.
- Add half the cumin and half the chili powder, stir everything well, and season with salt and pepper.
- Taste your chili, season some more with salt and pepper if needed.
- Add the remaining cumin (or more) and remaining chili powder (or more), if desired.
- Bring to boil, make sure to stir all ingredients well together to combine flavors and spices.
- Reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes on simmer.
- Serve in soup bowls, garnished with chopped green onion.
Video
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This recipe was originally published on November 4, 2013, and republished with updates in November 2019.
Can you freeze this dish or will it loose its flavor or consistency? If it can, how long can you keep it frozen?
Sarah, you can definitely freeze this! It will keep frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Can you please update with sizes of cans.
Barb, I used 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree and 1 cup of canned tomatoes. Both cans were large in size but I used only 1 cup out of each one. I hope this helps!
Very delicious and filling!
Jane, I am glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Ok, so I am cooking away, following the recipe (doubling it because I wanna have it throughout the week), chatting away with my hubby as I chop, and add and stir and smell…except after I add the spices the chili starts smelling sort of like Indian cuisine…(?)
That’s when I looked more carefully at the spices I added and instead of cumin I added curry!
And, it’s actually pretty good! Not at all what I was going for, but it’s definitely edible! Who knew???
Cindy, what a funny story! I actually agree - curry spice would taste quite delicious with this recipe! Glad that you accidentally discovered a really nicely flavored chili! And thank you for sharing about this experience - I love to read comments like yours with a story behind it.
I couldn't find pumpkin puree at the store, so I used canned sweet potatoes instead. I'm so excited to try this with pumpkin, it's an excellent hearty recipe and great for pulling out on a rainy day.
Ry, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for stopping by and sharing such a positive comment! 🙂
One of the best ever pumpkin chilli recipe i have ever tried so far. Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us. I really like this pumpkin chilli recipe.