Grilled Turkey Burgers
Learn how to make flavorful, juicy Grilled Turkey Burgers with a secret ingredient and no breadcrumbs! They’re gluten-free, paleo-friendly and can be made entirely in advance!
I make burgers weekly because they’re incredibly quick and easy, and especially because everyone in the family loves them.
I dedicated a post on how to grill burgers several years ago in order to get perfectly juicy hamburgers every single time, and since I love Grilled Turkey Burgers just as much (if not more), I decided to dedicate a post to grilling perfect turkey burgers as well.
Ground turkey burgers are lighter and a bit leaner, and when they’re cooked correctly they’re incredibly juicy as well.
Truth be told it takes a little more effort to impart moisture and flavor to ground turkey, but it’s definitely worth a few minutes extra time in my opinion.
This grilled turkey burger recipe gives you another delicious option for your next burger night!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Grilled turkey burgers are juicy, flavorful and take just a few simple ingredients.
- They’re light, lean and gluten-free, and they can be served in lettuce wraps or your favorite buns.
- They come together quickly and can be assembled completely in advance.
- They’re freezer-friendly and can be cooked from frozen.
Recipe ingredients
There are just a few ingredients included in this grilled turkey burger recipe, and they can all be customized based on your personal preferences and what you have on hand.
- Ground turkey. For best results, use lean ground turkey as it includes dark meat. This adds moisture and flavor to your ground turkey burgers. Extra lean ground turkey breast is lower in fat and calories, but will result in dry turkey burgers.
- Almond flour. This is used to bind the ground turkey together. It can be substituted with regular or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Mayonnaise. This is the secret ingredient to incredibly moist turkey burgers. It can be substituted with Greek yogurt or even basil pesto sauce, or add a bit of grated onion or zucchini.
- Coconut aminos. Adds savory depth of flavor. Sub with Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce or tamari.
- Garlic powder. Sub with fresh minced garlic or omit to make this recipe low FODMAP.
How to make grilled turkey burgers
This healthy turkey burger recipe comes together in minutes with just a few ingredients. If your ground turkey is very sticky, be sure to follow the pro tip below.
Pro tip: Ground turkey meat can be quite sticky, so be sure to oil the plate and both sides of the burgers to keep them from sticking to the plate and each other once they’ve been formed into patties. Brush the grill grates with oil as well to ensure that they don’t stick to the grill.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Place ground turkey, almond flour, mayo, garlic powder, coconut aminos, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Using your hands, gently combine the ingredients to avoid overworking the meat.
- Coat a plate with oil. Form the burgers into 1/4 lb. patties and brush both sides lightly with oil. Place on the oil coated plate and chill for a minimum of 10 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to medium high, or about 400 degrees. Brush the grill grates with oil and place the turkey burgers on the grill. Cook on one side for 5 minutes.
- Flip and cook for 5 minutes more or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
FAQs
Lean ground turkey is essential for a juicy turkey burger as it includes more fat, which translates to moisture and flavor. Extra lean ground turkey breast is lower in fat, but it will result in dry turkey burgers.
This healthy grilled turkey burger recipe includes almond flour instead of breadcrumbs for a binder, a bit of avocado oil mayo to provide moisture, and garlic powder and coconut aminos to provide depth of flavor. This recipe is low carb, paleo and Whole30 compliant, and gluten-free as well.
Sustainably raised ground turkey combined with quality added ingredients definitely makes grilled turkey burgers a healthy choice.
Turkey burgers require a binder that will help keep them from falling apart. Egg and breadcrumbs are often used, but I chose to use avocado oil mayonnaise and almond flour to make the the burgers gluten and grain free.
My pro tip here is to brush the tops and bottoms of the turkey burger patties lightly with oil, then place on an oil coated plate and chill for a minimum of 10 minutes. This is essential if the meat is very sticky, and it will keep the burgers from sticking to plate as well.
I also recommend brushing the grill grates with additional oil after the grill has been preheated to be on the safe side!
Preheat the grill to medium high heat, or about 400 degrees. The turkey burger temperature will be 165 degrees when they’re done.
Turkey burger grill time is roughly 10 minutes. Simply cook 5 minutes, flip the burger, and cook 5 minutes more until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Once the turkey burger patties have been formed, they may be frozen. To freeze, place uncooked ground turkey burgers on a parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. From there, place them in a zip top bag or container with parchment paper between them and store for up to 3 months.
Grill frozen turkey burgers 7-8 minutes per side at about 400 degrees, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Serving suggestions
There are a number of delicious ways to serve these grilled turkey burgers!
- Serve with a side of broccoli slaw or vinegar coleslaw at your next cookout. They’re also great with grilled corn on the cob!
- They make a great game day meal with a side of air fryer sweet potato fries or German potato salad.
- They’re a great low carb option served in lettuce wraps, or they can be served on your favorite buns. They also make fabulous burger bowls with your favorite toppings!
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Ground turkey meat can be quite sticky, so be sure to oil the plate and both sides of the burgers to keep them from sticking to the plate and each other once they’ve been formed into patties. Brush the grill grates with oil as well to ensure that they don’t stick to the grill.
- Form the turkey burger patties up one day in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
- This recipe is Whole30 and paleo-friendly using avocado oil mayonnaise. Not a fan of mayo? Substitute it with grated onion or even pesto sauce.
- Customize grilled turkey burgers with lettuce wraps, your favorite buns, burger sauce and toppings.
See all of my Grilling Recipes for inspiration.
More burger recipes you’ll love:
- Air fryer hamburgers
- Burger bowls
- Chicken burgers
- Pesto turkey burgers by Cook Nourish Bliss
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Grilled Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oil divided; plus more as needed
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons almond flour substitute with bread crumbs if desired
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise I used avocado oil mayo
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder sub with fresh minced garlic or omit to make this recipe Low FODMAP
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos substitute with Worcestershire sauce, low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Lettuce wraps and your choice of toppings including tomato, avocado, red onion and pickles
Instructions
- Coat a plate with half a tablespoon of the oil.1 1/2 tablespoons oil
- Place the ground turkey, almond flour, mayonnaise, garlic powder, coconut aminos, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Using your hands, combine the mixture gently to avoid overworking the meat. The mixture will be sticky.1 lb. lean ground turkey, 2 tablespoons almond flour, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon coconut aminos, 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Form the meat into (4) 1/4 lb. patties and place on the oil coated plate, brushing a light coating of oil over the top and bottom of the burgers to prevent sticking. Chill a minimum of 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat, or about 400 degrees. Once heated, brush the grill grates with oil as needed. Place the burgers on the oiled grill and grill for 5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from heat. Serve in lettuce wraps or buns with your desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Form the turkey burger patties up one day in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
- This recipe is Whole30 and paleo-friendly using avocado oil mayonnaise. Not a fan of mayo? Substitute it with grated onion or even pesto sauce.
- Customize grilled turkey burgers with lettuce wraps, your favorite buns, burger sauce and toppings.
- How to freeze turkey burgers. Place uncooked ground turkey burgers on a parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. From there, place them in a zip top bag or container with parchment paper between them and store for up to 3 months. Note: Frozen turkey burgers will take 7-8 minutes per side to cook, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This post was originally published August 2019. The photos have been updated to include step by step instructions and the text has been modified to include more recipe information.
6 Comments on “Grilled Turkey Burgers”
I’m a huge fan of turkey burgers! I make a large batch every few weeks and freeze them. I’ve been enjoying them at least twice a week all summer! This recipe sounds great Marcie, and I love your tip of placing the fresh patties on a plate coated with oil. I need to try that to help prevent sticking!
Freezing them is such a great idea — I really need to do that! Thanks a lot Leanne!
Marcie, I love each season, but I love it best at the end of the season. I fight the end of summer tooth and nail and I fight the end of winter tooth and nail. Just when I get into the groove for the season’s recipes, it changes on me!
Love these turkey burgers! So light, refreshing, and super delicious!
I feel that I get into each season too early because of blogging, so I’m ready to switch gears early too. Sometimes….not all the time! 🙂 Thank you Kelly!
These are so good and easy to put together. I had really lean turkey so combined it with some Italian sausage for fat content. Made some turkey pizza burgers that everyone loved!
Adding sausage is such a great idea for flavor and fat — and pizza burgers would be a huge hit here! Thx for your feedback Michele! 💛