This is the best Turkey Burger Recipe with 5 simple ingredients. These burgers are juicy, flavorful and healthy!
We also love these spinach feta turkey burgers and Greek turkey burgers!
I might be biased but I think this is the best turkey burger recipe on the web! I first posted this recipe in 2014 and it has been a reader favorite since then. We love it too because how easy it is!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe: Forget about all those unnecessary fillers! No egg, breadcrumbs or exotic sauces.
- Cook as you like: Grill, bake, pan fry or even cook in air fryer!
- Juicy burgers: Thanks to my low fat secret ingredient.
Ingredients for Turkey Burgers
You only need 5 simple ingredients to make this recipe.
- Ground turkey: It can be any fat %. I usually buy extra lean ground turkey but lean turkey will work as well.
- Grated zucchini: To grate zucchini, I recommend to use medium size holes of a box grater so squash doesn’t become a puree or appear in big shreds.
- 1 garlic clove: You can use 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder but fresh garlic is better, more flavor.
- Cumin: Adds a nice punch of flavor to otherwise bland turkey meat.
- Salt and pepper: For flavor and taste.
Recipe Tip
I tried to make turkey burgers with oil instead of zucchini and it came out dry. So, it is the key ingredient, don’t skip.
How to Make Turkey Burgers
- Combine turkey and zucchini: Simply add ground turkey meat to a large mixing bowl and add grated zucchini. Yes! That’s my “secret ingredient”. It keeps the patties moist and flavorful.
- Add seasonings: Add one minced garlic clove, cumin, salt and pepper. That’s it! Mix well. Shape mixture into burger patties.
- To cook on the stove: Add oil to the skillet to prevent sticking and brown burgers on both sides in a hot pan for 8-10 minutes, flipping only once halfway through cooking time.
- To grill burgers: Freeze burgers for 10 minutes prior, it helps to hold their shape. Spray both grill and patties with cooking spray and grill for about 8 minutes for well done.
- To bake: Place turkey patties on lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 375 F for 25-30 minutes. You will have to sear them on a hot pan for 2 minutes on each side, or possibly broil.
Tips for Best Results
- To grate zucchini use medium size grater holes. Not the large ones and not the ones that makes a complete mush. This way turkey burgers are right amount of juicy.
- Shape patties a bit wider than the bun since they shrink during cooking.
- When grilling: Make sure the temperature of your barbecue reaches 285 degrees F before placing your patties on the grill, so they won’t stick.
- Don’t use a panini press grill as it presses all the juices out of burgers. Indoor one sided grill, grill skillet, or skillet is fine.
- Flip burgers only once during cooking.
- Prepare all the toppings and hamburger buns before cooking the burgers.
Serving
Let everyone build their own burger traditionally on a bun with Boston or Bibb lettuce, tomato slices, red onion rings, dill pickle slices, mustard, mayo and ketchup.
Or make it bun-less by wrapping in lettuce leaves or on top of a leafy green salad like lettuce salad or arugula feta salad.
Whether you grill, pan fry or bake your turkey burgers, the pairings will remain the same. Here are some of my favorite side dishes:
- Picnic style salads like healthy potato salad, healthy broccoli salad, healthy macaroni salad or cauliflower potato salad.
- Veggie sides that pair well such as grilled zucchini, balsamic grilled vegetables or Mexican street corn salad.
- Potluck favorites like Instant Pot baked beans or Instant Pot corn on the cob.
- For a restaurant worthy pub meal pair with air fryer sweet potato fries!
How to Store and Freeze
You can make these burgers ahead of time and get dinner on the table even faster. I recommend to make a big batch and freeze them for days when you’re extra rushed or when unexpected company comes calling.
- Fridge: These patties keep well overnight in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Arrange raw turkey patties on a parchment covered baking pan, freeze, then place in storage containers. Cooking from frozen using preferred method and adding 5 minutes cook time.
FAQs
When we compare a ground beef burger patty to ground turkey patty, beef has 500 calories vs. 87 calories, 32 grams of fat vs. 2 grams, and 18 grams of protein vs. 27 grams respectively. So turkey is a healthier and leaner choice!
I have never had an issue with these burgers falling apart. If you are experiencing this though, remember to do not excessively flip them whether you are pan frying, grilling, or baking. Do not peek under them. Just flip once!
Use quality tools. Make sure your skillet is truly non-stick and grill grates are cleaned and well oiled. Use good, not worn out spatula to flip the burgers. Metal spatula for the grill and silicone spatula for the skillet work the best.
When the internal temperature reaches 165 F, your burger is done. The best way to ensure doneness is to insert a meat thermometer in the center of the patty.
To make turkey look more like ground beef add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Its dark color not only will make turkey burgers look like beef burgers, but also taste will be closer to ground beef. You can also use soy sauce or liquid smoke instead.
More Burger Recipes to Try
You might also love to browse these 45 ground turkey recipes!
Turkey Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini about 1 medium
- 1 large garlic clove grated
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon 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 (easy guacamole recipe) and store-bought salsa. Or on a bed of greens.
Video
Notes
- 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.
Darn. I don’t know what I did wrong according to the recipe or if I missed something in the instructions but these burgers were WET. I cooked them on the stovetop alternating between “low and slow” and medium because they just weren’t drying out for 20-30 minutes and then medium-high for sear and still got soaking wet burgers. I’m guessing that much like zucchini bread, you’re supposed to squeeze out the water in the zucchini before mixing it with the burger meat. I searched the website for this step but did not see it anywhere?
I had a bad feeling when forming the burgers because they looked/felt like wet cat food and they weren’t really forming. I nervously scrolled the website so many times before forming the patties for fear of exactly this turn out I but did not see any mention of this step so I hesitantly followed the recipe as it was instructed. Sadly, these weren’t much in the way of actual turkey burgers, more like a wet turkey meatloaf. 3 stars for flavor and ingredient simplicity but it would’ve been nice to know ahead of time about squeezing out the zucchini water before ruining an entire pack of meat :\
You are not supposed to squeeze out water from zucchini. Not sure why your burgers didn’t turn out. Maybe too wet zucchini, previously frozen or you didn’t cook them long enough and flipped too soon or possibly need a new skillet. Maybe didn’t measure zucchini properly. This is quite easy recipe to ruin to be honest. And no meat is wasted. You can always break it up and sauté like a skillet and enjoy and try next time.
Hi Olena, I’m making your turkey burgers again! I probably make them ever month we love them so much I don’t even make beef burgers anymore.
Thank you
Joni
So happy to hear this, Joni!
Do I need to squeeze out the water from the shredded zucchini?
No.
Made these for Memorial Day weekend and everyone LOVED them. We currently have some fresh zucchini from the garden, so this is what they’re going into this week!
That’s awesome! Glad they were enjoyed (and soon to be again!)
Juicy and delicious! My husband approved as well. We’ll be making these again.
So glad everyone enjoyed.:)
Olena, wonderful juicy burgers, the best ones we’ve ever tried!
So happy to hear this!
Can you pan fry these.
Sure can! Add oil to skillet to prevent sticking. Brown healthy turkey burgers on both sides in a hot pan for 8-10 minutes, flipping only once halfway through cooking time. Enjoy!
My family loves these burgers. They are a favorite. I love your site.
So glad to hear this!
Quick, easy and so delicious. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hiya! I really want to try this recipe as I avoid too much meat fat and this sounds like a good way to avoid the rubbery turkey burgers I sometimes end up with, but, I am wondering if you’ve tried cooking them in an air fryer? I’d like to try it, so might just have to experiment. Gonna try this recipe with the instructions for other turkey burger recipes, might just cut down the time to avoid overcooking….. wish me luck!
Zucchini should keep them moist, but yes I agree cutting down on cook time and then checking for doneness is the way to go! Definitely update us with how the air fryer worked!