If you’re looking for delicious ground turkey recipes that are cozy, flexible, and weeknight-friendly, I’ve got you covered!
From juicy meatballs to hearty casseroles and chili…
And these slow cooker ones are not only simple but are absolutely scrumptious.
They’ve also got tons of five-star reviews, from dinner to dessert!
This Moroccan Chickpea Stew Smells Like What I Imagine a Spice Market Does
Image credit: Skinnytaste
That’s this stew for that feeling when something smells so good cooking all day that you literally cannot focus on anything else.
Homolka went full flavor mode here with chickpeas, ground turkey, poblano peppers, and all these warm spices that just fill your whole house.
The prep takes about 15 minutes, and then your crockpot does the rest for 6 hours while you live your life.
One reviewer said she’s been using leftover Thanksgiving turkey in this for years, and honestly, that’s the kind of no-waste energy I’m here for.
It’s 342 calories a serving with 24 grams of protein, which is pretty solid for something that tastes this cozy.
The chickpeas give it this hearty, almost meaty texture on top of the actual turkey, so it’s super filling without feeling heavy.
This is the kinda meal you make on a Sunday and eat off of for three days straight.
And nobody’s gonna complain about leftovers.
Sweet Potato Turkey Chili That People Literally Bring to Potlucks and Win
Image credit: Well Plated
I wasn’t expecting to fall this hard for a chili recipe, but here we are.
Sweet potatoes AND quinoa in a chili sounds kinda weird til you actually try it, and then you’re like, oh… oh, this works.
The Chipotle chili powder gives it this smoky warmth that hits different from regular chili seasoning.
There’s beer in it too, which honestly just makes everything better (nobody’s judging).
One of the commenters said she switches up the ratio of chili powder to chipotle and brings it to potlucks, where people are genuinely shocked that it’s healthy.
That’s the dream, right?
Erin Clarke nailed this one with black beans, crushed tomatoes and just 10 minutes of actual hands on prep time.
You get 32 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber per bowl, so you’re gonna stay full for a while.
Make a batch on Monday, and you’ve got lunches sorted till Thursday, easy.
The Crockpot Turkey Chili You’ll Make on Repeat All Fall
Image credit: The Girl on Bloor
Some recipes just earn their spot in the rotation, and this is one of them.
Stinson loaded this chili up with beans, veggies, and ground turkey, then basically said go crazy with the toppings.
We’re talking cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro… whatever makes you happy.
The spice blend is chili powder, cumin, paprika AND coriander which gives it this layered flavor that cheap chili seasoning packets could never.
Brown the turkey for like 2-3 minutes, toss everything in the crockpot and walk away for six hours.
That’s all.
365 calories and 33 grams of protein per serving with 16 grams of fiber so your body is gonna thank you.
It’s gluten-free, too, in case you were wondering (someone in the comments asked, and yep, it checks out).
This is what weeknight dinners should look like when you’re exhausted and just want something warm and good without standing over a stove.
Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes That’ll Make You Forget About Beef Entirely
Image credit: The Seasoned Mom
Can we talk about sloppy joes for a second?
Because somewhere along the way, we all forgot how ridiculously good they are.
This version swaps beef for ground turkey, and honestly, you won’t even notice the difference because the sauce situation is doing all the heavy lifting.
Ketchup, barbecue sauce, a little Worcestershire… it gets saucy in the best way.
One reviewer said her family stopped eating red meat, and these sloppy joes made it into their monthly rotation immediately.
That says a lot.
You’re looking at only 223 calories per serving, which is kinda wild for something this satisfying.
The prep is maybe 15 minutes, then three to four hours on low in the slow cooker, and you’ve got dinner for eight people.
This is the recipe you pull out when you’ve got a house full of kids running around after practice, and everyone’s starving.
Throw some coleslaw on top if you’re feeling fancy.
A Turkey Chickpea Chili Even Your Picky Eaters Won’t Fight You On
Image credit: Kristine’s Kitchen Blog
Have you ever found a recipe that’s mild enough for your kids but still has actual flavor for the adults?
Because that’s basically what Rosenblatt did here, and I respect it so much.
Ground turkey, chickpeas, bell peppers, and a tomato paste base with chili spices that warm you up without burning anyone’s mouth off.
The tomato paste trick is lowkey genius because it gives the whole thing this deep, rich color and flavor without needing a ton of extra ingredients.
One person in the comments said she’s been making this for years, and the leftovers disappear fast in her house.
So yeah… make extra.
Pair it with some cornbread, and you’ve got yourself a whole moment.
316 calories, 30 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fiber, which are the kind of numbers that make you feel good about going back for seconds.
This is a set-it-and-forget-it situation: six to eight hours on low or three to four on high.
Either way, you win.
This Pumpkin Turkey Crockpot Chili Sounds Weird Until You Actually Make It
Okay so pumpkin in chili.
I know, I know – hear me out.
Monique kinda flipped my whole fall dinner situation with this one, and I genuinely haven’t looked at chili the same way since.
It’s ground turkey, black beans, pumpkin puree, and a warming spice blend that brings in cinnamon and cloves alongside the usual chili powder and cumin – the kind of combo that makes your whole kitchen smell like something good is happening in there.
You brown the turkey with the onion and garlic first, get it actually browned (not just grey, there’s a difference), then everything goes into the crockpot and just does its thing low and slow.
The pumpkin thickens it up and gives the base this almost velvety body that regular chili just doesn’t have.
Finish it with avocado, a spoon of Greek yogurt, some cilantro, and chips if you’re feeling it.
Freeze the leftovers, too, because future-you is gonna be so relieved on a random Thursday when you’ve got nothing planned for dinner.
The Slow Cooker Turkey Chili With the Secret Ingredient That Will Throw You Off
Cocoa powder.
IN THE CHILI.
I get that sounds unhinged, but Food Network Kitchen has a mole-inspired slow cooker turkey chili that genuinely made me eat my skepticism.
The cocoa adds this deep, slightly smoky richness and also helps thicken the whole pot without you adding any extra steps or ingredients.
You bloom the spices with tomato paste first – which is honestly the move that builds the whole flavor base – then briefly brown the turkey, whisk together the tomato and broth mixture, and let everything cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Adjust the thickness at the end with crushed tortilla chips, which should honestly be a standard technique everywhere at this point.
8 servings, about 5 minutes of actual hands-on time.
That’s the kind of math I appreciate on a weeknight.
Set This White Bean Turkey Chili Before Work and Come Home to a Whole Mood
This Betty Crocker white bean turkey chili was built for exactly when you genuinely need dinner to handle itself.
Ground turkey, great northern beans, poblano chile, frozen shoepeg corn, chicken broth, cumin, and chili powder – and there’s this one clever step where you blend a full can of beans with broth to build a creamy base without any actual cream involved.
That alone makes the whole thing feel more luxurious than it has any right to be for a crockpot meal.
Prep is about 25 minutes, then the slow cooker runs for 8 hours while you go live your whole entire life.
Come home, hit it with sour cream, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
33 grams of protein per serving, 4.7 stars from the people who’ve actually made it – those two facts together say everything.
A Lighter Ground Turkey Crockpot Chili That Doesn’t Taste Like It’s Trying to Be Good for You
Not everything healthy has to taste like a compromise, and Slender Kitchen’s turkey chili is just proof of that.
99% lean ground turkey, pinto beans, kidney beans, and a spice situation with 2.5 tablespoons of chili powder and two full tablespoons of cumin – those two are doing most of the actual flavor work, so don’t cut them short.
The optional carrots and celery add this quiet sweetness that rounds out the whole pot in a way most people can’t even pinpoint but definitely feel.
You build the base on the stovetop first – veggies, turkey, tomato paste, minced garlic, all the spices – let it get really fragrant before it ever touches the slow cooker, then add the tomatoes, beans, and broth and cook on low for at least four hours.
310 calories, 31 grams of protein.
Real food, real filling, zero sad diet energy in this bowl.
Brown It Dump It Walk Away This Is the Lazy-Proof Crockpot Turkey Chili
Some days cooking feels like a whole project, and you just need someone to tell you it really is fine, barely any effort required here.
This is that recipe.
Brown the turkey with the onion, red pepper, and chili seasoning til it’s starting to color, transfer the whole skillet situation into the slow cooker, add your cans of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, black beans, kidney beans, corn and chicken broth, stir it together.
Lid on.
Walk away.
Low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 if you forgot to plan ahead – which happens to everybody, no judgment.
It comes out thick, bold, and full of that proper chili flavor that doesn’t taste rushed, even when the whole point was that it kind of was.
35 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber per bowl – your body genuinely doesn’t need to know how little work that took.
Crockpot Turkey Sloppy Joes Are the Weeknight Throwback Your Tuesday Actually Needed
Sloppy joes are one of those meals that hits different when you’re exhausted, and you want something that just feels like home.
What Robyn Downs did here was genuinely smart – the slow cooker gives the turkey this impossibly tender texture that you just cannot rush on a stovetop in 20 minutes, no matter how much you want to.
The sauce is all homemade too: ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, and tomato paste, all going in together after you brown the turkey with the bell pepper and onion in a skillet.
Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or crank it to high for 3 to 4 if you’re running behind.
188 calories per serving, 15 grams of protein, and it is absolutely as messy and satisfying as you want it to be.
Pile it on a bun, don’t overthink it.
This is what a random Tuesday should look like.
Smoky Bold and Ready in 5 Hours This Southwest Crockpot Turkey Chili Is Not Subtle
Image via Healthy Fitness Meals
If regular turkey chili is good then Southwest turkey chili with smoked paprika is a completely different conversation.
This Healthy Fitness Meals version builds its spice blend with smoked paprika sitting right alongside the cumin, chili powder and garlic powder – and you bloom all of it directly into the turkey while its browning, not after.
That step is doing more work than people realize.
Once the turkey is seasoned and browned, it goes into the slow cooker with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onion, red bell pepper, and chicken broth, then it runs on high for 4 hours or low for 6.
38 grams of protein per bowl.
Bold, thick, smoky with that charred paprika depth that makes somebody stop mid bite and go “okay wait, what is actually in this.”
That’s the recipe doing its job.
This Ground Turkey Chili Works in the Crockpot or on the Stove Because Life Is Unpredictable
Not everybody has 8 hours and an available crockpot happening at the same time, and that’s just reality.
The Gypsy Plate team wrote this one for both situations so you’re covered either way.
Same ingredients – lean ground turkey, onion, garlic, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers, jalapeño, and a proper chili spice blend – just two different paths to the same bowl.
Crockpot: brown the turkey with the onion, then combine everything in. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8.
Stovetop: same browning process; everything else goes in afterward, then simmer 45 to 60 minutes.
Both versions finish in the exact same place – hearty, bold, and not at all like a backup plan.
This is the one you keep on your phone because you genuinely never know what kind of day it’s gonna be.
34 Five-Star Ratings on This Crockpot Turkey Chili and Every Single One Makes Total Sense
34 five-star ratings are the kind of number that makes you stop scrolling and actually click through.
Mary built this one clean – two types of beans (kidney and Great Northern), ground turkey, green chiles, red bell pepper, garlic, and a tomato base that just works without making things complicated.
Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and somehow still the kind of chili the whole table actually wants.
Brown the turkey with the onion and garlic first, then add everything else to the slow cooker, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8.
298 calories and 37 grams of protein per bowl is already a great answer to “what’s for dinner.”
But the comments are where it really gets you – people saying things like “made this three times this month” and “my picky eater cleaned the whole bowl,” which honestly tells you more than the recipe page ever could.
Put this one in rotation and don’t look back.
The Ground Turkey Crockpot Chili You Will Make on Repeat From Now Through March
When Chef Savvy calls something the BEST turkey chili, you kind of just take that at face value.
Fire-roasted garlic, diced tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, chopped green chiles, frozen corn, and a pound of lean ground turkey are all going in together.
The fire roasted tomatoes are not interchangeable here – that smoky charred depth is exactly what separates this from every other average crockpot turkey situation.
Brown the turkey, dump everything in, set it on low for 6 hours or high for 4, and come back to dinner.
175 calories per serving, and it freezes beautifully, so make the whole batch, portion it out, and coast on it for the rest of the week without thinking about dinner again.
This is the one that earns a permanent spot.