Ground Turkey Fried Rice
A healthy and tasty dinner with extra protein. Ground turkey fried rice is a nutritious and delicious meal with Asian-inspired flavors. You’ll also love my ground beef stir fry, bang bang tofu bowls, and egg roll bowls.
Fried rice is one of my favorite dietitian dinners for healthy weeknights because it’s so easy and foolproof.
I especially love this ground turkey fried rice recipe because it’s higher protein and more filling than other versions. With extra veggies and frozen edamame, I also designed this recipe to be nutrient-packed without sacrificing flavor and satisfaction.
This one-pan dinner is sure to be a new family favorite — and it’s super easy to customize.
Why you’ll love ground turkey fried rice
- Everyday ingredients: You won’t need anything fancy or expensive to make it.
- Super filling: Ground turkey and lots of veggies make this a filling and satiating dinner.
- One pan: You can make this entire dinner in one pan for minimal clean-up and fuss.
- Tasty: Ground turkey isn’t everyone’s favorite, but this recipe makes it genuinely enjoyable.
- Customizable: Swap veggies, add more condiments, or explore different toppings to make this ground turkey fried rice your own.
What makes it healthy?
- Ground turkey is a lean meat so it offers more protein and less fat than other choices. It’s also rich in micronutrients like zinc and B12 to support your immunity, cell health, and metabolism.
- This recipe is loaded with veggies and includes plant proteins so you’re getting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial phytochemicals.
- Cooked and cooled rice contains resistance starch, which is good for your gut and can support blood sugar balance.
- This dietitian-designed recipe is macro-balanced and calorie-friendly, so it can fit any fitness goal while still keeping you full.
Ingredients in ground turkey fried rice
- Cooking spray — you can use any neutral cooking oil if preferred like canola or avocado oil
- Eggs
- Lean ground turkey — you can substitute lean ground chicken, pork, or beef
- Salt and pepper
- White onion
- Frozen vegetables — I like the mix with carrot, peas, and corn, but use what you have
- Frozen edamame — make sure it’s been removed from the shell
- Garlic
- Cooked and cooled rice
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
Dietary restrictions
Vegetarian: Substitute ground turkey for vegetarian ground round, or crumbled tofu.
More protein: Double the amount of ground turkey. Use more soy sauce and sesame oil if needed.
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free tamari or soy sauce.
More fiber: Use cooked and cooled brown rice instead of white.
Lower sodium: Use low sodium soy sauce, and use as little as possible. Add extra green onion and garlic for more flavor if desired.
How to make ground turkey fried rice
Coat your pan with cooking spray and heat to medium.
Add eggs and scramble with a spatula. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add lean ground turkey, salt, and pepper. Cook and crumble until minimal pink remains.
Add onion and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
Stir in frozen vegetables and edamame. Cook uncovered for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are defrosted and softened. Leave for an extra 1-2 minutes to evaporate any excess liquid in the pan if needed.
Add garlic and stir. Cook until just fragrant, about 1-minute.
Stir in rice, soy sauce, and cooked eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes, untouched, then stir again. Repeat until rice is slightly toasty and soy sauce is equally distributed. You may get a bit of sticking to the bottom of the pan and that’s okay (it adds texture).
Turn off the heat, and stir in sesame oil. Taste, and add more soy sauce as desired. Serve with thinly sliced green onion and additional toppings as desired. Enjoy!
Topping ideas
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced scallions
- Diced chives
- Chili crisp
- Sesame seeds
- Kimchi
- Sriracha
- Spicy mayo
- Sweet chili sauce
Storage and re-heating
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months
- Make sure you’re using well-sealed food containers for storage
- Re-heat in the microwave or stovetop with a splash of water for moisture. Heat until warmed through, being careful not to overcook and dry-out your turkey.
Shop this post
Tips
- Adjust soy sauce to taste. I like to start with less soy sauce and add more as needed, since it’s a very high sodium food. Start with less, give things a good stir, and add more if you want to.
- Stir thoroughly. It takes a really good stir to evenly distribute ingredients and soy sauce.
More healthy dinner ideas
Healthy bell pepper nachos
Turkey zucchini enchilada casserole
Creamy slow cooker chicken chili
Philly cheesesteak pasta recipe
The best ground turkey vegetable soup
Healthier hamburger helper
High protein beef chili
Lemon salmon orzo recipe
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely! If you’d prefer to use cooked leftover turkey in your turkey fried rice, that works too. Simply add it after your vegetables have defrosted since you won’t be cooking it from raw.
Nope, you don’t have to use cooked and cooled rice but the texture will be much better if you do! If you need to use freshly cooked rice, the recipe will still work but you may find you need extra soy sauce.
If you don’t have frozen edamame, leave it out and/or add extra frozen vegetables.
Did you try this recipe?
Leave your rating and review below! And don’t forget to post a picture to Instagram, and tag me @real.life.nutritionist.
Ground Turkey Fried Rice
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- ¼ tsp salt
- black pepper, to taste
- ½ white onion, diced small
- 1 ½ cups frozen carrots, peas, and corn
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups cooked and cooled rice, I like short-grain
- 2-3 Tbsp soy sauce, I used low sodium, use more to taste
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- thinly sliced green onion, to serve
Equipment
Instructions
- Coat your pan with cooking spray and heat to medium.
- Add eggs and scramble with a spatula. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add lean ground turkey, salt, and pepper. Cook and crumble until minimal pink remains.
- Add onion and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
- Stir in frozen vegetables and edamame. Cook uncovered for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are defrosted and softened. Leave for an extra 1-2 minutes to evaporate any excess liquid in the pan if needed.
- Add garlic and stir. Cook until just fragrant, about 1-minute.
- Stir in rice, soy sauce, and cooked eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes, untouched, then stir again. Repeat until rice is slightly toasty and soy sauce is equally distributed. You may get a bit of sticking to the bottom of the pan and that's okay (it adds texture).
- Turn off the heat, and stir in sesame oil. Taste, and add more soy sauce as desired. Serve with thinly sliced green onion and additional toppings as desired. Enjoy!
