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+ servings
Two grilled turkey burgers on a white plate.

Grilled Turkey Burgers Recipe

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose
Keyword: grilled tukey burgers, grilled turkey burger recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4 turkey burgers
Calories: 142kcal
These grilled turkey burgers stay moist and juicy thanks to the sautéed onions and garlic in this easy recipe. Grill them up when you want a lighter burger option.
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 onion
  • 4-6 cloves garlic
  • pinch crushed red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • cracked black pepper to taste
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Chop onion and garlic. You want the onions in a very small dice and mince the garlic. We need them in pretty small pieces so they don't prevent the turkey burger from holding together on the grill.
  • Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, drizzle with olive oil to lightly coat pan. Add onions and a pinch or two of kosher salt. Sweat onions for about 4 - 5 minutes until translucent, then add garlic and crushed red pepper and continue cooking until the garlic softens, another 1 - 2 minutes. Do not brown the onions or burn the garlic! Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
  • Add onion and garlic mixture to ground turkey, carefully folding in, do not overwork the meat.
  • Form the burger mixture into patties. This might be a little tricky because ground turkey is not a firm meat. Gently shape into patties about ½ - ¾-inch thick, and oil your hands along the way if necessary.
  • Brush both sides of the patties with olive oil and lay side by side on a sheet pan or a large platter. Chill for about 20 minutes.
  • Grill over medium-high heat for about 3-6 minutes. Brush a bit more olive oil onto the patty, then flip and cook on the other side for another 3-5 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Serve with your favorite burger toppings.

Notes

  • Salting the the onions when they are cooking does two things. First, it seasons them! We want each component of the recipe to taste good. Secondly, it allows the onions to sweat and soften without browning.
  • Make sure your patties are only about ½ - ¾-inch thick to keep them from taking too long to cook and drying out. 
  • Be sure to read my top 10 tips for the best grilled turkey burgers in the post above. 
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Nutrition

Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 641mg | Potassium: 387mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg