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This Turkey Burger Recipe will be the juiciest and most delicious burger you ever did make. One secret ingredient takes these babies over the top! Simple to make on the grill or stovetop, flavorful, and obviously super moist. Serve with homemade French Fries, Kettle Chips, or a Macaroni Salad. Yum!
Turkey Burgers: Healthy and Delicious
Believe it or not, lots of you readers are looking for a good, juicy turkey burger recipe. Turkey is a great source of protein without the added calories of a traditional beef burger (find the recipe for beef burgers here). This is one of the many reasons why I love making delicious turkey burgers.
Not all turkey burger recipes are created equal, and this one reigns supreme. Even though they can be notoriously dry, I’ve come up with a solution that keeps burgers made with the best turkey burger recipe moist and juicy whether you’re grilling them on a BBQ or inside on a griddle.
Turkey Burgers Vs. Beef Burgers
In many ways, turkey and beef burgers are very similar. The main difference, as far as preparation goes, is the obvious one. Instead of beef, you use turkey meat (usually ground turkey breast or ground turkey thighs). Like most ground turkey recipes, the only real downside is that turkey can be quite dry. More on that in the next section.
Why are Turkey Burgers Dry?
Ground turkey is much lower in fat than ground beef, thus making a drier burger patty once it’s cooked. If you use a lean ground beef to make your burgers, you’ll get a similar dry result. It really all comes down to fat content. While ground turkey certainly cuts down on some calories, a lot of people don’t like turkey burgers because, when you cook turkey burgers, they become really dry. So, how can we make moist and juicy turkey burgers, you ask? Here’s my secret:
My Secret Ingredient: Butter
While I use lots of relatively basic ingredients to form my turkey burger patties (ground turkey, egg, poultry seasoning, milk, etc..), the secret really is filling each burger patty with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Yes, that’s right. Butter! It adds flavor and moisture that helps to keep the turkey burgers nice and moist. That’s what makes these the best turkey burgers by far.
Love turkey burgers? I’ve got lots of variations for you: Cheddar Ranch Turkey Burgers, Greek Turkey Burgers.
How to Make Turkey Burgers
Make Turkey Burger Patties
Into a large bowl, add lean ground turkey, milk, egg, salt and pepper, parsley, and poultry seasoning. Mix to create a uniform mixture, then divide into 4 equal portions.
The milk will help the patties stay tender and moist, the egg will hold the patties together and the salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning make this turkey burger recipe delicious!
Some people prefer mixing their own seasoning using things like garlic powder, smoked paprika, and onion powder. However. I like the flavor that poultry seasoning lends to the dish.
Form each portion into a turkey patty. Cut cold butter into 1/2 tablespoon slices and press into each turkey burger patty. Form the meat evenly around the butter. If you don’t think your patties are firm enough, throw them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
A Note About Ground Turkey
In my experience living coast to coast, I’ve come to realize the differences in quality and excess moisture across different brands of ground turkey. Some of it is moister, some of it is drier. In my photos, you’ll notice my formed burgers look perfectly normal because I used 99% fat free ground turkey. Typically the leaner the turkey, the ‘drier’ it is. So, for ease, use a leaner ground turkey. Adding milk to the patty and stuffing each patty with butter will help keep your turkey burgers moist and juicy.
If you make this recipe and notice you have wet turkey meat, try decreasing the milk OR add in a few plain bread crumbs to make it easier to work with. If the mixture for the turkey burgers is still a little too sticky, do your best to form the burgers and then give them a quick freeze, especially if you’re wanting to grill these outdoors. Turkey burgers are easier to cook on an indoor griddle when they are ‘sticky’.
Cooking Turkey Burgers: How to Grill Your Turkey Burgers
Preheat your desired cooking surface nonstick skillet, whether that’s a large cast iron skillet, an electric griddle, or an outdoor BBQ grill. Be sure to grease well or spray the patties with nonstick cooking spray, whichever is easier. An indoor grill that has a bottom and top plate to ‘squish’ the patties to cook is not recommended (I’m looking at you, George Foreman.)
Some recipes recommend using olive oil, coconut oil, or even canola oil for frying burgers. I don’t suggest doing that because it can alter the taste significantly. It also prevents the patties from making that slightly crunchy outer shell that we all know and love.
How Do You Know When Turkey Burgers Are Done? How Long Does it Take to Cook a Turkey Burger?
Cook turkey patties for about 4 minutes per side, until browned. Turkey Burgers are done when they have an internal temperature of 165°. Once they reach 165° F, pull them from the grill. Overcooking your burgers can cause a dry patty, so be sure to get them off the grill once that internal temperature is reached. Do not cut into your turkey burgers to see if they’re fully cooked. You will lose all the butter and end up with a drier burger. Trust your thermometer. Remove from the grill and rest about 10 minutes covered with foil to rest.
Can a Turkey Burger Be Pink in the Middle?
No. Any poultry of any kind needs to be fully cooked to 165° F to be safe to eat. While ground beef can be eaten rare, chicken and turkey needs to be cooked completely, all the way through. Invest in an instant read thermometer. This is the one I have that I would recommend.
Build Your Turkey Burger
Once your turkey burgers are done resting, you can gather some toppings and build the turkey burger of your dreams! Really, the sky is the limit. I prefer the usual lettuce, tomato pickle, but here are a few other options if you’re feeling creative.
What to Put on a Turkey Burger
- American cheese, sharp cheddar, colby jack or blue cheese. Yum!
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- thinly sliced red onions
- dill pickle chips
- sliced avocado
- sautéed mushrooms
- mayonnaise
- ketchup
- mustard
- BBQ sauce
- ranch dressing
- chick-fil-a sauce
- soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- relish
- bacon
- french fried onions
- a fried egg
How Many Calories Are in a Turkey Burger?
This Turkey Burger Recipe is 198 calories per burger patty with 8.2 grams of fat and 28.6 grams of protein. This doesn’t include the cheese, the bun or any toppings. The patty itself is very low carb and you can keep this low carb by serving on lettuce leaves instead of a burger bun and topping with just veggies, mustard and sugar free ketchup.
Freezing Turkey Patties
You can also freeze your turkey patties to keep them fresh for up to 3 months! Follow the directions up until you form the meat around the butter. After doing this freeze patties in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (about an hour). Once frozen, transfer patties to an airtight freezer-safe container, separated by pieces of parchment paper. To use, thaw in the fridge overnight then cook as desired.
What to Serve with Turkey Burgers
Like any other burger recipe, there are side dish staples to serve with it. I’ve picked out a few of my own recipes that you can make alongside this juicy and tasty recipe.
- Pommes Frites – This is a homemade french fries recipe. YUM! The perfect side to any burger recipe.
- Air Fryer French Fries – This is an easier recipe if you don’t have the time to make the recipe above but still want tasty fries.
- Simple Macaroni Salad – This is a super simple recipe that can be found at any BBQ event.
- Homemade Kettle Chips with Onion Dill Dip – Get that perfect crunch with these homemade chips!
- Grandma’s Potato Salad – a classic recipe made without hard boiled eggs.
- Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats – After you finish your meal, try these super tasty rice Krispie treats!
More Favorites from Lauren’s Latest
The Best Turkey Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground turkey 93/7 or 99% fat-free
- 1 large egg
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon cold milk
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- 4 slices American cheese
- any other burger toppings: pickles, lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, etc. as desired
- 4 soft sesame burger buns or whole wheat hamburger buns if you prefer
Instructions
- Place turkey into a large bowl with egg, salt, pepper, parsley, poultry seasoning and milk. Stir to combine. {Mixture may seem a little wet, but once it starts cooking, the egg will help hold it’s shape together.}
- Preheat indoor griddle to medium-medium high heat.
- Divide meat into 4 even patties. Cut butter into skinny half tablespoon pats. Press butter into the center of each patty forming the meat around it.
- Spray griddle pan with nonstick cooking spray and place each burger down onto the griddle. Cook about 4 minutes per side or until browned and completely cooked. Feel free to melt cheese on top of each burger. {Place cheese onto cooked side of the burger and cover with a large pot lid or foil for 1 minute to melt cheese.}
- Remove burgers and place onto buns. Top with any desired toppings and condiments and serve.
Mine fell apart in the skillet.
I cooked them on medium high for 4 minutes each side.
They were a mushy mess.
I followed the recipe exactly.
[…] GET THE RECIPE FOR JUICY TURKEY BURGERS […]
Delicious burgers. I’ll be making them again.
This was a lovely recipe! I did have a different spice blend that I had already planned on using but the juiciness and crust on this burger were spot on😋! I’ll absolutely be trying this again using the herbs recommended. Thanks for the tips keep them coming!
I have been making these burgers for years and we love them. I fix them in a non stick skillet. Lauren has many turkey recipes we like.
Add a bit of diced celery to the burger mix. Yum!
Not sure what I did wrong.. mine completely fell to pieces in the pan :/
These. Were. Awesome!!! Omg, so juicy and perfect for a burger night. My daughter destroyed hers, she loves turkey burgers but they always come out so dry when I’ve made them before that I stopped trying. Not this time! This recipe is an absolute winner.
Very moist and tasty. This is my new go to recipe for a juicy turkey burger!
I made these for my husband last night as an alternative to another recipe I found which included ingredients I’m now allergic to (garlic and onion). We loved them. They were one of the juiciest and most flavorful turkey burgers I’ve made to date. Glad I ran across this one in my search. Super hard to find recipes intended to omit garlic and onion.. Thank you!!
My favorite and easiest turkey burger ever. They freeze great, too (after cooking and cooling). Just thaw overnight in the fridge, then microwave for about a minute and it’s just as good as freshly made.
Honestly these are absolutely juicy, flavorful burgers compared to the dry turkey burgers I had been making for years
These turkey burgers are so moist and flavorful and easy and delicious…
I added a little bread crumbs to help keep them together, otherwise this recipe knocks it out of the ballpark. Well done.
i personally thought the butter was an unnecessary step. it just added more fat/calories and left a bunch of excess grease. it still wouldve been great without it.
This is the best turkey burger recipe I’ve made! Moist and flavourful. I added about 1tsp of salt. Thanks for the great recipe!
These burgers are very juicy and good. Turkey is usually dry in texture on it’s own and I don’t like adding breadcrumbs because it makes it too much like meatloaf, this makes perfect texture and taste
I make these all of the time!
I kick it up a notch even further by adding Italian Seasoning and pickled onions! Wow!
These burgers were AMAZING!! My family and I loved them. I didn’t add the butter, yet they weren’t dry at all. I kept my heat down to cook them. Thanks for sharing with us 😉
Best turkey burgers. Thank you Lauren.
I had a very runny mixture, even after following the recipes advice to not use all the milk, so I added bread crumbs to help me be able to form patties. I forgot to add the butter, and it was still juicy. I like that this recipe celebrates the turkey and doesn’t try to make this a hamburger. I topped it with provolone cheese and used Heinz 57-very good! May make it this way from now on, bread crumbs and all 🙂