Turkey Burgers
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Juicy, flavorful, and easy to make, these turkey burgers can hold their own against any beef counterpart.
Most turkey burgers are dry and tasteless and leave you yearning for the real deal. Not these! I add turkey sausage — a trick often used with meatballs — to amp up the flavor and make the burgers incredibly juicy. The best part is that, thanks to the highly seasoned sausage, you can throw them together in a matter of minutes with only five ingredients — no chopping, slicing or dicing required. These turkey burgers are not just a second-best substitute for steakhouse burgers, but they are delicious in their own right. You can customize them to your heart’s content by topping them with your favorite cheese or other burger fixings. And for an extra kick, serve them with my favorite homemade spicy relish — it’s quick, easy, and a must-have at every Segal family BBQ, as it elevates everything off the grill, from hot dogs and grilled chicken to brats and, of course, burgers.
What You’ll Need To Make Grilled Turkey Burgers
Step-by-Step Instructions
Remove the sausage meat from the casings. The best way is to use kitchen shears to cut through the casings and then peel them away from meat.
Add the ground turkey, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard.
Use your hand to mix together until well combined.
Form the meat into 8 even patties about ½-inch thick, and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Clean the grill and preheat to high. To grease the grill, lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over the grates several times until glossy and coated. Place the turkey burgers on the grill and cook for five minutes, covered, until nice grill marks form. Flip and continue to cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes more.
Heat the buns on the grill, assemble the burgers, and serve.
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Turkey Burgers
Juicy, flavorful, and easy to make, these turkey burgers can hold their own against any beef counterpart.
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds Italian turkey sausage (I use Shady Brook Farms hot or sweet varieties)
- 1⅓ pounds 93/7 lean ground turkey (I use Shady Brook Farms; one package equals 1⅓ pounds)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Remove the sausage meat from the casings. The best way is to use kitchen shears to cut through the casings and then peel them away from meat. Place the sausage meat in a large bowl along with the ground turkey, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Use your hand to mix together until well combined. The mixture will seem quite wet; that's okay. Form the meat into 8 even patties about ½-inch thick. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Clean the grill and preheat to high. To grease the grill, lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over the grates several times until glossy and coated. Place the turkey burgers on the grill and cook for five minutes, covered, until nice grill marks form. Flip and continue to cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes more, until the burgers are cooked through. Heat the buns on the grill, assemble the burgers, and serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The uncooked burgers can be 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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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 burger
- Calories: 338
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Sodium: 701 mg
- Cholesterol: 104 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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This recipe is delicious. I have made it multiple times. It’s a nice change from plain turkey burgers and I love it because it only takes 5 ingredients. I will definitely be making it again.
These were incredibly flavorful without being overpowering, juicy, and great texture! We were surprised how easy and delish they were for being turkey!!
What temperature would you recommend if I made a meatloaf instead? Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!
Hi Leslie, I’d go with 350°F. 🙂
Love this recipe! I always add chopped fresh mushrooms.
Hi Jenn, Would it be okay to use white ground turkey?
Hi Amy, I wouldn’t recommend using all white ground turkey — the burgers will come out dry. Sorry!
Left out the sausage, delicious!
Another excellent and super simple recipe. I didn’t see a safe internal temperature listed in the recipe so I grilled them to 165. Later I saw in your Pan Seared Turkey Burgers recipe that the internal temperature for those should be 160. The ‘internet” seems split on the correct safe temperature for turkey. Even the Shady Brook Farms website lists both 160 and 165 as the correct temperature. Ugh. So I guess I’ll cook them to 162.5 🙂
My guys scoffed at the mention of turkey burgers – until now! Thanks for another delicious and dependable recipe!
Hi Jenn, can you use ground chicken instead of turkey.
Carole
I haven’t made these with chicken, but I think it should work. Please LMK how they turn out!
My husband said these were the best turkey burgers he’s had. High praise! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
I made these last night for my daughter who has decided she no longer eats pork or beef. I therefore had to make it without the sausage, and it was still delicious (I added slightly more salt, Worcestershire, and mustard, plus scallions to boost the flavor given the absence of sausage). I personally don’t like it when people alter the recipe like this but I want to convey that this recipe is solid, given it was still delicious with minor modifications based on dietary constraints. I love a solid recipe that I can still alter to make work for my family, and I will definitely make this again. I will likely try adding some additional spices to help mimic the sausage flavors. I love your recipes!
These turkey burgers were a hit in my family-got rave reviews from my teenage boys! LOVE that they are so easy to make…the perfect summer recipe. Thank you Jenn-your recipes never disappoint!
PS can’t wait to use the leftover burgers on my salad tomorrow.
**you can use turkey sausage next time! It is just as delicious!
What is the nutritional values of these burgers
Hi Kathy, I just added the nutritional info– enjoy!
This is the first of Jenn’s recipes I have not liked! All others get 5 stars. I do not like the taste of sausage in a “burger”. My entire family agreed. Jenn….would love a turkey burger recipe without sausage! I am sure you could produce a 5 star recipe, so I will wait for that! :o)
Hi Jenn, do you recommend lean turkey sausage or regular turkey sausage in this recipe? I can’t seem to find sweet or hot would mild turkey sausage be ok?
Hi Joan, I use Shady Brook Farms turkey sausage — I’m not sure what the fat content is but I think anything you find will work in this recipe. Enjoy!
Super easy to make and my 1 1/2 year old LOVED them!! I thought they were good, but they tasted more like a meatball versus a burger. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. Still yummy though!
Hello! I want to grill these this afternoon for a cinco de mayo party. I just formed the patties and they are sticky and wet. Is this how they are supposed to be? Will they cook alright?
Hmmm, they shouldn’t be too sticky as there are no real wet ingredients in them. Did you by chance make any substitutions? If they are too wet, they won’t hold up on the grill — you might be better of pan frying them. Hope that helps!
These ended up being delicious! I think they were sticky because of the ground turkey I used. Anyway! It’s on my Memorial Day weekend menu! You are so talented.
Hi, I find poultry gets a bit ‘sticky’ when close to expiry date. 🤔
OH my! I did one batch with sweet Italian sausage and one with hot! Both were delicious at our family reunion! The leftovers were chilled and diced on top of salads the next day. Between those and the steakhouse burgers, Jenn, we had the perfect restaurant food!
Very good, I used hot italian turkey sausage and the whole family loved them.
Haven’t tried this recipe but will this weekend. Ground turkey burgers can taste bland, combining with turkey sausage is Genius. Thank you Jenn.
I thought I knew how to make a turkey burger until I tried this recipe. The burger turned out moist, juicy and beautiful
Hi Jenn – made these up for 4th of July and they were a hit! So yummy — tender, moist and very flavorful. Another great recipe from you. Thanks!
I meant to add that I cooked mine on a grill pan on the stove, and they turned out wonderfully.
In a word: YUM! These burgers are very tasty and plenty moist. I topped mine with a basic mango-avocado salsa (diced ripe mango and avocado seasoned with a little salt and a squeeze of fresh lime juice) and I served them with oven-baked sweet potato wedges. Thanks for more culinary inspiration, Jenn!
These turkey burgers are the best! The sweet Italian sausage makes them. My husband was skeptical but he loves them as much as I do after eatting them a few times. When I have left over burgers, he loves to crumble in his omelet the next morning. Thanks Jen. All of your recipes are delicious.
Glad you’re enjoying them, Penny!
We absolutely love these flavorful turkey burgers. What are your suggestions to make this recipe as a meatloaf?
Thanks so much.
Hi Carol, Great idea. I would just free-form it into a loaf shape on a foil-lined (and greased) baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes. Spread ketchup on top before baking if desired. Please let me know how it turns out!
These were the best turkey burgers my husband and I have had, hands down! We have tried several versions at home and at restaurants, and this will be my go-to recipe from now on. The Italian turkey sausage adds so much flavor! My husband was ready to give up on turkey burgers, but he said this recipe is a definite keeper!
Tried them tonight. Totally awesome! We will definitely make our turkey burgers this way from now on. Thanks so much.
Stumbled across your website the other day and it is now saved as a favourite in my browser. I am in the UK and some of the ingredients you mention are not so easily available over here. My question is, does it make a difference if they are Italian turkey sausages or just plain old generic turkey sausages? Looking forward to trying either way.
Hi Lee, Welcome to the site! The Italian turkey sausages do add nice flavor but generic will work too.
Holy cow, who needs hamburger. These turkey burgers were incredibly juicy and so easy to make !
I make these turkey burgers for dinner every week now. They usually require a little bit longer in the oven for me (2-3 minutes more), but they are the best turkey burgers I have ever had
These were the best turkey burgers I’ve ever made! The addition of sausage is genius–I used organic chicken sausage flavored with sage, and added a bit of chopped onion and maple to my burgers. Delicious! Thanks for the great idea.
A good recipe if you are looking for a spicier version of the standard turkey burger.
I made these burgers for my partner and I last night. They were possibly some of the best burgers I’ve ever made. The Worcestershire sauce gave them a great flavour as well!
Delicious.
I love turkey burgers but usually they are too dry – these were great! They were the exception! Had super flavor and not at all dry! I did freeze them after cooking (did that on purpose so I could take for lunch to work) and they heat up perfectly. Try them! Thanks again for another terrific recipe!
Very interesting idea to use turkey sausage. I’m going to have to try this.
I love turkey burgers with a little bit of minced jalapeno peppers added to them, and served with goat cheese and roasted red peppers on top. I LOVE them without the bun even! (less carbs & calories)
I haven’t had the best of luck with turkey burgers. I’ll have to try this one out…thanks!
I’m always looking for good turkey burger recipes! This looks great!
My husband, 2 boys, and I loved this! The 3 of them are avid “beef” burger eaters, so they did say it tasted more like sausages than burgers and requested that I add grilled onions and peppers and put it on hoagie rolls next time. But, they couldn’t get enough of it! Thank you so much!
[…] turkey burger is… adding turkey sausage to the meat! I first read about this on the blog “Once Upon a Chef”. After trying it a few times, it can’t be beat. I’ll never make them another way […]
Someone previously asked if they would freeze well uncooked and I was wondering the same thing . If not, could you cook them and freeze, then defrost and just heat in the microwave?
Hi Heidi, I think you’d be fine to freeze these raw. Hope that helps!
Shari, Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, I’m just not set up to provide accurate nutritional info for my recipes. I do know of one website that allows you to plug in ingredients for a recipe and it calculates the nutritional value for you. The only thing is that I can’t say for sure how accurate it is. Here’s the link:
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
I’ve tried it with a few of my recipes and it seemed pretty close but you have to fiddle around with the ingredients because it doesn’t always recognize what you put in (for example, it won’t understand “1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons” so you have to convert that to “6 tablespoons” or it won’t accept “8 chicken thighs” so you have to put in “2 pounds chicken thighs”). Hope that helps!
What a great alternative to beef or even plain turkey or chicken! They look wonderful and sound delcious!
I am always looking for new types of turkey burgers. We love them around here.
These look great Jen. I’ve always used lean ground turkey, but would never have thought to use the spicy turkey sausage. Brillant!
These DO sound full of flavor! Good call on the sausage
Danita & Melissa,
Yes, I think these burgers would freeze well. Hope you enjoy 🙂
I was wondering the same thing as Dana, regarding freezing extras.
Do you have the nutritional value for each patty?
These look good and healthy. Do you think they would freeze well (uncooked)? There are only two of us and it would be nice to have some of these on hand for a quick dinner or weekend lunch.
Looks great!