Ground Turkey substitute

Best substitute

Ground Chicken

Use the same amount as the ground turkey you are replacing

Best for tacos

Close match

Ground chicken is the closest swap at 1:1 with essentially no adjustment. Ground beef, especially 90/10, also works 1:1 and gives you a richer, browner result. Ground pork is the best choice for meatballs and dumplings because it holds moisture better. The thing to watch in every direction is fat: swap a lean grind for a fatty one and you will need to drain the pan, and go the other way and you must add fat or the food comes out dry.

Other ground turkey substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Ground Beef (90/10 or 85/15)
Different taste
Use the same amount
Standard lean-to-medium supermarket ground beef.
What changes
Best for
tacos, chili, meatloaf, burgers, bolognese, casseroles
Works in every dish where turkey was a health-driven choice rather than a flavour one, and it browns far better, which makes the whole dish taste deeper and more savoury. It also renders real fat, so drain the skillet before adding sauce or your chili will be greasy. Expect the finished dish to taste noticeably beefier and less able to carry delicate seasonings like lemon and herbs.
3Ground Pork
Different taste
Use the same amount
Ground pork shoulder, typically around 20 to 25 percent fat.
What changes
Best for
meatballs, dumpling and wonton filling, meatloaf, bolognese, burgers
The best substitute wherever texture matters most, because pork's higher fat keeps meatballs and meatloaf juicy in a way lean turkey struggles with. It tastes sweeter and richer and makes the dish heavier, and it renders enough fat that you should drain a skillet dish. For a middle path, use half pork and half turkey, which is how a lot of Italian meatball recipes are built anyway.
4Ground Lamb
Different taste
¾ lamb, ¼ something milder, or 1:1 if you like lamb
Ground lamb shoulder, fatty and strongly flavoured.
What changes
Best for
meatballs, kofta, Middle Eastern and Greek dishes, stuffed vegetables, chili
Excellent when the dish leans Mediterranean or Middle Eastern, where lamb is arguably the better ingredient. In an American taco or a mild meatloaf it will dominate: lamb is distinctly gamey and stays assertive through any amount of seasoning. It is also considerably fattier, so drain the pan and reduce any added oil.
5Cooked Brown or Green Lentils
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 cup cooked lentils for every 8 oz ground turkey
Firm-cooked lentils, drained, used as the bulk in place of meat.
What changes
Best for
tacos, chili, bolognese, sloppy joes, vegetarian versions
The meat-free option, and it works in saucy dishes far better than in meatballs. Cook the lentils just until tender and no further so they keep some bite, then brown them in oil with the spices. They have no fat and no meaty depth, so add a tablespoon of oil, a splash of soy sauce and some mushroom or tomato paste to build savour. Texture will be softer and slightly grainy rather than chewy.
6Crumbled Firm Tofu or Tempeh
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 lb tofu or tempeh for every 1 lb ground turkey
Pressed tofu crumbled by hand, or tempeh grated on a box grater.
What changes
Best for
tacos, chili, stir-fries, lettuce wraps, pasta sauces
Press tofu hard first and brown the crumbles properly before adding liquid, or it stays wet and squeaky. Tempeh holds its shape better and gives a firmer, nuttier chew that is closer to meat. Neither has any fat or savoury depth on its own, so cook them in a generous amount of oil with soy sauce and plenty of spice. Expect a lighter, less satisfying mouthfeel than ground meat.

What is Ground Turkey?

Ground Turkey is turkey meat run through a grinder, and the number on the label matters far more than the bird does: 93/7 is a blend of light and dark meat that browns and stays juicy, while 99% lean is pure breast with almost no fat in it and will go dry unless you add some.

Cooking tips

The number on the package is the whole story. Ground turkey labelled 99% lean is pure breast meat and will be dry and crumbly in anything but a wet sauce. The 93/7 blend contains dark meat and behaves much more like ground beef. If a recipe came out disappointingly dry, the grind is usually the culprit rather than the cooking.
Ground turkey does not brown on its own. It contains too much water and too little fat, so it steams grey in the pan. Get the skillet properly hot, add a tablespoon of oil, spread the meat in a single layer and leave it undisturbed for three or four minutes before breaking it up. That crust is most of the flavour.
Turkey and chicken are both bland compared with beef, so they need about 25 percent more seasoning than a beef recipe calls for, and they benefit enormously from something savoury: soy sauce, Worcestershire, tomato paste, anchovy or a little mushroom powder all work.
For meatballs, burgers or meatloaf made with lean turkey, add moisture back deliberately. A panade of a slice of bread soaked in a few tablespoons of milk per pound, or a couple of tablespoons of olive oil or grated onion, is what keeps them from turning into dry pucks.
Cook ground turkey and ground chicken to 165F. That is higher than the 160F for ground beef, and it is one reason poultry grinds so often come out dry, so pull them the moment they hit temperature rather than letting them sit in the pan.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use ground beef instead of ground turkey?

Yes, at 1:1 in essentially any recipe. The dish will taste richer and beefier and will brown better, which many people prefer. The practical differences are that you should drain the rendered fat before adding sauce, and that ground beef is safe at 160F rather than the 165F poultry needs.

Can I just leave the ground turkey out?

In a chili, a pasta sauce or a taco filling, yes, if you replace the bulk with something else such as beans, lentils or extra vegetables, and add a savoury element like soy sauce or tomato paste so it does not taste empty. In a meatball, burger or meatloaf you cannot simply omit it, because it is the structure of the food as well as the flavour.

Why does my ground turkey always come out dry?

Usually because it is the 99% lean breast grind, and secondarily because it was cooked past 165F. Switch to 93/7, which contains dark meat, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, and stop cooking the moment it reaches temperature. In meatballs and meatloaf, add a bread-and-milk panade, which holds moisture in the mixture as it cooks.

Is ground chicken or ground turkey better as a substitute for the other?

They are close to interchangeable and swap 1:1 in both directions. Ground turkey is slightly firmer and a little more strongly flavoured; ground chicken is milder and softer, so it makes more tender but more fragile meatballs. Compare fat percentages on the two packages rather than assuming the bird makes the difference, because that is what actually changes the result.

Do I need to change the cooking time when I substitute?

Very little for other ground meats, since they all cook in roughly the same few minutes in a skillet. What does change is the target temperature and the fat: fattier grinds like pork and lamb release liquid you may need to pour off, and lean poultry grinds finish faster than you expect and should be pulled promptly. For lentils or tofu, cook the substitute first, then add it where the recipe says to add the browned meat.

Related substitutes

More meat & protein substitutes

Ground Turkey substitute

Other ground turkey substitutes

2Ground Beef (90/10 or 85/15)

3Ground Pork

4Ground Lamb

5Cooked Brown or Green Lentils

6Crumbled Firm Tofu or Tempeh