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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.
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.
Pin this recipe for later!Ground Turkey Teriyaki Rice Bowls
Ground turkey recipes are always a winner in our house, like Turkey, Kale and Rice Soup, Turkey 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.
How to Make Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls
- 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.
- 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!
- 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!
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
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.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
- Creamy Cheesy Turkey Taco Pasta
- Turkey Taco Soup
- Spicy Turkey Meatloaf Recipe
- Easy Ground Turkey Tacos
- Ground Turkey Casserole
- Ground Turkey Enchiladas
- Ground Turkey Taco Salad
Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl
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
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
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.
Eating as I leave a comment as well. Absolutely DELICIOUS. My hubby loved it too. Definitely will be making this again. The flavors are so so good!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Tiara.
All three of my picky eaters loved this recipe. There were no left overs to be had. Definitely a keeper.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Agnes.
Thank you so much for this incredible recipe. It is so good, healthy and easy that I have made it numerous times. It’s definitely one of my go to’s! I add red pepper flakes for sure ☺️
You are so welcome Sandy! Thank you for the feedback.
Trying to use more ground turkey and less beef this was very good and easy to make my husband loved it will be making again and trying a few different veggies
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Debbie.
Eating this as I leave a comment. I normally don’t leave comments, but I have to say this is the best Teriyaki ground turkey recipe I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried lot! Followed the recipe exactly as written, adding a little less sugar and throwing in a red pepper that needed to be used. Not only is the finished recipe beautiful to look at but also beautiful to eat! I love that it feels healthy and that it’s so versatile, thanks for a great recipe!
You are so welcome Zandra! Thanks for stopping by.
This was a delicious recipe, tysm! I added various produce from my garden, including hot peppers and oh-so-good!
Awesome feedback Jamie! Thanks for stopping by.
Made this tonight and was not disappointed !! Added cauliflower and red pepper and a little Thai Red Curry as someone suggested and halved the sugar….. It was quick, easy and delicious, even my picky husband loved it 👍🏼
Love the feedback Lorraine! Thanks for stopping by.
Made recipes written except used green beans instead of broccoli. Delish! I might reduce sugar next time.
Thanks for your feedback Cindy!
This recipe is amazingly tasty and so easy to follow! The sauce is incredible and I want to use it on everything. I halved the sugar and added some cauliflower that I had on hand. Definitely adding this to our dinner rotation!
Nice! Thanks for the awesome feedback Molly.
Just made this. Great! Only tweak from me was tripling the garlic, but that’s cuz I’m a garlicoholic. Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome DKinVegas! Thank you for the awesome feedback.
This is a regular go-to weeknight recipe for my family. I use any and all veggies in the fridge (zukes, cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms, etc.) and use bottled teriyaki sauce if I’m short on time. Always add extra fresh ginger as we’re big ginger fans. Easy, delicious, healthy recipe!
Love the feedback Mary! Thanks for stopping by.
I have made this recipe so many times and it is honestly my favorite ground turkey recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it! Also, I was wondering if you think maybe frozen vegetables would work if you don’t have any fresh veggies on hand? Thanks so much!!
Hi Lauren, I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe and yes you can use frozen vegetables. I would steam them first.
It was very good! I doubled the recipe and only used half the sugar. Probably will use even less sugar next time. Also added some Thai red curry paste to add some extra flavor
The family loved it 🙂
This is a wonderful recipe! I have switched to ground turkey in place of ground beef for most all of my cooking and this recipe proves that ground turkey can be flavorful and enjoyable in Asian cuisine. I love the incorporation of the veggies that enhance the flavor in the recipe also. I am definitely going to try some of the other ground turkey recipes on Yellow Bliss Road as well! Thank you so much!!!
Have made this many times. I have used turkey and chicken and other veggies, such as squashes and peppers. It is always excellent. I agree with the reviewer that says it takes longer than recipe says.
Love the feedback Maralee! Thank you so much for stopping by.
Hey Kristin. I can’t count the times I have made this easy delicious dish. My son does not like turkey so I make it with ground chicken. We all love this so much.
Thank you for posting. Love from Canada 🇨🇦
Love to hear it! Thanks Carol!
So so so delicious! My whole family eats it and that’s a win in my book! Making it for the 4th time and it’s a double recipe for leftovers, I hope!
I haven’t tried it yet because I’m trying to get to the recipe but all these things keep on popping up. I would be happy to leave a comment once I get to try it
Well, you did leave a comment so not sure what the problem is.
Made it to exactly as directed except I used fresh minced ginger and I skipped the broccoli. Turned out great! I will say that the prep took longer than stated but otherwise it was straightforward.
Love the feedback Chi Chi! Thanks for stopping by.
This one is a keeper! We’re a busy family, so I appreciate a quick and easy meal. I made this along with some coconut rice and it was a hit! Next time, I’m definately adding some more veggies!
Nice! Thank you Lauren for sharing your feedback.