The BEST Ground Turkey Tacos from scratch for a healthy, quick and easy taco dinner the whole family will love!
Ground Turkey Tacos
This is the best turkey taco recipe, it’s my go-to for taco nights! While traditional tacos typically use beef or pork, ground turkey tacos are a much leaner alternative without sacrificing flavor. It’s delicious and so versatile. I use my homemade taco seasoning, which is easy to adjust to your liking, with no added artificial ingredients. Serve it on corn or flour tortillas for tacos, or check out my original low-carb turkey taco lettuce wraps. This recipe will help you make the best ground turkey tacos at home for Taco Tuesday, Cinco De Mayo or any night of the week!
Why This Works!
- We love tacos! Whether it’s taco Tuesday, Cinco De Mayo, or any night of the week.
- Ground turkey ideas: This is a tasty way to use up a package of ground turkey!
- Quick and easy! Dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes.
- Family friendly – even picky eaters love them!
Ground Turkey Taco Ingredients:
Here’s what you’ll need for this turkey taco recipe (see exact measurements in the recipe card below):
- Ground Turkey: Using lean ground turkey provides a healthier base for tacos. I prefer 93% lean ground turkey for the best taste, but 99% lean ground turkey will also work.
- Taco Seasoning: Buy your favorite at the supermarket, or use my homemade taco seasoning recipe which is healthier because there’s no added preservatives. It simply contains garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, paprika, and oregano.
- Aromatics: Garlic, onion, and bell pepper infuse the sauce and turkey with flavor and depth.
- Sauce: The ground turkey cooks in water and canned tomato sauce to keep it moist.
- Tortillas: Use corn tortillas or crispy taco shells—whichever you prefer!
- Cheese: Mexican cheese blend or shredded cheddar melts when placed on the warm turkey, creating a creamy, gooey layer.
- Lettuce: Buy pre-shredded lettuce, like romaine or iceberg, or chop your own for a crisp, fresh topping that contrasts with the warm, soft filling.
- Pico de Gallo is a fresh salsa made with tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime. You can buy it in the refrigerated section at the supermarket or make it with my pico de gallo recipe.
- Optional Toppings: Diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, guacamole, sour cream, Greek yogurt, pickled onions, green onions.
How to Cook Ground Turkey for Tacos
This is my foolproof method for making the best tasting turkey tacos!
- Brown the turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break it into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- Season the turkey with taco seasoning once it’s no longer pink. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, garlic, water, and tomato sauce and cover.
- Simmer on low for about 20 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld.
- Tortillas: For corn tortillas, char the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side over your stove’s flame. If using hard shells, heat them according to package directions.
- Assemble Tacos: Divide the meat equally between the tortillas, and top with cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, and any other desired toppings.
Variations
- Meat: Swap turkey with lean ground beef.
- Tomatoes: If you don’t want to use pico de gallo, sub chopped tomatoes.
- Spice Level: Add cayenne or diced jalapeños to the turkey mixture or top them with pickled jalapeños or hot sauce if you like your tacos with more heat.
- Vegetarian Option: Substitute the ground turkey with crumbled tofu like these tofu tacos or a meat substitute, adjusting the cooking time as necessary.
What to Serve with Tacos
Here are some side dish ideas to pair with these healthy ground turkey tacos to complete your meal:
- Black Beans and Rice
- Refried Beans
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Mexican-inspired Grilled Corn Salad
- Guacamole
- Simple green salad with romaine and avocado
Storage
I usually double the turkey recipe and use the rest for another recipe like these meximelts.
- Refrigerator: The ground turkey taco meat will last up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store all the toppings separately. To reheat, microwave the turkey until warm and assemble your tacos.
- Freezer: You can freeze the meat up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
Turkey Tacos FAQs
Ground turkey tacos can be healthier than beef tacos. It all depends on the fat content. I use 93% ground turkey, which means it’s 93% lean with 7% fat. It still has flavor and won’t be dry, but it is lower in calories than other varieties, like 85%. If you use lean 93% beef, the nutritional information is very similar to 93% turkey.
Like any protein, ground turkey must be well seasoned to taste good. I generously season the meat with homemade taco seasoning and add aromatics like garlic, onion, and bell pepper.
The ground turkey simmers in tomato sauce and water, which prevents it from drying out and infuses it with flavor.
Turkey taco meat is perfect for meal prep since it freezes well. Double this recipe, freeze half, and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight for a quick dinner when you don’t have time to cook. For best results, eat it within 3 months.
More Taco Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Beef Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Tacos with Lettuce Slaw
- Fish Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos
- Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos
Ground Turkey Taco Recipe
Ingredients
For the ground turkey taco meat:
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning, homemade or store bought
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, minced
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
For topping:
- 8 6-inch corn tortillas, or crispy taco shells (hard or soft, according to preference)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
- 1 1/2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- Optional Toppings: diced tomatoes, sour cream, Greek yogurt, sliced avocados, guacamole, or any other favorites
Instructions
- Prep Ingredients: Before you begin cooking, prepare your toppings and have them ready for assembly. This will ensure your tacos are served fresh and hot when ready.
- Cook the Ground Turkey: Brown the turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- Season: When no longer pink add the taco seasoning and mix well. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, water and tomato sauce, stir and cover. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld. If it's too liquidy, uncover and simmer a few more minutes. Adjust salt to taste, as needed.
- Assemble the Tacos: Char the tortillas about 30 seconds on each side over the flame. OR If using hard shells, heat according to package directions. Divide the meat equally with a slotted spoon, about 1/4 cup each and top with cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo and optional toppings of your choice.
- Serve: Once assembled, eat right away while the filling is warm and the tortillas or shells are warm or crispy.
This recipe WAY exceeded our expectations! We usually do beef tacos but we accidentally got ground turkey in our grocery order so we tried this instead. We loved it so much that it’s becoming our go-to taco recipe. Thank you!
Just made this and it was delicious! Thank you for another great recipe. I also love your suggestions for making it a meal AND the product recommendations you sometimes make in various recipes.
I’ve made this well over a dozen times! It’s perfect – you can’t tell it’s turkey and I love that it is healthier. Sometimes I just make the taco meat and then throw it over some rice and top with cheese, pico and cilantro. My family is a big fan no matter how I make this!
♥
The best tacos we’ve had at home! Simple easy and tasty. Turkey tasted juicy and flavorful. Thank you for this recipe. My 4 yr old loved it 🥰
So glad you enjoyed them! Love kid approval! ♥
This has been my go-to recipe for tacos for a while now. Thanks for a great recipe!
Not bad, but a bit bland as I did not add salt.
Delicious and easy – my favorite kind of meal!
Mine too lol!
Fantastic, flavorful and easy recipe. I could eat this right from the pan.
Thank you!
I never bothered with this recipe because throwing an envelope over a pound of ground beef was easy enough and always a crowd pleaser. But I decided to give it a go last week and even my super picky 15 yo son said they were the best tacos ever!
YAY!!!
Can you tell me how much sodium is in this recipe. It isn’t listed in the nutrition info
Just updated all the nutritional info! 🙂
AMAAAAZING and easy! Thanks Gina
yay!!
We loved this recipe! It was delicious and is a new favorite in our home.Thanks Gina!
Tacos so good 5 stars for sure
This was amazing! Fresh, moist, filling (satisfying) and easy!
Forgot to rate it.
This was very good. Sadly I didn’t have any red pepper in my fridge. Personally I didn’t find it spicy enough so I added a can of chopped green chilis and this took it over the top. Absolutely delicious. I made a crispy taco, pan fried with a spray of olive oil and put the shredded cheese over the meat. Will definitely be making it again.
These turkey tacos are good and so easy to make! I wasn’t sure about the red pepper. But it really does add extra flavor. Don’t skip making the homemade taco seasoning! It’s easy and better for you. Trust me You’ll never buy the store packet again!
5 stars
I make four batches of this every month! It’s my favorite!!!!!
Yummm!