This Ground Turkey Stir Fry is packed with good-for-you ingredients including lean ground turkey, an array of veggies, and a quick stir-fry sauce. This high-protein, low-carb recipe is so tasty and even better with the (optional) creamy Sriracha-mayo sauce!
I love using ground turkey as a ground beef replacement; some of my favorite ground turkey recipes to try next: Turkey Chili, Turkey Sloppy Joes, or this Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet.
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
This recipe is all about “volume eating,” which means enjoying a lot of food without taking in too many calories. It’s based on the idea that different foods have different calorie densities. For example, you could eat 3 whole cucumbers, 2 heads of lettuce, or 3 carrots for the same calories as just 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
This Ground Turkey Stir Fry is perfect if you’re watching your calories or macronutrients but still want a filling meal. Plus, it’s incredibly tasty and easy to make, with some handy store-bought shortcuts (see below). It’s perfect for meal prep too, making it an ideal choice for a healthy and satisfying weeknight dinner. Enjoy a delicious meal without the calorie overload!
Shortcut: Coleslaw Mix
Want to do as little chopping as possible? Use packaged matchstick carrots and packaged coleslaw mix! With these two short-cuts, this Ground Turkey Stir Fry prep is a cinch! If you opt for using a bag of coleslaw, get one that is 12-16 ounces. Already minced garlic is another great time saver!
How To Make Ground Turkey Stir Fry
- Prep the veggies first. Thinly slice the cabbage, grate the zucchini, slice the green onions, grate the ginger, and mince the garlic. Once all the veggies are prepped this dish takes just minutes to prepare! And if you’re using pre-shredded cabbage, it goes even faster.
- Cook meat. Start by browning and crumbling the lean ground meat with the veggies and some salt and pepper.
- Whisk together the sauce. The ground turkey cooks through in about 5-7 minutes and while it is cooking, you can prepare the easy stir fry sauce by quickly stirring together the four ingredients.
- Cook veggies. Add the cabbage and carrots to the ground turkey. Once those cook down a bit, add the zucchini, green onions, and sauce. Cook, then garnish and enjoy!
Quick Tip
While the sauce reduces and coats the veggies quite nicely, if you want a more velvety/thick sauce, whisk 2 teaspoons cornstarch with the soy sauce first before adding the rest of the sauce ingredients.
Ground Turkey Stir Fry Quick Tips
- Make sure to use a really large skillet or wok. There is a lot of volume in this recipe, so you’ll have a hard time mixing everything together if you’re working in a small skillet. I recommend a 12-inch or larger pan.
- Prep ahead. The cooking goes really quickly, so you’ll want to have all the veggies prepared before starting to cook.
- Use good ground turkey. I recommend ground turkey that is sold in a carton (ground chicken or lean ground beef works here as well), rather than in a chub. Chub-style ground turkey is the kind that comes in the plastic tube and it tends to be less flavorful. I recommend 93/7 ground turkey (I love JennieO® or Butterball® ground turkey). I’ve found 99/1 ground turkey too dry and flavorless.
Serving Suggestions
- In a lettuce wrap: This filling is delicious rolled up in a few butter lettuce leaves.
- With Sriracha mayo: To add in a creamy element, I recommend a scoop of Sriracha mayo (more on this below).
Sriracha-Mayo Topping
This Sriracha-Mayo sauce is completely optional, but it broadens the dimension of flavor and adds a nice hit of spice and delicious creaminess to this Ground Turkey Stir Fry. Bonus — it’s only three ingredients — the juice of 1-2 limes, Sriracha® sauce, and mayo.
- I love Hellman’s/Best Foods® mayo best in the Sriracha Sauce (not sponsored).
- I recommend adding the Sriracha gradually, to personal taste and spice preference. If you’re not familiar with Sriracha, it’s potent! If the sauce ends up too hot, add more lime juice to offset it. Not hot enough? Add more Sriracha, slowly. If the sauce ends up too hot, you could also add a pinch or two of sugar.
- For a stronger citrus flavor, add the zest of a lime as well to the sauce.
- For an overall sweeter sauce, add a teaspoon or two of white granulated sugar.
Dietary Concerns
- Ground Turkey Stir Fry Whole30: Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil and make sure your Sriracha sauce and mayo are Whole30 compliant. Swap soy sauce for coconut aminos and skip the brown sugar. Check if sesame oil is allowed, as opinions differ. Make sure your ground turkey has no added sugar or use another compliant meat. Serve over cauliflower rice instead of white rice. For more Whole30 tips, visit the link.
- Making it keto friendly: Make sure the Sriracha is compliant, or use Frank’s Red Hot® sauce instead. Use Lite Tamari or Bragg’s Aminos® instead of soy sauce, and leave out the brown sugar in the sauce.
Quick note: I’m not an expert at Whole30 or Keto diet, so please, use your best judgment or do some research regarding this recipe and your dietary restrictions.
Storage
Let the ground turkey skillet dish cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing, the veggies get soggy as they defrost.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Chicken Stir Fry with veggies
- Asian Ground Turkey with an incredible stir-fry sauce!
- Turkey Bolognese with loads of hidden veggies
- Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs and marinara sauce
- Turkey Meatloaf with a tangy saucy topping
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 6 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (~1/2 large head) or shredded cole slaw mix
- 3/4 cup shredded zucchini, (~1 small zucchini)
- 1 bunch of green onions, separated
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 1 pound (16 oz.) lean ground turkey (93/7%)
- 4 tablespoons regular (not lite) soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 cup shredded/matchstick carrots
- Fine sea salt & pepper, to taste
Sriracha Mayo (Optional)
- 1/3 cup good quality mayo
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- PREP THE VEGGIES: Cut the cabbage in half, remove the core, and then thinly slice to get 6 cups. Alternatively, use a package of cole slaw mix and save the slicing! Using a box grater, grate the zucchini on the large holes to get 3/4 cup. Thinly slice 3-4 green onions to get a heaping 1/2 cup (37g). Peel the ginger and then finely shred using the small side of your grater or a microplane grater. Mince the garlic.
- COOK GROUND TURKEY: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the vegetable oil, ground turkey, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of fine sea salt and pepper. (I add 1/4 teaspoon of each.) Cook until the ground turkey is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes breaking it up as you cook. If there is an excessive amount of liquid, drain that off here.
- SAUCE: While the ground turkey is cooking, prepare the sauce by stirring together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- COOK VEGGIES: Add the cabbage and carrots to the skillet with the ground turkey and continue to stir and cook until the cabbage is wilted, about 2-4 minutes. Add in the zucchini, green onions, and the sauce. Stir for another 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat. Garnish dish with additional sliced green onions as desired. Taste and add a pinch more of salt if needed.
- SRIRACHA MAYO (OPTIONAL): If desired, serve with sriracha mayo. To make sriracha mayo: whisk together the mayo, sriracha, lime juice, and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper until smooth. See Note 1.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So good! I didn’t have zucchini so I took thick spaghetti and broke it in half before placing it in boiling water. When I was almost done with this recipe I just drained it and threw it in at the end with the sliced green onionand cooked for 1-2 mins more. It was a great filler and did not take away from all the awesome flavor at all! Thank you!
Delish! Love this idea! So glad you enjoyed!
Thank you so much for this recipe! Soooo good! The only thing I didn’t add was the brown sugar. The siracha mayo is definitely a must. It’s the perfect compliment to this dish.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Cindy! 🙂