28 Easy Keto Recipes That Use Ground Turkey

When it comes to losing weight, there are a massive variety of diets out there that have been tried by people all across the world, with the sole intention of reducing fat levels in their bodies.

Whilst the overall success of these different diets will vary from person to person, one of the most popular diets that are quickly gaining traction across the world are keto diets, food plans where you reduce the number of carbs you eat, and replace that energy intake with foods that are high in fat and proteins.

For this diet, this often means finding foods that are lean on carbs, and high in protein.

For many people, this means turning to a diet of recipes that use a lot of leaner meats, that can easily satisfy hunger cravings, without relying on carbs to help fill out a meal.

One type of meat that is popular in these types of diets is turkey, specifically ground turkey. Both versatile and high in protein, this meat is perfect for people going on a keto diet.

However, finding the right meat for your new diet is one thing. It’s a whole different kind of challenge to find meal recipes that support your diet, too.

This is why we have put together this list of recipes that both use ground turkey, and help you stay on your keto diet, and achieve ketosis.

1. Sweet & Spicy Bacon & Turkey Chili

Starting this list with a recipe that is full of flavor and extra goods, we have a great chili recipe that brings the heat to the table, as well as the flavor!

Combing savory and spice into a single dish, as well as a little sweetness, this recipe covers every flavor that you could want in chili and is an excellently filling recipe, something that quite a lot of keto recipes struggle with.

2. Turkey Taco Lettuce Cups

Tacos and turkey are a great combination of foods for any dinner table.

However, with tacos being very heavy in carbs, this kind of takes this popular dish off the table for a lot of people trying to stay on their keto diets.

However, by following this lettuce-leave taco recipe instead, you’ll still be able to enjoy this classic dinner-time recipe, albeit with a few more greens on your plate!

3. Easy Keto Turkey (Low Carb, No Bean Chili)

Turkey is a very popular substitute for beef in a good chili, and this keto-compatible recipe is no exception.

With no beans in it, this is a surprisingly smooth chili that will be unlike anything else you have eaten!

4. Paleo Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs

While we often tend to make meatballs out of minced beef, minced turkey is a very popular substitute, just like in chilies.

Not only that, but the turkey will be better able to absorb the curry flavors of this recipe too!

5. Baked Turkey Meatballs

Going from a Thai-inspired meatball dish, to one that any fan of Italian flavors will recognize, this recipe creates a delicious sauce for your turkey meatballs to marinate in.

Light on carbs, but not on flavor, this is a meatball recipe that anyone can appreciate.

6. Egg Roll In A Bowl

Egg rolls are a staple of many different varieties of Asian cuisine. There’s just something about a crispy wafer outside and a soft filling-filled inside that just does it for so many people.

If you love egg rolls but are not big on the crispiness that comes with them, then this open egg roll recipe will be perfect for your tastes.

7. Chinese Lettuce Wraps With Ground Turkey

Staying in East Asia for our next recipe, this recipe takes a similar approach to any good taco recipe, by using a healthy substitute as a tasty and healthy edible bowl for your minced turkey filling.

This is a very easy recipe to prepare, too, meaning that you won’t have to worry about incredibly long cooking times.

And while the shopping list is quite long here, the extensive ingredient list doesn’t need many, if any, exotic ingredients either.

8. Best-Ever Turkey Burger

Of course, no good minced meat list would be complete without at least one top-quality burger recipe.

Although usually left to minced beef, minced turkey also makes a pretty mean burger patty too, so don’t discount this recipe when looking for something new to cook!

9. Keto Turkey Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those staple recipes of virtually every household up and down the country.

To the point that it is often lampooned as one of those dishes that kids dread to have to eat AGAIN for the 4th night in a row.

If that is an issue facing your household right now, help break up the monotony with this recipe for you and your family!

10. Ground Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Staying with the meatloaf recipes for just a little while longer, we have this bite-sized version of the classic dinner dish!

While this recipe might take a little while to prepare, the result is smaller balls of meatloaf that can be served with whatever you want!

11. Ground Zucchini Skillet With Pesto

When it comes to extra ingredients to add to a keto recipe, few are as popular as a good zucchini.

The perfect filling vegetable, these vegetables are the perfect way to bulk up any dish that you are preparing for your keto diet.

Plus, it takes flavor well too, such as with this pesto recipe you can try for yourself.

12. Keto Ground Turkey Crust Pizza Or Meatza (Gluten-Free)

Pizza has to be one of the most loved and eaten dishes around the world.

Which makes the fact that it is full of carbs so hard on many keto dieters.

So, if you’re feeling the urge to call for a takeout pizza, stay strong, and prepare this keto and a zero-gluten-friendly dish to satisfy those urges!

13. Parmesan Keto Turkey Meatballs

As we said, minced turkey is a great ingredient to craft a lean and mean meatball with!

Left to soak in a beautiful Parmesan sauce that is both fragrant and creamy, this is the perfect centerpiece main dish for any dinner table!

What’s more, with no breadcrumbs going into this recipe, this keeps the carbs out of the ingredients list, and off the table too!

14. Thai Ground Turkey Stir-Fry

Thai dishes and turkey go together a lot better than many people realize.

Plus, with minced turkey being so versatile, there’s no limit to how your recipes can be presented.

Case in point, this recipe is packed full of the flavors that you would expect from Thai cuisine, all while staying on your keto diet.

15. Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Got no tacos or tortillas to hold the lean minced turkey food that you’ve prepared? 

No worries!

With these lettuce leaves acting as a green healthy (as well as low-carb) alternative, you can still find plenty of ways to get your loaded tacos, even while you are on your keto diet!

Add a little fresh diced avocado into the mix, and you have one heck of a bite-sized delight to bring to the table!

16. Ground Turkey Cauliflower Rice Veggie Bowls

Rice is one of those ingredients that seems to be in virtually any interesting recipe that you want to make, whether it is a Mexican dish, an Italian main course, or many East and South East Asian recipes too.

The widespread use of these carb-heavy recipes makes preparing keto-friendly alternatives a little tricky.

Fortunately, cauliflower ‘rice’ is here to help make that problem easier, especially in recipes like this minced turkey recipe!

17. Egg & Turkey Skillet

Many people don’t think of minced food like turkey to be a traditional breakfast ingredient.

However, with recipes like this one-pan egg and turkey recipe, you’ll soon see just why turkey is becoming such a popular breakfast meat to use across the country!

Plus, with virtually no carbs in this dish, plus the high amounts of protein found in the meat and eggs, make this the ideal keto recipe too!

18. 25-Minute Turkey Meatballs

One of the things that put people off from cooking more complicated recipes, especially meatball recipes, is that they just take too long to prepare.

If this sounds like an issue you’ve had in the past with meatball recipes you’ve made and don’t want to repeat that hassle, this is the perfect recipe for you!

19. Low-Carb Enchilada Casserole With Ground Turkey

Like the meatloaves that we have already mentioned, casseroles are one of those staple meals that everyone has at least one recipe handy for.

And, because of how common they are, and how high the carb count is, it can be difficult to find a proper replacement.

However, with this recipe here, you can say goodbye to those worries for good!

20. Egg Roll In A Bowl

Just like how there are plenty of meatloaf and casserole recipes out there, spring rolls have as many recipes for different fillings and wrappings as there are stars in the night sky, it seems!

If you’re looking to make a keto-friendly bowl of your favorite spring roll fillings, this is the recipe for you!

21. Keto Turkey Burgers

Where there is one recipe for a keto burger out there, there is usually another one not far behind!

Packed with all the keto-friendly toppings and extras that you could want in a burger, it’s hard to think that this recipe is perfect for people trying to stick to their diet.

But this recipe makes sticking to your low-carb diet so much easier!

22. Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Time for another boat recipe for you to try for your ground beef!

Only this time, instead of lettuce, we’re using Zucchini shells as our vessel of choice!

23. Turkey & Zucchini Casserole

Look, we know that we just showed you a zucchini and ground turkey recipe in the last entry on this list.

But when you have variety like this, you can’t help but want o share it with others!

Stay true to your keto diet with this recipe!

24. Zucchini & Ground Turkey Skillet

Third time is the charm with these zucchini and turkey recipes!

Packed with plenty of fragrant ingredients, this is the perfect dish for anyone who wants to dip their toes into East Asian cuisine and flavors!

25. Creamy Ground Turkey Stroganoff

Who doesn’t love a good stroganoff recipe?

And with this recipe that we have found, you can keep that love going even through a keto diet! 

26. Keto Ground Turkey Hash

With so much ground turkey here and a perfectly fried egg to top it off, this recipe will instantly become one of your favorites to make for yourself!

27. Thai Inspired Ground Turkey Stir-Fry

Time for our last Thai-themed ground turkey recipe here.

With so much color packed in, this meal is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for your taste buds!

28. Italian Zucchini Noodle Casserole

Finally, we have the perfect protein and vegetable-packed recipe to cap off this incredible list.

With tons of cheese and flavors here, this is a recipe that you need to try!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is A Keto Diet?

So, with all these recipes discussing how their ingredients are great for ‘keto diets’, some people reading may be wondering exactly what a keto diet is in the first place, and how it is supposed to help assist with weight loss.

In our normal diets, when we are burning energy, we burn calories that are created from carbs.

While this is perfectly fine in most regards, when we start consuming more of our calorie intake as carbs, much of it becomes stored as fat around the body, leading to weight gain and all its associated health issues.

A keto diet, or ketogenic diet, effectively trains your body to become more efficient at burning fat and proteins as its main source of energy, by, as we mentioned at the beginning of this piece, replacing a high-carb diet with a high-fat and protein diet.

Keto diets were originally used as a form of dietary therapy, to help children with epilepsy recover quicker from epileptic episodes.

However, a more moderate version of these therapy diets has become quite popular as a form of ordinary dieting itself.

Are Keto Diets Safe?

When it comes to new diets, there is often a concern that the change in the nutrients you are taking in can have adverse effects on your body.

Keto diets are no different in this respect and can have noticeable effects on your body, especially early on as your body gets used to the new diet.

Side effects such as lack of focus increased hunger, indigestion, and other digestive issues may be noticeable as your body gets used to the new diet.

If these symptoms last longer than a few weeks, you should consult a health professional.

Generally speaking, however, keto is considered a relatively healthy diet, as it doesn’t require strict control of how much food you are eating as other diets do.

However, with an increase in the amount of cholesterol and fat in your body, you may run the risk of increased heart disease, as well as low blood pressure.

There is also an increased likelihood of kidney stones developing, so you should ideally consult with a health professional before starting this diet.

How Long Can You Keep Turkey For After Cooking?

So, how long is ground turkey fresh once you have bought it?

Well, the results will depend on how exactly you are preserving it. Ground turkey that is stored in the freezer can stay edible for over a month after freezing when stored well below freezing.

In a refrigerator, your ground turkey will stay fresh for around 2 to 3 days before starting to expire.

When checking your ground turkey, you should make sure that it is still a light pink color, similar to ground chicken, as well as having no odor.

Once it started to expire, the ground turkey will start to turn gray or light faded brown, as well as develop a distinct and strong odor.

If you can smell your ground turkey without getting your nose close, you should dispose of it.

Final Thoughts

The only trouble you’ll have now is deciding on just one of these recipes to try out for yourself!