Best Turkey Burgers

This juicy turkey burgers recipe is made with perfectly seasoned ground turkey, cheddar cheese, tomato, red onion and spring mix tossed in the best homemade thousand island dressing. It’s a quick and easy recipe to pull together and it makes the Best Turkey Burgers!

These ground turkey burgers can be cooked in a skillet with a little oil or grill them outdoors for that great smokey flavor. They’re easy to make any night of the week and they’re great to serve at backyard barbecues, on game day and for tailgate parties.  

These ground turkey burgers are made with perfectly seasoned ground turkey, cheddar cheese, tomato, onion, mixed greens and Brioche buns. What sets these burgers apart from other traditional turkey burgers is the homemade thousand island dressing that we toss the greens with before piling it on the burger. It really makes the burgers so fresh and tasty! The flavors in this burger are really amazing and promises to be a hit at your next family gathering or backyard barbecue!

Turkey Burgers Recipe

• Ground Turkey.  We use ground turkey that is 85% lean and 15% fat or 93% lean and 7% fat. The higher the fat content, the more moist and flavorful the burgers will be. 
• Seasoning. We add in fresh garlic and green onion, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper which adds a lot of flavor to the burger patties.
• Mayonnaise and Dijon. We add a little mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and Worchestershire sauce to the ground turkey which adds a lot of moisture and more flavor to the meat. 
• Olive Oil. We use a little olive oil to cook the burgers with in a pan.
• Cheese. We use cheddar cheese slices, but use whatever cheese you like. 
• Buns.  We like to use brioche buns (they’re light and fluffy), but hamburger buns are great too!
• Dressing. We like to slather Thousand Island Dressing on the buns as well as toss mixed greens with it to pile high on the burgers. 
• Tomato. Add a slice or two of fresh juicy organic tomatoes to the burgers.
• Onion. We like to use raw red onion slices for this turkey burger, but caramelized onions are pretty amazing on these burgers as well. 
• Greens. We use spring mix tossed in our homemade Thousand Island Dressing to pile in this burger. It really makes this burger a winner! Not a fan of Thousand Island, then toss the greens with our Chipotle Ranch Dressing (it’s SO good!), BBQ Ranch Dressing, Jalapeno Ranch Dressing or Homemade Ranch Dressing instead.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

This turkey burgers recipe is a versatile one. Here are a few ways you can switch things up.

• Omit the mustard and add in 1/2 – 1 teaspoon canned adobo sauce with the mayonnaise and seasoning to the meat for a little spice to the patties.
• Mix in 1/4 cup grated cheese to the meat mixture.
• Omit the onion powder and garlic powder and instead add 2-3 teaspoons Ranch Seasoning to the mix.
• Add slices of turkey bacon to your burger.
• Fry the turkey burgers in the oil that you cooked turkey bacon in for a really flavorful burger!
• Use ground chicken instead of ground turkey for the patties.
• Add dill pickle chips.
• Add avocado slices.
• Swap out the raw red onion for caramelized onions.
• Slather our Classic Burger Sauce,  Chipotle Aioli, Garlic Aioli or our Avocado Mayonnaise on the buns instead of Thousand Island Dressing.
• Slather a simple mustard aioli on the buns instead of thousand island or burger sauce. For our mustard aioli we use a mix of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and coarse grain mustard (2 parts mayo to 1 part mustard). It’s really good!!

How ToMake Turkey Burgers

These ground turkey burgers are great to grill outdoors during the warm summer months!

1. Make Dressing.  Whisk together the ingredients in a bowl or wide-mouth mason jar and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. 
2. Prepare Patties.  Gently fold in  the mayonnaise, mustard, Worchestershire, garlic, green onion and seasoning to the ground meat. Careful not to over mix or the patties will be a little tough. Evenly divide the meat and shape into patties that are 1/2 inch thick or so.
3. Cook Patties. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and cook the patties for about 5 minutes on each side. Add slice of cheese and put a lid on the skillet for the cheese to melt. If grilling on a grill, brush oil on cleaned grates. Place the patties on the grates and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium high heat.
4. Toast Buns. Spread a little softened butter on both sides of the buns and toast on a skillet for just a minute or until the bun is lightly toasted on both sides. 
5. Assemble Burgers.  Slather the thousand island dressing on the bottom slice of toasted bun. Add the cooked turkey patty, onion, tomato slices and spring mix (tossed in thousand island). Place the top part of the bun on top of the greens.

Make Ahead Meal Prep Instructions

1. Mix the meat ingredients and form into patties. Lay the patties on a parchment lined plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 days before cooking. 
2. To freeze the patties, lay the patties on a parchment lined plate or baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and transfer to an airtight freezer safe container or plastic bags with parchment squares between each patty to keep them from sticking together.
3. Thaw the patties before cooking.

Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

You’ll  want to keep this homemade Thousand Island Dressing on hand in the fridge to toss with salad greens and to slather on sandwiches, wraps and burgers.  This 1000 Island Dressing recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and the flavor is far superior to the store-bought stu. To make this Homemade Thousand Island Dressing, just whisk together the ingredients in a bowl or wide-mouth mason jar.  

• Mayonnaise. Use a good quality mayonnaise like Best Foods or Hellman’s.
• Chili Sauce. Be sure to use a good chili sauce (that you would use to make cocktail sauce) not an Asian chili sauce.
• Dijon Mustard. Dijon adds a nice balance of flavor to this dressing.
• Relish. Dill pickle relish is a classic ingredient when making 1000 Island Dressing.
• Green Onion. We like to add minced green onion to this dressing (rather than yellow onion). It adds a nice of flavor. 
• Seasoning. Season with a little freshly ground black pepper. Add salt to taste if you like, but we don’t add salt because the chili sauce and pickle relish are salty enough for us.

Serving Suggestions

Chips and fries are classic sides to serve with burgers, but here are a few salad ideas that make healthy alternatives.  

• Red Potato Salad
• Dill Pickle Potato Salad
• Mexican Watermelon Salad
• Red White and Blue Fruit Salad
• Summer Melon Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Watermelon Arugula Quinoa Salad

Looking For More Easy Dinner Recipes?

• Grilled Chicken Burger
• Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Lemon Chicken Piccata
• BBQ Chicken Wrap
• Filipino Chicken Adobo
• One Pan Italian Chicken
• Chicken Shawarma
• Chicken Continental
• Enchilada Style Baked Chicken
• Easy Chicken Fajita Bak

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 burgers

Best Turkey Burgers

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

This juicy turkey burgers recipe is made with perfectly seasoned ground turkey, cheddar cheese, tomato, red onion and spring mix tossed in the best homemade thousand island dressing. It's a quick and easy recipe to pull together and it makes the Best Turkey Burgers!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey 
• 1 tablespoon real mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce (optional)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, smashed and finely minced
• 1 green onion, white and light green part finely minced

For Serving

• 4 buns (brioche or hamburger buns)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• Thousand Island Dressing
• Spring mix
• Tomatoes
• Red onion
• Pickles

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, gently fold in  the mayonnaise, mustard, Worchestershire, garlic, green onion and seasoning to the ground meat. Careful not to over mix or the patties will be a little tough. Evenly divide the meat and shape into patties that are 1/2 inch thick or so.
2. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and cook the patties for about 5 minutes on each side. Add slice of cheese and put a lid on the skillet for the cheese to melt. If grilling on a grill, brush oil on cleaned grates. Place the patties on the grates and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium high heat.
3. Spread a little softened butter on both sides of the buns and toast on a skillet for just a minute or until the bun is lightly toasted on both sides. 
4. Slather thousand island dressing on the bottom slice of toasted bun. Add the cooked turkey patty, onion, tomato slices and spring mix (tossed in 2-3 tablespoons thousand island) on the bottom half of the bun and place the top part of the bun on top of the greens.

Notes

For the Thousand Island Dressing

Whisk together the ingredients in a bowl or wide-mouth mason jar. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate before serving.

• 1-1/2 cup real mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1/4 cup dill pickle relish
• 2 green onions, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 drops Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Variations

This turkey burgers recipe is a versatile one. Here are a few ways you can switch things up..

• Omit the mustard and add in 1/2 - 1 teaspoon canned adobo sauce with the mayonnaise and seasoning to the meat for a little spice to the patties.
• Mix in 1/4 cup grated cheese to the meat mixture.
• Omit the onion powder and garlic powder and instead add 2-3 teaspoons Ranch Seasoning to the mix.
• Add slices of turkey bacon to your burger.
• Fry the turkey burgers in the oil that you cooked turkey bacon in for a really flavorful burger!
• Use ground chicken instead of ground turkey for the patties.
• Add dill pickle chips.
• Add avocado slices.
• Swap out the raw red onion for caramelized onions.
• Slather our Classic Burger Sauce,  Chipotle Aioli, Garlic Aioli or our Avocado Mayonnaise on the buns instead of Thousand Island Dressing.
• Slather a simple mustard aioli on the buns instead of thousand island or burger sauce. For our mustard aioli we use a mix of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and coarse grain mustard (2 parts mayo to 1 part mustard). It's really good!!

Make Ahead Meal Prep Instructions

1. Mix the meat ingredients and form into patties. Lay the patties on a parchment lined plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 days before cooking.
2. To freeze the patties, lay the patties on a parchment lined plate or baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and transfer to an airtight freezer safe container or plastic bags with parchment squares between each patty to keep them from sticking together.
3. Thaw the patties before cooking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 778Total Fat: 55gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 1090mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 41g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.