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These Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls are made with healthy ground turkey and veggies in a sweet teriyaki sauce served over white or brown rice.

We love quick and easy Asian inspired recipes, and have quite a few here on the site! Our favorites are included in our monthly dinner rotation, like Egg Fried Rice and Crockpot Orange Chicken and these delicious rice bowls.

light gray bowls with rice and healthy ground turkey teriyaki, chopsticks, sesame seeds, white napkin, green onions

Teriyaki turkey is one of my family’s favorites! The sweet and savory richness of the sauce really compliments the mild flavor of the ground turkey. Plus it’s loaded with veggies, which means my kids are eating them! You can pair this with steamed rice chow mein noodles, or wrapped in a tortilla or Lettuce Wrap.

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Ground Turkey Teriyaki Rice Bowls

Ground turkey recipes are always a winner in our house, like Turkey, Kale and Rice SoupTurkey Taco Stuffed Shells and Spicy Turkey Meatloaf. But these Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls always top the list of favorites.

This ground turkey is juicy and the teriyaki sauce is sweet and flavorful. Add in all the wonderful veggies and you’ve got a perfectly complete meal that makes great leftovers.

Why We Love This Recipe

  • It’s a quick and easy, a healthy alternative to ground beef, and an easy substitution in tons of recipes like chili and spaghetti sauce.
  • We include lots of veggies and dice them up small so it’s very kid friendly and a great way to get kids to actually enjoy eating their vegetables.
  • You can easily customize this recipe to include your favorite veggies or add a different base like rice or noodles.
Cooked ground turkey recipe in a skillet with vegetables and teriyaki sauce. Cast iron skillet.

How to Make Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls

  1. Cook the ground turkey. After cooking the meat with some onions and garlic, grate few carrots and chop some broccoli very fine, and toss them in with the meat. This gave the illusion that there weren’t very many vegetables in there, but they couldn’t avoid what they couldn’t see! *Note – if you are serving this as a rice bowl, you’ll want to start cooking the rice before you start cooking the meat.
  2. Make the teriyaki sauce. The teriyaki sauce is made from scratch and is incredibly easy. Some readers have commented on the amount of sugar in the sauce, and you can see in the recipe notes that you can reduce to your liking. Teriyaki sauce is typically sweet on it’s own, but you can adjust the levels based on your needs. It will still taste great!
  3. Assemble the rice bowls. The teriyaki sauce is combined with the meat and veggies and simmered for a few minutes to let the flavors blend and get all happy. Then scoop it on top of white or brown rice, noodles, into lettuce cups or even flour tortillas for some Asian-Mexican fusion!

How to Cook Ground Turkey

Ground turkey is a light, bright pink color when it’s raw or uncooked. As it cooks the color will change from pink to light brown.

Seasoning is important, since it has a very mild flavor that takes on whatever flavors you add. It’s delicious with just a little garlic, onion and salt added but you can also add it to chili, spaghetti, tacos and more by changing the seasoning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use ground beef instead of turkey?

Yes, you absolutely can! Ground turkey can be easily swapped for ground beef, pork or chicken. You will want to make sure to drain it really well since ground beef lets out a lot of liquid, but it will work just as well as the ground turkey.

Can I cut back the amount of sugar?

Yes. I wrote this recipe to have a sticky sweet teriyaki sauce, but some people have said they prefer it a little less sweet. Feel free to cut back as much as you like. As you are cooking the sauce, give it a quick taste – you can always add more sugar if you want it sweeter.

How to Serve

Sprinkle some sliced green onions and sesame seeds on top before serving. It’s a pretty garnish and adds a little flavor, too.

My kids love to eat their rice bowl with chopsticks. If you don’t have any, you can find them here, or try these adorable training chopsticks for kids.

Recipe Variations

Feel free to customize this recipe to fit your own personal tastes. Use leftover veggies and sauté or steam them before adding them to the turkey and sauce.

Some other veggie options:

  • Bell peppers
  • Snow peas
  • Water chestnuts
  • Bok choy
  • Bean sprouts
  • Zucchini
  • Corn
  • Cauliflower
  • Water chestnuts
a hand with chopsticks, bowls with healthy ground turkey teriyaki, vegetables and rice

Storage Tips

How to Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerating leftovers: This dish will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge if properly stored in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
  • To freeze, allow to cool completely, then pour into a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat as described above. Freeze rice or noodles separately from the meat.

Recipe Tips

  • Ground turkey recipes are the tastiest when the meat is seasoned properly.
  • Add some heat to this dish with some Sriracha or red pepper flakes.
  • Not fans  of rice? Use noodles instead. You can even use spaghetti noodles to mimic a lo mein and toss in some cabbage to saute it with.
  • Feel free to cut the amount of sugar in this recipe. It won’t affect the flavor too much but it will swing more towards the savory side.
bowl with lean ground turkey, rice and vegetables

More Ground Turkey Recipes

Recipe
Social media image of Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls

Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl

4.74 from 1193 votes
These Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls are made with healthy ground turkey and veggies in a sweet teriyaki sauce served over white or brown rice.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Teriyaki Sauce

  • 1/2 cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup Water
  • 2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Brown sugar or less as desired
  • 2 tablespoons Granulated sugar or less as desired
  • 2 teaspoons Minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons Warm water

Ground Turkey

  • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup Diced onion
  • 2 tablespoons Minced garlic
  • 1 pound Ground Turkey
  • 1 cup Broccoli finely chopped
  • 2 Large carrots peeled and grated
  • 2 Green onions diced, for garnish
  • 4 cups Cooked white or brown rice
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Instructions
 

Teriyaki Sauce

  • In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and warm water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Set aside.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently whisk soy sauce, water, red wine vinegar, sugars, minced garlic and ground ginger until sugars are completely dissolved.
  • Slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Ground Turkey

  • Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. If you notice the onions beginning to scorch, immediately turn down the heat.
  • Stir in minced garlic. Add ground turkey and break apart with a spatula. Cook, stirring occasionally, until turkey is cooked about halfway through; 4-5 minutes. Add grated carrots and chopped broccoli and continue to cook until turkey is no longer pink and vegetables are soft; 5-6 minutes.
  • Pour teriyaki sauce over the turkey and vegetables and stir. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • Divide cooked rice into bowls then top with the teriyaki turkey. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Teriyaki Sauce is generally sweet. However, feel free to cut back on the amount of sugar in the sauce. 1 tablespoon of each would suffice if you prefer a more savory flavor. 
  • The nutritional information is based on serving this teriyaki turkey over white rice. Use brown rice or just less rice to reduce calories and carbs.
  • Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorite vegetables.
  • A note about SERVING SIZE: A serving is approximately ¾ cup of rice and one cup of the meat/veggies.
  • The serving sizes are approximate and will vary depending on a variety of factors, like how much you cook your veggies down and what size your cuts of vegetables are. As a meal, this recipe will make 4-6 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 28gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 994mgPotassium: 606mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 4261IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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4.74 from 1193 votes (809 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. MJ Devine says:

    AMAZING!

  2. Michaela Byers says:

    I make this recipe a lot. I’ve increased the vegetables & sometimes the ground meat to chicken or pork. My son likes it. I love it cause he eats all kinds of vegetables including mushrooms, Brussels sprouts & cabbage

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Thank you for awesome feedback Michaela.

  3. Donna says:

    This turned out great. I made it with brown rice, fresh grated ginger, made only a 1/2 recipe of sauce and found that adequate, and as well added a larger quantity of vegetables. Great lunch in a Thermos for my youngest.

    1. Kristin says:

      Love the feedback Donna! Thanks for stopping by.

  4. Danielle says:

    Can I use amino seasoning to substitute soy sauce for the terriyaki sauce? I can’t have any soy sauce do to my condition. Even low sodium soy sauce.

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      hi Danielle, I’ve never used Aminos, but my understanding is that it should work as a substitute.

    2. Shelley says:

      I just made this recipe and used Liquid Aminos – it turned out great! I also cut back the sugar and added an orange pepper. I may slightly cut back on the aminos next time, as it was a little strong but overall it was great! Thanks for the recipe Kristin!!

      1. Kristin says:

        You are so welcome Shelley! Thanks for stopping by.

  5. Alisha says:

    We made this for dinner and really enjoyed it.

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Thanks for stopping by Alisha.

  6. Melissa says:

    I have some low sodium teriyaki sauce in my fridge. How much of premade sauce would be about the same as the sauce in the recipe?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      If you’re using a premade sauce, you can add as much or as little as you like.

  7. Marnie says:

    This was so delicious and easy to prep. Great recipe to use up some veggies (I had carrots, cabbage and broccoli) and the only change I made was to use honey as my sweetener. This will go into the regular rotation.

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Thanks for the awesome feedback Marnie.

  8. Rose Caparotta says:

    Incredible looking please share

  9. Natan Ackenine says:

    Just made this, and it’s amazing!!!

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Thanks for stopping by Natan.

  10. Merry says:

    Thanks

  11. Emily says:

    Does the 380 kcal include the cup of white rice?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Hi Emily, as stated in the notes in the recipe card, the nutrition info includes the rice. Keep in mind that this site uses AI to estimate the nutritional values.

      1. Emily says:

        Okay, thanks! I found the Teriyaki Turkey Yellow Bliss recipe as a meal in MyFitnessPal and it was showing that it was 570 calories with the rice, so I just wanted to double check!

        1. Kristin says:

          You are so welcome Emily! Thanks for stopping by.

  12. Tina Stasko says:

    Say,, could I use honey or maple syrup instead of the white sugar or even the brown sugar? I would like to make this for supper tonight. Thank you.

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Yes, you could make that substitution.

      1. Tina Stasko says:

        Thanks for your response. My husband & I really liked this recipe. Always like to hear “this is really good”

  13. Jon says:

    Made this last night and lemme tell ya, this might be my new favorite recipe! I added in some red and green bell peppers and some siracha on the back end b/c i love that stuff but you don’t even need it. Great, healthy recipe. So glad we have resources like this!!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you so much Jon for stopping by and for dropping some awesome feedback.

  14. McCall says:

    Thank you so much for this recipe! We made it for dinner tonight and loved it. So flavorful. I’ve been looking for new ways to cook ground turkey. This is definitely on the make-again list. Just wanted to say thanks for the awesomeness.

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome McCall! Love the feedback and kind words. THANK YOU!

  15. Shera says:

    Made this for dinner tonight, was great. Added water chestnuts, 1/2 yellow pepper and red pepper flakes. Was a hit. Served over white rice. Will def make again. Thanks for recipe.

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome Shera! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by.

  16. Madeline says:

    Absolutely delicious! Very flavorful and easy for a weeknight meal. I cheated by using microwaved broccoli and pre-cooked stir fry noodles- but still so yum! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome Madeline! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.

    2. Liz says:

      My family loved it! We served it as lettuce wraps instead of over rice and it was a hit!

      1. Kristin Maxwell says:

        Oh this would be great in lettuce wraps.

  17. Brynli Nixon says:

    Newlywed here, for someone new to cooking and new to marriage – this is a hit in our household. I have made this recipe now about 5 times, it’s in our recipe rotation and both my husband and I LOVE it! Left overs are delicious too. Thank you for sharing!!!

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome Brynli! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by.

  18. Leanne says:

    This was so easy and delicious! Thank you!!

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome Leanne! Thanks for stopping by.

  19. Mary Catherine says:

    I have been looking for heart healthy recipes and this one is excellent! I substituted low sodium soy sauce, splenda brown sugar (skipped the white sugar) and served over brown rice. This was so easy and had amazing flavor! Thank you, thank you for posting a recipe that I could serve my husband and know he will remain well.

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome Mary! Thank you for stopping by to share some feedback.

  20. Sosoxo says:

    Omg just made this and its incredibly delicious and soooo easy !! I didn’t have all ingredients 100 percent but most of it and wow I’m definitely making this again. Thank you!!

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome Sosoxo! Thanks for stopping by.

      1. Remington says:

        OMG!! Thank you SO much for this recipe! As a twelve year old, it was so easy and quick to make after school, and I still had time for homework! It’s flavourful but still a light dish! I cannot thank you enough!

        1. Kristin says:

          You are so welcome Remington! “Love the feedback” Thank you for stopping by to share.