Ground Turkey Tacos Recipe (2024)

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by Mike Hultquist · Jan 4, 2016 · 12 Comments · Jump to Recipe

Ground Turkey Tacos are juicy, flavor-packed, easy to make and on the healthier side! Make a quick batch of these tacos for your next taco Tuesday or upcoming Cinco de Mayo party to fully satisfy your guests.

Ground Turkey Tacos Recipe

Most of you know my love for ground turkey by now. I'm in LOVE with turkey burgers (see one ofmy favorite turkey burger recipes) and we cook with turkey constantly. As much as we both love beef, turkey is a lower calorie option that helps to keep the weight down. So, bring on the ground turkey tacos! I can't say enough good things about these handheld masterpieces.

They're healthy, low-calorie, inexpensive to make, super quick and easy to prepare, and flat out delicious. Seriously, you can have this recipe done in about 20 minutes or less.

Turkey is your blank canvas protein that absorbs all the flavors you choose to bring to the plate. Choose wisely... though to be honest, it's really hard to mess up this recipe.

Ground turkey can be pretty boring and flavorless, but I build real flavor by cooking the ground turkey with peppers and onions first. Then I add a layer of seasonings and simmer it in a way that makes the ground turkey juicy and moist every time.

Ingredients for this Turkey Tacos Recipe

Olive oil
Vegetables - Onions and jalapeño peppers are all you need.
Ground turkey- Use a lean ground turkey breast, or a blend of ground turkey, to your preference.
Taco seasonings - Use my homemade taco seasonings for real taco flavor you'll love. Or use your favorite brand. Also, salt and pepper to taste.
Tortillas - Use corn tortillas or flour tortillas, or hard taco shells.
Taco toppings - I used a bit of crema, sour cream, Cojita cheese, picante sauce, roasted jalapeno peppers, diced avocado and chopped cilantro

How to Make Ground Turkey Tacos - the Recipe Method

Cook the veggies and turkey. Heat a large pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil and swirl. Add onion, jalapeño pepper, and ground turkey. Cook it all together for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the turkey is nearly cooked through.

Add seasoning and simmer. Add the taco seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir and cook another minute to let the spices bloom.

Simmer the taco meat. Add water and stir. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer at least 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the moisture reduces and the flavorings thicken up.

Serve and enjoy! Serve the seasoned turkey taco meat onto toasted or warmed tortillas and top with your favorite toppings like cilantro and lime juice!

Recipe Tips & Notes

Don't let it dry out. The key to the moisture is simmering the ground turkey slowly in the water that you add along with your taco seasonings, and leaving just a bit of that water in the pan when you turn off the heat. Hot sauce also helps!
Tame the heat. I find that the jalapeños in this recipe add just the right amount of heat. However, if that's too spicy for your palate, you can always substitute them with bell peppers.

Storage and Leftovers

Store any leftover turkey taco meat in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 5 days. You can also freeze your taco meat in vacuum sealed containers for 3 months.

To enjoy them again, thaw and warm gently in a pan with a 2-3 tablespoons water. Use them for more turkey tacos or a taco salad.

Try Some of My Other Popular Taco Recipes

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Szechuan Salmon Tacos
Pork Street Tacos with Crispy Fried Habaneros
Tacos al Pastor
Baja Fish Tacos
Chorizo Tacos

If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.

Ground Turkey Tacos Recipe (Quick and Easy)

A recipe for quick and easy ground turkey tacos that are juicy, healthy, and loaded with flavor, so easy to make any night of the week.

Save Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: ground turkey

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Calories: 135kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings: 6

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5 from 6 votes

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Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper chopped
12 ounces ground turkey
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste
½ cup water
6 corn tortillas lightly toasted
Fixings for toppings – I used a bit of crema, sour cream, Cojita cheese, picante sauce, roasted jalapeno peppers, diced avocado and chopped cilantro

Instructions

Heat a large pan to medium heat. Add olive oil and swirl.
Add onion, jalapeno pepper and ground turkey. Cook it all together for 8-10 minutes, or until the turkey is nearly cooked through.
Add taco seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook another minute to let the spices bloom.
Add water and stir. Reduce heat and allow to simmer at least 10 minutes, until most of the moisture reduces and the flavorings thicken up. You can simmer longer to develop more flavor. Leave just a bit of the liquid in the pan to keep the turkey nice and juicy and moist.
Serve onto toasted or warmed tortillas and top with your favorite fixings!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 15gFat: 2gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 109mgPotassium: 242mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 4.5mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 0.8mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Holly Hooper says
November 06, 2021 at 9:58 pm

I enjoy trying new dishes to serve my family. This looks absolutely delicious.
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  November 07, 2021 at 10:38 am
  
  Thanks, Holly! I appreciate it!
  Reply
Joseph Donahue says
July 21, 2021 at 10:44 am

I made this last night, and it was wonderful! I added sauteed onions and mushrooms. My boyfriend loved it.
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  July 21, 2021 at 11:45 am
  
  Thanks, Joseph! Glad you enjoyed them! So good.
  Reply
Alvin Charles says
December 08, 2019 at 12:09 am

Thanks for giving me a great recipe for this weekend.
Great Work
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  December 09, 2019 at 7:35 am
  
  Thanks, Alvin! Much appreciated! Have a great day.
  Reply
Ankita says
August 25, 2019 at 3:56 am

Hi!!
Love your post. It's really amazing & helpful too. Being foodie i keep trying new dishes i tried this recipe & it turned out to be really tasty . Keep sharing 🙂
Thank You & Regards
Ankita
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  August 25, 2019 at 2:08 pm
  
  Thanks, Ankita!
  Reply
chilipeppermadness says
February 22, 2019 at 4:12 am

I tried this sauce on turkey meatballs last night and served them to my very picky children and their even pickier cousins.
Reply
Sonia Chauhan says
May 17, 2017 at 8:39 pm

I’m always looking for new recipes that help us cut back on the processed alternatives. Thanks for putting all of these in one place.
Reply
- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness says
  December 04, 2018 at 9:13 am
  
  Thanks, Sonia! I appreciate it!
  Reply
techlazy.com says
May 02, 2017 at 6:44 pm

I tried this sauce on turkey meatballs last night and served them to my very picky children and their even pickier cousins. What a HUGE hit! I cannot thank you enough – you’ve added a new staple to their diets …
REPLY: That's great! Glad it was a hit! -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Reply