If you’re looking to grill some burgers this weekend, try spiced turkey burgers as an alternative to beef. This recipe has south-of-the-border flavors with cumin, herbs, garlic, avocado and tomato. Make the Ancho chili mayonnaise instead of the usual mustard or ketchup for one great burger.
Spiced Turkey Burgers: Buying Ground Turkey
When purchasing ground turkey the amount of fat in ground turkey varies depending on what goes into the grinder. Fat content controls the flavor and moisture of your burger. I prefer 93% lean because it has more flavor and moisture.
Burger Buns or No Buns
Now to the rest of the burger. Choose whole grain buns for better nutrition than white burger buns or buy gluten-free whole grain buns. For low-carb or grain-free, skip the bun altogether and wrap in lettuce leaves. Iceberg and butter lettuces work well.
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Top Your Burger with Fresh Flavors
Top off your burger with a slice of fresh tomato, a thin ring of sweet onion, or a few slices of avocado. And be sure to make the ancho chili sauce for a creamy kick.
For mayo, I choose Vegenaise because has a clean, light taste. Look for it in the refrigerated section of your market, not on the shelf. It’s made by Follow Your Heart. Try their horseradish sauce too. It’s fantastic.
Grill your burgers until done to 160°-165°F in the center and serve with grilled vegetables or a tossed green salad for a healthy summer dinner.
How to Make Perfect Round Burgers
For perfectly formed burgers, I use a large round metal ring. You can buy them at kitchen supply and restaurant supply stores and online in single sizes or better yet, in a set for many uses.
Another tool I have a bunch of is rimmed baking sheets. I have them in half, quarter and eighth sizes. It’s what the burger are on in the above photo. Quarter sheet pans have a million uses.
📖 Recipe
Spiced Turkey Burgers with Ancho Chili Sauce
Ingredients
Burgers
- 1 - 1 ¼ pounds 93% ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Burger Toppings
- 4 slices ripe tomato
- 4 thin slices red or spring onion
- 1 avocado quartered
- 4 leaves lettuce
- 4 gluten-free or whole grain burger buns
Chili Sauce
- ½ cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon ground ancho chili powder or chili powder blend
- 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- Chipotle, Sriracha or Tobasco optional for heat
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Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, cumin, garlic, parsley or cilantro, oregano, chives, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix well but gently with your hands. Form into patties, cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.
- While the burger patties are setting up, make the ancho chili sauce and refrigerate until serving. Any extra is good on a sandwich or as dip for raw vegetables.
- Fire up the grill. Make sure the grill is brushed clean, then coated with a grill-safe spray or a little oil on a wad of paper towels with tongs. Turn heat down to medium and add your burgers. Grill on one side until browned and grill marks have formed. Turn the burger and finish cooking until they reach 160-165 in the center with a digital thermometer. They will feel firm but not hard. To speed cooking, cover the burgers with a disposable aluminum pan or lid if using a pan.
- To build your burgers, place lettuce on the bottom of the bun, add the burger, and top with tomato, onion, sauce and avocado.
Lauren says
THIS IS THE BEST TURKEY BURGER RECIPE! I make it all the time for my family and guests. Everyone LOVES it! I usually add guacamole on the bun instead of the avocado slices. I think it gives it even more flavor. Thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂
Sally says
Love the guacamole idea! Good for you! Thanks for commenting!
Stephanie, the Recipe Renovator says
I will definitely be making this ancho chili sauce lickety split! Need to figure out a bean burger that I like. Gorgeous photos, as usual!
Tracy Jones says
I made the Turkey Burger for Memorial Day and it was amazing! I did use the oil with the turkey meat and they were moist and delicious. The sauce added so much flavor and I served mine with avocado as well. Even my kids loved them!
Madonna says
Just wanted to report in and tell you I just made these and they were so good. The fresh herbs and spice just takes them to a new level. Also the good fat from the avocado helped carry the flavor. Brilliant. Thank you so much.
Mary says
These sound delicious Sally! I LOVE turkey burgers. Always looking for a new recipe. Great tip about the olive oil. These are going on the barbeque ASAP.
Sally says
These look fantastic! I haven't been able to convince my family to be enthusiastic about turkey burgers, probably because mine were too bland and dry. Not any more! Thanks for this post and the olive oil tip. Way back in my restaurant days, I encountered a chef who suggested putting crushed ice in the meat (which was ground beef). I hadn't thought of that until reading this. I bet it would be worth experimenting with. At the time I was appalled, was it cheating? But when you think of it, a little bit of water wouldn't hurt and might make them juicier, as long as you pump up the other flavors like you've done in this recipe. Can't wait to try them! Thanks Sally. I'll let you know if I experiment with the crushed ice 🙂