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This easy ground turkey burgers recipe is a family favorite and makes the most tender, bright, and juicy burgers with fresh herbs! They’re on the table in just 20 minutes.
Try my Best Ground Chicken Burgers or Easy Salmon Burger Recipe next.
Why you’ll love it
These turkey burgers come together fast, so a delicious summer meal is under half an hour away. I love using herbs like chives and parsley in my homemade burger patties. They make them taste extra summery in every bite and add so much depth of fresh flavor.
Once you make your own burger patties, you’ll notice the difference in taste and texture is amazing. I add some mayo right into the burger mixture. It keeps turkey (and chicken) burgers ultra moist. It’s a total game changer in this ground turkey burger recipe!
What you’ll need
- Ground turkey – it’s a versatile, lean protein that’s a healthier alternative to ground beef. Season adequately with salt & pepper.
- Chives and parsley – these fresh garden herbs infuse so much flavor right into the patties
- Garlic – a punch of savory goodness
- Lemon juice – a hint of acidity to balance the flavors
- Breadcrumbs – Italian-style breadcrumbs bind everything together
- Mayo – a trick for adding tons of moisture. No dry burgers here!
Helpful tips
- Don’t over-handle the meat! If you do, it’s more likely to become dense.
- Making a little depression with your thumb in the center of each patty ensures that they cook evenly instead of puffing up in the middle.
- Oil the grill before it’s up to temperature so that the burgers don’t stick.
Turkey burger toppings
- I like to keep it simple with mayo, butter lettuce, a slice of tomato, and red onions or my Quick Pickled Red Onions. Sometimes sliced avocado too. You don’t need much to let the burger shine. Brioche buns are my fave.
- Definitely add ketchup if you can’t do a burger without it!
- For more creative sauces, try my Chipotle Ranch Dressing or Easy Yum Yum Sauce.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer. It’s an easy, inexpensive way to ensure your burgers aren’t undercooked or overcooked and dry. Turkey is done at 165F.
- Slide the burgers onto the grill using a metal grilling turner so they don’t fall apart (they are quite delicate).
- One of these glass prep bowls is great for this recipe.
How to make turkey burgers
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Oil and preheat the grill. Chop the herbs, and prep your toppings.
- In a prep bowl, mix the burger ingredients without over-handling it. Make the patties, and place them on wax paper.
- Grilled them until cooked through. Toast the buns if desired, and assemble your burgers!
Substitutions and variations
- You could use a grill pan or frying pan to make these instead. Just make sure that the inside meat temperature is at least 165F.
- Change up the fresh herbs depending on what’s growing in your garden.
- Add a little sriracha to mayo if you’d like these burgers to have a kick.
What to serve with turkey burgers
- See the suggested toppings above for making your perfect turkey burger!
- I like pairing this with other summer/cookout favorites like this Avocado Corn Salad, zesty Best Coleslaw, creamy Easy Macaroni Salad, and Cajun Grilled Corn on the Cob.
- Cool off with a glass of refreshing Sweet Tea.
Leftovers and storage
- You can store leftover cooked turkey patties in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container.
- Store these for up to 3 months in the freezer.
If you made this turkey burger recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made this or any S&L recipe so I can see it.
Easy Ground Turkey Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey (I used thigh, but feel free to use breast meat)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives chopped
- 1 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped finely
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian flavored)
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Serve with: hamburger buns, butter lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo, avocado… etc.
Instructions
- Oil and pre-heat your grill to high heat.
- Chop the chives and parsley, and prepare your toppings (tomato, onion, lettuce, etc.).
- In a medium to large bowl, add the ground turkey, chives, parsley, minced garlic, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, mayo, and salt & pepper. Using your hands, gently mix everything together, taking care to not over handle the mixture.
- Form burger patties one by one and place them on a sheet of wax paper. You should be able to make six small to average-size burger patties or four larger ones. Using your thumb, create a depression in the center of each patty so they cook evenly. Patties will be quite delicate.
- Turn the grill down to medium-high heat. Cook the burger patties until their internal temperature is at least 165F. Cooking time really depends on your grill and the thickness of the patties. Mine took about 5 minutes/side (made 4 patties).
- Once the burgers are cooked, you can toast the buns for about 20-30 seconds on each side if desired (we did this right on the grill after buttering them).
- Assemble burgers and enjoy!
Notes
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure the burgers are cooked to 165F internal temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delicious! Thanks so much for the great recipes. I am always looking for new and improved ways to cook ground turkey and this one is definitely a keeper. I added some feta cheese and Dijon mustard to the mix and they were perfection. Thank you!
So happy you liked the burgers!
These are fabulous. We’ve made them several times now and they never disappoint. We made these the first time because we couldn’t find any red meat due to shortages. They were so good, I think we prefer them to red meat. Just perfect!
That’s really awesome!! I’m so happy to hear how much you like them.
My fiancé and I made these the other night… oh my god, probably the best homemade burgers we’ve ever had. That little kick of lemon made them so flavorful and delish. Currently salivating wishing I had like 4 more.
Wonderful!! Your comment makes me so happy. 🙂
Just made these last night and they were the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had. Super quick and easy and they were very juicy and flavorful. I would make these again often, they were extremely easy to make.
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know.
I have a general question regarding Turkey burgers and ground Turkey in general. Kind of a survey really lol. Ground dark turkey has about 14 grams of fat. It is possible to find lean ground beef with 14 grams of fat or even less. Ground turkey breast has about 2 grams of fat. You will have a bit less saturated fat in either the dark or white meat turkey, but other than that they both contain the same amount of protein and nutrients. So my question is, is using turkey a choice based on flavor for most people…and if not, are most people using ground dark or white turkey?
I’ll chime in. Here in Canada, the leanest ground beef I can find at a normal grocery store (they call it “extra lean” here and the definition is that it has maximum 10% fat) still has more calories/fat than the ground turkey I can easily buy (it’s labeled as lean and it’s dark meat, I believe. Some stores sell ground turkey breast, but I find it very dry). I personally prefer the taste of ground beef, but I don’t mind ground turkey, so I use it in a lot of my day-to-day cooking (like I’ll make turkey tacos pretty much weekly) when I need some fairly low fat protein.
Love these! Can you make patties up and freeze them for a later date?
Glad you like ’em! Sure, I think that would be fine. I haven’t tried that personally, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work to freeze them.
I make turkey burgers quite often Natasha when we want to go the healthier route for dinner! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Hope you love ’em, Mary Ann!!
These pictures are making me hungry! YUM.
Thanks, Sarah! 🙂
I love ground turkey so I can’t wait to make these!
Hope you try them, Matt! I am sure the boys would like them.
The pictures certainly look delicious! Garlic, chives, parsley, lemon juice … that sounds like a great combination!
Thanks so much, Jeff!!