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    Home » Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey

    Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey

    Published: Jan 20, 2019 · Modified: Sep 26, 2021 by Laura · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to 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.

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

    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.

    Overhead view of Thai Slow-Cooker Ground Turkey after veggies and turkey have been added to the sauce in the crockpot before cooking

    Cook

    Since the turkey in this recipe has already been cooked, this dish only needs 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!

    • I always 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

    If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!

    Healthy Thai Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Recipe

    Laura
    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.
    4.95 from 38 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    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

    Equipment

    • measuring spoons
    • measuring cups
    • spatula
    • whisk
    • Slow Cooker

    Ingredients
     
     

    Sauce :

    • 15 oz coconut milk
    • ½ cup soy sauce
    • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
    • 2 TBS brown sugar or coconut sugar
    • 2 TBS sweet chili sauce
    • 1 tsp sesame oil
    • ¼ tsp powdered ginger
    • ½ tsp garlic powder

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • 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!

    Video

    Notes

    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. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 198.5kcalCarbohydrates: 8.5gProtein: 16.3gFat: 11.2gSaturated Fat: 4.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.5gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 972mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 0.7gSugar: 4.5gVitamin A: 110IUVitamin C: 18.2mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 1.8mg
    Tried this recipe?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!

    This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erika

      July 25, 2021 at 4:19 pm

      Can this be assembled all the way up until tossing it in the crockpot to be put in the freezer?

      Reply
    2. Susan Holcombe

      January 26, 2021 at 5:03 am

      5 stars
      First time making Thai food in my life, and I am not a "spring chicken"! It turned out delicious, My husband loved it, too, even though I had to buy low-salt soy sauce, and make my own hoisin sauce with less salt for him. It was just great! I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken, which I finely chopped, and served all over rice! I have shared this recipe with many! Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Sayo

      July 28, 2020 at 9:53 pm

      5 stars
      O. M. G. This. Recipe. Is. Amazing!
      I didn't make many adjustments just more turkey and black beans instead of the edamame (cos that's all I had in the pantry lol I know it's weird). Also used light coconut milk. Everything else was the same and boy, was it yummy! Had it over cauliflower rice and I couldn't get enough! I'll probably add more spice to it for my preference but I'm so happy I found this recipe thank you!

      Reply
    4. Terri Greenwald

      June 24, 2020 at 5:01 pm

      5 stars
      so good, had everything including bang pho noodles. added eggplant cause i had it. id make this every week..cant wait to try more of your recipes.

      Reply
      • Laura

        June 25, 2020 at 7:57 am

        Thank you Terri! I'm so glad you love it!

        Reply
    5. Jordan

      May 26, 2020 at 4:33 pm

      5 stars
      Win! I didn’t have the sweet chili sauce so I used plum sauce with crushed pepper but it turned out lovely. I’ll definitely make it again and try it with sweet potatoes.

      Reply
      • Laura

        May 27, 2020 at 7:16 am

        Thank you Jordan!

        Reply
    6. Lina

      April 25, 2020 at 8:08 pm

      Could this be made in an instapot? If so, how long?

      Reply
      • Laura

        April 26, 2020 at 7:36 am

        Hello! I'm certain it could be made in an instapot! I don't own one (gasp!) so I couldn't advise on timing!

        Reply
    7. Erica

      April 17, 2020 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      I am looking forward to making this but I have one elementary question since I've never cooked with edamame before. Do I buy it frozen or fresh for this recipe, or doesn't it matter? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Laura

        April 17, 2020 at 12:57 pm

        I buy frozen, shelled edamame because it's easier!

        Reply
    8. Laura

      April 11, 2020 at 10:11 pm

      5 stars
      Really good! I don't usually cook with ground turkey so I was skeptical. But it turned out great. I couldn't follow the recipe exactly because I didn't have all ingredients. Changes I made: for hoisin I subbed soy sauce + black bean paste + honey + vinegar. I was out of sweet chili sauce and my kid has a sesame allergy so I just left those out. Due to time I also just made this on the stovetop- 30 minute meal! I found this such a great recipe to work with and (obviously) very flexible. I look forward to trying it with the right ingredients once I can get to the store, but even so, the whole fam had seconds!

      Reply
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    About Laura

    I’m Laura, a former chemistry teacher turned homeschooling mom of six beautiful babies! I create simple and delicious recipes that are tested and perfected to make cooking and baking joyful and fun!

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