Ground Turkey Green Bean Stir-Fry (20-Min Dinner!)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Jan 17, 2017 (last updated Mar 17, 2026) 
My ground turkey and green beans stir-fry comes together in 20-minutes in one pan! With a quick sauce made of pantry staples (no specialty ingredients here!), you’ll have a healthy dinner packed with flavor your whole family will love.
5 star review
“Perfect weeknight meal. Quick, easy and flavorful. Definitely making again.”
– Erin
Make This 20-minute Ground Turkey and Green Bean Recipe for Dinner Tonight!
Ok, I think we’re all in agreement that on busy weeks quick-and-easy one-pan dinners are a LIFESAVER! So having some satisfying, reliable 3-minute meals in my back-pocket is a must as far as I’m concerned! On that note, I often reach for ground turkey to help me get an effortless dinner done and on the table fast.
I love how versatile ground turkey is and how it works with almost any spices & flavors. Seriously…you can use it to make everything from my reader favorite ground turkey & rice casserole to my one-pan turkey & zucchini skillet.
For this stir-fry, I’m pairing everyday ground turkey with delicious Asian-inspired flavors like garlic, ginger, lime juice and fresh green beans for a pop of green color & texture. And trust me when I say you’ve gotta try this honey garlic-ginger sauce! To me, it’s the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and tangy flavors and (bonus points) it’s super simple to throw together.
Meal Prep Tip: The sauce can be made ahead to save time during busy weeknights! Keep it in a lidded container like a glass mason jar and it’ll be ready for you to use whenever you need it!
Testing Notes from My Kitchen to Yours
- Ground turkey: I used 93% lean ground turkey, you can use an even leaner ground turkey if you like but it will be drier, less tender and less flavorful. Ground chicken also works great in this recipe in place of ground turkey.
- Green beans: I used fresh green beans and trimmed the ends for this recipe. I did test it with frozen green beans and those worked great too. Just add them straight from frozen and you’re good to go.
- Tamari: Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce, but you can also use regular soy sauce in its place if you tolerate gluten. For a soy-free dish, you can use coconut aminos in place of tamari.
- Honey: I found that the light sweetness from the honey provides a nice balance to the salty, savory flavors in this dish. You could also use another liquid sweetener like agave or coconut nectar in its place.
- Arrowroot: Also called arrowroot starch or arrowroot powder, you can usually find this in your local natural foods store (look in the baking aisle or gluten-free section) or online. It’s a great pantry staple to keep on hand that’ll help you thicken sauces, soups and stews naturally. If you don’t have or can’t find arrowroot starch, cornstarch works great to make this recipe too!
Ground Turkey + Green Bean Stir-Fry (20-Minute Dinner!)
Ingredients
For the Skillet
- 2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil, such as avocado or canola, divided
- 1 ½ pounds 93% lean dark meat ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
For the Sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or finely grated
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup reduced-sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the Turkey: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or pan. Add the turkey, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and cook on medium-high until browned and cooked through, flipping once or twice, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the turkey and set aside, leaving any browned bits in the pan.
- Cook the Green Beans: To the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, the green beans and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook on medium high, flipping once or twice, until the green beans are browned and slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
- Make the Sauce: While the turkey and green beans are cooking, make the sauce by combining and whisking together the garlic, ginger, honey, stock, vinegar, and tamari until well combined.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the water until smooth. Add this cornstarch slurry to the tamari sauce, whisking to combine.
- Combine Everything: Add the turkey back to the pan with the green beans. Pour in the sauce, turn the heat to medium, and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes. If you want a thinner sauce, add a splash more chicken stock.
- Serve warm sprinkled with sesame seeds, cilantro, green onion and hot sauce if you like, atop rice if that's your thing.
Notes
- Optional Serving Suggestions: steamed rice, toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, chopped green onion, and chili crisp or hot sauce.
This sounds simple and good! I noticed that the photo looks like turkey chunks, however, instead of the ground turkey the recipe calls for. Have you made it both ways?
Judy, I did use ground turkey in this recipe (and photo). If you prefer a chunkier texture, don’t break the meat apart up too much when cooking. Hope you enjoy this one! 🙂
I made this last night. It was a hit with both my husband and my preschooler, so it’ll go into the regular rotation. I think next time, I’ll sautê some mushrooms to go with it as well.
Chandra, so happy you enjoyed this one and that it was a hit with your crew. Love the idea of adding mushrooms next time!
I threw in a couple slices shiitakis with the green beans and served over steamed rice with toasted sesame seeds. Delish! Will surely make again.
Lovely, Laurel! So glad you enjoyed!
Would love to have the calories
Made the recipe with honey garlic instead of Tamari
Thanks
Love this recipe! I’m going to make it again and I have some canned green beans that I’m trying to use up. Would canned beans work with this recipe?
Katie, yay, so happy you enjoyed this one! I think you can add the canned green beans, but I would add them at the very end to warm up since they are already cooked. They won’t be quite as crisp, but it should still taste good. I hope you enjoy!
Perfect weeknight meal. Quick, easy and flavorful. Definitely making again.
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Erin. Thanks so much for leaving a review!