Grilled Turkey Burgers
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If turkey burgers have never quite wowed you (let’s be honest, they can be pretty dry), this game-changing version might just win you over—there’s a clever trick that makes all the difference.
Most grilled turkey burgers are dry and tasteless, leaving you yearning for the real deal. Not these! I add turkey sausage—a trick often used in meatballs—to amp up the flavor and keep the burgers incredibly juicy. The best part? Thanks to the highly seasoned sausage, you can throw them together in minutes with just five ingredients—no chopping, slicing, or dicing required.
These turkey burgers aren’t just a second-best substitute for steakhouse burgers—they’re delicious in their own right. You can customize them however you like with your favorite cheese and burger fixings.
“These are so delicious…We added sliced mozzarella cheese and topped with bruschetta and drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar.”
What You’ll Need to make Grilled Turkey Burgers
- Turkey: I use an equal combination of Italian turkey sausage and 93/7 lean ground turkey. The sausage boosts the flavor and fat needed to make flavorful and juicy turkey burgers. My favorite brand is Shady Brook Farms. You can choose hot or sweet Italian sausage depending on your preferences.
- Black pepper: Ground black pepper enhances the flavor of the meat.
- Worcestershire sauce: This popular condiment adds a combination of savory and tangy flavors along with a hint of mild spice.
- Dijon mustard: The unique flavor of Dijon mustards adds balanced flavored with a slight bite, some sweetness, and hints of acidity.
- Hamburger buns: Choose your favorite! From sesame seeds to brioche rolls, the options are endless.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Turkey Burgers
Step 1: Prep the burger mixture. Use kitchen shears to cut through the casings on the sausage and peel it away from the meat. Add it to a bowl with the ground turkey, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Use your hands to mix together all the ingredients until well combined.
Step 2: Shape the burgers. Divide the meat into 8 even portions and shape into patties about ½-inch thick. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook, up to two days ahead of time.
Step 3: Grill the burgers. Start by cleaning the grill and preheating it on high. Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil, then use tongs to rub the grates a few times until they’re glossy and well coated. Place the burgers on the grill and close the lid. Let them cook for 5 minutes to get those nice grill marks, then flip and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Unlike beef burgers, turkey burgers need to be fully cooked—but go too far, and they dry out. Grill to 160°F, then let them rest for 5 minutes. They’ll hit the safe temp of 165°F as they rest, and stay nice and juicy.
Step 4: Grill the buns and serve. If you’d like, toast the buns on the grill until lightly golden. Serve the freshly grilled turkey burgers on the buns with your favorite toppings—classic ketchup and mustard and bread and butter pickles, or go for something a little different spicy relish, Russian dressing or honey mustard sauce.
Serving Suggestions
- Burgers and fries: Regular french fries or sweet potato fries are always a classic combo with burgers. You can also enjoy some roasted potatoes or baked sweet potatoes for a healthy baked option instead.
- Salads galore: Summertime grilling is the perfect time to pile on the salads. Potato salad and macaroni salad are heartier salads that work well or you can opt for lighter salads such as my summer avocado salad and creamy cucumber salad.
- Don’t forget dessert: No cookout or picnic is complete with something sweet! Chocolate chunk cookies, fudgy brownies, and tangy lemon bars are a few of my favorite classic desserts.
Variations
- Add Some Cheese: Top your burgers in the last few minutes of cooking with your favorite sliced cheese. From sharp cheddar to Swiss cheese, and even pepper jack cheese for a spicy kick, the sky’s the limit. You can also mix some shredded cheese directly into the meat mixture.
- Smoky Burgers: Top with crisp bacon, homemade BBQ sauce, and cheese for extra flavor.
- Southwest Burgers: Add some diced green chiles to the meat mixture and top with pepper jack cheese and fresh guacamole.
Can I Make Grilled Turkey Burgers on the Stove?
Absolutely! The best way to grill them inside is to use a cast iron grill pan for grill marks and slightly charred flavor, similar to the grill. Make sure to preheat the pan over medium-high heat and grease the grill pan before adding your burgers. Let them cook covered without moving for five minutes to give the grill marks time to form. Then flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes. You can also try my recipe for skillet turkey burgers which uses just ground turkey and cooks on the stove.
More burger Recipes to love
Turkey Burgers
These juicy, flavor-packed turkey burgers come together in minutes and are guaranteed to win over even the most devoted beef burger fans.
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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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.