Skip the grill and try making these flavorful, irresistibly juicy air fryer turkey burgers. Made with lean ground turkey, these protein-packed turkey burgers are a delicious alternative to traditional beef burgers. And thanks to the air fryer, they are just minutes away, making them perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy prep! Mix ground turkey and desired seasonings – that’s the hard part done.
- They are incredibly moist and full of flavor thanks to high heat airflow.
- Cooking turkey burgers in the air fryer is quick and convenient – no messy grill or frying pan to deal with.
Scroll down for the printable card for this air fryer turkey burger recipe, or read on for all the details.
What do you need?
Full ingredients list and quantities are given in the recipe card below.
Ground turkey
85% lean ground turkey is a good option to use for this recipe. The fat adds more flavor to the burgers and keeps them juicy. However, you could use a leaner ground turkey if you prefer.
Diced onion
Diced onion adds texture as well as flavor to the burgers. If you don’t have time to chop onions (or you don’t like the texture), you can substitute one tablespoon of onion powder.
Breadcrumbs
You can you any type of breadcrumbs for this recipe, white, wholewheat, panko, or gluten-free will all work.
Seasonings
This recipe uses a simple seasoning mix made from salt, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, ground mustard, and ground black pepper.
You can substitute poultry seasoning or any other spice mix that you like. However, check that it has some salt in it, and add around one teaspoon of salt if it does not. You need around 3½ teaspoons of seasoning, including the salt.
Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce add depth of flavor to the ground turkey (which can be a little bland if not flavored correctly).
How to cook turkey burgers in an air fryer
This recipe is very simple to make, there are just a few key steps to getting it just right:
- Make the patties. Mix the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. You can use a stand mixer if you have one.
- Form the patties. Form the turkey mixture into patties around ½ inch thick. If you like, you can make them slightly concave, as the burgers will dome in the middle when they are cooked. Preheat the air fryer to 360°F/ 180°C while you are making the patties.
- Place the turkey patties in the air fryer basket or tray, ensuring they are not touching. You may have to cook them in batches or use a layer accessory.
Tip
If food tends to stick to your air fryer, you can brush the tray or basket with a little oil before placing the patties in.
- Air fry the turkey burgers for 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway through if required for your air fryer. Check the internal temperature to ensure the burgers have reached the safe temperature of 165°F/ 74°C in the center of the thickest part.
- Serve on hamburger buns with your toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Serving ideas
The lean ground turkey takes well to both classic burger toppings and more unique flavor combinations! Here are some tasty options to try:
- Serve on buns with traditional burger toppings like lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, or mayo. Add cheese if desired.
- Top turkey burgers with melted brie and cranberry sauce on a bun for a seasonal twist.
- Mix mayonnaise with pesto or tapenade for a flavorful burger spread in place of plain mayo.
- Caramelize onions or saute mushrooms to pile on top along with Swiss cheese for an extra savory flavor punch.
- Wrap burgers in lettuce leaves and top with guacamole and crumbled bacon for a low-carb option.
Note: If you want to add cheese to your burger patties, place cheese slices on top of the patties when they have around 2-3 minutes of cooking time remaining to melt the cheese. I would recommend using Swiss cheese or camembert.
Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 450 g lean ground turkey
- 1 small onion (diced)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoons soy sauce (reduced-sodium)
- 1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
- Place ground turkey, diced onion, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix until well combined [Note 1].
- Divide turkey patty mixture into 8 equal portions and shape into patties around ½-inch thick.
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F/ 180°C.
- Place turkey patties in air fryer basket, ensuring they are not touching [Notes 2, 3].
- Air fry turkey burgers for 15-18 minutes, flipping them over halfway through if required for your air fryer.
- Check internal temperature to ensure burgers have reached the safe temperature of 165°F/ 74°C in the center of the thickest part [Note 4].
Notes
- You can use a stand mixer for this step if you have one.
- If food tends to stick to your air fryer basket, you can lightly brush it with cooking oil before adding the patties.
- You may need to cook the patties in batches, or use a layer accessory.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
Recommended equipment
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