These deliciously Juicy Turkey Burgers are grilled to perfection in just a few minutes! This amazing recipe is full of flavor and special ingredients to give you a nice, juicy burger every time! Place it on a light, fluffy bun with some lettuce, tomato, red onion, & burger sauce and you have the perfect summer meal.
The Best Juicy Grilled Turkey Burger
We love using the grill for cooking whenever possible! The delicious flavors plus minimal clean-up make it a win-win for everyone. And what is better than a grilled burger? Nothing! We love making a traditional grilled beef burger, but sometimes it is nice to change it up for a lighter option which is why we LOVE this turkey burger. It can be tricky to keep a (traditionally) leaner meat juicy but we have found the perfect combination of ingredients to keep these turkey patties juicy every time!
Looking for another spin on a classic burger? Try our Buffalo Chicken Burgers! So good!
What You Will Need
- ground turkey – this is traditionally a very lean meat so we recommend finding the least lean turkey meat your grocery store has. That will help keep it moist.
- white onion – simply grate the onion on to a paper towel and squeeze out the moisture before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
- frozen butter – this is our secret ingredient for keeping it so juicy! We just keep a stick of butter in the freezer so it is always ready for tossing in a burger mix.
- garlic – everything is always better with a little garlic!
- mayo – adds a bit of flavor and some more moisture to keep things juicy!
- worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, & liquid smoke – a delicious flavor combo that pairs really well with the ground turkey.
- lemon zest – just a sprinkling to help bring out all the great flavors.
- parmesan cheese – if you want to keep this dairy free you have the option to omit or find a dairy free option.
- kosher salt & pepper – add a little to the burger patties once they are formed for some added seasoning.
- sliced cheese – we love using a classic American cheese, but these would also be good with sliced swiss or provolone!
- bun of choice – just grab your favorite! Option to get whole wheat, gluten-free, or a simple lettuce bun.
- toppings – we topped this one with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and burger sauce, but feel free to top it any way you want.
How To Make A Turkey Burger Juicy
We have a few key tips to keeping your turkey burgers as juicy as possible. First, begin by trying to find the least lean ground turkey at the store. The leaner the meat, the easier it drys out! Second, you have to add the frozen grated butter. Those little bits of butter mixed into the burger ingredients really help to keep them nice and moist!
How Long Should I Grill A Turkey Burger
You will want to begin by preheating the grill so that the grates are nice and hot before adding your turkey patties. Once it is heated and you have rubbed the grates with some olive oil you will grill the patties for 5-6 minutes on each side or until they reach an internal temp of 160 degrees (use a meat thermometer).
Toppings for Building The Best Turkey Burger
We kept this turkey burger fairly simple with some lettuce, tomato, red onion, and burger sauce! If you are looking for some more topping options you could also add avocado, pickle slices, or use quick pickled onions (instead of raw slices).
What Should I Serve With Grilled Turkey Burgers
We typically try to keep the sides simple but you can serve these with just about anything – homemade french fries, grilled sweet corn, grilled potato wedges, or some simple grilled broccoli! If you are making these for a BBQ you could also serve them with some creamy coleslaw.
Make Ahead
These burgers can easily be made ahead of time! Depending on how far ahead you want to do the prep you can either make the patties and store then in an airtight container in the fridge overnight or you can make the patties, place parchment paper in between them, and place them all in a freezer safe bag to store for up to 3 months.
How To Make a Juicy Grilled Turkey Burger
You can begin by grating the white onion on to some paper towel.
Give it a squeeze to remove most of the moisture.
Next, use the same grater to grate a couple tablespoons of frozen butter.
Place all of the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Mix to fully combine.
Form into four patties and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle with salt & pepper and put a thumb indent in the middle of each patty. Place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Preheat you grill and rub the grates with a paper towel that has olive oil on it.
Place your turkey burgers on the grill for about 5-6 minutes on each side or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees F.
Option to add sliced cheese on top for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
Top your burgers any way you want!
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Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Juicy Turkey Burger
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Freeze Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 47 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
Juicy Turkey Burger – a delicious, easy turkey burger recipe that is packed with flavor and so JUICY! Perfect for summer!
Ingredients
Burger:
- 1 lb ground turkey*
- 1/4 cup white onion, grated
- 2–3 tablespoons frozen butter, grated**
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- (optional) sliced American cheese (regular or dairy-free)
Toppings:
- burger bun of your choice (regular or gluten-free)
- 1 batch burger sauce
- sliced red onion
- sliced tomato
- (optional) cooked bacon
Instructions
- Ensure grill grates are clean and heat grill to medium-high heat.
- Place a cheese grater on top of 2-3 pieces of paper towel. Grate the white onion on top of the paper towel. Use the paper towel to gently squeeze out as much of the excess moisture from the onion. Set aside.
- Use the same cheese grater to shred the frozen butter (if using).
- In a large bowl combine ground turkey, grated white onion, grated butter, garlic, worcestershire, mayo, dijon, lemon zest, liquid smoke and parmesan cheese.
- Fully combine.
- Prepare a small parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Divide mixture into 4 equal patties about 1/2-3/4 inches thick on the cookie sheet. Press down in the middle with your thumb to create an indent.
- Place in the freezer for 20 minutes (this ensures it will be easy for you to lift them off the cookie sheet and they will hold their shape on the grill).
- Season the top generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Take a piece of paper towel and put a little olive oil on it – hold it with a pair of tongs and rub the olive oil on the hot grill carefully.
- Place burgers on the grill over direct heat and close the lid.
- Let cook 5-6 minutes per side or until they reach 160 degrees F. internal temperature.
- If using cheese, place on top during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
- Remove and let rest 5-10 minutes. The burgers will continue cooking as they rest and internal temp will continue rising to 165 degrees F.
- To build burger: place a piece of lettuce on top of the bottom bun. Follow with burger sauce, turkey burger, red onion, tomato and top bun.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- *Ground Turkey – I recommend buying the least lean option possible.
- **Frozen Butter – if you are looking to really keep these turkey burgers lean, you can definitely omit the butter BUT if you are just looking for a juicy turkey burger then definitely include this step!
- Internal Temp: the internal temp of ground turkey needs to reach 165 degrees F. in order to be safe to eat.
- Make ahead: feel free to make the patties the day before. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: to make these ahead and freeze simply make patties and then place a piece of parchment between them as you stack. Place in a freezer-safe bag, label and place in freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight and then grill according to the instructions above.
Margaret Todd says
What could I sub for the Mayo? Love the addition of butter.
Erin says
Hi Margaret – the mayo is how we are sneaking some saltiness into the burger without actually adding salt into the mixture (we just season right before grilling). You can try and omit the mayo, but the flavor might not be quite as great. Is there a vegan mayo or any different version of mayo that you could try and sub that would better suit you? You can’t taste the mayo at all in the burger. Let me know the reason for wanting to omit and we can troubleshoot from there!