Slow cooker turkey tacos made with ground turkey are a must-try dish. Delicious, tender, and juicy ground turkey slow cooked together with all the traditional, mouth-watering flavors of yummy tacos. The perfect healthy treat!
Do you love tacos? We do! Any shape or form of taco night always seems to be struggle-free in my house. We have turned taco Tuesday into taco-everyday!
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📝Shopping list
To make this amazing ground turkey taco meat, you will need:
- Lean ground turkey
- Salsa - prepared or homemade
- Taco seasoning - you can use your own taco seasoning (recipe below) or store bought
- Tomato paste
- Garlic salt
This crock pot recipe is a great way to put a different protein on the table without arguments. Ground turkey is lighter and healthier than ground red meat. PLUS, by using lean turkey meat, you won't need to brown it first (like you do with ground beef)! A winner among dinner recipes for sure.
Ground turkey crockpot taco filling will quickly become one of your favorite slow cooker recipes. So many different, easy dinners can be made from this simple recipe. It is great in everything from lettuce wraps to taco bowls.
🥣How to make slow cooker turkey taco meat
As mentioned, one of my favorite things about ground turkey tacos is that you don't have to cook anything in advance. Ground beef tacos require cooking the meat first. A step I always wish I could skip!
Start your crockpot turkey tacos by spraying your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray. Next, add in your ground beef and all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, cover, and cook. That's it!
🍽Serving suggestions
There are many mouth-watering ways to serve this delicious turkey tacos recipe! Stuffing traditional soft or crunchy taco shells is always a favorite place to start.
Wrapping your meat mixture up in corn tortillas is also delicious. Especially when you include some beans, cheese, veggies, and a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.
However, don't feel like you need to limit yourself to just these traditional taco options. This lean meat dish is wonderful wrapped up in a large romaine lettuce leaf. This makes for an awesome light dinner that also happens to be gluten free.
You can also serve it in a large bowl on top of salad. Add some pinto beans, pico de Gallo, sliced black olives, and bell pepper for a complete one-bowl taco salad meal.
Are you a fan of nachos (uh - who isn't??)? This is one of our favorite recipes to add to a loaded nacho plate. Just slip some on top of tortilla chips with a bunch of fixins. And WHAM - a new favorite the whole family will love!
If you love this recipe, please let me know in the comment section below!
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Some additional ideas for taco toppings include:
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
- shredded lettuce
- diced tomatoes
- black beans
- chopped chipotle peppers
- green chiles
- hot sauce
I always serve this taco recipe with some lime wedges so we can squeeze fresh lime juice on top.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers of your ground turkey tacos can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. An airtight container or freezer-safe bag will work best. This will keep your leftovers fresh for 3-4 day when refrigerated and 3-4 months in the freezer.
😉Hints & hacks
- Freezing leftovers in meal-sized portions makes for easy reheat-and-eat weeknight meals
- I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price.
- In the market for a new slow cooker? I love mine!
- This recipe is for mild tacos. Turn up the heat by adding hot chili peppers into the slow cooker along with the listed ingredients.
- Prefer your tacos shredded rather than ground? Try shredded chicken tacos or shredded beef tacos
There are two main reasons why slow cooked ground turkey may seem a bit mushy. The first is overhandling. This dish needs to be stirred just until combined. Mixing with your hands is also a great option.
The second is fattier turkey meat. Ground turkey with a higher fat content can become mushier as it slow cooks. To avoid this, buy the leanest ground turkey you can find (less expensive ground turkey tends to include a higher fat percentage).
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Turkey Tacos (Ground Turkey)
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Equipment
- 3.5 quart slow cooker or larger
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground turkey
- 1 cup salsa
- ⅓ cup taco seasoning recipe below
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- add raw ground turkey to slow cooker and use a spoon to break it up2 lbs lean ground turkey
- add remaining ingredients to slow cooker1 cup salsa, ⅓ cup taco seasoning, ⅓ cup tomato paste, 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- stir to combine
- cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours
- enjoy
Notes
- 4 tablespoon chili powder
- 1.5 tablespoon cumin
- 1.5 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
Nutrition
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
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Do you love this recipe? We would love to hear from you in the comments section below!
M says
Only making this for 2 people, how would I cut this recipe in half using only 1 lb of ground turkey??
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Yes, I would suggest cutting all of the ingredients in half. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Susan
Megan says
I'm obsessed with the turkey recipe - I love the smell while it's cooking and am happy to eat it each week. Soo tasty!
However, I tried making the seasoning mix using your recipe and it was way too spicy. 4 tablespoons of chili powder doesn't seem like the right amount.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Hi Megan,
Thanks for checking in on this. You are right! The taco seasoning recipe at the bottom of the recipe with 4 tablespoons chili powder would make this super spicy. I don't use all of the homemade taco seasoning for this recipe. Just 1/3 cup (and you can use even less if you want it milder).
The taco seasoning recipe shown makes more than you would need for just this recipe. (I actually like to double that taco seasoning recipe and store it in my pantry so that I always have it on hand for easy toss and go meals).
Thank you for pointing out that this is confusing! I am going to update the recipe now to state that the taco seasoning makes more than is needed for just this turkey taco recipe.
So glad to hear that you like the recipe and I agree - it smells AMAZING when it is cooking!!!
Susan
Megan says
Hi again, thanks for replying. To clarify, I believe the correct amount of chili powder in the spice mix should be reduced to 1 Tbsp (if the other ingredient amounts remain the same). I searched up recipes for other taco seasoning mixes and this is what I came up with. Would love if you updated it online after confirming my amounts are accurate.
If 4 Tbsp of chili powder is used, then updated spice mix recipe is: 6 Tbsp cumin, 4 tsp paprika, 4 tsp garlic powder, 4 tsp onion powder, 4 tsp salt, 4 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp dried oregano.
Regardless, super delicious and easy taco meat recipe. It's in my family's regular rotation. So thank you!
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Hi Megan! I understand what you are saying - there are tons of different taco seasoning recipes out there. That's why I list it separately. I want everyone to use which ever taco seasoning they like best. Lots of people just prefer to use the premixed kind in the packet and that is great too!
The recipe as listed is how I make it. Most recipes I have seen call for either a 3:1 or a 3:2 ratio of chili powder to cumin. Mine is right in the middle of those two. Reducing the recipe to 1 tbsp chili powder would mean there is more cumin than chili.
Either way, I am thrilled that you love the recipe and I encourage you to make the taco seasoning the way you like it most!
Thanks for checking in on this.... It means a lot to me that you care enough to ask!!
Shane says
If cutting the ingredients in half, would you suggest cutting the cooking time in half to?
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Hi Shane, Thanks for asking! It's actually a tricky question. In general, cutting a recipe in half will not decrease the cooking time fully in half, (but it might decrease it some). If you use a smaller slow cooker, it probably won't cut it down much at all. One great thing about slow cookers (as compared to faster cooking methods) is that the finish time is flexible. So, if you leave it on half an hour to an hour after it is "done" it won't be ruined. The most important things to keep in mind with this dish are:
1. The temperature of the turkey must reach 165℉ to be considered safe to eat
2. You don't want to leave it on "cook" for several hours after it is done because turkey can start to taste overcooked.
3. Each crockpot is slightly different.
This dish is generally ready to go in about 4 hours in my 6 quart slow cooker (and I have left it on the "warm setting" for a couple of hours after that with delicious results).
Sorry for the long winded response! I hope it helps. If you half the recipe, I would love to hear how it goes!
Thanks!!
Susan
Shane says
So I cut the ingredients in half and still cooked it for about 4hours, but I believe I may have mixed it too much because the meat came out kind of mushy (I have a smaller circle sized slow cooker, not sure the exact qt size of it, I think 3.5 maybe?), so I don’t know if I cooked too long or stirred too much, any tips for next time so the meat isn’t too mushy?
Regardless, it was a gold medal recipe and I will be making it again! I just want to make the meat not so mushy this time!
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Hi Shane, Thanks for sharing!
There are two reasons ground turkey can become a little mushy in the slow cooker. The first is overhandling. You may want to try stirring less. Some even suggest mixing it with your hands. The second is fattier turkey meat. Ground turkey with a higher fat content can become mushier as it slow cooks. I usually recommend buying the leanest ground turkey you can find (less expensive ground turkey tends to include a higher fat percentage). I am so glad you like the flavor, though and plan to try it again!
Christa Johnson says
Umm! WOW! This recipe was AMAZING! I ate mine in a bowl, my fiancé made his into a burrito & nachos. He doesn’t even know it’s ground Turkey and absolutely loves it. Definitely making this recipe again. I also added bell pepper & onion. No tomato paste & garlic.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Thank you for sharing!!! So glad to hear you enjoyed it. Bell pepper and onion are perfect additions!! YUM!
Brittany Hopkins says
My two toddlers love this! I was worried about cooking meat raw in the crockpot because I always thought you browned it first, but it was fine! I added a can of black beans and can of fire roasted corn to the recipe. And then just scooped onto tortillas once it was done with some sharp cheddar cheese - yum!
Mike says
Outstanding recipe! Made these other night and this has become one of my favorite crockpot recipes. The family loved it.
I modified the recipe slightly by adding about half of a yellow onion, finally chopped.
Tip: last 30 minutes of cooking I went in with a teaspoon and scooped out the small amount of standing oil from the turkey.
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
Thank you so much for sharing. Your modification and tip are both great and helpful. So glad to hear you and your family enjoyed!