Double up on the pumpkin goodness by combining canned pumpkin and pumpkin beer in this tasty chili recipe. Don’t worry – this doesn’t taste like a pumpkin spice latte despite these seasonal additions. It’s smoky and earthy and has just the right hint of spice. Perfect for fall, this makes a big pot of warm and comforting chili that’s best served with all your favorite toppings.
And the dietitian in me loves that this dish has a great balance of carbs, fat, and protein for a satisfying, one-pot meal!
Ingredients
Here’s a picture of everything you’ll need to make this recipe. The ingredient list can look a bit long, but it’s almost all pantry items and spices that create the length of the list:
Here are a few selected ingredient notes:
- Pumpkin puree: Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. The latter has added spices and sugar which will negatively impact the flavor of the chili.
- Pumpkin beer: Different pumpkin beers vary quite a bit in sweetness and spice, so the flavor of the beer will influence the finished chili. I like Voodoo Ranger’s Atomic Pumpkin which has a little spice to it. If you don’t have pumpkin beer, any ale or even a stout should work here.
- Chipotles in adobo – These canned peppers can add quite a bit of heat, so be cautious about how much you use. I add one chipotle for some subtle heat. You can omit this so it’s not spicy at all, or you can boost the heat by adding additional chipotles according to your preferences (I don’t recommend using more than 2-3, though, or you lose the other flavors in the chili).
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions below in the recipe card, but here’s a helpful overview with photos.
Start by sauteing the beef, onion, and pepper in a little olive oil. Cook until the meat is browned, about 6-8 minutes, breaking it up as it’s cooking. Drain any excess fat if needed at this point (I find this easiest to do by just tilting the pot to the side and using a large spoon to scoop out any excess fat into a small bowl). [top left photo]
Add the chipotles and garlic, and cook for another minute. [top right photo]
Then add the spices and cook for another minute until everything is nice and fragrant. [bottom left photo]
Dump in the rest of the ingredients – the tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, pumpkin beer, and broth. Bring that to a boil, then let it simmer for 20 minutes. Boom – your chili is done! [bottom right photo]
Best Toppings for Pumpkin Ale Chili
This is where you can really make the bowl your own! Here are a few of my favorite topping ideas:
- Shredded cheddar
- Avocado
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Sliced jalapeños
- Finely diced red onion
- Sliced green onions
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Diced mango
Recipe FAQ
Here are some questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
Not in the way you’d expect. The pumpkin puree adds body and a little earthy flavor and the beer adds some of aromatic spices, but the rest of the ingredients keep this firmly in savory chili territory.
Divide the leftovers into smaller food storage containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes. Freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months for best quality. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Omit the ground beef and add another can of beans or lentils. Alternatively, you can use a ground beef substitute if desired.
More Chili Recipes
Looking for other tasty chili recipes now that the weather is cooling down? Try one of these options:
- Steak and mango chili
- Chipotle apple turkey chili
- Butternut squash and quinoa chili
- Chipotle beef and black bean chili
I hope you enjoy this pumpkin ale chili! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Pumpkin Beer Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped (optional; omit to eliminate heat; can increase to 2 for additional heat)
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 12 ounce pumpkin beer (or any preferred beer)
- 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the meat is browned, breaking the meat up with a wooden spatula as you’re cooking it. Drain any excess fat from the pot.
- Stir in the garlic and chipotles with adobo. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chili powder, cocoa powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook for another 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, pinto beans, pumpkin, pumpkin beer, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for around 20 minutes, until mixture has thickened and flavors have melded together.
- Serve warm with any toppings of your choice (like sour cream, Greek yogurt, avocado, cheese, red onion, green onion, etc).
Notes
- Chipotle peppers in adobo can pack a lot of heat from a small amount. If you do not want spice in your chili, eliminate this from the recipe. If you prefer a spicy chili, increase to 2-3 chipotle peppers for the batch.
- If the chili gets too thick while simmering, just add an extra splash of broth until it reaches your preferred texture.
- This recipe makes around five servings of 1 ⅔ cups each (it should make a little over 8 cups total).
- The nutrition analysis below is based on grass-fed-and-finished ground beef; nutrition facts may change slightly with grain-finished.
Nutrition
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