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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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Comments

  1. Rachel says:

    Great recipe! I love the simple ingredients especially as summer is here and I don’t want a lot of complicated steps. I’m also trying to get away from red meat yet find recipes my boyfriend will eat, and this was just right. Unfortunately, I did not have low sodium soy sauce, and I salted the meat so it came out a little saltier than I like but the rice helped neutralize it.

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks Rachel! and Thanks for sharing your positive experience.

  2. Lisa says:

    Excellent family meal will be a regular on our meal plan!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks Lisa!

  3. Sil says:

    I tried a variation of this today to use up some veggies before they went bad, and it was delicious!
    I used onion , shredded cabbage, and sliced squash and kikkoman teriyaki sauce over jasmine rice. This will be part of my regular ground turkey recipes, THANK YOU!

    1. Kristin says:

      Great ideas Sil, love that you made it your own!

    2. Lydia Ratay says:

      Pls let me know how much garlic to add. The recipe states 2 different amounts in the ingredients list. Thanks

      1. Kristin says:

        It is specified in the written instructions, but I separated it in the ingredients list so it’s easier to understand.

  4. Janeen andrews says:

    Can you substitute store bought teriyaki sauce

    1. Kristin says:

      Of course!

  5. Colleen Thorsen says:

    I have a daughter who can’t eat beef, so I was looking for something to make with ground turkey and found your receipt for the Teriyaki Rice Bowl, and I was so glad you put it online. This was a big hit with my family, and my daughter was so happy with dinner, she even went back for second. This will be something I will make again. But once again I want to thank you for this receipt, it is the best and so are you.

    1. Kristin says:

      So happy Colleen that you and your family loved this recipe!

  6. Lucie Desjardins says:

    Had ground Turkey and wanted to try something different this time. Tried this recipe and loved it. Reduced the amount of both sugars to 1.5 Tbsp. May go down to 1 Tbsp. next time, try adding a bit of red pepper flakes and chopped peanuts as variation and serve over Pad Thai noodle as suggested by other reviewer. Awesome dinner. Loved it. Thanks for bringing ground Turkey ‘back to life.

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you Lucie, for stopping by and sharing your positive experience.

  7. Kathy says:

    Made this tonight because I had some ground turkey to use. It was great and so easy. Will make again and try some different veggies.

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks for sharing your positive feedback Kathy.

  8. Sara Eggleston says:

    Hello!! I really want to try this recipe, but was wondering if it could be made with ground venison? Or would it taste just as good as ground turkey? Thank you in advance!

    1. Kristin says:

      I have never used venison in my cooking, so I can’t really say how it would alter the taste. However, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work if you like the taste.

  9. Megan R Walton says:

    I made this tonight and it was SO good! I cut the sugar in half, added red pepper flakes, and ate in cabbage cups instead of over rice! I also added chopped pineapple! It was AMAZING!!!!! One of my new favorites!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks Megan! I love that you were able to make it work for you!

  10. Stephen says:

    Easy to make, relatively healthy and tastes amazing. Added some other veggies. Already waiting till I can make it again!

  11. Lindsey Little says:

    Think it’d be weird to use any other vinegar for the red wine vinegar?

    1. Kristin says:

      I’d recommend just using white vinegar. Rice vinegar would also be good.

  12. Austin W Ginn says:

    Damn this is the bomb.com – we love it and have made it several times now! NO NOTES!!!!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks Austin! “NO NOTES” that’s awesome! Thank you for stopping by!

  13. Greg says:

    Yum! My three year old and I just finished making this. We substituted red peppers and spinach for the veggies. So good! It’s hard to believe it’s ground turkey!

    1. Kristin says:

      Great idea Greg! So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!

  14. Nicole Antinori says:

    Great recipe! I came across this because all I had as far as meat was ground turkey and usually when I make something with it it’s bland. This was so flavorful! It was a hit with the fam and even my 8 yr old. This is definitely going in the recipe box.Thanks!

    1. Kristin says:

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

  15. Trisha says:

    First recipe ever with ground turkey and it really did turn out delish! Happy with this healthy meal. I can just eat it by itself as I put lots of veggies with it! Thanks so much for sharing this easy delicious recipe, as a mom of two little ones this helps so much!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks for sharing your feedback, Trisha!

  16. Lisa Paul says:

    The teriyaki turkey rice bowl was delish! So good that my husband said I really screwed up . . . I didn’t make enough! Both my teenage girls wanted more too.

    1. Kristin says:

      Too funny! Glad your family enjoyed it.

  17. Kaytlyn Anderson says:

    It has become a staple in our house. I use a bag of frozen veggie mix, and dump the sauce in after meat and onions cook. While the sauce thickens, the frozen veggies warm up. Makes for a yummy meal. I never have the red wine so I use 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 white cooking wine. It’s a perfect recipe!

    1. Kristin says:

      So glad your family loves this recipe and that you’re able to make it work for your family!

  18. Noel Gaines says:

    Delicious, thank you!!

  19. Margie says:

    Hi Kristin,

    I made your teriyaki rice bowl recipe last night and OMGoodness it was soooooo delicious!!! My husband and daughter loved it. This is definitely a keeper and I will be making it again. Thank you for an awesome recipe!!

    1. Kristin says:

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

  20. Jessica says:

    So good! I substituted cauliflower and put it in lettuce cups bc that’s what I had in the fridge. Turned out delicious! Thanks!

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you Jessica! and thanks for sharing your experience!