These healthy ground Turkey Tacos are so tasty and quick to put together ANY night can be taco night! Perfect healthy delicious dinner less than 20 minutes. The whole family will love these so skip the “packet” and go homemade!
These delicious turkey tacos are a quick and easy, people-pleasing meal, that you’ll want add to your family favorites dinner rotation. What makes this recipe infinitely better than just adding a store-bought seasoning mix is that I’ve created my own blend of spices and seasonings. It’s perfectly dialed in for my family and yours. Even the picky eaters – with a special depth of flavor you just can’t find in one of those little packets from the grocery store.
Ground turkey gets a bad rap sometimes, especially from those who believe ground beef is the only thing good enough to grace the inside of a crispy shell. But it really is a wonderful alternative both for flavor and texture, plus it makes me feel a little less guilty about going back for seconds . . . or thirds.
I hope you try more of my delicious taco recipes. You’ll love my beef taco meat recipe, achiote roasted pork tacos, and my copycat Cafe Rio crock pot chicken Tacos. ♥ Change up taco Tuesday and try my Taco Casserole next time!
Let’s make these tacos!
IS GROUND TURKEY BETTER FOR YOU THAN GROUND BEEF?
Although some prefer the milder flavor of turkey over beef, others choose ground turkey because it’s better for your heart. If you compare a similar lean-to-fat batch of turkey to beef, you’ll find the calories and protein content are pretty consistent for both, but the turkey contains less saturated fat.
Most of us equate fat with flavor when we’re talking about meat, but with the right seasonings and care to not overcook it, turkey can be just as satisfyingly scrumptious as beef. That’s where my Turkey Taco seasoning bests other turkey taco recipes. 
WHAT DOES GROUND TURKEY MEAT TASTE LIKE?
Ground turkey is a very mild meat – similar to chicken or pork – that basically serves as a blank canvas for whatever culinary concoction you’re in the mood to put together. If you’ve had both light and dark meat off that Thanksgiving turkey, I’d say it more closely resembles the breast meat.
Ground turkey IS mild, so whether you’re using it in a pasta dish, making turkey meatloaf, or stuffing it in tortillas, you want to choose ingredients that pack a serious flavor punch.
GROUND TURKEY TACO INGREDIENTS
Turkey Taco Meat
- Vegetable Oil: Any neutral vegetable will work. You can also use olive oil because it won’t need a high smoking point in this recipe.
- Onion: Use either a white or yellow onion.
- Chili Powder: I use McCormick chili powder. I like its chili flavor and it’s mild enough for kids palates.
- Cumin: Adds an herbaceous smokey flavor.
- Oregano: Adds an earthy slightly camphorous flavor.
- Coriander: Adds a citrusy floral flavor.
- Ground Turkey: Ground turkey is available in a few different lean-to-fat versions, and the leanest (99% lean to 1% fat) is mostly white meat. These tacos are best made with a good mixture of light and dark meat, like an 85/15 blend. Using all breast meat will work if you can’t find an 85/15 blend. j
- Tomato Sauce: Keeps the taco mixture moist and adds acidity.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds more needed acidity and bright notes of cooked fruits.
- Brown Sugar: Adds the sweetness to balance out the acidity in the tacos.
- Salt + Pepper: Adds just the right seasoning to bring all the flavors together.
Serve With
- Tortilla: Choose your favorite, flour, corn, or almond.
- Cheese: I like sharp cheddar, monterey jack, and or pepper jack.
- Sour Cream: Use full or low fat. You might even try Greek yogurt. I like to use sour cream in the squeeze container for tacos. The kids love it, too!
- Avacado: Haas, of course!
- Cilantro: The perfect herb to add freshness with south of the border flavor.
- Lettuce: I use shredded iceberg for a cool crunch. Try using shredded angle hair cabbage for added crunch and great nutrition effortlessly!
INGREDIENT NOTES:
Cooking The Turkey: Cook the turkey undisturbed until the bottom layer is cooked, then stir and crumble with this tool for best results.
Brown Sugar: This may sound like a weird ingredient for tacos, but I think it’s an essential ingredient for this recipe. With the acidity from the tomato sauce and the apple cider vinegar, the brown sugar is important to balance it.
Apple Cider Vinegar: You can use red wine vinegar, white vinegar, or seasoned rice vinegar.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? The taco meat will last in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Can You Freeze This? The taco meat can be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can make the taco meat a day or two ahead of time and store in the fridge. The meat will taste even better when you serve it.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY TACOS
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Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet, over medium-high heat, until it shimmers. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, 3-5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander and garlic powder and continue to cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Add the turkey to the skillet and continue to cook, until it’s still slightly pink, about 2 minutes.
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Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens about 4 minutes. Adjust seasonings.
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Serve with prepared tortillas and your favorite toppings.
***SEE FULL INSTRUCTIONS BELOW
MORE TACO INSPIRED RECIPE
- Bisquick Impossible Taco Pie
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Taco Pasta
- Taco Spaghetti
- Walking Tacos
- Bisquick Taco Bake
- Spaghetti Tacos
Turkey Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 Cup Onion Chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin
- 2 Teaspoons Oregano
- 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander
- 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 Pound Ground Turkey
- 8 Ounces Tomato Sauce
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoons Black Pepper
Serve With:
- Corn or Flour Tortillas Softened
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Avocado
- Fresh Cilantro Chopped
- Lettuce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet, over medium-high heat, until it shimmers. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, 3-5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander and garlic powder and continue to cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the turkey to the skillet and continue to cook, until its still slightly pink, about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens about 4 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve with prepared tortillas and your favorite toppings.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Source: Adapted From American Test Kitchen
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