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Pumpkin Beer Chili

A thick and hearty three-bean pumpkin chili made with pumpkin purée, pumpkin beer, fire-roasted tomatoes, poblanos and smoky chipotle. It's plenty satisfying without meat, easy to make vegan with vegetable broth, and just as good with beef or chicken added if that's what you have.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Chili, Dinner, lunch
Calories: 270
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 2 poblano peppers diced (or green bell peppers)
  • 2 medium carrots diced
  • 3 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ –1 tsp ground dried chipotle pepper to taste
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1½ tsp salt plus more to taste
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 12 oz pumpkin beer
  • 1 15 oz / 425 g can pure pumpkin purée
  • 1 14 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1½ c chicken bone broth as needed
  • Toppings Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, green onion, etc.

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables.
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, poblano peppers and carrots. Cook for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
Bloom the spices.
  1. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle, thyme, salt and black pepper. Cook for 30–60 seconds, stirring constantly, until everything smells really good.
Add the pumpkin beer.
  1. Pour in the beer and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for about 3–5 minutes to reduce slightly.
Build the chili.
  1. Stir in the pumpkin purée, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, corn, brown sugar and 1 cup bone broth.
Simmer.
  1. Bring everything to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat and cook uncovered for about 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the chili is thick.
Adjust the consistency.
  1. If you want a thinner chili, add additional bone broth a little at a time, up to about another ½ cup. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper or chipotle.
Serve.
  1. Spoon into bowls and add whatever toppings sound good. I love Greek yogurt here because the cool tanginess balances all those smoky flavors.

Notes

Pumpkin beer: Pumpkin beer is my favorite here because... well, we're making pumpkin chili. But you absolutely don't need to buy one specifically for this recipe. An amber ale, brown ale or lager can work too. I'd avoid a really hoppy IPA because its bitterness can become more pronounced as it cooks.
Does it taste like pumpkin beer? Not really. The beer adds maltiness and depth in the background. The pumpkin purée thickens the chili and adds an earthy, slightly sweet quality, but between the chipotle, cumin, poblanos and fire-roasted tomatoes, this still tastes very much like chili.
Want to add meat? I've made this with both beef and chicken, and they're delicious. Brown 1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey in the pot first, then remove excess fat if necessary and continue with the recipe. But with three cans of beans, I genuinely don't think this chili needs meat.
Make it vegan: Replace the chicken bone broth with vegetable broth and use dairy-free toppings or skip them. If you want the finished recipe strictly vegan, also choose a beer confirmed to be vegan.
No poblano peppers? Green bell peppers are completely fine. Poblanos just give you a little more earthy flavor and mild heat.
Heat level: Start with ½ teaspoon chipotle if you're serving kids or people who don't love spice. You can always add more. I'd personally make ½ teaspoon the default recipe measurement and list the additional ½ teaspoon as “to taste.”
Bone broth: Homemade chicken bone broth is what I use because I make it from my weekly roast chicken and usually have some around. Store-bought chicken broth works just fine, and vegetable broth is an easy swap.