This slow cooker pumpkin chili is packed full of pumpkin puree, spicy Italian sausage, and lots of beans and vegetables. This hearty soup is perfect for cold winter nights.

Sometimes I go to write a post and my brain goes blank.
Should I just talk about the dish? Should I talk about my day? Should I make up some totally amazing story just because I have nothing to write about?
I just tried asking my husband what to write about and he responded with this “The peanut. It’s neither a pea nor a nut.”
Well, that was helpful. Thanks.

I guess today we will go with talking about the dish.
I hope you’re not sick of pumpkin just yet because if you were it would be awkward to explain that this dish does, in fact, contain pumpkin.
I know it might sound odd to add pureed pumpkin to your chili but I swear it’s delicious! It brings a nice punch of nutrients and squashy flavor.
Squashy flavor. That’s a thing…right?

Instead of your typical beef chili, I opted to instead use spicy Italian sausage. Mostly because I love sausage but also because I love the spiciness.
If you’re not a fan of heat you could easily use sweet Italian sausage or any other (non-breakfast style) flavored sausage.
Oh, and if you want it more spicy load this baby up with as much heat as you crave. I may or may not have drizzled my bowl with a little sriracha.
Oh, and this delicious slow cooker pumpkin chili is made in the slow cooker. Hello, easy!

More chili recipes
- Craving an easy and fast chili? Try my Instant Pot Ground Chicken Chili.
- Want your chili and cornbread all in one? Try my Buttermilk Cornbread Topped Chili.
- Need a little spice in your life? Try my Chipotle Ground Turkey Chili.
- Is slow cooking your thing? Try my Slow Cooker Beef Chorizo Taco Chili.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
This slow cooker pumpkin chili is packed full of pumpkin puree, spicy Italian sausage, and lots of beans and vegetables. This hearty soup is perfect for cold winter nights.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1 (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes with chiles
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Shredded cheese, for topping
- Chopped cilantro, for topping
- Corn chips, for topping
Instructions
- Remove sausage from its casing and brown in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add browned sausage to a 6-quart slow cooker with onion, bell peppers, garlic, black beans, kidney beans, pumpkin puree, diced tomatoes, beef stock, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, allspice, chipotle chile powder, and salt.
- Stir to combine and cook on high for 4 hours and low for 6-8 hours.
- If desired, serve with a sprinkling of cheese, cilantro, and corn chips.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 459Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 976mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 9gSugar: 9gProtein: 25g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

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Lauren
Tuesday 17th of October 2017
I have a question- can you cook this on the stove top? If so, what time should you let it simmer. Thanks!
nutmegnanny
Wednesday 25th of October 2017
Hi Lauren! Yes, you can totally give this a good simmer on the stove. I would say for full flavor give it at least 4 hours on medium low heat.
Jay Housgard
Sunday 15th of October 2017
Does it need to be cooked for 4 hours on high and 6-8 hours on low, for a total time of 10-12 hours? Or can it be one or the other?
Sab.
Thursday 14th of September 2017
A very nice recipe, thank you, I just saw this on a recent foodiecrush post featuring notable chili recipes and I see why this was included, even thought this was published in 2014 I still haven't seen pumpkin chili recipes, so very nice and great flavor for a slow cooker!