This homemade chorizo recipe can be made with your choice of ground meat ( chicken, pork, turkey, or beef) seasoned with authentic Mexican chorizo spices.
Make flavorful homemade chorizo in a matter of minutes! Lighten it up by using ground chicken or ground turkey, without sacrificing flavor! You can even make this vegan with tofu!
Want to know the secret to the best homemade chorizo? After years of making chorizo in our catering business- the secret is all in the spices!
We’ve spent years creating the perfect blend of spices to take your chorizo to the next level! Just read all our reviews.
Why You’ll Love this Chorizo Recipe
- Loaded with flavor! Seasoned with a robust combination of Mexican spices.
- Versatile! Use with ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork or even tofu!
- So many uses. Add to breakfast bowls, tacos, burritos, scrambles, or nachos!
- Quick & easy! It comes together in just 15 minutes, and you can skip that trip to the store!
Chorizo Ingredients
- Protein: Use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork or crumbled extra firm tofu. Choose what you prefer! Perfect for families with different dietary preferences.
- Mexican spices: Chili powder (like ancho chili powder), smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, dried Mexican oregano (optional), granulated garlic (or 2 finely minced garlic cloves), and chipotle powder (or cayenne or red pepper flakes). For smoky, spicy, earthy, bold flavor.
- Vinegar: Use white, red, or apple cider vinegar for a touch of acidity that pumps up the flavor even more.
- Salt: I generally use 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat for the best flavor. Feel free to use less. Because chorizo is generally added to other things to enhance flavor, I like mine a little on the salty side. You may need more salt if using tofu. Adjust to your own tastes!
How to make Homemade Chorizo
Step 1: Place the ground meat and spices in a medium bowl. If using tofu, see recipe notes!
Step 2: Mix using a fork or a clean hand. Store in the fridge (or freeze) until ready to use.
Step 3: Cook. Brown the homemade chorizo in an oiled skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.
Step 4: Serve. Add a spoonful to breakfast bowls, eggs, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, pizza, quesadillas, or nachos!
Chorizo Recipe Variations
Feel free to shape the ground chorizo into breakfast patties, searing in the skillet until cooked through. Chorizo meatballs are also delicious!
Serving Suggestions
You’ll find a hundred ways to serve chorizo, but here are a few of our favorites!
- We love chorizo in our Mexican Breakfast Bowls and Burrito Bowls
- It’s delicious in Breakfast Burritos
- Try it in our Enchilada Casserole
- Or in our Nachos
- Add to Veggie Quesadillas
For an appetizer, sprinkle cooked turkey chorizo over a queso recipe, like our Vegan Queso with tortilla chips.
Storage
Make a large batch of chorizo to use throughout the week! You can keep the chorizo raw in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, using as needed. Alternatively, cook the chorizo in advance, then freeze or refrigerate as needed. Cooked chorizo lasts 1 week and will keep in the freezer for 2 months.
Chorizo Recipe FAQs
This recipe offers a leaner, healthier take on traditional chorizo by using ground turkey, chicken, or tofu instead of ground sausage, and enhancing the flavor with bold Mexican spices without added fats or any artificial ingredients.
Mexican chorizo is a spicy sausage made from raw meat and flavored with chili peppers, whereas Spanish chorizo is typically cured or smoked and made with paprika.
I know you’ll find so many uses for this healthy, easy Chorizo Recipe, so make sure to share what you create in the comments below!
More Breakfast Ideas to Love!
- Tuscan Farmers Breakfast
- Moroccan Eggs with Harissa Yogurt
- Creamy Polenta with Eggs, Chorizo and Cilantro
- Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs, Arugula and Zaatar
Chorizo Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Bruch,
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
This homemade chorizo recipe can be made with your choice of ground meat ( chicken, pork, turkey, or beef) seasoned with authentic Mexican chorizo spices. Vegan-adaptable!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or extra firm Tofu.
- 3/4 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic ( or 2 cloves finely minced garlic)
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (or cayenne) or substitute chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (white, red, or apple cider)
Instructions
- See notes for Tofu.
- Place all chorizo ingredients in a medium bowl, including the vinegar.
- Mix well using a fork, then knead with a damp, clean hand. Store in the fridge or freeze until ready to use.
- To cook, heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chorizo, breaking it up into smaller pieces, with a metal spatula, browning and turning. Lower heat and continue cooking and browning until cooked all the way through (no pink).
- Taste and adjust salt and heat level to your liking.
Notes
Tofu: Blot the tofu on all sides, pressing gently. Crumble the tofu, using your fingers into the bowl Mix with the spices- and pan sear with oil until cripsy and flavorful. Taste for salt- tofu generally needs a little extra salt.
Salt: I generally use 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat for the best flavor. Feel free to use less. Because chorizo is generally added to other things to enhance flavor, I like mine a little on the salty side. Adjust to your own tastes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces (using ground chicken)
- Calories: 174
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 563.3 mg
- Fat: 9.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 20.2 g
- Cholesterol: 96.3 mg
Used this chorizo recipe to make biscuits and gravy with. Deliciousness!
If omit the cayenne next time for a little less kick first thing in the morning.
Thanks, Noor- yes, feel free to adjust heat level to your liking.
what are ‘sub chili flakes’?
Hi Dave, it means substitute chili flakes if you don’t have ground chipotle. 😉
Best healthy chorizo EVER! Thank you for sharing/creating.
Thanks so much!
Thank you for the recipe Julia. Can these spices be used in the same quantities to make a Mexican spice mix?
Yes, totally!
Thank you so much for this recipe Sylvia! This makes so many Mexican recipes very accessible since I don’t eat pork.
I would love if you’d make a Healthy Italian sausage version. I want to try a couple of recipes with Italian sausage with my own ground meat.
I don’t live in the States so I don’t have access to Italian sausage made from chicken or Turkey.
Thanks Naouar, that is a great idea! Will keep that in mind!
This is wonderful, and my picky family loves it. Our local natural grocer stopped carrying their housemade chicken chorizo, and this has been a perfect substitute. Thanks!
Great to hear!
Love this recipe! I did use Pork mince though as that’s what I had. Made this into a loaf shape and cooked in the oven! Sliced like kebab meat once cooked and served in pitta breads with a yoghurt and mint dip! Delicious and free on SlimmingWorld xx
Love this recipe! I did however double the recipe and added 1/2 cup water to give it a bit more moisture.
Excellent with lean ground turkey. Love the spice ratio and amount. Next time I will double it as I’m sure the browned meat will freeze well.
Yes, it would!
I used this recipe and it came out awesome. I actually doubled the ingredients excluding the doubling amount of salt.
Awesome! Glad you liked this. 🙌
This is a absolutely amazing recipe!!! I don’t eat sausage anymore and this was a treasure to find! Thank you!
Yay! Glad you liked it! 🙌
Thanks again for another delicious recipe. I made the chorizo with ground chicken and we ate it for breakfast huevos rancheros style. It was so yummy and easy to make! Now I can make my own healthier version of chorizo thanks to you!!!
Yay Diane- glad you tried this one out! There is also a Walnut Chorizo which is vegan, just put it in the search bar.
Always enjoy all your recipes that I make.
This one is especially a family favourite.
Great to hear, thanks nancy!
Thanks for a healthy, homemade alternative to standard chorizo!
Glad you enjoyed!
Fabulous recipe! I can’t believe I just made this and it was so good! I am an amateur at cooking. I buy a lot more pre-packaged stuff but this one is going in my little recipe box!! I love it.
Thanks so much glad it worked well for you!
This was awesome! Delicious, easy, and without the guilt of feeling I’ve just clogged my arteries with grease😉…. Thank you for the recipe;)!
I added Portobella mushrooms and onions for a little variety and stuffed some street tacos and sprinkled with Cremoso… deliciousness!
Thank you for this. I have Alpha Gal (mammalian meat allergy) and miss chorizo terribly! Trader Joe’s Soyrizo is okay but this is much better!
I think perhaps those people who found it too salty probably used table salt, which would be saltier than kosher salt. The photo looks like kosher salt.
It’s a keeper. Both my husband and my preteen son loved it.
I did not have all of the spices (chili, chipotle powder) and I used 1/2 tsp each of cumin and coriander. And I will use little less salt next time. Very tasty.
Thanks, glad you like it!
Love this recipe and I use it SO often!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was SO easy and SO yummy! It was a tad too salty for us, so next time we will definitely reduce the salt. But it was such a great recipe! It will definitely be a part of our dinner rotation now. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks Daphne, appreciate the comment and rating!
Delicious! My fiancé loved it. He is Mexican and knows good chorizo!
Hi Sylvie,
I also adore chorizo! I detect the taste of cinnamon in three chorizo we buy at a Mexican market. Does this flavor come from another seasoning, like cumin? 🙂
Thanks for your Information a very much Healthier version without all of the grease.Thanks again
Thanks!!
Can’t wait to try this. I have a chili recipe that calls for chorizo and I usually use Diestal Turkey Chorizo but can’t find it so i’m excited to use this instead! Homemade is always better anyway!
Let me know what you think Julie!
Hi Sylvie, the recipe sounds great but you have forgotten to include the chorizo in the list of ingredients for the Easy Turkey Chorizo 🙂
Hi Keri, When you combine the ingredients, it turns into chorizo. 🙂
That makes more sense now – I am from the UK, where we use Spanish chorizo a lot as an ingredient. Do you have that too? It’s a cured and seasoned sausage that is chopped up and added to paella etc. or sliced and fried and served on its own as an appetizer. I have never heard of a meal called chorizo before! Thanks for explaining – every day is a school day!
Oh ok Keri I understand now! Yes, this is a recipe for Mexican Style chorizo (which you can buy here raw, and its usually made with pork). Spanish style, the kind you are talking about is totally different…. I understand the confusion!!! LOL!
Kerri this isnt a meal this is how to make non-fermented fresh chorizo with turkey not pork. Look at your ingeredients of your store-bought maybe you will like to make your own with healthier ingredients like poultry, not pork and not fermeneted but with out additives.
Then just freeze raw then cook or cook then store in fridge or freezer to use in your recipes.
* Healthier IMHO, I believe properly raised poultry is healthier than pork using the bible as my authority