Let’s just talk about ground turkey meat, shall we? I am going to be so honest when I say that I don’t prefer it. Dry, dry, dry and oh-so bland. But people love it because it’s “lean” and it’s very much deemed healthy in the health food world. But it doesn’t have to be boring! Spice things up with these Crunchy Baked Turkey Tacos.
I am all about health foods but I will *never* sacrifice flavor when it comes to healthy eating. But I am also down for a task to make ground turkey a total rockstar and this recipe, I have done just that. The most wonderful turkey taco filling stuffed into grain-free tortillas and baked until crispy on the edges and soft in the center for the ultimate taco night!! These are a WINNER!
My entire family devoured these Crunchy Baked Turkey Tacos and I can’t wait to see you all cookin’ them up in your own kitchens.
If you like ground turkey with a Mexican-inspired flair, try these Turkey Taco Meatballs with Chipotle-Lime Aioli or Grain-Free Turkey and Black Bean Taquitos.
Ingredients
- avocado oil (you'll use about 3-4 tablespoons total)
- 1/4 cup very finely diced white onion
- 1 lb ground turkey (preferably dark meat)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 [4-ounce] can diced green chiles (I use hot, but you can opt for the mild ones if you prefer)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (can sub beef broth, veggie broth, or even water here also)
- 8 tortillas (I use Siete Foods grain-free tortillas and I prefer either the cassava blend or almond flour)
- 1/2 cup cashew queso (I use Siete Foods nacho flavor, you can also use shredded cheese here, if you are okay with a little dairy.)
- 1/2 cup finely shredded iceberg lettuce (about 1/4 head of lettuce), for serving
- 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced small , for serving
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro , for serving
- your favorite hot sauce , for serving
- 1 lime, cut into wedges , for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. Add the onions, ground turkey, salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with the edge of a spoon, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. You want to really break up the meat so it's super small and there are no large chunks.
- Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano and cook, stirring until spices are fragrant and incorporated into the meat, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour in the diced green chiles (undrained) and the tomato paste into the meat and toss until well combined with the meat.
- Pour in the broth and cook, stirring until well combined and there are no longer clumps of the tomato paste in the meat. Remove from heat, cover, and keep the meat mixture warm while you prepare the tortillas.
- In a small, separate non-stick skillet, heat 1/2 tsp of avocado oil over medium-high heat and quickly fry 1 tortilla (about 30 seconds on each side) until flexible and easy to fold. Set the tortilla on the prepared baking sheet and scoop about 2 tablespoons onto one side of the tortilla. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cashew queso across the other side of the tortilla and gently fold the tortilla in half, forming a taco. Continue frying, filling, and folding the tacos (adding more oil to the skillet as needed) until you’ve used all the filling.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the preheated oven and cook until the tacos are crispy and golden browned on the edges, about 10 minutes. (if for some reason the tops of your tortillas look dry, either brush or spray with avocado oil to ensure they will crisp up in the oven).
- Remove from oven and let cool just until you can handle the tacos. Using your hands, gently open the tacos to fill with the sliced lettuce, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro.
- Serve with lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce. Enjoy!
44 Comments
Kim H
February 22, 2022 at 11:42 pmThis is our GO TO! I am the queen of modifying recipes and I never make any changes to this. This is now our family favorite. Thank You!
Caitlin
January 4, 2022 at 2:08 amI absolutely LOVE this recipe! Everything is perfect – the Turkey mixture, Queso, and crunchy tortillas! My family loves it too. Thanks Alex!
I buy the 3lb of ground Turkey and triple this recipe. I’m going to experiment with freezing a little bit of the meat mixture to see if I can use at a later time.
Katie Jack
February 23, 2022 at 1:08 pmHi, Caitlyn! How many people would you say this would feed when you triple it? I’m wanting to make it for friends (4 adults), but not sure if I should double or triple it. Thank you!
-Katie
Erin
December 7, 2021 at 12:47 amI make These at least 3 times a month. Husband is a hunter so sometimes use ground venison instead of Turkey. Delicious both ways. This is the recipe that made me a fan girl of DD!
Christine
November 9, 2021 at 1:02 amMy 5 year old has entered the picky eating phase… so when we do tacos she usually just puts cheese and sour cream in. I made these with the turkey and cheese . She loved it! The tortillas were so crispy! We called it a taco-dilla (cross between a taco and quesadilla). Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Christie
November 7, 2021 at 1:33 amThese tacos are a go to now. My husband loves them and they are so easy to make. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
julie
August 30, 2021 at 6:35 pmwow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sarah
August 12, 2021 at 1:18 pmI made these last night for diner, they were phenomenal! I didn’t know turkey could be so tasty. My husband thought it was beef and my toddler ate every bite! These will be a new go-to in our weeknight dinner rotation!
Ashlee
July 27, 2021 at 9:34 pmCreated taco magic by fusing this recipe + DD’s Mexican pizza remake. Made the sauce, added to ground Turkey and POW, basically a Taco Bell taco. Love all your stuff, this one is perfect for taco Tuesday!
Alex
July 28, 2021 at 12:04 pmlove it!!!
Lizzie
July 23, 2021 at 11:35 amAdded black beans to the filling so I could make for a crowd. Sooo good! We loved these and will make again for sure
Danielle
June 16, 2021 at 12:23 amRecipe is so easy to double and I highly recommend if you have teens! We use flour low carb tortillas and turns out perfect every taco Tuesday.
Caitlyn
June 13, 2021 at 7:19 pmCould these be made in an air fryer?
Alex
June 14, 2021 at 12:16 pmI am sure they can! I have never done it so not sure on timing!
Becca
May 29, 2021 at 10:44 pmIncredibly surprised by how flavorful and delicious this recipe was! My only change was to use fresh garlic with the onions instead of garlic powder. 5-star!
Kyla
May 26, 2021 at 1:02 pmSuper yummy and easy to make. Kids loved them! A nice break from the standard soft taco that we regularly eat around here. 🙂
Megan
May 8, 2021 at 5:40 pmRecipe says 1/4 cup queso but instructions say 1 tablespoon queso per tortilla @ 8 tortillas. So that math does not work out. Which one should I by?
Megan
May 8, 2021 at 5:41 pm*which one should I GO by?
Alex
May 10, 2021 at 12:04 pmYou are so right– that math did not add up, and I just edited the recipe. Thanks!
GG
April 26, 2021 at 4:48 pmWe evacuated after Laura to my parents and I cooked for them so I could continue to eat healthy, which they turned up their nose at the idea of. But then I made these. My dad walked into the room after eating one, looked at my mom and said “learn to make those. No more tacos your way.”
I call that a win!!!
Gabbie
February 16, 2021 at 12:17 amBest tacos ever! So easy to make and so much flavor in the taco meat! This is definitely a top 10 DD recipe 🙂
Leah V
February 11, 2021 at 1:24 amThese were dinner tonight and a huge fan favorite! My 5 year old gobbled them up! We will definitely be making these again soon
KJT
February 5, 2021 at 6:34 pmOkay WOW! My husband and I think this is the best taco meat we’ve ever made at home. Made these last night but used ground beef and they were insane. I heated up 2 left over tacos in the air fryer for lunch and they were even better ! We’re going to make them again next week but use ground Turkey! Thank you thank you!!
Jenni L
February 3, 2021 at 7:38 pmHoly Tacos! Why has it taken me so long to make these?!? These were fabulous! The entire family loved them and have requested they be on regular rotation 🙂 We served these along with your Black Bean Soup which was flippin amazing as well!!
Sydney
February 3, 2021 at 12:30 amDare I say my favorite DD recipe of all time? Probably can’t make that claim because there’s just too many but WOW these are a crowd pleaser. My husband ate 6 in one sitting! Haha!
Kayla
January 30, 2021 at 3:58 pmI cannot get enough of these tacos and my partner is obsessed as well!! They are so delicious! I’m obsessed with the crunch and the flavors go together perfectly. And they heat up really well in my toaster oven, so I love having leftovers for the next day. These have been our taco Tuesday go-to for the last few weeks!
Alex
January 31, 2021 at 8:48 pmyay!!! thank you!
Amie
January 29, 2021 at 1:04 amI am living off of your blog this week and this is seriously such a delicious recipe. Giving me those “crunchy, soft, chewy” chalupa vibes with every bite. I went with 85/15 ground beef and didn’t add oil to my cast iron when cooking the beef/onions. Spices and everything else was the same. Turned out perfect!
Kelly
January 25, 2021 at 5:12 pmHi, I am curious what your other recommended tortilla is for this one – making this week!
From above: “8 tortillas (I use Siete Foods grain-free tortillas and I prefer either the cassava blend)” or…?
Thanks!!
Alex
January 25, 2021 at 7:04 pmJust updated the recipe! I use Siete’s Cassava or Almond Flour blend usually. You can use whatever tortilla you prefer
TC
January 23, 2021 at 9:08 pmThese tacos reallllly hit the spot! Nothing about them tastes GF or DF. I did sub siete almond flour tortillas because that’s what I had on hand and they worked just as well!
Amy
January 21, 2021 at 1:39 amCurious how this works with flour or corn tortillas…enjoyed with the siete tortillas, but have the others in my pantry more often. Any feedback?
Thank you! So yummy
Alex
January 21, 2021 at 1:01 pmit works with all tortillas! For flour, you may need a little more cook time, and for corn a little less- it totally depends on the tortilla!
Amy
January 4, 2021 at 1:52 pmHi! How many tacos does this make?
Alex
January 4, 2021 at 2:42 pm8 (it calls for 8 tortillas)
Ashley Henry
December 22, 2020 at 3:13 amMaking these for dinner with some friends, what are good side options to go with these?
Alex
December 22, 2020 at 1:15 pmI’d do a big salad + this rice recipe would be great:
https://thedefineddish.com/marthas-mexican-rice/
Sarah
December 15, 2020 at 11:17 pmhow do you keep the queso from melting out all over the pan? or does that just happen to everyone and we deal with it?? love these flavors just want to make sure I’m doing it right!
Alex
December 16, 2020 at 3:37 pmIt does not usually happen but is of course possible! As long as you do not overfill the tortillas and keep away from the edges, you will be fine. Check out the video above to show how to fill! Enjoy!!
Clara M
November 25, 2020 at 9:56 pmThese were a hit with my inlaws! We used Siete Foods Almond Flour tortillas and they were sooo good. Also used a Siete Foods taco seasoning packet instead of the dry spices and it worked perfectly. Will definitely be saving this recipe in my virtual cookbook.
Rebecca Healea
October 19, 2020 at 11:17 pmHoly wow! Made these tonight and seriously could have eaten the whole tray of them ❤️ Made with the Siete cashew flour tortillas and am already trying to figure out how soon I can put these on the meal plan again!!!
Chelsi West
October 19, 2020 at 11:17 pmHi! Do you think the tortillas will stay crispy the next day if I bake some extra for lunch? Without the filling of course :). I got the same that you suggested, Siete Foods Cassava!
Thanks!!
thedefineddish
October 19, 2020 at 11:17 pmas far as leftovers go here, I just cook the entire batch the way that it is (minus the lettuce and tomato) and to reheat, stick it back in the oven to reheat (you can turn it on broil and just put the tacos on the bottom rack so they don’t burn)
OR heat them in a skillet over medium heat until hot.
They are fine in the microwave, they taste good and everything just not crispy!
Erin N Van Zee
October 19, 2020 at 11:17 pmMe eating these immediately after I made them tonight. So easy, so delicious. This is definitely going in my rotation! https://media2.giphy.com/media/RdFJEE7bii7F6/giphy.gif