Turkey Burger Recipe
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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. I love making turkey burgers because they are much lower in saturated fat than a traditional beef burger but still taste great. 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 the burgers moist and juicy whether you’re grilling them on a BBQ or inside on a griddle.
Why are Turkey Burgers Dry?
Like I mentioned above, ground turkey is much lower in fat than ground beef, thus making a drier burger patty once its 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 they are so dry. So, how can we make a moist and juicy turkey burger 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 without adding too much extra fat or additional calories.
Love turkey burgers? I’ve got lots of variations for you: Cheddar Ranch Turkey Burgers, Girls Night Turkey Burgers, Southwest Turkey Burgers, Greek Turkey Burgers.
How to Make Turkey Burgers
Make Turkey Burger Patties
Into a large bowl, add in lean ground turkey, milk, egg, salt, 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! The parsley is purely for looks.
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’.
Grill Your Turkey Burgers
Preheat your desired cooking surface nonstick skillet, cast iron or electric griddle or 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 are not recommended (I’m looking at you George Foreman.)
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 degrees. Once they reach 165 degrees 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 degrees 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
- 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!
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, onion, etc as desired
- 4 soft sesame burger buns
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.
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[…] Turkey Burgers […]
Love these burgers! I’ve made these at least 5 times, but the ads are awful on this page! One of the videos never loads and gets stuck over 2/3 of the page. I’d love to use some of your other recipes, but these ads are seriously crazy. So sorry, but I’m not sure I’ll return.
Amazing recipe. I didn’t have poultry seasoning so I used oregano, thyme, and some paprika. Had them in a burger with thousand island, sauteed onions and mushrooms, and provolone cheese. I’ve made these twice and they come out perfect every time.
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So good, that even an incompetent cook like me can do it!!!
[…] Turkey Burgers […]
These turned out great! I skipped the butter and they were still moist and delicious. My whole family loved them. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
OMG!!!! The are freaking AMAZING!!!!! We will, most definitely, be making these again & again!!!
Do you know if these would turn out okay on the little George Foreman closed griddle?
I cook mine on the George Foreman and it works great!
This looks amazing. Do you think I can put the patties in a cast iron skillet and cook in the oven? I don’t have a griddle or George Foreman grill. Thank you.
Best turkey burger I’ve tried so far! Made this for my husband who had never had a turkey burger, I hesitated for a long time because he never seemed interested in a “turkey burger”. I have cooked turkey burgers countless times before and just assumed all turkey burgers were dry. My husband LOVED IT! it was definitely not dry. Hubby asked that we make this regularly! So happy I found this recipe!
[…] Recipe: laurenslatest.com […]
These were amazing. Tried grilling, and they broke up a little bit, but in a pan (as directed in the video), they are perfect.
Can you make the burgers up and freeze for a later date to cook
Absolutely!
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Best Turkey Burger Ever! Made this tonight delicious…
My daughter loved these so much! She said they tasted so good, she thought it tasted like “regular meat, best Berger ever” … So thank you for the recipe. I’m always looking at different recipes to make ground chicken or turkey more rich in flavor, this was great! The butter inside was the key!
This is best damb turkey burget in the world. Yum yum yummy in my hungry hungry tummy.
Awesome, Awesome. Spot on! Thanks for a great recipe. My husband suffers from Gout and has had to forgo beef. You saved us:>)!
This is a delicious burger! Never thought I’d get my husband to eat a turkey burger but he loves these and it is so moist and well seasoned. Thanks for turning us on to turkey!
This recipe is a staple at our house! Just made them over the weekend.
Ok… I though this butter in the middle of the burger idea was crazy. Boy was I pleasantly surprised when I tried it and the burger was extremely juicy! Just what I asked for in my recipe search. Fed it to my family and nothing was left on their plates. Bravo!
I have made these twice now, Holy Moly!!! We LOVE them!!! I live with 4 big red meat eaters, and they ASK for these!!! Thank you so much, it’s always fun to try new things 🙂 (I was out of parsley and used about 1/2 of the amount of Italian seasoning mix-was good also!)
When first placing Patty in the pan should it be butter UP or DOWN. ??. Thanks!
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[…] #83. Juicy Turkey Burger | Image Credit & Recipe – laurenslatest.com […]
Honestly, even restaurants don’t make their turkey burgers this juicy; most of them are quite dry. LOVED this recipe even my picky boyfriend loved it!!! Thanks for the tips
Hi! Can I use 85% lean ground turkey instead of the 90%? 🙂
Prepared this today for my husband and step-daughter and had them rate it from 1-3, 3 being the highest. It got a 3 from all of us. This is big because my husband never liked turkey burgers before. Nice flavor. Thanks.
My only regret with these was not doubling the recipe. My whole family was wishing for seconds and checked to see if we had more. Never thought to use butter like that but well worth the extra calories! Thanks!!!
By far, the most incredible turkey burger ever!!!! My husband, a beef lover, prefers these over hamburg now. We’re not big fans of poultry seasoning, so I omit that and use seasoning salt n’ pepper. We like sliders, and it’s nothing for hubby to devour at least 4 of them! Every bite gets a “yum” out of him, as he uses several napkins to wipe the juice from his hands! Milk, butter, griddle…great secrets! Good enough to serve company without worrying about “dry” burgers! Thanx.
WOW! Best turkey burgers I’ve ever had. So flavorful and juicy.
I used turkey ground beef too tonight.. my husband is passed out in his man cave with an empty plate next to him.. he ate 2 of them.. We absolutely love it this way
Amazing turkey burgers!!
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Okay, I’m an experienced cook and Turkey burgers are generally pretty dry and tough. What caught my eye was adding the milk in the mix and adding the butter in the center of the burger. Most receipes for Turkey burgers add bread crumbs of some sort. I have to tell you these were very moist and juicy. I added my own seasonings. But bottom line very juicy. The key here was the milk and butter. Turkey burgers need the added fat. Loved this receipe. Thanks for the tip.
I skipped the milk (didn’t have any) still the best turkey burger I’ve ever had, excellent recipe. Thank you!!
I made these last night and was a little skeptical that they would really be juicy. They were! We liked them very much. Thanks for a great recipe!
Delicious!! Instead of a bun I used lettuce for a lower sodium and low carb option. Such a great and easy recipe!
I tried your recipe for the turkey burgers because I really didn’t know what to cook for dinner and I took out ground turkey and OMG freaking G these burgers are the bomb the bomb.com and I also put American and provolone cheese on it with some grilled onion all I have to say is wow and please make more recipes thank you.
Omg I tried these burger and they turned out delicious. Me and my husband had to get off pork and red meat because of high blood pressure. I never really like turkey burger til I tried your receipe. Thanks so much. We have them at least one a week.
[…] The Juiciest Turkey Burgers […]
These look amazing, definitely need to try them!
I love me a good Turkey burger and this looks like perfection. Can’t wait to try it!
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I ‘m on Weight Watchers and was looking for new receipes. This was my 1st time cooking and trying a turkey burger. It was delicious. (And 0 points)!! For lunch tomorrow I plan to add bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes on top. Love it!
I made these turkey burgers for dinner tonight. There are 2 of us so I halved the recipe. Delicious, tender and juicy. I actually cooked them in a cast iron frying pan. MY husband loved them and wants me to make them again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Do you recommend 93% or can I use 99% lean ground turkey?
You miiiight be able to get away with 99%, just make sure you grease your pan or grill really well.
How will these do on he actual grill? Can’t wait to try these! Thanks!