Juicy and flavorful Turkey Burgers with 5 simple ingredients. Sumptuously moist, smack-your-lips and the best turkey burger recipe on the web!
Serve traditionally on a whole grain bun with corn on the cob or “naked” over a lettuce salad. Yum!
Turkey Burger Recipe
I just gave the classic burger an epic makeover. What’s better about my turkey burgers?
Forget about all those unnecessary fillers like egg, breadcrumbs and exotic sauces. Only 5 simple ingredients are all you need for a sumptuously moist, smack-your-lips turkey burger!
Now you can sink your teeth into the real taste of turkey.
5 Ingredients You Will Need
For the best turkey burger recipe you’ll find anywhere:
- Ground turkey
- Grated zucchini
- 1 garlic clove
- Cumin
- Salt and pepper
I tried to make turkey burgers with oil instead of zucchini and it came out dry. So, zucchini is key. And just simple seasonings. I believe you don’t need Worcestershire sauce here.
How to Make Turkey Burgers
It’s extra fast and easy!
- Combine turkey and zucchini – Simply add ground turkey to a medium-size bowl and add grated zucchini. Yes! That’s my “secret ingredient”. It keeps the patties moist, flavourful, and zucchini is a superfood, loaded with nutritional benefits.
- Add flavor – Add one chopped garlic clove, cumin, salt and pepper. That’s it! Mix well. Shape into patties.
- Pan fry – Brown patties on both sides in a hot pan – about 8 to 10 mins.
- Grill – Not only grilled burgers look more appetizing, but darker grill marks also give more flavour to the meat.
- If grilling, freeze burgers for 10 minutes prior. Helps to hold their shape.
- Make sure the temperature of your barbecue reaches 285 degrees F before placing your patties on the grill, so they won’t stick.
- Grill about 8 minutes for well done.
Dinner’s ready!
Tips for Best Turkey Burgers
- To grate zucchini use medium size grater holes. Not the large ones and not the ones that makes a complete mush. This way burgers are right amount juicy.
- Shape patties a bit wider than the bun since they shrink during cooking.
- If grilling freeze burgers for 10 minutes prior.
- Don’t use a panini press grill as it presses all the juices out of burgers. Indoor one sided grill or grill skillet is fine.
- Flip burgers only once during cooking.
- Prepare all the toppings and buns before cooking the burgers.
How to Make Ahead and Freeze Patties
Yes, you can make burgers ahead of time and get dinner on the table even faster.
- Fridge – These patties keep well overnight in the fridge.
- Freezer – Make a big batch and freeze them for days when you’re extra rushed or when unexpected company comes calling. Arrange patties on a parchment-covered baking pan, freeze, then place in storage containers.
Healthy Toppings Ideas
Turkey with all the trimmings – let everyone build their own burger.
- Fresh greens like Boston or bibb lettuce.
- Thickly sliced large size tomatoes.
- Fresh red onion rings.
- Dill pickle slices.
- Dijon or regular mustard.
- Your favorite cheese.
- Hot sauce and ketchup.
Theme ideas:
- Go Hawaiian with pineapple rings.
- Go Italian with tomato sauce, grilled peppers and Parmesan cheese.
- Go Mexican with guacamole and salsa.
- Go Greek with tzatziki and feta cheese.
It’s a party on your plate!
Side Dishes that Go Well with Burgers
- Mexican street corn salad
- Healthy broccoli salad
- Mexican kale salad
- Healthy potato salad
- Cauliflower potato salad
Is Turkey More Healthy Than Beef?
What makes a turkey burger healthy? Um, are you sure you are ready for this mind blowing info?
Beef vs. turkey.
- Calories: 500 vs. 87.
- Fat: 32 vs. 2 grams.
- Protein: 18 vs. 27 grams.
- Turkey is packed with high protein to help build strong, healthy muscles. It gives you a boost with energizing iron and builds up your body with immune-strengthening zinc.
- Turkey is bursting with vitamin B12 to keep your nervous system – your body’s electrical wiring – working well.
More Healthy Burger Recipes
Hope these healthy turkey burgers will become your new favorite and you enjoyed the video. And don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for weekly cooking videos!
Juicy Turkey Burgers {5 Ingredients}
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini about 1 medium
- 1 large garlic clove grated
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl, add ground turkey, zucchini, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix well.
- Form 6 large turkey burger patties about a size of a medium hand. Flatten them as burgers "jump up" while cooking. Use wet hands to help with stickiness issue. I usually form patties as I am waiting for skillet to get hot and as I go.
- Stovetop: Preheat medium ceramic non-stick skillet on low-medium heat. It's important to cook turkey burgers low and slow so they get cooked through and do not fall apart (they won't). Add about 1.5 tbsp of oil to the skillet and swirl around. Place 3 patties in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes per side, flipping once. Repeat with remaining oil and burgers.
- Grill: If grilling, freeze burgers for 10 minutes prior. Helps to hold their shape. Preheat grill on medium and spray with cooking spray. Spray turkey patties on both sides with cooking spray, place on a grill and cook for 6-8 minutes flipping once. Grills vary, so check your burger for doneness by inserting a food thermometer into the center of the patty. You are looking for 165 degrees = done.
- Serve hot and right away is the best. Burgers are the most juicy this way. Serve traditional way on a whole grain or thin multigrain bun with all the fixins. Or serve "naked" with mashed avocado (guacamole) and store-bought salsa. Or on a bed of greens. Sky is the limit.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Freeze: Lay patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, freeze completely and then transfer to a large Ziploc bag. Cook from frozen following recipe's instructions + 5 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes anywhere including social media, print and all world wide web. Nutritional info is provided for informational purposes only and to the best knowledge.
so good! I used yellow squash instead of zucchini and they came out great
Awesome!
Thank you for sharing! I didn’t have zucchini so cut up some yellow bell pepper, half , and boy did it hit the spot! With toasted buns! Thanks again👍
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Yuri!
Can I make a meatloaf with this recipe
I think so. Here is a meatloaf recipe you can use, Carolyn, turkey meatloaf.
I love these turkey burgers. They are so moist and the cumin gives them great flavor. The fact that you can get a decent sized burger out of 2 oz. of turkey is amazing.
Thanks for sharing such a great review!
I have tried many turkey burger recipes but this is by far the best in flavor, moistness, and simplicity.
I am so happy to hear this Elle!
Fantastic!
I plan on making these, but I do have one question. Is oil used at oil. I plan on using griddle pan. also, when using a griddle, should I also freeze for ten minutes to them to hold their shape?
Yes, especially for griddle pan is important to freeze and flip carefully. I am not sure I understand the Q about oil. 🙂 You can use any oil you use for frying. Have to use oil. Hope I covered it haha.
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be a go-to recipe for weekday meals.
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe, Crystal.
This burger was AMAZING! I’ve tried other turkey burgers and they don’t even come close to this. My husband eats alot of red meat and I’m trying to find alternatives this was perfect!!
This makes me so happy to hear. Thanks for sharing Melissa.
AWESOME!!! I made these a couple weeks ago, the best thing I have eaten in a long time. My husband refused to try them (stubborn Irishman. Lol). My coworkers absolutely loved the leftovers though. Well, after hearing me talk about these constantly hubby finally gave in. I made these again today. Yeah, he is now a HUGE fan. So juicy and flavorful. Just ate them as we do regular burgers. As he has hemochromatosis this is now out go to when we want a burger. Yay.
Thanks for sharing Tammy. I am so glad that this recipe is a hit for you and your husband.
WOW!! The best turkey burger I’ve ever had or made!! I would have NEVER thought to add zucchini to keep it juicy!! So much flavor and sooo good!! Thanks so much for sharing! This is something I will definitely make over and over again!
Hey Kayla! Thanks so much for sharing your positive feedback.
Wonderful! I didn’t have zucchini so I just grated up half an onion and three huge mushrooms!
Put a piece of cheese, tomato, avocado & romaine on there too!
Wish I could send you a photo it’s so beautiful
Thanks for sharing Sandra!
Wow! These were the best turkey burgers I have ever made/tried. I have never written a review on a recipe before but this one deserved it, hands down a fabulous healthy recipe. I used romaine lettuce for my bun and a slice of avocado on top; Perfection. I can’t wait to try another one of your recipes 🙂 Thank you for such an easy recipe to follow
Thank you for taking the time to write such a wonderful review Christine. I really appreciate the feedback 🙂
I made these stovetop and topped with the guac & salsa ( like the pic)……was SO yummy! Definitely a Winner! Thank you?
Do you know how many ounces the burgers end up being when you have this for 6 burgers?
1 lb equals 16 oz.
These are the best hamburguers I had in years! My niece followed your instructions and the burgers were delicious, I couldn’t believe she used turkey, which I hate. Thank you, Maso
Wow, I am so glad that these burgers were the best you have had! I appreciate that you took the time to let me know that 🙂
Hi ,
Just wondering if you have cook books?
Some chicken (only breast) fish and veggies. Hate to cook trying to love it lol
Thank you
Marianna
No cookbooks yet. Just recipes here on the website you are welcome to browse by ingredient. 🙂
I don’t have zucchini, I have cucumbers.
Could I use that instead??
Sorry I have never tried it with cucumbers.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. The burgers were very tasty and delicious.
Hi Sylvia. I am so glad you think so 🙂
can you bake these patties and if so what temperature and for how long.
I would try for 12-15 mins per side at 400.
These turned out fantastic and so easy since I’m a busy mom! I made them for lunch for my husband, and he loved them so much he said that was what he wanted for dinner as well! Ha ha. I also love how healthy it is and that there are hidden vegetables, since both my child and husband aren’t big veggie eaters. Thank you for the great recipe! It will be a staple in the house.
Hi Gina! Thanks for sharing that this recipe was a hit with your family!
Omg… I hate turkey burgers. At least I always did. These are fantastic. I have to admit, I forgot to get garlic at the store (used garlic powder instead) and they didn’t have cumin (just left it out) when I put it in the pan I had heated a little olive oil, then topped with a little extra pepper, salt and just to add a little flavor (only because I didn’t have the other flavorings) I did sprinkle a little garlic and onion powder. This just may be my new favorite thing. WOW!
Fantastic! Made my day hearing that you now love turkey burgers 🙂
These tasted amazing! Super juicy and full of flavor! Loved them. One question though, is the nutritional information correct? When I uploaded the recipe to my My Fitness Pal app, it gave me a calorie count of 151 per patty? Just want to make sure I’m calculating correctly to stay on my target 🙂
Hi Emily!
Yes, the nutritional info is correct. Not sure why the discrepancy with my fitness pal? Were you counting the toppings as well? The 85 calories is just for the turkey patty.
Another great recipe! Juicy, tasty, delicious. I love your recipes.
Awe, you are so welcome! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes, Linda.
This was so delicious! We made homemade guacamole and mango chutney for toppings..so good! Definitely will make this again.
So happy to hear this Peter!
Can I finely dice the zucchini? I don’t have a greater.
I would definitely recommend grating the zucchini, but you could try to finely dice the zucchini.
This is by far the best turkey burger recipe. I usually don’t stick to recipes, but this is one for keeps
Thank you Karin!
I have made them with a grated pear … also delicious and moist.
Grated pear! I will have to try that sometime!
Making turkey burgers tonight! Was going to make them with spinach, but zucchini sounds very appealing.
Thank you for the recipe. Love your posts.
Would love to hear what you think of the turkey burgers with zucchini!
I love your turkey burgers! It was very juicy and at the same time, very delicious. My family loved it! I will definitely try your other recipes.
That’s awesome Cristina!
I just love watching you cook and the instant pot recipes .beautiful recipes thanks so much
Awe, you are so welcome!
Love Turkey! Thank you for featuring it?
You are very welcome.
These turkey burgers are so moist, juicy and delicious! Great recipe. So simple. Very happy I found it! Thank you!
Awesome!!! Happy to hear, Elizabeth!
This is a winner. I’ve always added sautéed chopped mushrooms to the turkey to keep it moist but this is a nice change and sneaks in some veggies too.
Glad this turkey burger recipe is a keeper for you 🙂
Very tasty, indeed thank you for sharing
You are welcome Dean!
I made 3 large patties and did them in the air fryer. 360 for 14 minutes. They were much moister than I anticipated and they stayed together well even w/o bread crumbs or an egg. My burger loving boyfriend was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for sharing Sharon!
This is a wonderful recipe! Simple and full of flavour
Just made it today for lunch. Added garlic mushrooms and crumbled some feta cheese on top.Delicious!
These turkey burgers are incredible! Flavorful, tender and juicy! I’ll never make another turkey burger without grated zucchini. I’m going to try using it in my turkey meatloaf. Thank you Olena!
You are so welcome Chris!
Stumbled across this recipe and made this today for the first time, it was delicious! Will definitely be making this again! Thank you ?
Yay! Thrilled to hear this!
Wow, what a delicious pattie! My husband ate 2 burgers and wanted another because he loved the Turkey pattie. They are so moist and yummy! This recipe is a keeper! Will try your white chili recipe for dinner tonight! Thank you!
Great to hear that this recipe is a keeper! Don’t be shy to let me know what you think of the White Chili 🙂
These were SOO good! Had them with your easy guac, salsa, and feta cheese! Mouth watering just thinking about it!!!
My partner asks for this often! And he’s very selective in what chooses to eat. The turkeys are moist and delicious with the kick of cumin. Just cook long enough with out overdoing it or the turkey burger will get dry. Excellent burger recipe! Thank you! I look forward to your other recipes!! Healthy lamb burgers?
Thanks for the positive feedback Elisabeth! Healthy lamb burgers…you may be on to something!
Tastes great and easy to make
love the zucchini – thanks Olena
Elizabeth
You are very welcome!
Wow! These were delicious. Easy to make, moist and flavorful! Big hit. I served with a dollop of guacamole on top. Sharing the recipe with friends and family.
Hi, I’ve been making your recipe for a few years now and everyone loves it for a healthy burger night meal! What happened to the cilantro sauce that goes with them? I can’t seem to find it.
We updated recipe a year ago. You may use this ranch dressing recipe and add cilantro instead.
Hi! This looks delicious. I love your black bean zucchini burger recipe. I can’t find it when I came back to the site to make it. Wondering what happened. Thanks!
Emailed you!
I’m looking for the black bean zucchini recipe that used to be on this site too but I can’t find it. Can you send it to me too? It is so good!
Yes I will email it to you!
Made this tonite, loved it. So most sbd easy too. Could I have the black bean zucchini recipe too?
Hi Patti! So happy you liked the turkey burger.
Here is the black bean zucchini burger recipe.
https://ifoodreal.com/black-bean-zucchini-burger/
Fantastic, juice burgers!!! Easy recipe. You are teaching me how to cook “low and slow” the burgers turned out great and grew in size, super juicy! I’m so happy I learned the zucchini secret & you introduced me to a spice I don’t normally use (cumin) :))
My family loved them, delicious ?
Thank you!
Hi Shameen. So happy that your family enjoyed these burgers. Happy cooking!
These were great, the moistest turkey burgers I have ever made. Served them on a grilled portabello mushroom instead of roll.
Glad you like the turkey burger recipe June. Serving on a grilled portobello mushroom sounds awesome!
Hello, I was going to make these for supper but I don’t have any zucchini 🙁 how do you think they will come out without this special ingredient? Can I use frozen zucchini spirals?
Thanks 🙂
Yes you can finely chop spirals and should be good. I wouldn’t make without zucchini – ground turkey is too dry.
I was really pleasantly surprised by the end product! So moist!
YUM, YUM & MORE YUM! Best turkey burger ever, easy to follow recipe, simple execution and delicious. Why mess around with a good thing? For this kitchen klutz, your recipes make life so much easier and healthier. Keen to try more of them.
Your comment made me so happy! Please don’t be shy to leave a review when you try any of my other recipes. Have a great day!
These were delicious! Easy to make. I added a little Italian seasoning. I put some gouda cheese on them but the burgers were so good they didn’t even need it. A+
Thanks for the recipe!!!!
You are so welcome Megan!
Hi Olena! My family doesn’t enjoy cumin very much. Would a replacement such as onion powder be sufficient? Can you recommend other spice replacements? Thanks so much!
Chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, taco seasoning. 🙂
Thanks so much for the quick reply! Made these for dinner with smoked paprika and everybody loved them 🙂
That’s awesome Angie!
Wow, still can’t believe it! Picky, ‘traditional food only’ eater husband said at least 5 times while eating his burger, hummmmm, this is so good! He even mentioned it again next day!
I still can’t believe it!
Thank you so much!
Just discovered your site, already make 4 recipes, love it. Simple cooking and delicious, and healthy 🙂
You are very welcome Marie!
Husband is on a diet, and found this recipe. Absolutely delicious, and we think it is better than beef. The only suggestion, mix the spices with the zucchini before adding the ground turkey, better distribution of the garlic. Will use this recipe again and again. Thanks
I’m so happy your family loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing that with me!
I’m super excited to try this!
I made this dish last night and it turned out to be the best low carb burgers we’ve ever had. It was juicy, flavorful and easy to make. My husband said I should make this every week. We had it with lettuce and siracha sauce and it was amazing and healthy that way. I doubled the amount of meat and ingredients actually didn’t use ground turkey but ground chicken instead. And probably because of that I found it hard to keep the meat patties in round shapes when picking them up with tongs, hence I had to use my bare hands to scoop/pick them up to put them in the frying pan… Anyway, it was not a big deal compared to how good they turned out. 5 stars for this recipe. Thank you and keep up the great work!
So glad you and your husband enjoyed the burgers so much!
Recipe sounds great. Will make it this week. Thank you!
Super delicious! I added a little oregano, onion powder and cayenne powder and it turned out amazing! It’s great for meal prepping for the weak, paired it with a spinach quinoa salad. Very filling!
Great additions, Alejandra!!! These turkey burgers taste cold so good as well.
Super healthy
Yup. Try that. Thank you for your wonderful review, Kicki!
I just made these (9pm), for my husband and teenagers to take for lunch tomorrow. We couldn’t resist and tried one tonight! It did not disappoint! Soft, juicy and tasty!
Thank you!
You are very welcome, Mal!
Forgot to rate!! Here it is ?
Thanks so much for doing that! Means a lot!
I am new to your blog. What really peaked my interest was healthy recipes for one and two…my Ukrainian heritage. I have been cooking for 50 years so I am not a young cook or a mother with young children. I have always been interested in serving healthy meals to my family. I still like to receive your menu plans ( this is what I did when raising my children and being a working mom) they bring new ideas and I am still a busy grandmother so receiving your menu plans and sharing your recipes are much appreciated. The ones I’ve tried so far have been a hit with my family. I will try your turkey burgers…from the ingredients in the recipe I am sure we will enjoy them.?
Hi Helen and welcome. You are very welcome. So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes! Please don’t be shy to leave me a comment with a star review once you make any recipe. Have a great week!
In a word. YUM!!! So good and moist.
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I just tried these turkey burgers and they are great! They didn’t burn like my other burgers have and they’re moist and they brown beautifully! Love this recipe! Thank you!
Yay! So welcome.
We loved these burgers at my house. I used ground beef because that’s what I had on hand. My son has been grilling up the frozen extras I made for a month. I can’t always think of what to make every day, your emails and website have made my life that little bit easier. Thanks!!!
Yay! So happy to help, Romey!
These are the absolute best burgers, so easy to make and really moist, a big hit. I have made multiple times already. A great change from hamburger.
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe, Joanne!
Olena, The recipes I have tried, by far are the very best ever. Thanks very much.
Awe, you are so welcome, Hazel! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes!
Made these last night and my husband is a big beef eater and he said he could hardly taste the difference. What’s nice is you can customize like you would any burger by adding cheese or onions or peppers etc. love it! So easy.
Zucchini does the trick. Fantastic! Glad your husband approved your cooking!
Love this recipe even my picky eaters ?
Yay! So happy to hear! Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to let me know you enjoyed my recipe.
Hi I put all ingredients in my calorie counter and I’m coming up with about 130 calories per burger? Am I doing something wrong because I really want these to be only 87 calories lol.
Not sure why… Maybe different turkey. Mine was extra lean. It is very hard to calculate calories exactly for any food. Even our bodies can’t do it as well. We provide them for educational purposes and encourage not to count calories but rather eat whole foods until satisfied. So I’m not helpful with calories.:)
Can I cook them in the oven as I don’t try anything and don’t use a grill
If you are ready for pale burgers and if they are not previously frozen. Check out my healthy turkey meatballs for oven t and time.
Too bad I can’t get ground turkey in any of the stores near me. Since I really wanted to try these burgers I decided to make them with ground chicken. My girls had a regular store bought beef burger. My husband had a beef burger as well as a homemade chicken burger and he said the chicken burger was way more delicious than the beef burger. I only had the chicken burger and loved it. Great taste and very juicy! Thanks again for a delicious recipe.
You are very welcome. Chicken works great. Same day content as turkey.
Amazing recipe!! So juicy and flavourful. Everything I have made from your site is so good and I love watching the videos.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Great Recipe, the zuke makes all of the difference. Three tips to keep them from falling apart.
1. A burger press: place a square of waxed paper beneath and on top of the meat before pressing. Press slow and steady until the meat just starts squeezing out of the sides.
2. Refrigerate or freeze before cooking.
3. Brush with olive oil..
Good suggestions, Andy! I find pan frying turkey burgers has no falling apart issues. For grilling, for sure.
So tender and juicy. I do keto and the shredded zuchinni takes the place of a high carb binder usually used in burgers or meatloaf recipes.
Perfect! Happy to hear, Lynne! Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule and letting me know you enjoyed the turkey burgers.
This turkey burger couldn’t be more flavourful and easy to put together!
Love your recipes! I will certainly use your ideas for clean cooking.
Thank you very much, Brenda. Hope I could help.:)
It was such a pleasure to stumble across your blog. Although I now live in the U.S., I was raised in Vancouver (and my heart’s still there).
This burger is something my family would really enjoy. I often use grated zucchini in meatballs and my kids never know the difference.
Thank you.:) I visited your blog numerous times and was sure you still live in Vancouver.:) It’s a special city!
Oo yum!! This looks awesome, I love to make homemade burger patties! 🙂
Aha. Store bought patties are like rubber if you ask me.:) With one exception – wild salmon burgers from Costco. Juicy and healthy.