This ground turkey stir fry is the easiest recipe ever! It's low carb too – all you need is ground turkey, bell peppers, carrots and cabbage.
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How to make this ground turkey stir fry
This quick and easy meal can be on the table in just 30 minutes!
- Pick out the veggies you would like to use for the stir fry. Combine the ingredients for the stir fry sauce and keep aside.
- Cook the onions in a skillet.
- Add the ground meat and brown it.
- Add the veggies.
- Pour in the sauce and cook until it has thickened.
- Serve and enjoy, or allow it to cool down to store for lunch or dinner throughout the week.
You'll have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients in ground turkey stir fry
- Olive oil – Any neutral oil like avocado oil, sunflower oil or grapeseed oil will work well in place of olive oil. If you're looking to add extra flavour, add in some sesame oil.
- Yellow onion – If you don't have yellow onion, you can use red onion, white onion or shallots.
- Ground Turkey – Ground turkey is a leaner meat and the star of this dish. If you only have ground chicken or ground pork on hand, these meats will also compliment this dish.
- Salt (to taste)
- Carrot – See substitution notes below.
- Red pepper – See substitution notes below.
- Red cabbage – See substitution notes below.
- Green onion – See substitution notes below.
Homemade stir fry sauce
To make your own stir fry sauce, you will need:
- Soy sauce
- Honey
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sriracha or chili sauce
Making your own stir fry sauce isn't difficult, all you have to do is mix the ingredients together! The easiest way to do this is to put everything in a glass mason jar, put the lid on and then shake the jar. By mixing it in a jar, you won't need to transfer any leftover sauce to another container – just store the jar in the fridge. If the sauce comes into contact with any raw meat, then make sure to dispose of the sauce.
If you love stir fry, my favourite tip is to double batch the sauce, use half for the recipe and store the rest for next time!
How to make the sauce thicker
The longer you allow the sauce to cook, the thicker it will become.
If your ratios for liquid are off though, you will need to add something else to the sauce. Cornstarch is a great choice. A little bit will almost immediately thicken your sauce. This is an easy gluten-free way to thicken sauce. Another option is flour, but you want be sure to mix it into the sauce completely. This way, you won't have clumps of flour in your finished stir fry.
Ingredient substitutes
Sweetener: Without altering the taste too much, you can just omit the honey if your diet does not allow it. Corn syrup, maple sugar and molasses are all suitable substitutes for honey if you still want a hint of sweetness though.
Soy Sauce: While soy sauce does not have carbs or sugar, it is very high in sodium. You can find low-sodium soy sauce in the grocery store. Or, if you prefer, you can use tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
Protein: This recipe can be made using different kinds of meat. Ground chicken is a great substitute. Other good options include ground sirloin, ground pork, or even ground bison or venison.
Any veggies can be used in this ground turkey stir fry recipe. This is the perfect opportunity to use up what is in the fridge! Other things I like to add to stir fry include:
- Peas
- Baby corn
- Water chestnuts
- Green beans
- Broccoli
- Bean sprouts
- Celery
- Mushrooms
You can also add zest to your stir fry sauce by including different flavors. Some can be very spicy if that’s what you’re looking for! Try these for unique flavor combinations:
- Sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
- Oyster sauce
- Sesame seeds
- Barbeque sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Chili sauce
- Red pepper flakes
Make this recipe keto-friendly
Just a few simple substitutions will make this ground turkey cabbage stir fry recipe keto friendly. Stir fries are a great way to eat healthy. By just cooking the vegetables to crisp tender, they retain most of their nutritional value.
Honey is not approved for the keto diet. Monk fruit is a good substitute or you could just omit it completely.
Soy sauce can be used in keto recipes, but only sparingly. Just use a light hand and depend more on other flavors.
What to serve with ground turkey stir fry
This dish by itself contains plenty of meat and veggies. To complete your meal, you could serve any of these dishes:
- Steamed rice or cauliflower rice
- Fried rice
- Egg rolls
- Egg drop soup
- Noodles or rice noodles
Storing and reheating the leftovers
Leftovers will last for five days in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. This means you can also make this meal in advance and reheat it.
You can use it for meal prep, too. Make one large batch and divide it into portions. This recipe makes enough ground turkey stir fry for four lunch servings for a week.
To reheat the stir fry, microwave for two to three minutes. Another option is to reheat it in a pan on the stove top for a few minutes. This will maintain the crispness of the veggies.
The stir fry sauce is a great condiment to have on hand. You can use it on any meat or vegetables for fantastic flavor.
Freezing and reheating this recipe
You can freeze this meal for up to three months. I recommend freezing the turkey, veggies and sauce separately. The night before you are ready to make it, thaw the ingredients in the refrigerator overnight. Then, simply combine all the ingredients together in the pan to reheat them.
More ground turkey recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into leftovers
- I get all my ground turkey from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
- Order some coconut aminos if you're looking for an alternative to soy sauce
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive or sesame oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 cup chopped red cabbage
- 4 green onions, sliced
Stir fry sauce
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
- 1 tsp sriracha or chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Mix ingredients for the sauce together.
- Heat oil over med-high heat then add onions, sauteing for 2 minutes until softened. Add ground turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add a pinch of salt to season the meat, then saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add carrot, bell pepper and cabbage, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add sauce then cook another 2-3 minutes until well combined and sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and stir in green onions. Serve and enjoy!
- Storing and reheating: Leftovers will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Store individual portions in glass bowls and reheat for 2-3 minutes in the microwave, or saute on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
Video
Nutrition
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Emily says
Are the nutrition facts per serving? Approximately how many ounces is each serving?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Emily! Yes, the nutrition facts are per serving, but I don’t provide servings by weight/cup unfortunately. You will need to take the number of servings listed and divide into portions. Each portion is a serving.
Phoebe says
This was delicious! I actually doubled all the veggies and even quadrupled the cabbage. Because of this, I doubled the sauce also. I don’t like to rate a recipe that I tweaked, but I didn’t change any ingredients and it goes to shows how versatile this recipe is. The flavour was perfect. It’s a keeper!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, and thank you for sharing the modifications 🙂
Karen says
Tried this dish tonight. The only change I made was I added two chili peppers in addition to the red pepper (all from our garden). Very very tasty and definitely a repeat here. Thanks!!!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!