Turkey Burgers

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated Aug. 6, 2024

Turkey Burgers
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(4,979)
Comments
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Turkey burgers are much leaner than hamburgers, but they can be dry and dull. Moisten them by adding ketchup and a bit of grated onion to the ground turkey — or mayonnaise and a bit of mustard. The idea is to emphasize condiments, and keep the turkey moist.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 burgers

    For the Burgers

    • ½medium onion
    • 1pound lean ground turkey
    • 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 2tablespoons ketchup
    • ¾teaspoon salt
    • Freshly ground pepper to taste
    • 4hamburger buns, preferably whole wheat
    • 1tablespoon canola oil, or use pan spray
    • Thin slices of Cheddar, optional

    For Serving

    • Sliced tomato
    • Sliced onion
    • Iceberg lettuce
    • Pickles
    • Sliced red pepper
    • Ketchup and mustard
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Grate the onion on the fine holes of a grater. You should have about two tablespoons of grated onion (and a lot of juice, which you can discard). Place in a bowl with the ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper. Using a fork, mix together well. Shape into four patties — the mixture will be quite moist — and press the patties into ½-inch thick rounds.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the canola oil in a nonstick griddle or large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. (Alternately, spray the griddle or pan with pan spray.) When you can feel the heat while holding your hand just above griddle or pan, cook the patties for five minutes on each side, topping with slices of Cheddar, if desired, after the first flip. Serve burgers on buns, with the condiments of your choice.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,979 user ratings
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Comments

Ari

I think in the future I'm going to use the phrase "grating an onion" as a metaphor for a nearly impossible task. What mush I did get was delicious and worked well for the patties, but at the risk of sliding layers off while applying pressure and grating my fingers...

vern

The seasoning for the burgers are delicious. For the same results with less time, I baked the patties in the oven first for 30 mins at 375 F and then seared it on my griddle for 2 mins on each side. It came out delicious, moist and full of flavor

KDR

KLK, try the donut method of burger forming. You make the patty and then put a depression in the center - it helps reduce shrinkage and cooks more evenly (which is good since it is poultry).

PennyB

I was pleased with how tasty these turkey burgers were. I followed the recipe exactly, but also put the burgers, on a parchment paper lined plate, into the frig for about 20 minutes. My two guys were both enthusiastic about the meal. It's a keeper.

Elizabeth

The flavor of these is incredible, but my husband and I tried to make them on two separate occasions, and they completely fell apart in the pan. There isn't enough binder in this recipe for the patties to survive a flip.

Sharon B

I make these pretty often. I think they benefit from a hit of dijon mustard. I find that if I chop the onion in a mini-chopper until it's very fine, then transfer it to a potato ricer and squeeze out all the excess juice, the texture of the burger works better. You could just squeeze it in your hands or in a towel, if you don't have a potato ricer. We always grill them.

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