Korean Turkey Bowls

These healthy Korean Turkey Bowls are served with rice and perfect with kimchi or pickled veggies. Flavorful and ready in 30 minutes!

These Korean Inspired Ground Turkey Rice Bowls make for an easy weeknight meal that doesn't skimp on flavor. This recipe is great paired with some roasted vegetables and your favorite pickled condiment.

Korean cuisine is among some of the most delicious in the world. It's full of simple ingredients and complex flavors that balance each other perfectly. There is an emphasis on combining ingredients in such a way that each dish contains flavors that are sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and bitter.

Many Korean dishes achieve these flavors through the addition of fermented sauces, pastes, and condiments. To keep things simple, this recipe is prepared with ingredients that are easily found at any local grocery store and ready in a reasonable amount of time.

It's made with ground turkey that's sautéed in a skillet with garlic, scallions, and ginger. Once the ground turkey is cooked through, it's tossed with a sauce that's spicy, tangy, and a little sweet.

The turkey can be served over rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or noodles. Add some kimchi or any pickled vegetables for a fast and tasty meal!

Jump to:

• How To Add Flavor To Ground Turkey
• Ingredients For Korean Turkey Bowls
• What Is The Best Rice For Rice Bowls?
• How To Make Korean Ground Turkey
• How To Make The Sauce For Korean Rice Bowls
• How Long Does Ground Turkey Take To Cook?
• What To Serve With Ground Turkey Bowls
• How Long Do Rice Bowls Last In The Fridge?
• Can They Be Frozen?
• Korean Turkey Bowls

How To Add Flavor To Ground Turkey

Ground turkey is one of my favorite ingredients for fast and easy meals, because it works as a 'blank canvas'. It cooks quickly and tends to absorb any flavors that are added to it.

Ground turkey is leaner and healthier than ground beef, but can be every bit as flavorful and moist if prepared correctly.

For dishes with Asian flavors, I love to start with aromatics like garlic, scallions (also known as green onions), and fresh ginger.

The aromatics are minced and then sautéed in a skillet on high heat with some olive oil. This helps to release their natural flavors and turns something like ground turkey that is otherwise bland into something mouthwatering.

To give the ground turkey even more flavor, it's tossed with a simple sauce prepared with chili garlic paste, maple syrup, Tamari (or soy sauce), rice wine vinegar, and fish sauce.

The sauce is spicy, sweet, salty, and has that great umami flavor that we all love when eating Asian dishes.

Ingredients For Korean Turkey Bowls

Here's what you'll need to make them.

• 4 cloves Garlic
• 6 Scallions (also known as green onions)
• 1 inch Ginger Root (peeled and grated)
• 1 lb. lean Ground Turkey
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• ¼ tsp. each Kosher Salt and Pepper
• 1 - 2 Tbsp. Chili Garlic Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup (can use Honey or Brown Sugar)
• ¼ cup Low Sodium Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce if not gluten free)
• 2 tsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 tsp. Fish Sauce
• 5 Tbsp. Water
• 1 Tbsp. Corn Starch
• 1 cup Rice
• Sesame Seeds for garnish (optional)

What Is The Best Rice For Rice Bowls?

The great thing about rice bowls is that you can use any type of rice you like when making them. I love Jasmine rice, because it's light, fluffy, and has great flavor, but you can use any variety of rice you have on hand.

White rice, brown rice, or even cauliflower rice may be used if you're looking for a lower carb option. You can also opt for rice noodles if you prefer noodles to rice.

To make this recipe even healthier, you can swap the rice for a grain, such as quinoa or wild rice.

If you'd like to cut down on the cooking time, you can use any leftover rice you've got on hand, or any variety of packaged pre-cooked rice.

This recipe yields 4 servings, so I recommend cooking at least 1 cup of dried rice. It may be prepared ahead of time, or while the turkey is cooking on the stove top.

1. Prepare 1 cup of rice (any variety) according to package instructions.
2. Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat and set aside until ready to use. (The ratio of water to rice is usually 2:1, so most varieties will likely call for 2 cups of water but it's best to check the directions to be sure).

How To Make Korean Ground Turkey

The first step is to mince the aromatics and then sauté them until fragrant in a skillet. The ground turkey is added to the skillet and then tossed in a flavorful sauce that's cooked until thickened.

1. Start by mincing 6 cloves of garlic.
2. Slice 6 scallions (also known as green onions). Feel free to use the white portion of the green onions to sauté in the skillet and the green portion to garnish the dish.
3. Peel a 1 inch portion of fresh ginger root and grate it using a Microplane or small grater.
4. Place a skillet on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Once heated, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
5. Add the minced garlic and scallions, along with the grated ginger to the skillet (feel free to substitute ½ tsp. ground ginger in place of fresh if that's what you have on hand). Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
6. Place 1 lb. of lean ground turkey in the skillet, along with ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper.
7. Sauté the ground turkey for 8-10 minutes, or until fully cooked. Break the ground turkey apart with a wooden spatula as it cooks. (The safe cooking temperature for ground turkey is 165 degrees Fahrenheit and may be checked using a food thermometer if you have any concerns).

How To Make The Sauce For Korean Rice Bowls

These Korean Turkey Bowls are all about the sauce that's added to the ground turkey as it cooks in the skillet.

As mentioned, Korean sauces are often prepared with a variety of ingredients that create a robust flavor palette.

This recipe is gluten free and prepared using gluten free ingredients. Feel free to alter some of the ingredients if gluten is not an issue for you.

Gochujang is a spicy fermented chili paste that is used extensively in Korean cooking. Unfortunately, it's not gluten free, so I have substituted it with chili garlic sauce. Gochujang may be used in place of the chili garlic sauce if gluten is not an issue for you.

To create the umami flavor in this sauce, I have added fish sauce. Make sure to choose a brand of gluten free fish sauce if needed. Alternately, miso paste may be used in place of fish sauce.

Both fish sauce and miso paste help to create the savory and salty umami flavor in Asian cuisines.

1. To make the sauce, combine 1-2 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce (or gochujang if not gluten free), 2 Tbsp. maple syrup (can use honey or brown sugar), ¼ cup low sodium Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce if not gluten free), 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp. fish sauce (or miso paste), 5 Tbsp. water, and 1 Tbsp. corn starch (or arrowroot powder) in a small bowl.
2. Stir until completely combined using a fork or small whisk.

Both chili garlic sauce and gochujang are spicy, so feel free to use only 1 Tbsp. of either one if you prefer a less spicy dish.

If you find that the sauce is too spicy for you, feel free to balance it out by adding more maple syrup.

How Long Does Ground Turkey Take To Cook?

The great thing about ground turkey is that it only takes about 10 minutes to cook on the stove top. Make sure that the ground turkey is fully cooked through before adding the sauce.

It's also important not to overcook turkey of any kind, or it may become dry.

1. Once the turkey is cooked through, pour the prepared sauce into the skillet and stir until combined.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and becomes fragrant.
3. Remove from heat once the turkey is completely coated in the reduced sauce.

Feel free to use any other ground meat, such as ground chicken, beef, or pork if you prefer. Keep in mind that the fat content of beef and pork is higher and will alter the nutritional values of this recipe.

Make sure to drain any excess fat if using any other varieties of ground meat before adding the sauce.

What To Serve With Ground Turkey Bowls

Once the ground turkey and rice are both fully cooked, it's time to assemble and serve the Korean Turkey Bowls.

The great thing about a meal like this is that it's perfect served alongside your favorite vegetable side dish. I love roasted veggies and find that Brussels sprouts roasted in the oven make for a delicious pairing.

Roasted or sautéed veggies like green beans, zucchini, summer squash, kale, or cabbage are all great options.

I highly recommend serving these rice bowls with kimchi, or any type of pickled Korean condiment or side dish. Any of these pickled sides will help to balance the rich flavor of the turkey.

To serve this dish, simply add some cooked rice to a bowl and top with some of the cooked ground turkey. Garnish with sesame seeds and minced scallions (optional). Serve with cooked veggies and pickled condiment of choice (optional).

Love Asian flavors? Check out these recipes!

• Asian Cabbage Slaw
• Sweet Spicy Brussels Sprouts
• Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
• Thai Basil Pesto Sauce
• Asian Grilled Chicken Wings
• Vietnamese Shrimp Salad
• Thai Potato Corn Chowder

How Long Do Rice Bowls Last In The Fridge?

Any leftovers may be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Be sure to allow the rice bowls to come to room temperature before transferring to the fridge for storage.

Can They Be Frozen?

This dish can be frozen, but it's best to freeze the rice and cooked turkey separately as the processes for freezing both are different.

How To Freeze

1. Allow the cooked turkey in sauce to cool completely before transferring to the freezer for storage.
2. Transfer the cooled turkey to a heavy-duty freezer back, press any excess air out of the bag, label with the date, and store up to 3 months in the freezer.

How To Reheat

1. Place the bag of frozen turkey in the fridge and allow to thaw for 24 hours before reheating.
2. Once thawed, place the turkey in a skillet along with a bit of water and cook until heated through.

If you would like to freeze the rice check out this tutorial to learn How To Properly Freeze Cooked Rice.

Love rice bowls? Check out these recipes!

• Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowls
• Asian Smoked Salmon Rice Bowls
• Vegetarian Fajita Bowls
• Mexican Shrimp Rice Bowls
• Asian Ground Chicken Rice Bowls
• Grilled Thai Chicken Rice Bowl

Looking For Korean Side Dishes? Don't Miss These Recipes!

Korean Cucumber Pickles

Korean Potato Salad

Kimchi Noodle Soup