Best-Ever Turkey Burger

While they can have a reputation for being dry and bland, made right, turkey burgers are anything but. We love our recipe for one simple reason: We let it be. Instead of trying to make it into something it’s not, we embraced the flavors of the turkey instead of trying to cover 'em up. These turkey burgers are a flavorful, lean option that just might rival your favorite beef burgers. Serve them at our summer cookout and enjoy them as is or top them with whatever toppings you can think of—these turkey burgers can take it all.

How to keep your turkey burgers together:
Since turkey burgers tend to be drier than their ground beef counterparts, we added an egg to ours to help it hold together and give it more moisture. We also use 94% lean ground turkey in our patties—we don’t recommend any higher than that, or your burgers might not hold together.

How to make turkey burgers:
— Seasoning turkey burgers. Our turkey burger mostly relies on Worcestershire and herbs for seasoning, but you can really add any of your favorite spices to them if you like. Smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, onion powder or even homemade Cajun seasoning would all be great additions. While we obviously love ours as is, there are a few swaps you can make that we totally support. Don't have Worcestershire? Use soy sauce or even liquid smoke. Add some finely chopped shallots in with your garlic or swap out the parsley for any herbs you have on hand—this burger is completely flexible.
— Cooking your turkey burgers. We chose to make these in a skillet on the stovetop, but when the weather is nice, feel free to take them to the grill. Looking to use less oil? Check out our baked turkey burgers.
— Topping turkey burgers. For this classic recipe, we chose to top these burgers with the classic burger toppings: mayo, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes. That being said, you can get creative with your toppings! Add on pickles, red onion, ketchup, mustard, a homemade garlic aioli...whatever your heart desires. Feeling like getting creative? Try our bánh mì turkey burgers, topped with pickled vegetables and spicy mayo. 

Serving turkey burgers:
We love serving these burgers with any of our favorite cookout or burger sides. Some of our favorites: classic potato salad, cheddar bacon ranch corn, Greek chickpea salad, or Thai-style slaw. 

Storage & freezing: 
You can absolutely make these turkey burger patties ahead of time. Make the turkey burger mixture, form into patties, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead. You can also freeze the patties for up to 3 months and use them when you need.

Have leftovers? Store the patties in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3-4 days. 

Made these burgers? Let us know how it went in the comments below!