Here’s a healthy, flavorful, lightened-up recipe for Chorizo, a spicy Mexican sausage using ground turkey, ground chicken or tofu! A delicious addition to breakfast bowls, tacos, scrambles & burritos! Can be made in 20 minutes. Vegan-adaptable, Low-carb, Keto and GF!
Mexican Chorizo (not to be confused with cured Spanish Chorizo) is a highly seasoned, smoky pork sausage, typically made with raw ground pork, sometimes in casings, sometimes not.
I’m going to be honest here- I love the flavor of chorizo, but pork doesn’t always agree with me- so here is a lightened-up recipe for chorizo that we use at home.
It can be made with tofu, ground turkey or ground chicken– and yes ground pork or beef, if so inclined.
What you’ll need:
This recipe for Mexican-style Chorizo can be made with either ground chicken or ground turkey or even tofu!
- Tofu, ground chicken or ground turkey
- Mexican Spices
- Salt
- olive oil
- vinegar
Traditional Seasonings in Chorizo
Chorizo has a smoky, spicy and earthy flavor.
- Cumin
- chili powder,
- coriander,
- garlic granulated or fresh
- smoked paprika
- chipotle
How to make Chorizo
Step one:
Place the ground turkey, ground chicken or tofu (blot it first, then crumble it with your fingers) in a bowl.
Add the salt and Mexican spices to it.
TIP: Add little vinegar- which gives it acidity and pumps up the flavor even more.
Step two
Mix well, just using your fingers.
Step three
Once it’s mixed, store it in the fridge, freeze it, or brown it in a oiled skillet and use it throughout the week.
Storing Chorizo
- Keep chorizo raw and the fridge and cook it as needed- it keeps for one week.
- Cook the chorizo ahead, then freeze or refrigerate and add as needed.
Ways to use Chorizo
You’ll find many ways to use Chorizo but here are a few ideas…
- Mexican Breakfast Burrito Bowls!
- Enchilada Casserole
- Healthy Delicious Breakfast Tacos!
- Skillet-Baked Huevos Rancheros
- 65 Best Breakfast Ideas!
- Nachos Supreme
- Farmers Market Veggie Quesadillas
This morning I made these Mexican Breakfast Bowls with the Turkey Chorizo…..so good!
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!
How to make Chorizo!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Brucha
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Here’s a healthy, lightened-up recipe for Mexican Chorizo, a smoky spicy and flavorful Mexican style sausage using ground turkey, ground chicken or tofu!. Can be made in 20 minutes. Vegan-adaptable, Low-carb and GF!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey, ground chicken 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 substute chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (white, red, or apple cider)
Instructions
- See notes for Tofu. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl (or directly into an oiled skillet).
- Mix well. Store in the fridge, or freeze until ready to use.
- To cook, simply brown it in a skillet with a little oil, breaking it up into smaller pieces, like you would ground beef. (Alternately, you could shape into breakfast patties,or burgers, and sear, finishing in the oven if necessary.)
- Use in breakfast bowls or tacos, burritos, enchiladas, pizza, quesadillas, nachos, etc.
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:
- Calories: 182
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 561.9 mg
- Fat: 9.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 22.9 g
- Cholesterol: 78.2 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