Slow Cooker Turkey Stew

Slow Cooker Turkey Stew has ground turkey, sweet potato, red bell pepper, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce and coconut milk! This popular recipe has been updated to be lower in carbs, and this is so delicious, with Thai-inspired flavors and lots of protein!

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This flavorful Slow Cooker Turkey Stew is a recipe that was adapted from a sweet and spicy pork stew I spotted in Real Simple Magazine years ago, and my version with ground turkey has had lots of fans through the years. But I wasn’t that happy with the photos for this, and when I decided to make it again I couldn’t resist updating the recipe a bit so it’s now quite low in carbs! (If anyone was a fan of the earlier recipe, you can still find it back in the archives.)

For the new lower-carb turkey stew recipe I replaced one of the sweet potatoes with a red bell pepper, which I thought was a win in the flavor department besides being lower in carbs. And I had already modified this recipe to use more turkey compared to the other ingredients, which also reduces the net carbs. The old photos showed the stew served over cauliflower rice, which would definitely be delicious. But this time we just ate it in a bowl, and both Kara and I loved the updated version!

The flavorful Slow Cooker Turkey Stew cooks on high in the slow cooker and it’s done in less than three hours. That makes it a good option to start after lunch on the weekend, and if you’re lucky you might even have some leftovers to eat during the week!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• ground turkey
• Olive Oil (affiliate link) or use Peanut Oil (affiliate link) if you prefer
• onion
• orange sweet potato
• large red bell pepper
• low-sodium soy sauce;  use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce if needed (affiliate link)
• canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
• Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), Classic Monkfruit or Golden Monkfruit 
• Chili Garlic Sauce (affiliate link)
• Minced Ginger (affiliate link)
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Unsweetened Coconut Milk (affiliate link)
• green onions

How low in carbs is the Slow Cooker Turkey Stew?

When it’s served in a bowl without cauliflower rice, this updated recipe for turkey stew has only 11.4 net carbs and 46 grams of protein!

What gives the Slow Cooker Turkey Stew Asian flavors?

Of course this is not an authentically Asian dish, but the stew has lots of Asian flavor notes from chili garlic sauce, ginger, garlic, and coconut milk, and sweet potatoes and red bell peppers are both used in Asian cuisine.

How Spicy is the Turkey Stew recipe?

If you use the 2 tablespoons of Chili Garlic Sauce the recipe calls for, this is definitely a bit spicy. If you’re not sure how spicy you want it, I recommend you use less of the spicy sauce and then taste the stew when it’s done and see if you want to add more. And if you cut down the spicy Chili Garlic Sauce, I think you could even get some kids to eat this.

Do you need fresh minced ginger and garlic for this recipe?

There are definitely some recipes where I feel that fresh ginger root and fresh garlic are a must. But for this turkey stew recipe I used Minced Ginger (affiliate link) and Minced Garlic (affiliate link) from a jar, and they both were great!

More turkey recipes with Asian flavors:

• Thai-Inspired Turkey Larb Salad
• Thai-Inspired Ground Turkey Stir Fry
• Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey

How to make Slow Cooker Turkey Stew:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Heat oil or in frying pan and cook the ground turkey until it’s nicely browned; this will take 7-8 minutes!
2. While turkey cooks, peel sweet potato and cut into 1 inch pieces. Remove seeds and stem area from red bell pepper and cut into 1 inch pieces.
3. Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray or oil and put turkey into the slow cooker when it is nicely browned.
4. Then add other tsp. of oil to pan and brown the onion. Add onion to the slow cooker with the turkey. (You just add chopped raw onion to the slow cooker if you’re rushed.)
5. Add sweet potatoes and red bell pepper pieces to the slow cooker.
6. Mix together soy sauce, chicken stock, Monkfruit sweetener, Chili Garlic Sauce, Minced Ginger, and Minced Garlic.
7. Pour the sauce over turkey and vegetables in the slow cooker and stir.
8. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours, or until sweet potatoes are quite soft.
9. While the stew is cooking, wash green onions if needed and cut into short slices.
10. When sweet potatoes are done add coconut milk, turn heat to low, and cook 30 minutes more.
11. Stir in the sliced green onions and serve the Slow Cooker Turkey Stew hot, over cauliflower rice if desired.
12. I like it with more sliced green onions to garnish!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This Slow Cooker Turkey Stew can definitely be a one-dish meal, just served in a bowl. But if you would like something more, here are some low-carb side dishes that would taste good with this:

• Asian Green Salad with Soy-Sesame Dressing
• Asian Cucumber Salad
• Spicy Szechuan Green Beans
• Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw
• Air Fryer Asian Green Beans

More Slow Cooker Dinners:

• Slow Cooker Beef Taco Bowls
• Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
• Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Turkey Stew

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

We loved this delicious Slow Cooker Turkey Stew with ground turkey, sweet potato, red bell pepper, coconut milk, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and a touch of spicy Chili Garlic Sauce for something a bit unusual to make in the slow cooker! And this cooks in less than three hours so it's perfect to start after lunch and serve for dinner that night.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. lean ground turkey
• 1 T olive oil (divided, see notes)
• 1 small onion, chopped in pieces about 1/2 inch
• 1 large orange sweet potato (see notes)
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if needed)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (use low-sodium if desired)
• 1/3 cup  plus 2 T Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
• 2 T Chili Garlic Sauce (see notes)
• 2 tsp. minced ginger (see notes)
• 2 tsp. minced garlic (see notes)
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup sliced green onions + more for garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil or peanut oil in frying pan and cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until it's nicely browned. This will take 7-8 minutes but don't rush it!
2. While the turkey is browning, peel the sweet potato and cut into 1 inch pieces. Remove seeds and stem area from the red bell pepper and cut into 1 inch pieces.
3. Spray slow cooker insert with non-stick spray or olive oil and when the ground turkey is nicely browned and all liquid has evaporated, put turkey into the slow cooker.
4. Then add the other tsp. of oil to the frying pan and brown the onion. Add it to the slow cooker with the turkey. (If this is just not happening at your house, you can get away with just adding the chopped raw onion to the slow cooker, but remember that browning always adds flavor!
5. Add chopped sweet potatoes and red bell pepper pieces to the slow cooker
6. Mix together the soy sauce, chicken stock, Monkfruit sweetener, Chili Garlic Sauce, Minced Ginger, and Minced Garlic
7. Pour the sauce over the turkey and vegetables in the slow cooker, and stir to combine.
8. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours, or a few minutes longer if needed, until the sweet potatoes are quite soft when you pierce one with a fork
9. While the stew is cooking wash green onions if needed and cut into short slices
10. When sweet potatoes are done add the can of coconut milk to the slow cooker, turn heat to low, and cook 30 minutes more
11. Stir in the sliced green onions and serve the Slow Cooker Turkey Stew hot, over cauliflower rice if desired
12. I like it with more sliced green onions to garnish!

Notes

To Make This Recipe with Leftover Turkey: Follow instructions above to cook sweet potato and red pepper in the slow cooker with the sauce, then add 3-4 cups diced leftover chopped turkey about 10-15 minutes before you add the coconut milk.

You can make this with peanut oil if you prefe540

Sweet potatoes are often called yams or sweet yams in U.S. grocery stores.

Two tablespoons of chili-garlic sauce was plenty spicy for me but use more if you prefer!

I love this recipe with Golden Monkfruit Sweetener, but regular Monkfruit sweetener will also be fine. We liked this with the extra two tablespoons of sweetener, but you might want to leave that out and add it at the end if you want the stew to be a bit sweeter.

I used minced ginger from a jar and minced garlic from a jar.

Recipe inspired by Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder from Real Simple Magazine.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 540Total Fat 34gSaturated Fat 17gUnsaturated Fat 14.1gCholesterol 158mgSodium 1091mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 4.6gSugar 6.3gProtein 46g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Kalyn Denny

Category: Slow Cooker

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Sweet potatoes do have some carbs, but this Slow Cooker Turkey Stew has a lot of ground turkey and red bell pepper and I’d consider it suitable for a low-carb eating plan (although maybe not for Keto). Sweet potatoes also make this recipe limited to phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet, and if you’re making this for South Beach, they would recommend lean ground turkey (with less than 10% fat) as well as light coconut milk.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stew Recipes or Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Slow Cooker Turkey Stew was first posted in 2011! The recipe has been updated a few times since then, and it was last updated with some changes to make it lower in carbs in 2025. (If you were a fan of the earlier recipe you can use that link to find it back in the archives.