Pumpkin chili

Name: Pumpkin chili
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 persons
Cuisine: World
Ingredients: about 1 kg of pumpkin; 500 gram ground beef (or use a mix of beef and pork); 2 tomatoes; 2 bell peppers (color of your choice); 1 large onion; 2 garlic cloves; about 400 gram black beans *Note; 1 tablespoon ground paprika; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon ground chili (depending how spicy you like your chili); 2 cinnamon sticks; small amount of water or beef stock; pepper and salt to taste; optional: rice for serving

This pumpkin chili is filled with spices, ground beef and more vegetables. You can make it as spicy as you'd like. We've served this chili with rice.

Recipe pumpkin chili

Made by Véronique

Published at 2019-10-28, this recipe is for 4 persons and takes 1 hours.

Founder of Ohmydish (since 2014), she prefers to spend all day in the kitchen. Once working in the hospitality industry as an independent chef, she loves helping you gain confidence in the kitchen. With her easy-to-follow recipes, handy tips, and cooking knowledge, you'll make the most delicious dishes yourself! The recipes are accessible to everyone, from beginners to advanced home cooks.

Updated at: 2025-07-19

Let's get started

Preparation time

20 minutes

Time cooking

40 minutes

Total time

1 hours

Preparation - 20 minutes

note: if you're using dried black beans you need to soak them at least 12 hours in cold water.

If you're using dried black beans you need to soak them at least 12 hours in cold water. Then cook them in boiling water, the exact time depends on the type of beans you're using.

Some types take up to an hour, drain them afterwards and set them aside. Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut them into not too large pieces.

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic cloves. Rinse the peppers, remove the seeds and cut into small cubes. Rinse the tomato, remove the hard parts and cut into chunks.

Finishing the pumpkin chili - 40 minutes

Heat oil in a dutch oven and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the ground beef and cook it a few minutes more before you also add the pumpkin and pepper.

After another few minutes you can add the paprika powder, cocoa powder, cumin, chili, oregano and cinnamon sticks and cook them briefly. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the beans and a thin layer of beef broth or water.

Turn down te heat, place the lid on and let it simmer for about half an hour. Meanwhile cook the rice if needed. Season the chili with pepper, salt and maybe some more spices.

Remove cinnamon sticks, serve with rice and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!