Juicy Grilled Turkey Burgers
These juicy, delicious, lightly seasoned Grilled Turkey Burgers feature an indulgent ground turkey patty, Gruyere cheese, tangy Dijon mustard, and breadcrumbs to bind it all together.
What’s better in the summer (or any time for that matter) than a good old hamburger? When cooked to perfection, a burger is one of life’s great All-American pleasures.
And as much as BeeBop and I love (and I mean really, really love) beef burgers, I know that it’s not the healthiest thing for us. So every once in a while we switch our beef burgers for ground turkey patties.
However, you probably know that ground turkey burgers can end up being somewhat dry and bland, but I just wrote that off as the ground turkey having little to no fat.
While the simple answer to a dry burger may be to add fat, I wanted more than the added moisture – I wanted to add flavor! So, I set out to find a way to make a turkey burger juicy and more enjoyable.
I came up with this grilled turkey burger recipe after many failed, dry, and lackluster turkey burger attempts. And let me tell you, this has to be the ultimate ground turkey burger.
It’s ultra juicy, flavorful, and moist. It holds its shape well and is just excellent. The gruyere cheese inside the burger gives it the perfect amount of fat while infusing it with a decadent cheesy flavor. The green onions and Dijon mustard in the mixture not only make it tasty but they keep it nicely moist as well.
Due to all the added fat and moisture, you don’t have to worry about the breadcrumbs drying out your turkey burger even more. In fact, the breadcrumbs become infused with flavor themselves and go from binder to flavor booster!
And when you add the glorious char flavor from the grill, you have a turkey burger to write home about. Let me tell you, we don’t even miss beef burgers after this ultra juicy and flavorful grilled turkey burger!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground turkey breast
- Gruyere cheese (or substitute Swiss cheese)
- Green onions
- Bread crumbs (the purchased, dry kind)
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make the Best Juicy Grilled Turkey Burger
Mix the Ingredients
STEP 1. Place the ground turkey, gruyere cheese, green onions, bread crumbs, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Using a fork rather than your hands to mix everything together will help keep the mixture from becoming too compressed.
Form the Patties
STEP 2. Form the mixture into four burger patties. Note: this makes four very large patties.
Grill the Burgers
STEP 3. Cook the patties over medium-high heat (either outdoors on a gas or charcoal grill, on a grill pan, or in a saute pan) for approximately 6 minutes on the first side.
STEP 4. Flip the patties and finish cooking until the internal temperature reaches 170 on a meat thermometer.
Assembly
STEP 5. Serve on toasted buns with your condiments of choice. I used mayonnaise, catsup, lettuce, and tomato slices. You already have the cheese and mustard inside the burger!
Make it a Meal
Finding the perfect side dish to go with turkey burgers is easy! You can choose the classic route with some potato wedges or take a bit of a different approach with zucchini or even oven baked okra chips! If you prefer a veggie side dish, then roasted asparagus goes great alongside a turkey burger. And there’s always the option of a fresh veggie salad or potato salad.
Questions About Turkey Burgers
Unlike beef, turkey is not a protein you’d want to consume rare. Nor do you want to overcook it and dry it out. To avoid over or undercooking, you’ll need to use a meat thermometer. The minimum recommended temperature for ground turkey is 165 F. I prefer mine cooked to 170 F. Keep a close watch on the temperature and take them off the heat once they’re 5 degrees shy of your desired temperature. They’ll continue to rise in temperature after taking them off the heat.
You have to add fat to a turkey burger if you want to keep it juicy. Cheese mixed into the ground turkey is my go-to fat because it also adds a lot of flavor.
They’re dry because either 1) you didn’t add enough fat to the ratio of ground turkey you used, 2) you overcooked them, or 3) you didn’t add a second layer of moisture (i.e., the Dijon mustard in this recipe).
Turkey tends to not only be dry but bland as well. You need a lot of seasonings to make it taste really great. I recommend stronger flavors such as onion and garlic. Choose herbs with more robust flavors and avoid ones that are subtle. And, most importantly, make sure to adequately salt your burger mixture.
Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Recipe
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox.
My Southern Table cookbook
by Lana Taylor Stuart
Juicy Grilled Turkey Burgers with Gruyere Cheese and Dijon Mustard
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ pound ground turkey breast
- ½ cup grated gruyere cheese
- 3 green onions finely chopped
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the ground turkey, gruyere cheese, green onions, bread crumbs, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Using a fork rather than your hands to mix everything together will help keep the mixture from becoming too compressed.
- Form into four patties.
- Cook the patties over medium-high heat (either outdoors on a gas or charcoal grill, on a grill pan, or in a saute pan) for approximately 6 minutes on the first side.
- Flip the patties and finish cooking until the internal temperature reaches 170 on a meat thermometer.
- Serve on toasted buns with your choice of condiments.
Notes
- Ground turkey should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F. However, I do prefer cooking to 170 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to ensure best results.
- In order to keep turkey burgers juicy you must add additional fat to the mixture. This recipe accomplishes that through the use of cheese which also adds great flavor.
- If your burgers are dry either 1) you didn’t add enough fat to the ratio of ground turkey you used, 2) you overcooked them, or 3) you didn’t add a second layer of moisture (i.e., the Dijon mustard in this recipe).
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
These burgers were absolutely delicious!!
I made sure to keep checking with my thermometer…as turkey is so lean… so I whipped them off the grill as soon as they reached 170. They were so juicy, and thar Gruyere cheese took it to the next level!! Great recipe!!
Thanks, Melanie! Yep, it’s really important to watch the temperature when cooking turkey, otherwise it can be a bit dry. And I agree that the cheese (and mustard) give a great flavor to these burgers.
I love turkey burgers and even more LOVE the idea of putting gruyere on top! These look delicious :)
Me too, Sues! Gruyere is just about my favorite cheese. So delicious.
Holy crap. Just made these incredible burgers. I got the recipe on Pinterest. They were absolutely delicious and moist. Thanks so much. Family loved them.
Gorgeous photo. I’m having a turkey burger right now and it’s so delicious.
The gruyere cheese got my attention! And what a beautiful photo.
Looks very good and I like the way you use chicken instead of beef, that’s a good idea
Those look like delicious burgers. I could maybe even tempt my meat loving hubby with those!
Delicious looking burgers!! Pass me a cold drink with this and I’ll lounge away the day.
Nice turkey burgers and the pics are fantastic.