Skillet Turkey Burgers
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These skillet turkey burgers are juicy and flavorful, with a secret ingredient that takes them to the next level. A weeknight dinner winner!
If you’re a beef burger lover, you might think turkey burgers can’t measure up to the real thing—and, in most cases, you’d be right. But these skillet turkey burgers, modestly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, are delicious in their own right. They have a juicy texture, deep savory flavor, and gorgeous browned crust. The secret is adding ricotta cheese and lots of seasoning to the burger mix.
Serve the turkey burgers on buns or rolls. I love them topped with a simple mix of equal parts Dijon mustard and mayo, along with arugula (as pictured), but they’re also great with classic burger toppings, bread and butter pickles, or caramelized onions. If you’d like to try some variations, consider adding a few tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs, a clove of minced garlic, or thinly sliced scallions to the burger mixture. And if you’re looking for a good side, try my crispy potato wedges—they’re easy and always a hit.
“By far the best turkey burger I have ever tasted anywhere!”
What You’ll Need To Make Skillet Turkey Burger Recipe
- Ground turkey: The lean protein base of the burger—use 93% for best results.
- Salt and black pepper: Essential seasonings to bring out the natural flavors of the turkey.
- Worcestershire sauce & Dijon mustard: Adds depth, tang, and a savory umami flavor to the burger mix.
- Ricotta cheese: Keeps the burgers moist and juicy.
- Italian seasoned bread crumbs: Help bind the mixture and add a little extra flavor and texture.
- Vegetable oil: Used to cook the burgers and give them a nice, crispy crust.
- Hamburger buns: For serving; toast and and butter them for extra flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Place ground turkey in a medium-size bowl. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, and mustard.
Using your hands, mix until well blended.
Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Gently toss each portion from hand to hand to form a ball, then use your fingertips to lightly flatten it into a 3/4-inch-thick patty with a small depression in the center (this helps keep the burgers from puffing up while cooking). At this point, the uncooked burgers can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to three months.
Heat a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat until it’s very hot, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom. Place the burgers in the pan and cook without moving them until the bottom is dark golden brown and crusted, 3 to 4 minutes.
Turn the burgers over and continue cooking until the bottom is light brown but not yet crusted, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes, or until the burgers are fully cooked (an instant-read thermometer inserted from the side into the center should read 160°F). Remove the turkey burgers from the pan and serve immediately.
Looking for more ways to lighten traditional ground beef recipes by substituting ground turkey? Check out my turkey meatballs, turkey meatloaf, and turkey chili.
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Skillet Turkey Burgers
Juicy and packed with savory flavor, these skillet turkey burgers rival the best beef burgers.
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds 93% lean ground turkey (I use Shady Brook Farms)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup whole milk Ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for cooking
- 4 hamburger buns (lightly toasted and buttered, if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Place the ground turkey in a medium-size bowl. Add the salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, and mustard. Using your hands, mix until well blended. Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Lightly toss one portion from hand to hand to form a ball, then lightly flatten the ball with your fingertips into a ¾-inch-thick patty with a slight depression in the center (this prevents the burgers from puffing up when cooked). Repeat with the remaining portions.
- Heat a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat until very hot, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the oil to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the burgers and cook over medium heat, without moving the burgers, until the bottom side of each is dark golden brown and crusted, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the burgers over; continue to cook until the bottom side is light brown but not yet crusted, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the pan to the oven and continue cooking for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the burgers are completely cooked (an instant-read thermometer inserted from the side of the burger into the center should register 160°F). Remove the burgers from the pan and serve immediately.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The uncooked burgers can refrigerated for 24 hours or frozen for up to three months. (Freeze the burgers on a baking sheet or plate so their shape sets, then transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easy storage.) Defrost the burgers overnight in the refrigerator prior to serving and then cook as directed.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 burger
- Calories: 445
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Sodium: 536 mg
- Cholesterol: 121 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
This one was one of the rare occasions that we weren’t impressed with your recipe. Turkey felt mushy and not flavorful enough. We absolutely love your steakhouse burgers (the best burgers imo!) and will stick to that. However, I’m trying to move away from red meat as much as possible and introduce more turkey recipes to our rotation. Do your turkey spinach meatballs have a similar texture to this one?
Also, where in the world I can find Shady Brooks ground Turkey? I love your brand choices – always top quality – and would prefer to use your recommendations. Thanks so much!
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy these! The texture of the turkey meatballs is a bit different – they’re a little firmer. And I find the Shady Brook Farms turkey at my local grocery stores (Giant and Safeway). I wonder if it just isn’t distributed to your region?
Hi Jenn, thank you for your reply – it’s very helpful! We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have Safeway around here. I’ll definitely check it out as I swear by your recommendations!
Can’t wait to make these. Do you serve them with a mayo condiment? I was wondering what’s on the roll.
Hi Joan, I think that was a combination of mayo, Dijon mustard, and some chopped parsley (but you really could use any fresh herb). Hope you enjoy the burgers!
Really love these skillet burgers and I am not a fan of turkey burgers in general. I never have the 1 and 1/4 lb turkey on hand so I make it with 1 pound of ground turkey with no issues (I do scale back a tad on the ingredients overall). The only other change is I add chopped scallions. Super simple to whip up with a side salad for a quick weeknight dinner.
Jenn,
These turkey burgers are outstanding. I followed your method, and the burgers came out so juicy and flavorful. are used ground thigh meat, and added more Italian spices.
Perfect cooking instructions!!
Thanks for a recipe that the whole family loved !
Tried these today and they were delicious, even though I slightly burned the burgers. The flavor is great, perfect amount of salt…I’ll definitely make them again. I used gluten free breadcrumbs (Aleia’s Italian Seasoned) and they worked very well. Once again, thank you!
“I’m obsessed with these turkey burgers” said the girl who doesn’t like turkey burgers!
Absolutely outstanding!
Unlike most of the recipes on here this one was just blah. I followed the directions exactly and the burgers held up quite well. They looked great too. But they were very bland and cheese in the meat just made the whole thing too cheesy for my taste. It was like I was having a burger that was loaded with cream cheese.
I won’t be making this again.
I wasn’t able to get the desired browned texture on the outside, either, and they crumbled all over the place. Since they were crumbling so much I was wondering if I had forgotten to add eggs. I had to fry them in my cast iron for 15 minutes or so on each side to get them browned and turn up the coil past oil-burning temps before baking them in the oven. I had to substitute ricotta with cottage cheese, as well. The flavor was good but they turned into more like a meatloaf than a burger. Still tasted good on a bun but with a very mushy texture.
Follow the recipe to the T made a disaster of my cast-iron skillet and still did not get the desired browned exterior. Only follow this recipe because it was raining outside and could not grill my turkey burgers which always come out supreme.