This easy ground turkey teriyaki recipe is a 20-minute dinner full of flavor, vegetables, protein and wholesome ingredients. Made with arrowroot, tamari and coconut sugar, it’s naturally healthy and so nutritious without sacrificing flavor! It can be served as a rice bowl, stir fry, in lettuce wraps or over cauliflower rice – however you prefer. It’s all made in one pan too with minimal prep work and clean up needed.
This ground turkey teriyaki recipe has become a favorite around here. It’s a quick and easy meal that comes together in no time at all, faster than picking up take out! We prefer turning it into a rice bowl and serving over white or brown rice or quinoa but you can get creative and eat it however you like.
Plus, its absolutely bursting at the seams with veggies. A mix of red pepper, broccoli, onion, and carrot gives such a well rounded nutrition profile and lightens up the dish. The veggies and sauce can be prepared in advance and leftovers reheat great too making it excellent for meal prep.
Teriyaki is an easy meal for the whole family to love! I have a killer teriyaki marinade and teriyaki chicken skewer recipe to check out if you’re a teriyaki fan. I even have a teriyaki noodle recipe to serve alongside or instead of rice in this recipe if you’re craving even more flavor.
If you’re looking for more ground turkey recipes, I have a well reviewed and amazing turkey taco recipe, legendary turkey spaghetti sauce, and some Thai stuffed peppers with ground turkey that are insanely good! I also have a whole collection of 30-minute meals to explore for more weeknight dinner hits.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredient list may look long but they are mostly pantry staples and ground turkey teriyaki stir fry is still a really quick meal. You might need to invest in a few if you don’t cook Asian meals very often.
Teriyaki Sauce
- coconut sugar or brown sugar – either works here. Brown sugar obviously melts in better and is sweeter but coconut sugar is a more natural option and both work fine!
- arrowroot powder– this helps thicken the sauce up. You can use 3/4 teaspoon corn starch instead. Arrowroot is a good alternative to cornstarch as a thickening agent but you can use whatever you prefer.
- tamari or soy sauce – I use tamari to make it gluten free (tastes the same). You can use coconut aminos to make the recipe paleo but may need to add additional salt and the end result will be more sweet than savory, a little different than a traditional teriyaki flavor.
- rice vinegar – vinegar adds that tanginess to balance the sweet and salty. Red wine vinegar would be the best substitute but you can use regular distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a pinch too.
- mirin – this sweet Japanese cooking wine adds silky richness to the sauce. You can substitute sake or even cooking sherry if you need to.
- sesame oil – regular or toasted sesame oil is fine. You can also substitute olive oil or avocado oil in a pinch too.
- garlic – garlic adds a nice underlying aromatic flavor. Using pre-minced garlic is fine here too! You can substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder if needed.
- ginger– minced or grated ginger is ideal but it’s totally fine to use jarred pre-minced ginger too. If you’re really in a pinch, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger.
Skillet
- avocado oil – avocado oil has a high smoke point so it works great for sautéing but another neutral tasting high smoke point oil can be substituted instead if you prefer.
- yellow onion – you can substitute white or red onion if you need to here without compromising the taste.
- red bell pepper – I love the bright pop of color and nutrients the red pepper adds but you can substitute other colored bell peppers or even another quick cooking veggie.
- ground turkey – I used 85% lean ground turkey. You can definitely swap with ground pork, ground chicken or even ground beef if you prefer.
- salt – I used Himalayan pink mineral salt, like I always do. Sea salt is fine too.
- black pepper – fine ground works best. For a spicy sauce, you can add in some sriracha or chili garlic sauce to take it up a notch.
- carrot – grated carrot cooks fast and adds extra nutrients. If you don’t want to grate it, you can julienne and then chop the carrot finely instead or leave this out. You can also substitute shredded cabbage.
- broccoli – a small head of broccoli adds extra nutrition and turns this into a full meal. You can easily substitute another quick cooling veggie snow peas, zucchini, bok choy, snap peas, water chestnuts, or whatever you prefer or have on hand.
- green onions – this adds freshness! You can substitute fresh cilantro or just leave it off if you don’t have it.
- Sesame seeds – white or black sesame seeds are mostly added for visual appeal. Feel free to leave them out if you prefer!
Including a veggie only shot to show you how to chop and prep everything.
How to make ground turkey teriyaki rice bowls
NOTE: If you’re serving the teriyaki turkey with rice, you’ll want to start that before anything else! Here’s how you make the recipe:
- Add the arrowroot and cold water to a small bowl and stir or whisk to dissolve it. You can substitute cornstarch if you prefer it. Add the rest for the teriyaki sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside for later.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and once the pan is hot, add oil. Tilt pan to let oil spread over the bottom. Add the onion and red pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring just a few times to let the veggies get a good sear on them.
- Add ground turkey. Use a flat wooden bottomed spatula to break the meat up into small pieces as it cooks. Lightly season turkey with salt and pepper while it cooks.
- After browning the meat, add broccoli and carrot and cook for another few minutes until the vegetables are soft and meat cooks through fully.
- Stir one last time and then pour the teriyaki sauce into the pan. Stir to coat everything and then let the pan sit for a minute until the sauce comes to a low simmer. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times, until sauce has thickened somewhat.
- Remove from heat. You can either garnish the pan with green onion and sesame seeds or wait until after plating.
- To serve as rice bowls, spoon the ground turkey teriyaki onto bowls of rice, cauliflower rice, brown rice, or quinoa. Garnish the tops of each bowl and enjoy!
How to Serve Teriyaki Ground Turkey
As with most sir fry recipes, white rice or brown rice is customary to serve underneath. This allows the rice to absorb the juices and flavor and helps make the dish more filling. That being said, there are other options! You can serve with quinoa, noodles, or even over cauliflower rice or as lettuce wraps to make it low carb. Or for more flavor, whip up a batch of my Instant Pot coconut rice! There are stovetop instruction too if you don’t have an Instant Pot.
If you want a stronger teriyaki flavor or extra sauce to pour over the rice, consider making a quick batch of my homemade teriyaki sauce to accompany the meal.
Recipe Tips
- Break the ground turkey up into small pieces. To be frank, ground turkey is a very bland meat. This means that you you want it to absorb as much of the flavorful sauce as possible and don’t want big chunks.
- Reduce salt if eating without rice or another grain. If eating on it’s own without rice, quinoa or another grain or cauliflower rice underneath to balance it out, you may want to replace a splash (1-2 Tablespoons) of the Tamari with more water to make it less salty.
- Don’t overcook the veggies. Having a bit of crispness to them helps add texture to the dish.
- The sauce and veggies can be prepped in advance. Veggies an be chopped and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before cooking. You can make the sauce ahead as well and refrigerate it separately.
How to Store Leftovers
This recipe reheats great for a quick lunch or dinner the following day. I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave or on a pan on the stovetop over medium heat. If reheating on the stovetop, add a small amount of oil to the pan first to make sure it doesn’t stick.
To freeze, wait until the stir fry has cooled and transfer into a freezer safe bag or airtight container. You can freeze over rice for a full meal. It will last in the freezer for 3-6 months. Allow to defrost in the refrigerator overnight or use the defrost setting in the microwave.
Ground Turkey Recipes
20-Minute Ground Turkey Teriyaki Rice Bowl Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Flat spatula for stirring and breaking up meat
Ingredients
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder see notes for using cornstarch instead
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce (see notes for using coconut aminos)
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon mirin can substitute another sake or cooking sherry if needed
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced or grated ginger
Skillet
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 carrot grated
- 2 cups broccoli chopped into small florets
- Sliced green onion
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add the arrowroot and cold water to a small bowl and stir or whisk to combine. Add remaining teriyaki sauce ingredients together and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet to medium and once hot, add oil. Tilt pan to let oil coat the bottom and then add the onion and red pepper. Let onion and red pepper sear for 3-4 minutes, stirring just 2-3 times.
- Add ground turkey and break it up into small pieces as it cooks with a flat hard spatula. Lightly season turkey with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper as it cooks.
- Once meat has browned (4-5 minutes), add broccoli and carrot and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are soft and meat has cooked through.
- Stir one last time and then pour the teriyaki sauce into the pan and stir. Let the pan sit until the sauce comes to a low simmer. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened a little bit.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds.
- Spoon turkey mixture onto rice, cauliflower rice, brown rice, quinoa, or however you prefer to serve it.
Notes
- Can substitute arrowroot with ¾ teaspoon cornstarch.
- If eating on it’s own without rice, quinoa or another grain or cauliflower rice underneath, you may want to replace 1-2 Tablespoons of the Tamari with more water to make it less salty.
- Substituting coconut aminos – you can substitute coconut aminos for the tamari, however the end result will be sweeter. If you do this, I recommend using 1-2 Tablespoons less coconut sugar and seasoning with additional salt to taste if needed at the end.
Nutrition
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