Chilly nights can’t stand up to this warming, healthy butternut squash chili!
This recipe is the perfect combination of squash, beans, peppers, and tomatoes all slow-cooked in a savory broth. This healthy chili is guaranteed to satisfy!
A cold weather favorite, this is a delicious veggie chili is comfort in a bowl just like our traditional homemade chili.
Hearty & Healthy Chili
Butternut squash has great texture, a sweet taste, and is pretty versatile. You can eat it roasted in salads (with amazing warm apple cider vinaigrette), pasta, and of course in butternut squash soup.
- This chili is packed with healthy, fiber-filled beans and veggies and makes for a great work or school day lunch as well!
- Easy to adjust for different diets! For a paleo version leave out the beans and add some chicken or beef instead. A vegetarian version is super easy, just use vegetable broth instead of chicken!
- Hearty Crockpot soups and chilis are quick and easy to make! Serve with toppings and a loaf of homemade French bread or some buttermilk biscuits and let everyone help themselves!
- A great way to use up small bits of protein like beef, chicken, or turkey to stretch this dish even further!
Ingredients for Butternut Squash Chili
Butternut Squash is healthy and has a buttery, sweet flavor. Other squashes to try are acorn or even sweet potatoes.
Beans bring the flavor and the fiber! We use black beans and red kidney beans. Add garbanzo beans, pinto, or great Northern (cannellini or white beans) in place if you’d like.
Vegetables add flavor and texture to this recipe. Red bell peppers and onions are our favorite additions but try spinach, mushrooms, kale, or zucchini!
Optional: Ground beef or ground turkey can be added to this recipe. Brown in a skillet and drain fat before adding to the slow cooker with the other ingredients.
Spice it up! This is a mild chili, if you’d like to spice it up, add some chipotle peppers, chipotle powder, or red pepper flakes.
How to Make Butternut Squash Chili
It’s so simple to make, just follow a few easy steps!
- Chop the butternut squash and add it to the slow cooker with the other ingredients in the recipe below.
- Cover & cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Mash the chili slightly with a wooden spoon or potato masher to thicken it.
Serving Suggestions: Serve as is with some crusty bread and a fresh salad. Butternut squash chili can also be served over quinoa, brown rice, orzo, and even macaroni noodles.
Toppings – We love a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt! Try a sprinkle of cilantro, some tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, avocados, jalapenos, pumpkin seeds, and a splash of fresh lime juice make the perfect toppings for butternut squash chili! Or make homemade croutons, naan bread for dipping, jalapeno or homemade cornbread.
Cooking Options
- Stove Top: Simmer all ingredients in a large pot on the stovetop until cooked through and the squash is tender, about 45-60 minutes.
- Instant Pot: Cook onion & squash in a little butter using the saute function. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, & cook for 8 minutes on high pressure. Let naturally release for 5 minutes.
Storing Chili
Keep leftover chili covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop. Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 8 weeks.
More Belly-Warming Bowls of Chili
- Easy Crock Pot Chili Recipe – so hearty & filling
- Savory Pumpkin Chili – the perfect fall meal
- White Turkey Chili – best way to use up leftover turkey
- Homemade Lentil Chili Recipe – a healthy favorite
- 15 Bean Slow Cooker Chili – budget-friendly
Did your family love this Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chili
- 1 butternut squash approx. 2 pounds, peeled, cut into half inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 15 ounces black beans 1 can drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces kidney or great northern beans 1 can drained and rinsed
- 14 ounces petite diced tomatoes, with juices 1 can
- 2 bell peppers, any color diced
- 1 onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper each
For the Toppings
- cilantro
- sour cream
- chips
- cheese
Instructions
- Drain beans and rinse well.
- Place all chili ingredients in the slow cooker, mix, and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until butternut squash is tender.
- Remove 2 cups of the chili and mash, return to the pot and stir in.
- Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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can I use frozen butternut squash for the recipe?
That should work just fine Michelle, but it may need more time to cook. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I don’t have peppers
What can I substitute and will they be missed much? I have sofrito which has Cubanelle peppers and red pepper (onion garlic and cilantro as well )
Should I use some of that ?
The peppers do add flavor, but you can try substituting spinach, mushrooms, kale, or zucchini and it will still be delicious! The sofrito also sounds like it would be delicious Joyce. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
So delicious! I didn’t have ginger, but did end up using smoked paprika which added great flavor. Also I cheated and bought pre diced butter squash because I hate chopping it! Best decision
So delicious! I didn’t have ginger, but did end up using smoked paprika which added great flavor.
The 2 pound butternut squash, is that the weight of the butternut squash, peeled and cleaned or is that the weight of the butternut squash prior to cutting and peeling?
This is the weight prior to peeling. If your squash is a little bit larger or smaller, the recipe will still work just fine!
Excellent… very tasty
This recipe was absolutely amazing! Even my kids who aren’t fond of squash loved it! I will definitely fix this again! This was my first time to cook and eat butternut squash. I’m SO glad I picked this recipe to try. Thank you for sharing it!
I just made this soup in the crockpot and it feels like it’s missing something! It’s a little bland to me- I skipped the ground ginger. Could that be why? Any tips to spruce it up?
Hi Jordan, the ginger does add flavor to this soup so changing it will change the taste by skipping it.
Made this for my 3 vegetarian kids for Thanksgiving, along with all the other sides. They loved it.
Loved it. Needed a bit longer cooking in my slow cooker but, the flavours were great and we had left overs for another meal. Will definitely make again.
Penny, I follow your recipes daily, and make many. I was dubious about this one because it didnt have meat in it. I gotta say, one of the best chili’s Ive made. Even my wife said you gotta make this again. I followed the recipe, as written without adding anything extra. It was truly delicious and totally worth the five star rating. Will be adding this recipe to my “favorites” list for sure.
I am so glad you and your wife enjoyed this recipe Phil!
Hi,
I am in the process of trying this recipe in a crockpot.. i used all ingredients that were listed and put them right into the crock pot. Been cooking it on low for 4 hours.. the squash hasn’t softened yet.. is that supposed to happen?
Hi Michelle, the squash should become tender in 4-5 hours. If you have checked the chili a few times, opening the lid would increase the cooking time.
I agree, been cooking mine for 5 hours and squash is barely tender. Didn’t open the lid. I made this in the instant pot and it always came out good, but in the slow cooker it is not coming out the same.
Hi. I’m going to make this today. I’m going to replace both beans with garbanzo beans and baked beans
can you do this recipe in the oven or stove top
Hi Nicole, this information can be found in the body of the post: “Simmer all ingredients in a large pot on the stovetop until cooked through and the squash is tender, about 45-60 minutes.”. Enjoy!
I’m not one to give comments, but this recipe is so delicious I wanted to thank you for sharing it. I used the IP instructions then topped my serving with sour cream With Fall upon us I’ll definitely will make again.
I am so glad you loved this recipe Lillie!
This looks scrumdiliumpcious!!! I’m going to make but with sweet potato because I’m too lazy to deal with peeling that squash. Great receipe….thanks!
Thank you for the recipe. I would like to omit the tomatoes, can I just omit them or should I be adding more broth or water to substitute for the juice in the can of tomatoes? Thanks
You can just leave them out, the other veggies and broth provide plenty of liquid.