The Best Baked Homemade Turkey Jerky is easy, delicious and costs just a fraction to make versus store bought. Plus, it comes without the laundry list of ingredients.
For us, jerky is the ultimate snack food. It's savory, satisfying, and perhaps the most portable, high protein snack around. The downside? Store-bought jerky is CRAZY expensive and often loaded with not so wonderful ingredients. We decided something needed to be done about this so we set out to create our own delicious solution: The Best Baked Homemade Turkey Jerky. Tender, chewy, flavorful, and so good, you may never buy the bagged stuff again. Even better? This homemade version is SO incredibly easy to make and costs just a fraction of the price for about 4 times the value. That, my friends, is what we call a win-win.
Recipe Notes
Patience Makes Perfect. The only hard part of this recipe (it's really hard to find anything we don't love) is that is does require some patience. We recommend a minimum marinating time of 12 hours or more to ensure your jerky comes out super flavorful.
Pick Your Protein. We absolutely love the flavor and texture from turkey breast tenderloin, but it's not the only option out there! Top Round, Bottom Round, Flank Steak, and even Sirloin Steak are all great options for a traditional beef jerky.
Your Marinade Mix. Over the years, we've developed several versions of this marinade, and they've all turned out amazing. We've found that always including a primary base of soy sauce or similar (No-Soy Sauce Sauce, Tamari, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or Coconut Aminos) is important for the best flavor absorption and retention. Have fun mixing and matching different herbs and spices to make it all your own! Garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, honey, sriracha, and jalapeño powder are a few other add-ins we have loved!
Storage. jerky makes the perfect, portable, anytime snack! For optimum freshness, we recommend storing in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and pulling out just before enjoying or heading out on your outdoor adventures.
Best Baked Homemade Turkey Jerky
Ingredients
- 1 lb turkey breast tenderloin
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce can sub with coconut or Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 1 ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes, or more, to taste can sub with sriracha or similar chili sauce
Instructions
- Place turkey breast in the freezer 1-2 hours prior to slicing. This will help firm it up and make it easier to slice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients. Taste and adjust per preference.
- Once chilled, remove turkey and slice into ⅛″ strips. Add turkey to marinade and toss well. Place in the fridge overnight, or for at least 12 hours, and mix occassionally to ensure an even coating of marinade.
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil and place an oven-safe cooling rack on top of each pan.
- Remove turkey pieces from marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip off, and place pieces onto cooling racks, careful to avoid overlap.
- Bake for at least 3 hours (ensuring turkey is cooked through), flipping once, or until turkey has reached desired consistency. For a chewier, more classic jerky texture, you may choose to go closer to 4-4 ½ hours. Store in an airtight container, fridge recommended.
Have you tried this with ground turkey? I was wondering if the marinade would work mixed in with the ground meat?
Went to the grocery store and was thinking about getting some ingredients that would help propose a healhy snack. After following up on the website for something new to try i fell in love with making this! its so delicious. Any other day i would just go and buy the pre-packaged version. But now that i know how to make it on my own its just been so much better.
Thanks for sharing this! I was wondering have you tried cooking it at 300 F (vs 175 F), wasn't sure what the benefit is from using the lower Temp! Does it affect the tenderness of it?
Thank you!
Hi Mary, thanks for the comment! While we haven't tested at 300F we would think the tenderness would be impacted for sure. The low and slow cooking helps slowly draw water out vs quick cooking the meat.
Can this be stored for emergency you say 25 years
Hi Sharon, this jerky has no preservatives is best consumed within 7-10 days.
Does this only last 3-5 days? I couldn’t tell from the recipe. Thanks.
Hi Diane, the jerky should last up to 2 weeks in the fridge. We find we eat it all long before then though ? We hope you enjoy!
I'm going to conveniently leave this window up so my wife sees this recipe and makes it!
Haha we like your style! We hope it works out in your favor!
So easy to make! After marinating, it's pretty much set it and forget it. Will be making again for sure!
Hi Kait, thank you so much for the great feedback! We're so glad you enjoyed it!
This jerky....WOW!!! It is absolutely DELICIOUS!! It was more tender than store bought, delicious flavors, and just the right balance of sweet/spice! This will be a regular at our house!!
Hi Laura, we are so happy to hear the jerky was such a hit! Thank you for trying the recipe!