These healthy turkey burgers without breadcrumbs are moist, juicy, and gluten-free, yet there’s no risk of them crumbling apart.
Load them up with your favorite toppings, such as sliced tomatoes, crispy lettuce, extra slices of cheese, and your favorite sauce. Yum!
ALL THE FAMILY WILL LOVE THESE DELICIOUS & EASY TURKEY BURGERS
- Easy to make “smash” burgers that don’t fall apart despite having no breadcrumbs or egg. Simply add the ground turkey mixture to a hot griddle and smash them down to your desired thickness.
- Get the kids involved – it’s such a simple burger recipe that kids can help. Get them to mix up the minced turkey with seasoning and cheese and assemble the burgers when cooked.
- Low carb, high protein – this is a super healthy turkey burger without breadcrumbs or egg and it’s lean too.
- On the table in 30 minutes – perfect for a quick lunch or easy dinner.
Get ready to make the best turkey burgers as a delicious and healthy midweek family meal or to enjoy over the weekend.
KEY INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Oil – I use vegetable oil to fry the turkey patties and grill other sides, like onions. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or Canola oil for the pan.
- Ground turkey breast – Regular or extra lean ground turkey can be used. Ground chicken is another good option as is ground beef. Use this recipe to make simple and fantastic beef burgers!
- Seasoning – I use garlic salt, ground pepper, and parsley flakes (or fresh chopped parsley) to season the turkey burger patties. You can also use onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, or a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little heat.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – Always use freshly shredded cheese for best results.
- Slices of cheddar cheese – I use Colby cheese slices, but you can use another variety.
- Buns – I’ve used brioche buns. If you need a gluten-free turkey burger recipe simply omit or replace with gluten-free buns.
- Unsalted butter – For browning the buns if using.
- Onion – Sliced into rings. Red or yellow onions will work.
- Toppings – Load your turkey burgers with shredded crispy Iceberg lettuce, tomato slices, Thousand Island dressing or whatever you fancy.
As you can see this simple turkey burger recipe has no egg or breadcrumbs, great if you have allergies or don’t have these things to hand.
HOW TO MAKE MOIST TURKEY BURGERS
Turkey meat is naturally lean, which is great from a health point of view, but not so good when it comes to moisture and tenderness when cooked. Relative to beef, with its higher fat content, both chicken and turkey are prone to drying out.
The key to adding moisture to this simple turkey burger recipe is to up the fat content with shredded cheese mixed into the ground turkey meat. This results in a deliciously moist turkey burger.
The following will also help:
- Be careful not to overcook – a few minutes on each side should be enough. Use a meat thermometer to quickly check, before cooking the patties for too long.
- Baste patties with butter while cooking – I’ve never found this necessary but if your turkey meat is particularly lean you can drizzle butter over the pattie and in the pan while cooking.
HOW TO MAKE EASY TURKEY BURGERS ON THE STOVE OR GRIDDLE
For best results, use a griddle or skillet pan for this healthy turkey burger recipe without breadcrumbs. I like to use a cast-iron skillet on the stove – you’ll be able to cook 3-4 turkey patties at a time in a large skillet.
- Combine the ground turkey, seasoning, and shredded cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Divide the turkey mixture evenly into golf-ball sized balls and set aside on a plate.
- Heat your griddle or skillet on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil.
- Place the turkey on the hot griddles or in the pan and “smash” (press down!) firmly with a spatula to your desired thickness.
- Cook the turkey burger for 3-4 minutes or until you see a white line halfway up the side.
- Flip the patties and add cheese. Cook for another 3 minutes.
- Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Repeat this process for all the remaining turkey patties.
To cook the buns and onions:
You can do this in another pan, on the other side of the griddle or after the turkey burgers have cooked.
- To brown the buns (if using): add butter to the pan/griddle, halve and place buns face down until browned. This should take about 2 minutes.
- To cook the onions: add 2 teaspoons of oil to the griddle and add the onions. Add butter halfway through and cook until the onions are soft and browned.
Now you’re ready to build your burger with your favorite toppings.
HOW TO TELL IF A TURKEY BURGER IS DONE
Your turkey burger is done when there’s no pink (i.e. raw) meat in the middle. The patties in this turkey burger recipe will need 3-4 minutes per side on a medium-hot griddle or pan.
A meat thermometer will spare you from having to break a patty open to check they’re done if you’re not sure. This will also help prevent you from overcooking the meat, which can result in a drier burger.
Simply insert the thermometer into the thickest section. The turkey should register an internal temperature of 165 degrees F for it to be safe to eat (the same as chicken).
EASY HEALTHY TURKEY BURGER TOPPINGS
There’s really no limit to the delicious toppings you can add to these juicy turkey burgers. Here are some of my favorite choices:
- Grilled mushrooms
- Grilled onions -red or yellow
- Pickles
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Crispy lettuce leaves
- Sliced tomato
HEALTHY TURKEY BURGER SIDES
Enjoy these homemade turkey burgers with a side of sweet potato fries, a green salad, or mixed vegetables.
If you’re looking for low-carb turkey burgers, load the turkey patties on lettuce leaves to create lettuce wraps. These are perfect as keto turkey burgers for those following the keto diet.
Looking for more healthy dinner ideas?
Try these:
- Easy Leftover Chicken Tacos Recipe With Mango Salsa
- Crispy Baked Chicken Nuggets With Panko Breadcrumbs
- Simple & Delicious 3 Bean Turkey Chili
STORING GROUND TURKEY BURGERS
Fridge
Fully assembled turkey burgers in hamburger buns don’t store well. The bread buns will turn soggy from the moist toppings and juicy turkey patties.
Instead, store any leftover toppings such as sliced tomato, in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 1-2 days. Leftover patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freezer
Store leftover turkey patties in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To ensure you have moist turkey burgers on reheating it helps to wrap each individual patty in plastic wrap when storing in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat to serve on fresh buns with fresh toppings.
Reheat
Reheat leftover turkey patties on a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes each side, or until heated through.
You can also reheat your turkey patties in an air fryer for 1-2 minutes or in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. To ensure your turkey burgers stay moist, cover them with aluminum foil. This will prevent lean turkey meat from drying out.
FAQs FOR GROUND TURKEY BURGER RECIPE
Is ground turkey gluten-free?
Yes. Ground turkey meat is naturally gluten-free. Bear in mind that anything added to the turkey mixture can change this, such as flour or breadcrumbs used as a binding agent, however this recipe has neither.
Are these turkey burgers gluten-free?
This healthy turkey burger recipe is gluten-free as it doesn’t have breadcrumbs.
If you want a gluten-free meal be sure to use gluten-free slider buns too. If you can’t source gluten-free buns, consider serving these turkey patties on fresh lettuce leaves, as a “lettuce bun”.
Should you freeze turkey burgers raw or cooked?
You can freeze the cooked turkey burger patties or the raw patties. Both freeze well. Don’t freeze fully assembled turkey burgers as the buns and fresh toppings will not hold up well in the freezing and thawing process.
Need a sweet treat for afters?
Try these:
- Indulgent Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Cheats Sourdough Bread Blueberry French Toast Muffins
- Delicious Strawberry Cake Balls
Easy Smash Turkey Burger Recipe (No Breadcrumbs or Egg!)
Equipment
- large skillet or griddle 2 if possible so you can cook the onion rings and buns at the same time as the patties
- mixing bowl & measuring spoons for ground turkey mixture
- large spatula for "smashing" the burgers down in the pan
- knife & chopping board to cut and prepare toppings
Ingredients
Ground Turkey Pattie Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons parsley flakes
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 Colby cheese slices or use favorite
Burger Bun & Topping Suggestions
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 4 brioche buns or alternative
- 1 large onion sliced into rings
- Iceberg lettuce shredded
- tomato slices
- Thousand island dressing
Instructions
Turkey Burger Recipe Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, garlic salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and shredded cheddar cheese, mix well.
- Then evenly divide the turkey into golf-ball sized balls (or preferred size) and set aside.
- Heat a griddle, or pan. Once hot, add the oil.
- Place the turkey on the griddle or in the pan, and "smash" (press down firmly) to the desired thickness. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until you see a white line halfway up the side which indicates tje bottom half of the pattie is cooked.
- Flip the burgers and add the cheese slice on top. Cook about 3 more minutes.
- Then remove the burger patties from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Continue, with the remaining patties.
Bun & Onion Ring Instructions
- While the burgers are cooking, or once done if you only have one pan, add ½ of a tablespoon of butter to the griddle or pan, and place 2 buns face down until browned. This will take about 2 minutes.
- Remove and then add the onions with 2 teaspoons of oil. After 3-4 minutes, add the butter and continue cooking until soft and browned.
- Now it's time to construct your burger!
Notes
- Be careful not to overcook them – a few minutes on each side should be enough. Use a meat thermometer to quickly check, before cooking the patties for too long.
- Baste patties with butter while cooking – this may be necessary if your turkey meat is particularly lean. Simply drizzle butter over the pattie while cooking.
Leave a Reply
We would love to hear from you!