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Ground turkey shows up where you least expect it, in the best Turkey Taco you’ve ever had. This recipe has a few tricks up its sleeve to make sure every bite is juicy and perfectly seasoned. Coming to tortillas near you in about 15 minutes.
Authentic? Absolutely not! Ground meat tacos in Mexico are pretty scarce as it is, and ground turkey? Forget about it. It’s not a thing there. But just because something is inauthentic doesn’t mean it is BAD. These are great!
Recipe ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Ground turkey: Look for 93% lean ground turkey. If you get the 99% fat free ground turkey breast, your meat is going to be dry.
- Tomato sauce: 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste plus ½ cup water may be substituted for the tomato sauce.
- Brown sugar: Just 1 teaspoon, and feel free to leave it out if that sounds weird to you.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can also use white vinegar or red wine vinegar. They both taste good!
- Taco seasoning: Ingredients for homemade are right in the recipe card in the amount you need. Or, substitute one packet of store-bought.
Step-by-step instructions:
- First, soften the chopped onion in a skillet with a little oil, over medium high heat. When the onions are translucent and soft, add the minced garlic, taco seasoning, and dried oregano. Stir for about 30 seconds.
- Next, add the turkey. Cook until mostly done, breaking up any big clumps with a wooden spoon.
- Then add the brown sugar, vinegar, and tomato sauce and mix completely.
- Let the turkey simmer for about 4 minutes, until it thickens up. Then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Recipe notes:
- Taco toppings: Lettuce, tomato, avocado (or avocado sauce), guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream, black olives, minced white onion, cilantro.
- Salsa: Pico de gallo, hot salsa, tomato salsa, tomatillo salsa, or corn salsa
- Fried taco shells: Fry corn tortillas until crispy on the stove or in the oven.
- Lettuce wraps: This taco meat is delicious on butter lettuce or romaine leaves.
- Taco salad: Add the cooked meat to a bowl with chopped lettuce, beans, tomatoes, scallions, and a creamy cilantro lime dressing.
- Add quinoa. Add cooked quinoa to the mixture to make it more filling or stretch it farther.
- Slow cooker: Sauté the onions in a skillet on the stove. Add the taco seasoning, garlic, and dried oregano. Add the ground turkey and cook until almost done. Transfer the turkey to the slow cooker and add the sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or on LOW for 6-7 hours.
- Freezer: Cool the cooked meat, then transfer it to a freezer-safe bag and press flat to gently squeeze out the air from the bag as it seals. Label and date. To thaw, defrost the meat in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in the skillet with a little extra salsa or tomato sauce, if needed.
Favorite sides for Turkey Tacos:
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The Best Turkey Tacos
Ground turkey shows up where you least expect it, in the best Turkey Taco you've ever had. This recipe has a few tricks up its sleeve to make sure every bite is juicy and perfectly seasoned. Coming to tortillas near you in about 15 minutes.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the taco seasoning (see notes):
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)
For the tacos:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Corn tortillas or flour tortillas
Instructions
To make the taco seasoning:
- In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), Whisk in cornstarch if desired. (Or, substitute one packet store-bought taco seasoning).
To make the tacos:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning, garlic, and oregano until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add ground turkey and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through but still slightly pink, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide filling evenly among tortillas and serve with healthy garnishes such as shredded lettuce, diced tomato and avocado, scallions, and cilantro leaves.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground turkey: Look for 93% lean ground turkey. If you get the 99% fat-free ground turkey breast, your meat is going to be dry.
- Brown sugar: Just 1 teaspoon, and feel free to leave it out if that sounds weird to you.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can also use white vinegar or red wine vinegar. They both taste good!
- Taco seasoning: Ingredients for homemade are right in the recipe card in the amount you need. Or, substitute one packet of store-bought.
- Taco toppings: Lettuce, tomato, avocado (or avocado sauce), guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, black olives, minced white onion, cilantro.
- Fried taco shells: Fry corn tortillas until crispy on the stove or in the oven.
- Lettuce wraps: This taco meat is delicious on butter lettuce or romaine leaves.
- Taco salad: Add the cooked meat to a bowl with chopped lettuce, beans, tomatoes, scallions, and a creamy cilantro lime dressing.
- Add quinoa. Add cooked quinoa to the mixture to make it more filling or stretch it farther.
- Slow cooker: Sauté the onions in a skillet on the stove. Add the taco seasoning, garlic, and dried oregano. Add the ground turkey and cook until almost done. Transfer the turkey to the slow cooker and add the sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or on LOW for 6-7 hours.
- Freezer: Cool the cooked meat, then transfer it to a freezer-safe bag and press flat to gently squeeze out the air from the bag as it seals. Label and date. To thaw, defrost the meat in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in the skillet with a little extra salsa or tomato sauce, if needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 212kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 22gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 116mgPotassium: 368mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 932IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 3mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This takes the typical turkey taco meat to another level! (Typically we just brown the meat & add taco seasoning). Loved the additional flavor added from sautéing onions & garlic beforehand. I did not have tomato sauce on hand, but substituted using some chopped adobo chipotle peppers (canned) and about 1/2cup chicken broth.
(Shout out to the fellow reviewer for that adobo suggestion!)
Served the meat over Insta-pot Mexican Quinoa with some diced sweet potato mixed in. An excellent bowl meal!
I’m watching my cholesterol so I was looking for good turkey tacos.
Wife was not looking forward to turkey tacos. Truth told, I was not expecting much.
I did make two additions. I added 1 finely chopped Chipotle in Adobo, and a couple of shots of Worcestershire Sauce.
These were SO GOOD!! Couple slices of avocado on tortilla and a little fresh cilantro.
If I can get this flavor from Turkey, I’m keeping it.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Joe! Thank you, too! Take care – Meggan
Love the flavors of this dish so much! We eat this on a bed of quinoa, which also has a ton of sauteed onion and garlick in it.
Sounds absolutely delicious, Deena! – Meggan