These easy ground turkey burgers are tender and juicy. They're quick and a cinch to make - they'll be a family favorite all summer!
This healthy turkey burger recipe comes together fast. You can have these on your table in about 20 minutes!
I have a ground chicken burger recipe that readers enjoy every summer. This easy turkey burger recipe is based off that one.
I love using fresh herbs in my burgers; they make them taste extra summery. It's so exciting to use my own home-grown herbs in recipes (well, even if it's just the two kinds haha). The taste difference is amazing.
I topped these grilled turkey burgers with some mayo, butter leaf lettuce, tomato, and red onion. I absolutely love burgers, and I generally keep the toppings quite simple. If you've got quality fresh ingredients, you really don't need to add much. As always, feel free to top them with your favorite things. Avocado would work on these as well. And if you can't do a burger without ketchup, then by all means add it! 🙂
A few years ago, I learned the trick of adding some mayo right into the burger mixture to help keep poultry burgers moist. It really works.
I hope you will find that these are the best turkey burgers you've made at home!
How to cook turkey burgers on the grill (success tips):
- Don’t over handle the meat.
- Make the patties and place them on wax paper.
- Make a little depression with your thumb in the center of each burger so they cook evenly instead of puffing up in the middle.
- Make sure you oil the grill before it’s up to temperature so the burgers don’t stick.
- Slide the burgers onto the grill using a metal spatula so they don't fall apart (they are quite delicate).
- Cooking temperature: every BBQ or grill is different, and burger thickness will vary. We cooked the burgers in our BBQ on medium high heat for around 5 min/side (we made 4 burgers). If you’re unsure they are properly cooked, you should use a meat thermometer. The inside meat temperature should read at least 165F. You could also use a grill pan or frying pan to make these.
Love homemade burgers? You may also like my easy salmon burger recipe.
Will you make this turkey burger recipe? Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Easy Ground Turkey Burgers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey (I used thigh, but feel free to use breast meat)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives chopped
- 1 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped finely
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian flavored)
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Serve with: hamburger buns, butter leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo, avocado... etc.
Instructions
- Oil and pre-heat your grill to high heat.
- Chop the chives and parsley, and prepare your toppings (tomato, onion, lettuce, etc.).
- In a medium to large bowl, add the ground turkey, chives, parsley, minced garlic, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, mayo, and salt & pepper. Using your hands, gently mix everything together, taking care to not over handle the mixture.
- Form burger patties one by one and place them on a sheet of wax paper. You should be able to make six small to average-size burger patties or four larger ones. Using your thumb, create a depression in the center of each patty so they cook evenly. Patties will be quite delicate.
- Turn the grill down to medium-high heat. Cook the burger patties until their internal temperature is at least 165F. Cooking time really depends on your grill and the thickness of the patties. Mine took about 5 minutes/side (made 4 patties).
- Once the burgers are cooked, you can toast the buns for about 20-30 seconds on each side if desired (we did this right on the grill after buttering them).
- Assemble burgers and enjoy!
Notes
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure the burgers are cooked to 165F internal temperature.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Halle says
Hi Natasha… really big fan of yours! I was just wondering, if I wanted to make these with ground beef what recommendations would you suggest I do? I think the consistency between the two are different, no? TIA
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Hi! Thank you!! I think you could for sure try. I think they might fall apart more easily with beef, but I'd just handle them more delicately. The flavors are definitely meant to go with ground turkey rather than beef, but I think it is worth a try. Let me know! 🙂
Halle says
Hi! So I tried it with ground beef, but it didn’t work out unfortunately 🙁 the flavor was amazing though. But I’m just not one for the texture of turkey. It tastes crumbly on burgers to me, the ones I’ve had in the past did anyway… 😕
Rachael says
YUMMO! These are delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Natasha says
You're very welcome!!
Courtney says
This was soooooo good! My supermarket didn’t have any chives so I used scallions and went a little heavier with the scallions. We put cheese, lettuce, mayo, tomato, red onion, and avocado My husband also put pickles on his. We loved it!! Great recipe!
Natasha says
Awesome! Thank you!!
Jerrod Fernandez says
So good!!! I love these turkey burgers! Thank you for the recipe. I added a little Cajun spice to the meat and two finely diced serrano peppers because I like it spicy.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
You're welcome, Jerrod! Thanks so much for your review! We love Cajun seasoning over here too 🙂
Jenn says
I may be mixing this up with one of your other recipes but didn’t this recipe use to have Worcestershire sauce?
Natasha says
Hi! Hmmm... I don't recall updating this recipe to take out the Worcestershire sauce. I think you could definitely add some to the burgers, though.
MM says
Wonderful! So light and the turkey was soft. I didn’t have chives or bread crumbs, so I used finely diced white onion & dried oats. I cooked stovetop in a nonstick pan and made 10 small turkey patties. So much better than my usual turkey patty recipe. It’s a keeper!!
Natasha says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed them! 🙂
Heidi G says
Made these as written (with Penzeys Tuscan Sunset to sub the Italian seasoning) and grilled. Fantastic! Very juicy and flavorful. Shared recipe with multiple people and will put them on the grill every time I fire it up this summer. They reheat great.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Heidi! I appreciate you sharing the recipe. 🙂
Rebecca Baack says
Delicious! Thanks so much for the great recipes. I am always looking for new and improved ways to cook ground turkey and this one is definitely a keeper. I added some feta cheese and Dijon mustard to the mix and they were perfection. Thank you!
Natasha says
So happy you liked the burgers!
Jessica says
These are fabulous. We’ve made them several times now and they never disappoint. We made these the first time because we couldn’t find any red meat due to shortages. They were so good, I think we prefer them to red meat. Just perfect!
Natasha says
That's really awesome!! I'm so happy to hear how much you like them.
Kandace says
My fiancé and I made these the other night... oh my god, probably the best homemade burgers we’ve ever had. That little kick of lemon made them so flavorful and delish. Currently salivating wishing I had like 4 more.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! Your comment makes me so happy. 🙂
Alex says
Just made these last night and they were the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had. Super quick and easy and they were very juicy and flavorful. I would make these again often, they were extremely easy to make.
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know.
Kiki says
I have a general question regarding Turkey burgers and ground Turkey in general. Kind of a survey really lol. Ground dark turkey has about 14 grams of fat. It is possible to find lean ground beef with 14 grams of fat or even less. Ground turkey breast has about 2 grams of fat. You will have a bit less saturated fat in either the dark or white meat turkey, but other than that they both contain the same amount of protein and nutrients. So my question is, is using turkey a choice based on flavor for most people...and if not, are most people using ground dark or white turkey?
Natasha says
I'll chime in. Here in Canada, the leanest ground beef I can find at a normal grocery store (they call it "extra lean" here and the definition is that it has maximum 10% fat) still has more calories/fat than the ground turkey I can easily buy (it's labeled as lean and it's dark meat, I believe. Some stores sell ground turkey breast, but I find it very dry). I personally prefer the taste of ground beef, but I don't mind ground turkey, so I use it in a lot of my day-to-day cooking (like I'll make turkey tacos pretty much weekly) when I need some fairly low fat protein.
Tracy says
Love these! Can you make patties up and freeze them for a later date?
Natasha says
Glad you like 'em! Sure, I think that would be fine. I haven't tried that personally, but I don't see why it wouldn't work to freeze them.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I make turkey burgers quite often Natasha when we want to go the healthier route for dinner! Can't wait to try your recipe!
Natasha says
Hope you love 'em, Mary Ann!!
Sarah Fennel says
These pictures are making me hungry! YUM.
Natasha says
Thanks, Sarah! 🙂
Matt Robinson says
I love ground turkey so I can’t wait to make these!
Natasha says
Hope you try them, Matt! I am sure the boys would like them.
Jeff the Chef says
The pictures certainly look delicious! Garlic, chives, parsley, lemon juice … that sounds like a great combination!
Natasha says
Thanks so much, Jeff!!