This is the best Crockpot Pumpkin Chili you didn’t even know you needed! This chili is inspired by a white chili base, the pumpkin puree is added with maple breakfast sausage, green chilies, and white beans makes for a unique and cozy fall chili! It is seriously one you don’t want to miss!
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Originally posted 09/27/2016, updated 09/06/2021 with new photos, updated instructions and clarifications, recipe remains the same.
Crockpot Pumpkin Chili
For me I see the whole season of fall as a challenge to make everything I eat pumpkin flavored. I always have a can of pumpkin puree cracked open in my fridge ready to be added to anything and everything I am making. I know I am not the only person with this habit because my mother does it too (that moment when you realize you are becoming your mother). So with this cool weather now here to stay I wanted to combine pumpkin with my favorite comfort food chili but all the recipes I saw regarding pumpkin chili was not what I had in mind so I created Crockpot Creamy Pumpkin Chili.
The idea behind this Crockpot Creamy Pumpkin Chili is a white chili base opposed to your more traditional tomato based chili.
With the thought of a creamy pumpkin chili in mind I started to collect the ingredients for a white chili base. I started with great northern beans, green chilies, a few diced tomatoes, and some chicken broth.
When it came time to decide on the protein I was very hesitant to use chicken which is usually found in white chili so I made a mental list of different possible meats I could use and then a light bulb went off, maple breakfast sausage and oh my goodness you guys I picked a winner! The slight sweetness of the maple sausage offsets the green chilies and both compliment the creaminess of the pumpkin and cream cheese we add later.
I moved on to the spices starting with the obvious cumin and chili powder, adding a little black pepper for a little spice and then bam, I did it I added nutmeg! Yes nutmeg in your chili, trust me on this one. You let this beautiful concoction simmer all day in the crockpot, hurray for minimal work!
Towards the end you will add cream cheese to give the chili the perfect creaminess!
And now friends we have the most perfect fall time creamy pumpkin chili! So grab your can of pumpkin get out the slow cooker and make a batch of this perfect fall comfort food 🙂
Ingredients
- Maple Breakfast Sausage – I will admit, this sometimes this can be tricky to find. I have always been able to find Johnsonville Vermont Maple Syrup Breakfast Sausage Links. So because I have been able to consistently find this product that is what the recipe calls for. If your grocery store sells maple breakfast sausage by the pound, so you don’t have to remove the casings, buy that. OR if you cannot find the maple breakfast sausages anywhere (check Walmart) I have a friend who uses regular sausage and adds a tablespoon or so of maple syrup to the chili or while you are cooking the sausage and he says it comes out great!
- Great Northern Beans – These smooth white beans make the perfect addition to this chili
- Whole Corn Kernels – The corn is absolutely perfect for adding a slight textured crunch to this chili!
- Diced Green Chilies – This gives the chili a good spice but not too spicy!
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (Ro-tel) – Ro-tel or similar brand
- Pumpkin Puree – The star of the dish, make sure you grab 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling by accident!
- Chicken Stock – You need to add chicken stock in this chili to break up the pumpkin puree. By adding chicken stock the chili will seem very soupy at first but as it cooks down and then especially when it cools it thickens up quite a bit.
- Ground Cumin – A classic addition to chili, not too much here as we don’t want it overpowering the dish.
- Chili Powder – Same as with the cumin, just enough for that chili flavor but not too much to over power the dish.
- Ground Nutmeg – Now this spice will feel like you are adding a lot, trust me on this one it really makes the chili!
- Ground Black Pepper – Added to bring just a little more spice!
- Plain Cream Cheese – To make it creamy! I add this at the end of cooking. I don’t add it at the beginning because I don’t want the cream cheese to burn on the bottom or edges of the slow cooker. If you cut the cream cheese into chunks and warm it up slightly it should have no problem blending in!
- Green Onion – For garnishing, the onion perfectly offsets the sweetness in the maple breakfast sausage.
- Cheddar Cheese – The classic chili topping works great in here.
- Sour Cream – A good dollop of sour cream adds perfectly to the top of this chili!
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.
Tips, Tricks, & Questions:
- You can make this recipe on high for 3-4 hours instead of on low for longer. I have done both ways and like most chili I honestly think it tastes better when it is low and slow!
- I love eating this chili with crunchy bread or tortilla chips, it’s super yummy
- This chili starts out soupy but will thicken over time
If you like this Crockpot Pumpkin Chili you might like:
- 3 Bean Vegetarian Chili
- Secret Ingredient Turkey Chili
- Classic Crockpot Chili
- Slow Cooker Gumbo
- Crockpot Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Clam Chowder
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup
Crockpot Creamy Pumpkin Chili
pumpkin in a creamy white base made with maple breakfast sausage, green chilies, and white beans makes for a unique and cozy fall chili
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce package maple breakfast links
- 2 15oz cans great northern beans, drained
- 1 15oz can whole corn kernels, drained
- 1 4oz can diced green chilies
- 1 10oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (ro-tel)
- 1 15oz can pure pumpkin puree
- 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces plain cream cheese
Garnishes
- green onion
- cheddar cheese
- sour cream
Instructions
- Using a knife carefully remove the casings from all of the maple breakfast links. Heat and crumble the maple breakfast links in a skillet over medium heat until brown and fully cooked, 8-10 minutes. Drain fat.
- Add cooked maple breakfast sausage, great northern beans, corn kernels, diced green chilies, diced tomatoes with chilies, pumpkin puree, chicken stock, ground cumin, chili powder, ground nutmeg, and black pepper to the crockpot. Stir to mix together.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- 20 to 30 minutes before you are ready to eat it will be time to add the cream cheese. To make it easier, cut the block of cream cheese into 6 to 8 chunks and microwave until room temperature, 30-60 seconds depending on the microwave. Add the cream cheese to the slow cooker. Let the cream cheese melt into the chili, stirring occasionally throughout the last 20-25 minutes of cooking until the cream cheese is fully incorporated. Serve hot, top with garnishes.
Notes
*Sometimes this can be tricky to find. I have always been able to find Johnsonville Vermont Maple Syrup Breakfast Sausage Links. So because I have been able to consistently find this product that is what the recipe calls for. If your grocery store sells maple breakfast sausage by the pound, so you don’t have to remove the casings, buy that. OR if you cannot find the maple breakfast sausages anywhere (check Walmart) I have a friend who uses regular sausage and adds a tablespoon or so of maple syrup to the chili or while you are cooking the sausage and he says it comes out great!
If the cream cheese doesn't seem to be fully incorporated, use a whisk to whisk the cream cheese into the chili.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 405Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 1049mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 6gSugar: 9gProtein: 17g
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I also always have an opened can of pumpkin puree in my fridge this time of year! š
Hands down the best chili I have ever had. Easy peasy to make and very yummy. I used frozen cooked maple sausage, defrosted them and chopped them up rather than having to do steps 1 and 2.
Thanks Teeara! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Would chicken taste good? Instead of the sausage? My husband unfortunately does not like sausage.
Hi Gabirelle! I do think chicken would taste good, the only thing is it might be a little spicier unless you add a little sweetness like a small dash of maple syrup just because the breakfast sausage is sweet and balances out the green chilies. If you try it let me know how it goes! š
What size can of pumpkin?
Hi Chloe, a 15 oz. can! Thanks for pointing out that I donāt have that in the recipe!
Hi there! Wondering what size can for the diced tomatoes? 28 ounce?
Hi Hayley, I’ve updated the recipe with all the can sizes, sorry about that. For the tomatoes I use a 10 ounce can of Rotel, a 15 ounce can would probably work great too! A 28 ounce can might be a little tomato heavy, thanks for asking!
Thank you, so much, for jogging my memory! I’ve actually made this recipe more than once, just couldn’t remember the amount of tomatoes.
Also, since we’re vegetarians, I always make this with a bag of Morningstar Meatless Crumbles and a tablespoon or two of maple syrup. You seriously knocked it out of the park with this one, I ALWAYS get rave reviews and requests for the recipe and send them to your website. Even won a local chili cook-off, beating out all the meat chilis for 1st place!
Thanks again for creating my go-to chili. ā¤ ā¤
You seriously just made my day, I am so happy you enjoy it! Honestly this is probably my favorite recipe on my site, so it makes me so happy other people are enjoying it as well! š
Hi! Love this recipe. I was wondering if I could make this in an instant pot and how long of a cook time would you suggest
Hey Lindsey, great question! A typical conversion would say probably about 18 minutes on high pressure, and then adding the cream cheese to the hot chili after releasing the pressure. I have not tried this so I cannot say how accurate it would be but that is where I would start! (plus you have the ease of cooking the sausage on sautƩ before cooking!)
Canāt wait to try the chilli
Does this chili freeze well?
To be honest I have never had enough leftover to try to freeze it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well. Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you.
What a fantastic recipe!! This is for sure going to be a repeat meal in our house. 5 and 7 year old kiddos enjoyed this too. A couple of variations: I used ground beyond meat and added maple syrup to the pan during the last couple minutes of cooking. Our store has a 14oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies option, so I used that in replacement of the 4oz green chilies + 10oz diced tomato with chilies (this replacement might have helped keep the spice level lower for kids). We had garnishes at the ready in case it was too spicy for the kiddos, but didn’t end up needing any. We decided to serve this up with jasmine rice, which was a nice addition. Plus some homemade sourdough flatbread. Thank you Lauren! š
I LOVE this recipe!!! I’ve upped it by 50% and even entered it in a chili cook-off. There were people who were very intrigued and after they tasted it, I had people tell me it was their favorite chili! I have one comment and addition. I REALLY disliked the color of the chili when I added the cream cheese. It got very pale and unappealing to the point I panicked. I thought, “How can I add color???”. The answer was TURMERIC- color and taste!
I removed 2 cups of chili and added a tablespoon of turmeric, mixed it and added it back to the crockpot. It was SOOO good. Somebody said, “It taste like Indian Chili!”
Also, I put 3 different cans of beans in.
This comment has totally made my day! Since I developed this recipes years ago I still tell people it is my favorite on the blog but it never got super popular even though it tastes amazing. I also suspect it is the color so I love the idea of adding the turmeric, absolutely brilliant!