Healthy Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Recipes

Healthy Thai slow cooker ground turkey is an easy dinner recipe that only takes 10 minutes to prepare and can be served in many ways including over rice or noodles.

Overhead view of Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey in a bowl over rice

Asian fare is one of favorite cuisines. Probably because common Asian ingredients like hoisin sauce, coconut milk, garlic, ginger etc. are rich in flavor and they're nutritious.

This Thai slow cooker ground turkey combines the flavors I love with a cooking method that makes executing this dish very easy (thank you crockpot).

This ground turkey recipe is an easy dinner that only takes 10 minutes to prepare. It can be served in many ways including over rice or noodles!

Overhead view of Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey in the crockpot with a spoon stirring it

Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey: Ingredients & Substitutions

Here are a few potential substituions for this healthy slow cooker turkey recipe!

Ground turkey. Ground chicken or beef work well in this recipe.
Soy sauce.For a paleo version use coconut aminos.
Brown sugar.honey or coconut sugar are great substitutes for browns sugar.
Powdered garlic. use fresh or minced garlic instead of powdered, if desired.
Powdered ginger.use fresh minced ginger instead of powdered, if desired.
Bell Peppers & Edamame.use your favorite vegetables. Sometimes I even put sweet potatoes in the dish.
Cornstarch.Arrowroot or tapioca starch can be used in place of cornstarch.

How to make Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey

This Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey is crazy easy to make, but we'll walk through the process step-by step and don't forget to watch the video.

Make the sauce

The first step in this recipe is making the sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in the container of your slow cooker. No need to dirty an extra bowl by whisking it in a separate dish.

A collage of six overhead photos showing how the sauce for this Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey is made inside of the slow cooker

Brown the ground turkey & onion.

Next, brown the ground turkey & onion together in some olive oil before adding it to the slow cooker is a key step in making this healthy ground turkey recipe. Browning adds both texture and flavor to this dish.

front view of turkey and onions browning in a cast iron skillet in the making of this Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey recipe

Add Turkey mixture & Vegetables to the slow cooker.

After the turkey/onion mixture is browned, put it into the slow cooker.

Next, add the veggies and stir to combine.

Cook

Since the turkey in this recipe has already been cooked, this dish onlyneeds to be cooked until the veggies are done. I recommend cooking it on high for at least 2 hours, or on low for at least 4 to give the flavors time to blend.

I love this recipe because It doesn't need to cook all day to still be delicious.

Overhead view of a spoon taking a scoop of Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey recipe out of the crockpot

Thicken the sauce

If necessary, use cornstarch (or tapioca starch) and water to thicken the sauce in the crockpot. This step isn't always necessary. It mostly depends on the water content of the vegetables you use.

Cook for 30-60 minutes on high or until sauce is thick. Add the cornstarch and water to the mixture in the crockpot, then leave the top slightly ajar and cook for 30-60 minutes, until thickened.

front up close view of Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey in a bowl served over white rice

Serving Suggestions

Here are a few delicious ways to serve this Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey (other than all by itself, of course!

Ialways serve it with crushed peanuts or cashews sprinkled on top!
Serve it over Noodles or vegetable noddles of your choice (zucchini, sweet potato, etc).
Enjoy it with rice of any kind (white, brown, fried rice, cauliflower, etc)
Over a salad
Stuffed inside a baked sweet potato

Store/freeze

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

front view of a hand sprinkling crushed peanuts into a bowl of Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey over rice

Recipe FAQs

Can you put raw (or frozen) ground turkey into a crockpot?

Yes you can! If you'd prefer to skip the browning step you can add raw or frozen ground turkey to the crockpot. However, I'd recommend modifying the method a bit if you do this:
Cook the ground turkey alone in the sauce for at least 3-5 hours (on low or high), until it is cooked.
You may need to skim fat off the top of the sauce or break up the meat during this process so it doesn't end up in clumps.
Add the vegetables after the meat is cooked and continue on with the recipe.

Do you have to brown ground turkey before putting it in the crockpot?

Technically the answer is no as long as you cook it long enough. However, I believe browning the ground turkey gives this recipe the best texture and flavor, and I do not recommend skipping this step!

How can I make this recipe gluten-free?

Most of the ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten-free! However here are a couple that you need to be mindful of and choose gluten-free varieties:
Gluten-free hoisin sauce
Gluten-free Soy sauce

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes! You can easily put it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to two months!

How do you store Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey?

Store this Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days! It's a great meal prep idea to make on a Sunday and enjoy all week long!

front view of slow cooker ground turkey in a bowl with a spoon taking a scoop

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Healthy Thai Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Recipe

Healthy Thai slow cooker ground turkey is an easy dinner recipe that only takes 10 minutes to prepare and can be served in many ways including over rice or noodles.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, asian

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 198.5 kcal

Turkey & Veggies:

▢ 20 0z ground turkey
▢ 1 TBS olive oil
▢ ½ cup finely diced onion
▢ 1 bell pepper any color, diced
▢ ½ cup edamame shelled
▢ 1 TBS cornstarch or arrowroot powder
▢ 1 TBS water

Add coconut milk, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, sesame oil, powdered ginger & garlic powder to your slow cooker. Whisk together until smooth. Set slow cooker off to the side.
In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS olive oil. Add ground turkey and onion and cook until turkey is browned on all sides (about 10 minutes).
Add the turkey/onion mixture to the crock pot and stir until it's evenly distributed in the sauce.
Add diced bell peppers (or any color of your choosing) and edamame to the crockpot and stir until everything is evenly distributed.
Cook on high for at least 2 hours, or low for at least 4 hours, until the veggies are cooked to your liking.
To thicken the sauce: Mix together cornstarch and water, add to crock pot and cook on high for 30-60 minutes, with the lid slightly ajar.
Once veggies are cooked to your liking and sauce is thick, serve over rice or noodles!

Ingredient Substitutions

Ground turkey. Ground chicken or beef work well in this recipe.
Soy sauce.For a paleo version use coconut aminos.
Brown sugar.honey or coconut sugar are great substitutes for browns sugar.
Powdered garlic. use fresh or minced garlic instead of powdered, if desired.
Powdered ginger.use fresh minced ginger instead of powdered, if desired.
Bell Peppers & Edamame.use your favorite vegetables. Sometimes I even put sweet potatoes in the dish.
Cornstarch. Arrowroot or tapioca starch can be used in place of cornstarch.

Store/freeze

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 198.5 kcal Carbohydrates: 8.5 g Protein: 16.3 g Fat: 11.2 g Saturated Fat: 4.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1.5 g Cholesterol: 50 mg Sodium: 972 mg Potassium: 88 mg Fiber: 0.7 g Sugar: 4.5 g Vitamin A: 110 IU Vitamin C: 18.2 mg Calcium: 36 mg Iron: 1.8 mg

Let us know how it was!

More Delicious Recipes

You'll love these Italian Healthy Turkey Meatballs served over pasta or zoodles!
And these Paleo Sweet and Sour Meatballs are kid and husband approved!
Ground Turkey Italian Stuffed Peppers are a great meal-prep recipe or a main dish to feed a crowd!
Turkey Chili is delicious!

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