This Easy Ground Turkey Curry has it all — it’s healthy, full of flavor, and so easy to make! You only need ground turkey, spices, rice, and 30 minutes and you’ll be digging into a delicious dinner even the pickiest eaters will love!
Table of Contents
We all have our go-to dishes. Sometimes they’re quick, other times they are super tasty.
But every now and then, a little bit of magic happens in the kitchen and you get a dish that is BOTH easy and delicious.
And boy does this dish fit the bill.
Why Is This Recipe the Best?
- It’s ready in under 30 minutes.
- The spices give the ground turkey a ton of flavor (with some common pantry staples).
- The full-fat coconut milk makes it so creamy and keeps it dairy free.
- Even the PICKIEST eaters will love it.
Ingredients
Notes about the ingredients needed for this Ground Turkey Curry recipe are below. Jump to recipe for the exact measurements.
- Ground turkey. Choose a lean 85/15 blend of turkey to keep the dish light, plus it absorbs the spices beautifully. You can go with another ground meat, like chicken or beef, as well.
- Onion. A finely chopped white onion is needed to create the base of the flavor.
- Coconut milk. Definitely go for full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest texture and absolute best taste.
- Spices. While this list might seem a little daunting, most of these can be found in the spice aisle. You’ll need curry powder, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Do NOT skip the garam masala.
- Rice. Basmati rice will yield the most authentic dish, but another type of white rice will work as well.
How to Make Ground Turkey Curry
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts. Jump to recipe for the printable instructions
1. Cook the onion and ground turkey.
Heat a large skillet over medium, then drizzle the olive oil over the bottom. Carefully add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. The onions should become translucent.
Stir in the garlic and ground turkey. Cook for another 7 to 8 minutes. Be sure to crumble the turkey with a meat or potato masher as you’re cooking.
2. Add the seasonings and coconut milk.
In a small bowl, stir together the curry powder, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the turkey and onion, then stir in the coconut milk. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. Serve the turkey curry.
Add some cooked basmati rice (you can make Instant Pot basmati rice, too).
Add a scoop of turkey curry on top, then sprinkle with cilantro.
Serve it with a side of grilled or steamed veggies and you have yourself a healthy and filling dinner!
FAQs
While both turkey and chicken are quite healthy, turkey does have a lower fat content than chicken.
Garam masala is a flavorful and warm blend of spices, typically cloves, cardamon, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon.
What to Serve with Ground Turkey Curry
This ground turkey curry is just what the doctor ordered, full of healthy ground turkey and finished with some easy to find Indian spices. Add these sides for a complete meal.
Keep it easy with Steamed Broccoli, or go with Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower.
You can also choose Herb Roasted Carrots, Air Fryer Carrots, or even Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes.
More Curry Recipes
Curry is so satisfying, dig into a bowl of any of these recipes for a perfect meal.
- Crockpot Curry Chicken
- Pumpkin Curry
- Instant Pot Chicken Curry
- Salmon Curry in Coconut Milk
- Thai Yellow Chicken Curry
- Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Yogurt Sauce
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Easy Ground Turkey Curry
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Ingredients
- ½ white onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 pound 90/10 ground turkey
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat coconut milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Cooked basmati rice for serving
- Finely chopped cilantro for serving, optional
Instructions
- Add olive oil and onion to a large skillet or pan over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until onions become translucent.
- Add garlic and ground turkey. Cook for another 7-8 minutes over medium heat, crumbling as you do, or until meat is cooked no longer pink.
- Whisk together the curry powder, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Add seasonings and coconut milk to the pan and stir until combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve turkey curry over rice and sprinkle with cilantro.
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Notes
- Feel free to add in additional vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, or peas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I added frozen peas to mine for extra veggies. Delicious recipe!
What a great idea, Alayne! An easy way to get in a little more nutrition. Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
This was delicious! I’m not too familiar with curry, so I wanted to try something simple. This was such an easy recipe and was perfect for my dietary needs. And it’s sooo good! I think I will be coming here again and again!
Hi Britney! So happy to hear that!! It’s not your typical curry, but it tastes amazing :). Thanks so much for your review!
This looks great. I only have ground chicken in my refrigerator, ever try it with chicken?
I haven’t tried it with chicken, but I bet it will turn out just as good! Would love to know if you try it out, Leslie 🙂
So easy and so delicious!
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it, Blair!
This Turkey Curry was so amazing!!! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Mandy!! You are SO welcome! I am so excited you loved it so much. Thanks for the rating and review!!
Definitely worth the time to cook this dish up. So good, so easy, so worth it. Be weary you might eat it all in one sitting????.
Thanks for the AWESOME recipe!
So happy you enjoyed it, Chris! Thanks for the comment!
In the ingredients, you listed 1-2 tbs olive oil and then 1 tbs of olive oil, and then in the instructions you mention olive oil and butter?
Thank you for your question, Sarah! Just use 1-2 T. oil in the first step… enough to coat your pan. I updated the recipe to reflect this.
Thank you! But you still mention butter in the instructions but not in the ingredients. Did you use both?
Sorry for the confusion, Sarah. You can use either butter or olive oil, whatever you prefer!
I made this today and have to say I’m so happy I stumbled upon this recipe! I added 4 garlic cloves, upped the cayenne pepper, and added a dash of cinnamon to make the dish a bit warmer. I added zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, and onions as well. I will definitely be making this again!
I love how you evolved the recipe, Claire!! Adding in all of those veggies definitely gives it so much more nutrition 🙂 Thanks for commenting!!
Hi London! I was getting so bored on the diet I’m on, it has to do with my blood type and hashimotos. Its very restrictive, can only have turkey, bison, and a few different fish-even the vegetables are restricted. I came across this recipe tonite and added some veggies and it was AWESOME!!! I cant tell you how excited I am to eat again! Even my friends and family loved it and ate the rest!
I added garlic & parsley to the onion saute then added the turkey. After the turkey is cooked I added some chunks of zucchini, asparagus, and 1 lg head of escarole. I substituted ghee for the butter too.
I saluted haracot verts in a bit of olive oil, garlic and pink himalayan sea salt and put on side.
I served the turkey curry over brown rice then placed haracot verts atop… Delicious! I loved the flavors, this recipe is a keeper! Thank You LB!
TYPO!! SAUTEED NOT saluted
You’re very welcome, Maria!! I am so glad it was such a hit with you and your family 🙂 I love the alterations you made, too! Thank you so much for the kind comment!
This is my new favorite recipe! I have made it twice already, and I added some chopped cilantro after cooking. It is so quick, easy and delicious! Thanks LB. Can’t wait to explore the rest of your blog! 🙂
I am so happy you liked it, Susan!! Adding the cilantro sounds like a delicious addition 🙂 I’ll have to try that, soon!