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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. Brenda says:

    Made this tonight and we loved it! I added chopped mushrooms. I used 1 Tablespoon white/brown sugar it was the perfect taste.

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you Brenda! I love that you were able to make it work for you!

  2. Anike says:

    Big hit! My daughter loved it! Thanks!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you Anike! Glad you and your family loved it.

  3. Kristy says:

    Hi Kristin! Does it matter if I use light or dark brown sugar? Thanks!

    1. Kristin says:

      You could use either.

  4. Mary Beth says:

    I love the teriyaki sauce! So good! I put some corn and the carrots and a little cabbage I had leftover from another meal. My son, who only wanted the rice, ate his whole meal and even asked for seconds! Thank you for a quick and easy recipe for ground turkey!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you Mary! So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!

  5. Melissa says:

    We did not like this recipe… was edible of course but nothing to talk about!

    1. Kristin says:

      Hi Melissa, Sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you, but thanks for sharing your feedback.

  6. Hilarie says:

    Made this tonight and it was delish!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank You Hilarie!

  7. Dawn Newell says:

    I just made this and it is really good. I added celery and zucchini since I didn’t have broccoli. Delicious!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you Dawn! glad that you could make it work.

  8. Ashley says:

    I’m always looking for new ground turkey recipes and this one was a hit with my family!

    1. Kristin says:

      So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!

  9. Rachel says:

    Really good and easy! If I make it again I will use 1/2 the sugar, but overall a great quick weeknight meal.

    1. Kristin says:

      Hi Rachel,
      Thanks for sharing your feedback!

  10. Leilah says:

    Hi, just wondering if you drain the fat from the turkey? If so, some or all of it?

    Thanks!

    1. Kristin says:

      You don’t get a lot of fat from ground turkey. You can drain it if you like, but it won’t really affect the recipe.

  11. Sean says:

    This is great, i’ve made it several times recently, once following the exact recipe and tonight with carrots, squash, green beans, zucchini, onions, broccoli, and cauliflower and I choose to go the more savory route and omitted the white sugar. Thanks a lot for this recipe it has made ground turkey far more exciting.

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you! Great idea, love that you made it your own!
      Thank you for stopping by!

  12. Renae Niles says:

    This was such an easy and tasty recipe! Exactly what I was looking for after a long day at work. Thank you!

  13. Amanda Thompson says:

    This was a huge hit for my picky eaters! I subbed rice wine vinegar since I didn’t have any red wine vinegar. Also, the broccoli in my fridge went bad (boo!) so I used carrot slices instead. I served it over quinoa. Love the ideas from other commenters about adding bamboo shoots, baby corn, mushrooms, etc to it. Great way to get the kids to eat veggies! Thanks for such a great recipe!

  14. Eleanor says:

    This is fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I’ve never made teriyaki sauce before! And it’s a much needed change to my regular ground turkey meal prep! I did substitute part of the sugar to coconut palm sugar and stevia but with lettuce sips instead of rice, I can still rock this recipe a few meals without worrying about going over carbs.

  15. Linda says:

    Came across this recipe randomly and made it for my family.
    Easy recipe to follow and my whole family LOVED it!
    Added celery and orange zest from reading the comments…
    Thank you! (:

  16. sonya says:

    could I sub white rice vinegar for the red wine vinegar?

    1. Kristin says:

      Sure!

  17. Edna says:

    I tried the Teryaki Turkey Rice bowl for dinner, It was really tasty! Thank you for the recipe, Its a keeper, 🙂
    (Instead of broccoli I used 1rib of chopped celery and red, yellow and orange peppers (diced)
    Yum.

  18. Markie says:

    This was so tasty! yay! will add to the dinner rotation!

  19. Ira Diaz says:

    Thanks so much for this delicious recipe…you saved my life today! Please post more delicious and easy recipes. ❤

  20. Eva Rector says:

    Made this for supper tonight and it was soooooo good! My kids happily eat veggies, so I was able to rough cut the broccoli and carrots instead of chopping them fine; I think I’m going to try the water chestnuts and sprouts suggestion, next time. I thought the sauce was perfect-just sweet enough, and with just enough gingery bite to make it interesting.