Juicy Grilled Turkey Burgers

4.93 from 13 votes

Juicy, delicious, lightly seasoned and grilled turkey burgers – an indulgent ground turkey patty made with 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.

Finished turkey burger on a white serving plate.

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!

Add 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

You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.

How to Make the Best Juicy, Grilled Turkey Burger

Mix the Ingredients

All recipe ingredients in a mixing bowl. — **STEP 1.**

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

A burger patty formed in the cook's hand. — **STEP 2.**

Four burger patties on a board. — **STEP 2.**

STEP 2. Form the mixture into four burger patties. Note: this makes four very large patties.

Grill the Burgers

Four burger patties cooking on a grill pan. — **STEP 3.**

Four burger patties cooking on a grill pan with a meat thermometer to the side. — **STEP 3.**

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

Finished turkey burger patties on a plate surrounded by condiments. — **STEP 5.**

A turkey burger patty on a bun atop a white plate topped with mayonnaise. — **STEP 5.**

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!

Turkey burger cut in half with a hand holding one portion.

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

How do you know when a turkey burger is done?

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.

How do you keep a turkey burger juicy?

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.

Why are my turkey burgers dry?

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).

What about adding flavor to ground turkey. It’s pretty bland, isn’t it?

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.

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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!

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