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This easy Butternut Squash Chili is a delicious and hearty meal that the whole family will love. This tasty chili recipe has Instant Pot, stovetop, and meatless options.

a dark grey bowl filled with butternut squash chili topped with sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheese.
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Today, with this incredible butternut squash chili, we’re kicking canned soup to the curb and making home cooking cool again.

If you’re looking for chicken chili, you’ll love our easy Instant Pot Chicken Chili. If you need a bean-free version, Chipotle Instant Pot Turkey Chili is the way to go.

Ingredients

bowls of ground sausage, butternut squash, seasonings, and other ingredients on a marbled board.

This recipe uses:

  • Butternut squash – I used frozen, but fresh works great too!
  • Ground pork sausage
  • Beans – pinto and kidney
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Beef broth
  • Tomato sauce
  • Diced or stewed tomatoes
  • Chili powder
  • Smoked paprika
  • Oregano
  • BBQ sauce – either homemade or storebought

WHAT KIND OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH CAN I USE IN Chili?

You can buy butternut squash “pre-cubed” or whole. If you purchase a whole squash, Katie over at Hey Nutrition Lady has a great tutorial on how to cut butternut squash.

I prefer using frozen butternut squash cubes in this chili, because it’s affordable, fast, and easy. You do not need to defrost the squash before adding it to the chili. 

How to Make Butternut Squash Chili

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.

This will cover the Instant Pot method, but you’ll also find stovetop options in the printable recipe card.

Press “saute” on the Instant Pot and allow it to heat up. Add the ground sausage to the insert of the Instant Pot, and cook until browned {~5 minutes}. Drain any grease

Add the beef broth and use a wooden spoon to deglaze (scrape) any browned sausage off the bottom of the Instant Pot insert. Food stuck to the bottom of an Instant Pot may prevent it from coming to pressure or it may give you a burn notice.

2 photos showing the process of browning meat in an Instant Pot.

Next up, add the rest of the ingredients: butternut squash, onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, spices, and beans.

Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Then press Manual>High Pressure>8 minutes.

When the chili has finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep and switch to ”keep warm”. Allow it to sit with the lid on for 10 minutes and then do a manual release with the nozzle set to venting.

Carefully open the lid and give everything a stir. If you’re happy with the consistency, serve it as is and go live your best life.

Two photos showing before and after photos of cooking chili in and Instant Pot.

I love to thicken it up a bit, which requires an easy (but) fast extra step. Start by combining 3 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of broth from the instant pot in a small bowl. Whisk it really well and add it back to the chili in the Instant Pot.

Press “saute” again on the Instant Pot and cook the chili with the cornstarch slurry for 3-5 minutes, or until thickened.

Variations

Feel free to make this chili plant-based by replacing the sausage with additional beans, or vegan sausage crumbles. You can also use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.

If you prefer a thicker chili, you can: 1) thicken the finished chili with a cornstarch slurry (see recipe card for details) 2) use an immersion blender to puree a bit of the chili after it has cooked or 3) add 4 oz of softened cream cheese (so good).

If you’re cooking for people with milder tastebuds, you can start by adding less chili powder than recommended. Taste the chili once it has finished cooking, and add more chili powder, a pinch at a time until it is perfect for you.

Make your prep even easier by learning how to freeze garlic and how to freeze onions.

Use any leftover squash to make Air Fryer Butternut Squash. And in a pinch, you can use frozen pumpkin instead of butternut squash.

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT

Storing Leftovers: Allow the butternut squash chili to fully cool before storing it in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat the chili in the microwave. Start with 1 minute, stir, and then add an additional 30 seconds until it is heated to your liking.

Or, reheat on the stovetop for 5-10 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often.

Freezing: You can freeze chili and store it for 2-3 months. Allow the chili to fully cool and then transfer to freezer-safe storage.

My favorite way to freeze chili is in 1-cup or 2-cup Souper Cubes. Once frozen, I remove them from the trays and transfer them to freezer-safe silicone bags for the perfect zero-waste freezer method.

What to Serve With Butternut Squash Chili

The topping options for chili are endless! Try shredded cheese, sour cream/plain Greek yogurt, sliced green onions, cilantro, and corn chips.

Serve this awesome chili with our easy Air Fryer Cornbread, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Stuffing Biscuits, or Air Fryer Biscuits.

And for some greens, you can’t go wrong with a Cabbage Salad or a Kale Caesar Salad.

Pro Tips/Recipes Notes

a white bowl of chili with cilantro on top.

Butternut Squash Chili WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS

One serving has 0 WW Freestyle SmartPoints if using ground turkey, or 2 points if using turkey sausage.

5 from 10 ratings

Butternut Squash Chili

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Pressurizing/Depressurizing: 30 minutes
Total: 53 minutes
a dark grey bowl filled with butternut squash chili topped with sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheese.
This easy butternut squash chili is a delicious and hearty meal that the whole family will love. This tasty chili recipe has Instant Pot, stovetop, and meatless options.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb ground sausage {or ground beef, chicken, or turkey}
  • 1.5 cups beef broth
  • 2 1/4 cups butternut squash {~10 oz}
  • 1 cup onion {diced}
  • 4 cloves garlic {minced or pressed}
  • 1 can tomato sauce {14 oz}
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, including juices {14 oz}
  • 1 tbsp chili powder {less for milder chili}
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp prepared BBQ sauce
  • 1 can pinto beans {15 oz can, drained}
  • 1 can kidney beans {15 oz can, drained}
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

Instant Pot Instructions

  • Press "Saute" on the Instant Pot and allow it to get hot.
  • Add the ground sausage and cook until browned {~5 minutes}. Drain any grease.
    1 lb ground sausage
  • Add beef broth and use a wooden spoon to deglaze (scrape) any browned sausage off the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.
    1.5 cups beef broth
  • Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir 1-2 times.
    1 cup onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can diced tomatoes, including juices, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tbsp prepared BBQ sauce, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can kidney beans, 2 1/4 cups butternut squash
  • Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>8 minutes.
  • When the chili has finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep and switch to ”keep warm". Allow it to sit with the lid on for 10 minutes and then do a manual release with the nozzle set to venting.
  • {OPTIONAL} To thicken: combine 3 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of broth from the instant pot in a small bowl (this creates a “slurry”). Whisk really well and stir into the chili. Press "saute" on the Instant Pot and allow it cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with shredded cheese, green onions, sour cream, Greek yogurt, or any of your favorite chili toppings.
    salt & pepper to taste

Notes

Stovetop Instructions

  1. In a heavy-bottomed pan (like a dutch oven), brown the meat.
  2. Use a slotted spoon and transfer it to a bowl. Drain all but 1 tbsp of any fat that remains.
  3. Add the diced onion in the pan and stirring often, cook them down until soft; about 8 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute.
  5. Add the rest of the ingredients, excluding the beans, and cook for 20 minutes. Mash up the butternut squash in the pot and let it thicken the chili. Some chunks remaining are totally fine!
  6. Add the beans, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 9gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 350mgPotassium: 573mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 3696IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

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23 Comments

  1. An awesome recipe! We had a calamity/cold day, and so I was at home and I planned to make chili. I cooked some pinto beans in the Instapot and then got busy with other things. By the time I looked up, it was 5pm, and I needed to make something quickly so I checked Sustainable Cooks for a recipe. Luckily had some frozen butternut squash cubes and just used the broth from the beans, a small can of diced tomatoes with chilis and a jar of canned tomatoes and added the spices (including powdered onion and garlic). No need for meat for us vegetarians.

    The best part-I used the immersion blender to mix it all up and then added extra pinto beans and corn at the end so no one knew there was squash in it :). Served it with rice to my son’s to make it thicker and my daughter loved it with cornbread.

    Thanks!5 stars

    1. Sarah, I’m honored to have helped keep you all full and cozy during this wacky weather! I love the edits you made to personalize the recipe to fit your tastes/needs/available ingredients.