These are the BEST Ground Turkey Tacos, packed with flavor from homemade taco seasoning and ready in less than 30 minutes! It’s the perfect quick and easy recipe for Taco Tuesday that the whole family will love.
If you don’t have ground turkey on hand, try my classic Ground Beef Tacos, Fish Tacos or Carne Asada Tacos instead. You really can’t go wrong on taco night!
Busy weeknights call for easy dinner, like these Ground Turkey Tacos. This is one of those meals that I really rely on during the week. I know everyone will love it and I can whip it up in about 20 minutes, which gets bonus points in my book.
Ground turkey is a lean protein that takes on other flavors really well. My simple homemade taco seasoning and tomato sauce transform the ground turkey into the best, most juicy taco meat you’ll ever have.
We like to pile all the toppings on our ground turkey tacos including my homemade guacamole and fresh pico de gallo. This ground turkey recipe is super versatile, so feel free to include whatever seasonings, toppings, and salsa you like!
Homemade Taco Seasoning
Skip the store-bought packets. Make your own taco seasoning at home! It’s easy to make a lot at once. Plus, it costs less than ready-made seasonings.
My taco seasoning consists of chili powder, ground coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin and dried oregano. Feel free to adjust the heat or add more spices to your liking!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Olive oil — You can use any neutral oil to help brown the turkey meat.
- Ground turkey — I typically use 94% lean ground turkey for tacos because the small amount of fat keeps the meat juicy. You can use 99% lean ground turkey or even ground chicken if you prefer. Alternatively, you can cut chicken breast into cubes and make chicken tacos.
- Tomato sauce — The key ingredient for the best juicy taco meat. If you don’t have tomato sauce on hand, you can use salsa or tomato paste and water.
- Taco seasoning — A blend of chili powder, ground coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. You can also add red pepper flakes for more heat.
- Salt — I like to leave the salt out of the taco seasoning so I can add it to taste.
- Optional: Add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar to the ground turkey. This will balance the strong flavors of the taco seasoning.
Tortillas & Favorite Taco Toppings
Tortillas — Corn tortillas are my go-to, but flour tortillas or hard taco shells are just as good!
Veggies — I like to keep it simple with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and onions. Some other great options include black olives, sliced radishes, cabbage, and sliced jalapeno.
Fresh herbs — If you’re a cilantro fan like me, then add as much as you like! But if cilantro isn’t your thing, you can skip it or go with fresh parsley instead.
Cheese — Shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack are my favorite with tacos.
Sour cream — A cool contrast to the taco meat. Plain Greek yogurt works too!
Salsa —Try my avocado salsa or mango salsa for even more flavor!
How to Make the Best Ground Turkey Taco Meat
Brown the turkey meat in a skillet with olive oil breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, spatula or meat chopper.
Drain any excess fat before adding the tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and salt.
Stir it well and let the taco meat cook for a minute or two to build flavor.
Remove the turkey mixture from the skillet and spoon it into your corn or flour tortillas.
Top with your favorite veggies, cheese, and salsa.
Enjoy the best ground turkey tacos that everyone will go crazy for!
Olivia’s Recipe Tips
- Simmer the tomato sauce and taco seasonings just until it starts to thicken. You don’t want to overcook it and dry out the taco meat.
- Only stir the ground turkey occasionally so it has time to brown.
- For the best texture, break up the taco meat into crumbles as it cooks.
- Warm the tortillas before assembling your turkey taco recipe. This makes the tortillas more pliable and less likely to break.
How To Store Leftover Turkey Tacos
To Store: Place the leftover taco meat in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s best to store the toppings in separate containers so they stay as fresh as possible.
To Freeze: You can store ground turkey taco meat for up to 3 months in the freezer. I like to store taco in a freezer-safe bag so I can store it flat and save space in my freezer.
To Reheat: I typically reheat leftover taco meat in the microwave until it’s warmed through, but a skillet works great too!
The Best Sides for Ground Turkey Tacos
We LOVE tacos at our house. We usually enjoy them with side dishes like black beans, refried beans, and rice. We also like golden cauliflower rice, which is low-carb and just as tasty!
When we’re craving something on the lighter side, I’ll toss together a fresh corn salad or this avocado tomato salad that’s perfect for summer.
And you can’t forget the chips and dip! I love a good classic salsa, but this sweet and savory peach salsa is also a great complement to these ground turkey tacos.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the fat content of the meat that you use. I’m using 94% lean ground turkey which only has 6% fat in it. If you go with lean ground beef with similar fat content, the nutritional values will be similar to the ground turkey.
The taco meat is already low in carbs, so you can either go with a low-carb wrap or skip the tortilla and make a taco salad instead.
This recipe uses tomato sauce to keep the ground turkey moist and juicy. This gives the meat extra moisture and prevents it from drying out as it cooks.
Ground turkey is super versatile, so there are tons of ways you can season it up. Here I’m using a homemade taco seasoning that’s packed with flavor and easy to modify if you want to add to it.
If you make these Ground Turkey Tacos for your next Taco Tuesday, leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how it goes! And don’t forget to check out the full collection of Cinco de Mayo recipes here at Primavera Kitchen.
More Ground Turkey Ideas To Try!
Ground Turkey Tacos
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt to taste
- Toppings: shredded cheese sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, avocado slices, diced tomatoes, guacamole, pico de gallo, chopped cilantro and/or lime wedges.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground turkey and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up into smaller pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease if necessary.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, ground coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and salt.
- Mix well and cook for an additional minute to blend the flavors.
- Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Spoon the seasoned ground turkey into tortillas.
- Top each taco with your favorite toppings.
Tips
- If your taco meat is dry, you can add more tomato sauce or a splash of chicken broth.
- Add diced onions and garlic for a more savory flavor.
- You can warm the tortillas in a skillet or in the oven wrapped in foil.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Olivia says