This slow cooker turkey curry combines Indian flavours with lean turkey and plenty of vegetables for an easy and healthy dish that the whole family will love!
My slow cooker is my saviour when it comes to midweek meals. In the morning I can quickly prepare my ingredients and then leave my slow cooker cooking away all day while I work.
If you are even shorter on time, you can even throw the ingredients into the pot at lunchtime and use the high setting and your dish will still be ready for dinnertime.
Turkey
Turkey is cheap and low in fat so it is a good protein to choose to base your evening meal on when you need a budget-friendly and healthy dish.
I use fresh diced turkey breast in this slow cooker turkey curry recipe, you could also swap it for diced turkey thigh if you prefer.
Turkey breast, as a low-fat option, will make this turkey curry suitable for plans like Slimming World and WW.
Turkey thigh is the dark meat so would offer more flavour but this needs to be balanced with a higher fat content, if that is a concern for you. Both taste delicious!
Ingredients
Use this for your shopping list. Get the quantities in the recipe card at the end of the post below.
- diced turkey – I use fresh diced turkey breast but you can also use fresh diced turkey thigh.
- vegetables of your choice – I use red pepper, courgette (zucchini) and spinach
- for the curry base:
- onion
- garlic
- ginger puree or fresh ginger
- chopped tomatoes
- tomato puree
- spices for the curry:
- garam masala
- turmeric
- cumin seeds
- ground coriander
- paprika
- chilli powder
- salt
- fresh coriander leaves – to garnish.
Step by step
- Place the diced onion, crushed garlic, ginger puree (or grated ginger), chopped cherry tomatoes in the slow cooker pot.
- Add all the spices (1 teaspoon each of garam masala, turmeric, cumin seeds, ground coriander, paprika, chilli powder, salt) and two tablespoons of tomato puree, and mix.
- Add the sliced red pepper, chopped courgette and diced turkey breast and stir well so the vegetables and turkey breast are coated in the curry paste you have made following the steps above.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
- Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, add the two more tablespoons of tomato puree and half the fresh chopped coriander. Stir, then add 50 g of fresh spinach.
- Cook for a further fifteen minutes then serve garnished with the rest of the chopped fresh coriander.
Recipe variations
- Vary the vegetables based on what you have to hand, mushrooms, baby corn, mange tout, carrot, and so on will all work well.
- Add a sliced red chilli if you like your curry hotter!
- Stir in some single cream before serving for a creamier turkey curry.
How to thicken a slow cooker curry
If your crockpot curry turns out runny (it shouldn’t if you use this recipe but there are so many variables in the ingredients) then you could thicken the sauce by:
- turning to high with the lid off for the last hour
- stirring through some ground almonds and/or tomato puree
- using a cornflour paste
Check out my guide to using a slow cooker successfully for loads of slow cooker tips for thickening sauces and getting the best out of your slow cooker.
FAQ
Using your leftover turkey from Christmas (or Thanksgiving) in a turkey curry is a great way to enjoy your leftovers and give them new life. However it is not recommended to use leftover cold cooked turkey in the slow cooker. This is because slow cookers should not be used for reheating meat that has already been cooked.
When it comes to reheating food you need to make sure you heat it to piping hot as quickly as possible. Slow cookers by their nature have a long slow cooking time so should not be used to reheat ready cooked food, including leftover meat in a curry sauce. You should therefore use fresh turkey for this recipe.
But you can alternatively make this same recipe in a pan on the hob/stovetop instead, using leftover turkey. See hob method below.
Yes. In a large saucepan or frying pan, heat a little oil and cook the onion until translucent (3-5 minutes), then add the garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes more, then add the spices and tomato puree and cook for one minute. Finally add the vegetables and your leftover turkey, stir to coat with the spices, then add 250-350 ml (1 to 1 and a half cups) of boiling water and bring to the boil them simmer on a high heat until completely heated through and piping hot.
If you like this
… you might also like
- slow cooker chicken pasanda
- slow cooker lamb curry
- slow cooker beef curry
- slow cooker chicken saag curry
- slow cooker turkey chilli from Recipes from a Pantry
Recipe
Slow Cooker Turkey Curry
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp ginger puree or small piece of fresh ginger, grated
- 8 cherry tomatoes (or 2 tomatoes), chopped
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder I use mild
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1 courgette chopped
- 600 g diced turkey breast
- 50 g fresh spinach
- 10 g fresh coriander chopped
Equipment
Video
Instructions
- Place the diced onion, crushed garlic, ginger puree (or grated ginger), chopped cherry tomatoes in the slow cooker pot.
- Add all the spices (1 teaspoon each of garam masala, turmeric, cumin seeds, ground coriander, paprika, chilli powder, salt) and two tablespoons of tomato puree, and mix.
- Add the sliced red pepper, chopped courgette and diced turkey breast and stir well so the vegetables and turkey breast are coated in the curry paste you have made following the steps above.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6 hours.
- Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, add the two more tablespoons of tomato puree and half the fresh chopped coriander. Stir, then add 50 g of fresh spinach.
- Cook for a further fifteen minutes then serve garnished with the rest of the chopped fresh coriander.
Notes
When it comes to reheating food you need to make sure you heat it to piping hot as quickly as possible. Slow cookers by their nature have a long slow cooking time so should not be used to reheat ready cooked food, including leftover meat in a curry sauce. You should therefore use fresh turkey for this recipe.
But you can alternatively make this same recipe in a pan on the hob/stovetop instead, using leftover turkey. See hob method below. Can I make this curry in a pan on the hob? Yes. In a large saucepan or frying pan, heat a little oil and cook the onion until translucent (3-5 minutes), then add the garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes more, then add the spices and tomato puree and cook for one minute. Finally add the vegetables and your leftover turkey, stir to coat with the spices, then add 250-500 ml (1-2 cups) of boiling water and bring to the boil them simmer on a high heat until completely heated through and piping hot. Recipe variations
- Vary the vegetables based on what you have to hand, mushrooms, baby corn, mange tout, carrot, and so on will all work well.
- Add a sliced red chilli if you like your curry hotter!
- Stir in some single cream before serving for a creamier turkey curry.
- turning to high with the lid off for the last hour
- stirring through some ground almonds and/or tomato puree
- using a cornflour paste
Just checking that no water should be added to this recipe, is that correct? I have added some uncooked but soaked chickpeas. Would you recommend adding water in this case Or will then other ingredients generate enough moisture??
No you don’t need to add any more liquid, plenty will be produced as it cooks. I am not sure if the chickpeas will soak up more liquid if they have already been soaked. If it looks dry during cooking you could add a small amount of liquid but I would err on the side of caution to avoid a runny sauce.