Instant Pot Ground Turkey Quinoa Bowls is a healthy 30-minute pressure cooker one-pot meal. It’s made with quinoa, ground meat, and veggies coated in a delicious flavored sauce inspired by Chinese takeout but healthy! It’s a bowl loaded with beautiful colours, flavours, and textures. It’s easy to make, simple, hearty, and perfect for meal prep or having easy access to healthy leftovers!
Busy? Add one-pot meals like Instant Pot chicken and rice, Instant Pot chicken and potatoes and Instant Pot goulash to your healthy regular dinner rotation. Your entire family will love them!
Table of contents
- 30 Minute Instant Pot Ground Turkey Quinoa Bowl
- Why This Instant Pot Ground Turkey Recipe Works?
- Ingredients for One Pot Ground Turkey Instant Pot Meal
- How to Make Instant Pot Ground Turkey Quinoa Bowls
- Optional Add-In’s and Variations
- Serving Recommendations
- Making Quinoa Bowls in Advance
- More Instant Pot One Pot Meals
30 Minute Instant Pot Ground Turkey Quinoa Bowl
This Instant Pot turkey quinoa bowl is where healthy and hearty meets comfort food. It’s healthy because it’s made with lean ground turkey, onion, garlic, vegetables, homemade taco seasoning, and of course, quinoa which is a superfood in itself. It’s comfort food because it’s a cozy bowl of delicious, well-thought-out flavors and balanced textures in every bite. The finishing touch of the Asian-inspired sauce will remind you of your favorite Chinese takeout, only better!
This Instant Pot ground turkey recipe is made in one pot which is super easy and it’s an effortless meal thanks to the pressure cooker. The Instant Pot is amazing!
Turkey and quinoa bowls are pretty flexible. Despite its name, you can use a different type of meat like ground beef or chicken. Switch up the veggies if you like, or play around with the flavors of the sauce. Like it less sweet and more heat? Go for it. Your family will LOVE this wholesome, complete meal no matter what because it’s just that good.
I like to make a big pot on any weeknight for after work, school, and my kids’ 101 activities. I love that I have leftovers for a healthy lunch idea the next day and even when I’m working from home, it’s much easier to eat healthily and make better choices when there’s something I can grab in a pinch.
If you are new to pressure cooking, check out my Instant Pot guide. Thinking of buying one? See which one you should buy.
Why This Instant Pot Ground Turkey Recipe Works?
- It’s yummy! Whether it’s the turkey and veggies, the seasonings, or the finishing sauce, it all comes together in one delicious bite. My kids love it, actually my whole family does, and yours will too.
- One-pot meals are always convenient. For clean up and efficiency. It’s hands-free once the turkey is cooked.
- Makes great leftovers for a healthy lunch or dinner the next day. Having something ready to eat means you’re less likely to make unhealthy choices when you’re in a rush.
- It’s cost-effective. All of the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen, and if not, there’s nothing outrageous you need to pick up from the store. Simple ingredients but loads of flavor.
- It’s customizable. No rule states you can’t use alternative ingredients to make it exactly as you want it. Adjust the seasoning, switch up the sauce or use a different meat. It’s up to you!
- It’s healthy! Loaded with amino acids, fibre, and antioxidants, quinoa is a powerhouse of nutrients. And it’s gluten-free!
Ingredients for One Pot Ground Turkey Instant Pot Meal
- Ground meat: You will need ground turkey, chicken, or beef, with poultry being the leaner choice. I have made it using ground beef and the results were still amazing.
- Quinoa: You need dry, uncooked, and not rinsed quinoa. You can rinse it, but most pre-packaged quinoa does come pre-rinsed. Plus, it is so hard to remove small quinoa seeds from a mesh strainer. If you know, you know!
- Seasoning: Then simple seasonings like taco seasoning, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Sauce: Water, soy sauce, maple syrup, and honey.
- Veggies: Green onion, white onion, garlic, bell pepper, frozen green peas and corn.
Can I Use Frozen Turkey?
Forgot to defrost the ground turkey? No problem.
Learn how to cook frozen ground turkey (or beef) in Instant Pot. It will come in handy for more than just this recipe. Believe me, we’ve all been there! Here are the quick directions:
- Place the trivet and 1 cup water in the pressure cooker.
- Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release.
- Proceed with the Instant Pot ground turkey quinoa bowls recipe.
How to Make Instant Pot Ground Turkey Quinoa Bowls
- Cook ground turkey until small pieces form.
- Deglaze the pot with water and spices.
- Add uncooked quinoa and stir.
- Add some veggies and cook on low pressure for 12 minutes.
- Quick Release.
- Add frozen peas and corn and let sit for 5 minutes.
Optional Add-In’s and Variations
- Use ground beef or ground chicken instead of the turkey.
- Replace the veggies with carrots, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and zucchini. Or use a combination of each of them.
- To completely change the flavor profile, omit the soy sauce, maple syrup, and vinegar. Keep the taco seasoning and add black beans to the corn and throw in some diced tomatoes for a Tex Mex version of this quinoa bowl. It’s versatile!
Tips for Best Results
- My top tip with any Instant Pot recipe is to always follow the directions as listed. These recipes are tested over and over again and are written in detail for the perfect results.
- Break the pieces of ground turkey as you cook them. You want to get them small enough so that you’re not eating clumps of turkey with your quinoa but also so that each small morsel gets enough seasoning and flavor.
- Remember to deglaze the pot as best as you can to avoid the burn notice.
- Do not season the turkey! Add the seasoning with the water and sauce combination after the turkey has cooked.
- When it says DO NOT STIR, take note of that. This is also to avoid the burn notice as there are certain ingredients that will absorb moisture much faster than others. Layering helps with that.
Will I Get a Burn Message?
If you get that dreaded Burn message with this pressure cooker recipe, it’s due to 1 of 2 reasons, possibly both:
- You added dry spices to ground turkey meat and sauteed them together until they started sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- You did not deglaze the pot well. Deglazing means scraping off those bottom bits of turkey that get stuck (so much flavor) and if they continue to be stuck, they will be left there to burn.
Truth time. The first scenario happened to me while I was busy photographing the recipe. Therefore, I learned how important it is to add the spices together with the water.
Otherwise, you should not get the Burn message, so don’t worry!
What To Do If I Do Get A Burn Message?
Let’s say you did get it. First, don’t panic, this Instant Pot ground turkey recipe is super easy to fix without doing much. Because quinoa is such a quick-cooking seed, we cook it on low pressure to allow it to soak up the liquid.
If you get a burn notice:
- Check to see if the pressure pin is up. It means the Instant Pot has come to pressure.
- If the pressure pin is down, press hard on the lid handle to make it pop up
- Or wait a few more minutes even if “Burn” is flashing for pressure to build up more and then press on the lid.
- Once the pressure pin is up, press Cancel and let the pot sit undisturbed for 12 minutes.
- Then do a Quick Release.
Quinoa and pre-browned turkey will finish cooking this way. Trust me.:)
FAQs
It’s probably only a few grains that were undercooked, not the entire batch. What you can do is cook a few minutes longer next time. For this time, you can cover and allow the heat to continue cooking the quinoa for a little longer. That should fix it.
That sounds yum! Add them in with the quinoa. I would not add more than 2 cups, however, and don’t forget to add a splash more water because they will absorb some steam. This is to make sure you avoid the burn notice.
Make sure ground turkey is fully cooked and then cook the quinoa on High for 1 min, followed by a natural release.
Bell peppers release a lot of liquid in the IP. You could reduce the water by 1/4 cup and see how it goes. Or skip the bell pepper altogether or add it at the end for a fresh crispy crunchy addition.
You can and it would be the same cook time. You can easily double this recipe, but tripling it might take some finessing. If you use 3 lbs of meat you’re still only going to be able to double the remaining ingredients. In this case, you may need to add a little more seasoning to make sure all of that meat gets the flavor. Tripling all of the ingredients may cause you to go over the 2/3 max line in the Instant Pot and you don’t want to do that.
Serving Recommendations
As much as I love quinoa, it is my least favorite food to photograph. It is one of those cases when you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
This recipe is a one-pot meal. So you do not need anything to go with it (although if pressed to have a side, Asian or peanut slaw would be great!). I added chopped tomatoes for a pop of colour. You could sprinkle some sesame seeds on top to give the bowls a little more Asian inspiration.
Enjoy!
Making Quinoa Bowls in Advance
Store: Do a little meal prep and portion everything out into individual airtight bags or containers. It makes an easy grab-n-go lunch and a super easy way to reheat leftovers for dinner. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Once completely cooled, transfer turkey quinoa bowls to the freezer for up to 3 months. These are great to make ahead and keep frozen, or to share with friends, family, and neighbours who could use a healthy, home-cooked, freezer-friendly meal.
Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stove top. You may need a splash of water to avoid burning.
More Instant Pot One Pot Meals
- Instant Pot spaghetti
- Instant Pot meatloaf and mashed potatoes
- Instant Pot lasagna
- Instant Pot beef stew
- Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage
- Browse all healthy Instant Pot recipes.
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Instant Pot Ground Turkey Quinoa Bowls {30 Minutes!}
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey chicken or beef
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp taco seasoning low sodium
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa uncooked
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves grated (1 tbsp garlic powder)
- 1 bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 2 cups green peas frozen
- 2 cups corn frozen
- 1/4 cup green onion finely chopped
Instructions
- On Instant Pot, press Saute and wait until display says Hot. Takes 3-5 mins. Swirl oil to coat and add ground turkey. Cook until no longer pink or for about 5 minutes, constantly breaking into small pieces and stirring.
- Add taco seasoning, oregano, salt, pepper and water. Stir to deglaze the bottom of the pot to avoid Burn.
- Press Cancel, add quinoa and stir.
- Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, soy sauce and maple syrup. Do not stir. Close the lid and move pressure valve to Sealing, and press Pressure Cook on Low for 12 minutes.
- Release pressure using Quick Release method – turn pressure valve to Venting.
- Add peas and corn, stir, close the lid and let quinoa and turkey dinner sit for 5 minutes. You can also thaw veggies before adding if you like very-very hot meal. Some readers have reported that. 🙂
- Add green onion, stir and serve warm.
Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Notes
- You added dry spices to ground turkey meat and sauteed them together until they started sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- You did not deglaze the pot well.
- Check if pressure pin is up – means Instant Pot has come to pressure.
- If pressure pin is down, press hard on the handle on the lid to make it pop up
- Or wait a few more minutes even if Burn is flashing for pressure to build up more and then press on the lid.
- Once pressure pin is up, press Cancel and let pot sit undisturbed for 12 minutes.
- After do Quick Release.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes anywhere including social media, print and all world wide web. Nutritional info is provided for informational purposes only and to the best knowledge.
Made this recipe again tonight – we love it. If I wanted to double the turkey, would I need to add more liquid? I’m still semi new with the instant pot. Thank you! 🙂
Cooking time will be the same, liquid will be the same. It may take a tiny bit longer to come to pressure. And all that being said, we have not tested it with doubling the meat – so I might start with just a 1/2 lb more of the meat and test how it goes. So glad you loved the recipe!
I’ve had this recipe saved for quite some time because it was quick and easy and intriguing, but I thought it was odd to put taco seasoning in something that was claiming to be more of an Asian-inspired recipe, but HOLY CRAP! It’s exactly what it says it is, and is sooo good!! I’m sorry I ever doubted it without just making it – my husband and I LOVE it! Thank you so much! 😊
I absolutely love this recipe! So easy.. made it, froze in small containers, delicious and very filling!
Thanks again for another awesome recipe! 😊
Barbara (from the sunny Okanagan)
You are very welcome!
Made this again tonight as it is a hit in my family and it is quick! I decided to add some zucchini to get more veggies in. I sliced thick and put in with the peppers but the zucchini came out a bit mushy. Think I will try to slice a little thinner and put in when I put in the frozen veggies. Would rather have a little under than over cooked.
Just finished making this recipe, absolutely delicious! Have passed it on to others! Such an easy recipe, I did add a bit more taco seasoning.. Love your recipes!
Thanks! 🙂
Awe, you are so welcome! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes, Barbara.
Hi! The quinoa was left undercooked after 12 min. How can I adjust it for next time? I have an 8 qt Instapot Thanks!
Cook a few minutes longer. I bet only certain grains were undercooked not all. That should fix it.
I made this for dinner tonight and whole family loved it (my kids are 4 and 2)! I’ve been trying to get more into quinoa with very limited success. This is definitely my favorite way to eat it so far. I added the tomatoes on top like you did in the pictures, and they actually went together really well and definitely helped with the overall color appeal!
Yay! So happy that this recipe is kid approved, Anna!
If we wanted to add sweet potato (chopped into small cubes about 1cm squared), when would we add those to the recipe? They traditionally have a longer cooking time than peppers, etc so I was wondering how we would change the recipe to include them? I am new to the instant pot and look forward to trying your recipes! Thank you!
You add them with quinoa. I would not add more than 2 cups and add a splash more water because they will absorb some steam and make sure to avoid Burn. Good luck!
I just made this and wow it is amazing!!!! I did a double batch and now I have some to freeze. I topped with avacado and some hot sauce, I highly recommend!!
Thanks for sharing Amber! Don’t you love when you make enough for a meal and have some to freeze!
I’m going to make this because it sounds delicious and I’m always looking for quick tasty meals for dinner. I’m new & have the Evo plus 8 qt and have made a few meals in the last 2-3 weeks. I did have the dreaded C8 when I cooked my first meal, spaghetti with meat and sauce in IP. I had found this method for C8 message while researching which pot to purchase. It has happened a few times, while scraping off meat and/or onions from bottom, with some water in pot, C8 came up. I turned off pot, turned inner pot 180 degrees, turned it back on and started meal from where I left off. No problem it started right up and everything was perfect. Bottom of pot had nothing on it from the sauting, I was able to scrape it off with wooden spoon. I love this way of cooking. Looking forward to trying your recipes.
Hi Kathy! I hope you enjoy my recipes! Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think of the turkey quinoa bowls!
My Instant pot Lux only cooks at high pressure, could you tell me how many minutes to cook the quinoa on HP?
Thanks so much !
Yes, it does. Make sure ground turkey is fully cooked and cook on High for 1 min with natural release after.
I really enjoy this dish, but it consistently comes out a bit watery. My guess is to reduce the amount of water added, but do you have guess what is going on and how much to reduce the added water by?
Hmm. Bell pepper releases a lot of liquid in IP. I would reduce water by 1/4 cup and see how it goes. Or skip bell pepper or add it at the end fresh for crunch. Hope this helps!
A big hit, even with my son who isn’t a big fan of quinoa. Perfect meal to make on a very hot, humid day– an instant pot benefit. Subbed tri-color quinoa because it’s what I had, used 2 tsp of southwest seasoning and only 1 tbl of maple syrup. We like things a bit spicy.
Hi Bethany! Thanks for sharing your positive feedback!
Rather than doing frozen veggies I added fresh yellow squash, zucchini & broccoli. Make sure you add fresh veggies in with the 12 minutes of low pressure cooking. I also added a little extra water and felt like everything was moist and the quinoa was properly cooked. I recommend adding a little extra taco seasoning too. Thank you for such a delicious recipe! It is so filling and satisfying!
Wonderful!
Just made this using unsalted broth that I had left over. I used half of the recommended sodium based ingredients, due to high sodium concerns. Still absolutely delicious, thank you so much Olena!
You’re welcome Valerie!
hello! how would you alter the recipe if I were to use 3 lbs of ground turkey? just double all the ingredients and pressure cook time or is there something else I need to do differently?
Same cook time. 3 lbs of turkey would be triple the recipe. You can double all ingredients only. If triple the meat only you might need extra spices for it.
A no guilt pot of comfort. Meal prep went quickly as my husband sautéed the turkey, I chopped the onion and pepper. My daughter went to the freezers to gather the frozen items. We substituted with broccoli for the peas and I cut the broccoli into small pieces. I only used a 1/4 tsp salt. And my husband went to the garden and sliced one garden onion which yielded far more than a cup. It was all great. I portioned The left overs Into lunch servings. I felt that it was nourishing and a nice family meal.
That’s so nice to hear Cindy!
I really enjoyed this recipe, lots of tasty veggies. I chose to defrost the veggies. I am a real meat eater, so next time I’m going to try to pounds of ground turkey instead of one.
We love it. All the family, even our baby and toddler eat it without problem 🙂
That’s the best when the whole family loves the food you cook! Win!
If I happen to have 2 lb of turkey can you adjust the recipe or cook time?
Yes. No changes needed for cook time. I would just add extra 1 tsp oregano and taco seasoning each to it.
Thank you!
So no more liquid is needed for 2lbs of turkey? My husband likes to taste the protein in a dish, and the turkey gets a bit lost, so was wondering how to do double the turkey and whether we’d need to double the liquid too? (I hope my comment doesn’t seem like criticism, because we LOOOOVE this recipe!). Thank you! 🙂
So glad to hear that you love the recipe! The liquid ratio pertains to the grain amount – since this recipe has not been tested with 2 lbs. turkey, I would start with adding an extra 1/2 lb (no additional liquid), see how that turns out and go from there. Let us know here how it goes!
I forgot to rate it.
Holy smokes, that was great! So delicious. The taste of comfort food but healthy. I added jalapenos and topped each portion with shredded cheddar cheese. I left out the peas and used canned corn.
I will definitely be cooking this again
Thank you for the positive feedback Laura-Jill!
Thanks so much for this recipe. its been my go-to lunch for the last couple months. I make a pot on the weekend, divvy it up and I got a healthy, filling and tasty lunch for the week. When I heat it up at the office, everyone says it smells so good.
I like getting more veggies in, so I reduce the corn and peas and load up on mushrooms, broccoli, carrots in addition to the peppers and onions. The broccoli breaks down in the IP, so you don’t really notice it. The only fail was trying celery, as it stinks under pressure. It didn’t affect the taste though. I also like sprinkling a bit of shredded Parmesan on it to serve. It balances with the maple syrup sweetness…and as a fellow Canadian, I like that it’s a natural sweetener rather than dumping sugar in!
Hi Pete! What a great way to prepare lunch for the entire work week! Glad you are enjoying the recipe!
this was our first try of quinoa and we all really enjoyed it. we may try with chicken or beef next time. we also added sour cream and hot sauce at the table for individual portions
I’m so happy to read this! Thanks for your positive feedback, John! Oh, sour cream and hot sauce are great ideas!
Taco seasoning lost its flavor – disappeared.
Well, please feel to add more or it’s time to buy new taco seasoning. 🙂
Would love to make this but my family is picky and I’m the only one who likes quinoa. Can I make it with rice and if so how would I do that?
Yes, you can. Same ratio just cook on High pressure for 22 mins with Natural release.
It says its 6 servings – how much is a serving? 1 cup? 1.5 cups? Thanks for including the nutrition facts 🙂
Probably around 1.5 cups.
We loved it! Thank you ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Us! 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful review!
I followed the instructions using low pressure and the quinoa hadn’t cooked. Not sure why, maybe next time I try this I will keep the pressure cooking on high. The recipe interests me!
Hm… Was it just a few quinoa seeds that didn’t cook? Most of it should be cooked. If so, try 15 mins on Low. High pressure will make quinoa very mushy but you can try if you don’t mind.
Hi Again, I used the tricolour quinoa, it was the generic brand from my grocery store. (The package said it should simmer for 15-20 minutes, if that means anything.) After adding the corn on top It seemed to me that the white quinoa grains remained crunchy and unopened. So then I programmed the instant pot to pressure cook it some more. And then I got the burn message, the bottom of the pot was burnt. I salvaged what I could, the quinoa was cooked this time! I served myself a bit, it’s a bit salty, but doesn’t taste burnt. I like it with white balsamic vinegar to balance out the flavour. What an Instant Pot adventure to remember!!
OK, I think the issue is tri-colour mixed quinoa. Once you mix white quinoa with other longer cooking and more hearty quinoa seeds, it needs longer cooking. Like beans on their own cook faster than in chili from dried, for example. try just white quinoa.
You got burn because once you opened the lid, steam escaped and there was not enough moisture in the pot. With IP cooking, you can’t re-close the lid and cook longer doesn’t work well. Next time you will have a better experience. 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement!
Throw in a little cayenne and diced jalapenos and this dish is $$$.
We had this great meal last night. My only problem was that it was lukewarm when it came to serving it after adding 4 cups of frozen vegetables. Do you find that as well? Any suggestions? I followed your instructions exactly.
I have tried many of your recipes Olena and we have enjoyed every one. Thanks so much for all you do to provide us with really delicious instant pot meals.
A blessed New Years to you and your family.
Replied below. 🙂 xxx
I used canned peas and corn and it came out hot!
We really enjoyed this meal, but found that adding 4 cups of frozen vegetables at the end left the meal barely warm when I served it. I did exactly as you said and let it sit for 5 minutes with the lid on. Do you find this to happen? Any suggestions?
I am so impressed with every meal of yours that I’ve tried. Thanks so much Olena. And a blessed new year to you and your family.
Hi Jane. You can run frozen veggies in a colander under warm water and let drain and then add. Or let sit longer than 5 minutes. Or press Saute and cook for a few minutes until desired T. Glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂 Happy New Year to you too!
Would this recipe need to be altered to use a 3 Quart InstantPot?
Yes. Cut ingredients in half and same cooking time.
Instead of frozen peas and carrots, I’d like to use fresh cut zucchini and squash. How would I make this change?
Just add them at the end, stir, close the lid and let sit for 5 mins. Great idea!
Wondering what to do if I have an instant pot with only the high pressure setting . Thanks
Cook on High for 1 min with natural release after.
Olena, what if i dont like soy sauce? What do you suggest?
Tks,
Just skip it and add a pinch more salt. Soy sauce adds saltiness wit umami flavour a bit. But totally delish without it too.
I made this tonight with a few ‘tweaks’. I didn’t have oregano so I used a little basil. I didn’t add any corn, but I added a whole, chopped jalepeno. I also had sriracha, green salsa and avocado available for garnish. I used the sriracha and avocado. My husband used salsa and avocado. We both loved it. So delicious, healthy and easy. We had no issues with burning. I’ll be making this again 🙂
Perfecto! It is so customizable. Happy you did it and liked it!
These ground turkey quinoa bowls were amazing!!!
Thanks always for great recipes. Is there any way to cook all at once (vs. cook meat first)?
Welcome and no. Meat will burn. Tried that.:)