This turkey burger recipe is one for the books! Homemade burgers are created by combining ground turkey, panko, and flavorful sun-dried tomatoes to give you juicy and tender grilled results every time. Slather the grilled burger with goat cheese, and you have a restaurant-quality burger that is out-of-this-world delicious!
The Best Turkey Burger recipe
While I love a good, juicy beef burger, sometimes I like to switch things up for something a bit lighter. Don’t get me wrong — recipes like these Guinness burgers with Irish cheddar and bacon are a definite staple in my house. But this turkey burger recipe is the answer when you’re in the mood for a delicious burger that is lower in fat but still filled with protein.
I sneak in some other ingredients directly into the patties: Italian seasoning and sun-dried tomatoes. Then, I slather them in a healthy helping of goat cheese. It’s a unique twist on a classic dish, and I have to say I can’t get enough of it.
I'm not sure what took me so long to get on the turkey burger train, but man I am glad I did. It’s a good place to be. Try my goat cheese turkey burger recipe if you’re looking to switch up your weeknight dinner menu!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
➤ Flavorful and lean. Ground turkey is lighter and leaner than ground beef, and the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese really set this dish apart.
➤ Perfect for weeknight dinner and beyond. Whip up this grilled turkey burger recipe for your family, or make a larger batch to serve at a barbecue!
➤ It freezes beautifully. Want to get ahead for the week (or month)? These burgers will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.
➤ Made with simple and fresh ingredients. Don’t worry about running all over town to find what you need!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Panko: I find that Panko crumbs are a bit lighter than traditional breadcrumbs. That light and airy texture can’t be beat! You can use Italian flavored or plain Panko crumbs with great results.
Egg: Works as a binder to hold your burgers together.
Ground turkey: The most important ingredient for this grilled turkey burger recipe is, of course, ground turkey. I like to use a mix of ground dark meat and light meat for nice, juicy burgers. You can use all dark or all white as well, whatever you have on hand!
Italian seasoning: To add even more flavor to the burger patties.
Salt and pepper: You’ll only need a bit to balance out the rest of the flavors.
Sun-dried tomatoes: Opt for high-quality, oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes. Make sure to drain the excess oil first and chop them finely to get that delicious tomato taste in every bite.
Goat cheese: Soft, mild, and slightly earthy in taste, goat cheese pairs really well with ground turkey. Havarti or Pepper Jack are great alternatives too!
Instructions
Create the burger: Add the Panko, egg, ground turkey, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes to a large bowl and mix to combine. I find that clean hands work best!
Form the patties: Shape the mixture into 6 even-sized patties and place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
Grill the burgers: Place the burgers on the grill and cook over medium-high for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Let them rest: When your turkey burger patties are ready, remove them from the grill and tent them with foil. Allow them to rest for about 5 minutes.
Garnish and serve: Add a thick layer of creamy goat cheese on top of each burger, add any other toppings you’d like, and enjoy!
FAQs
I think that this goat cheese turkey burger is out of this world tasty! If you’re looking for some other cheese options to use, I suggest going with Swiss, Fontina, Mozzarella, Havarti, or Colby Jack. Basically, anything that melts well would work great.
The Panko and egg will work together to bind the patties together. Refrigerating them for an hour before grilling is the secret to getting the patties to stay formed while grilling. Don't be tempted to add more Panko crumbs or you will have dried-out burgers.
The grill is great if you have one, but they also cook up nicely on the stovetop, or even in an air fryer. My advice? Work with what you’ve got at home!
You’ll know your burger is ready to be flipped when you start to see charred grill marks on it. 3-4 minutes on each side will do the trick.
Expert Tips for Making this Turkey Burger Recipe
✔︎ Add-ins take the flavor over the top. That’s why I love using sun-dried tomatoes and Italian seasoning in this recipe! You can easily add in other extras like hot sauce if you like spicy foods or fresh herbs if you love an herbaceous burger.
✔︎ Use a kitchen scale. Burgers that are the same size will cook evenly, preventing overdone (or underdone) burgers!
✔︎ Do a quick taste test. If you’re not sure whether or not you’ve added enough sun-dried tomatoes and seasonings, pinch off a bit of the seasoned turkey mixture and cook it in a frying pan to taste it.
✔︎ Don’t overcook them. Ground turkey is naturally a lot leaner than other types of protein, which means your burgers can dry out if you overcook them. Follow the cooking instructions carefully!
✔︎ Check the internal temperature to determine whether they’re done. According to the USDA, turkey must have an international temp of 165 degrees F to be safe to eat.
✔︎ Cook the burgers to medium, nothing more, nothing less. Speaking of internal temperatures, while ground beef burgers taste great when cooked medium rare, I suggest cooking your burgers to medium (which is 165 degrees F!).
More Grilling Favorites
The grill is one of our favorite cooking methods. Try some of these other tasty grilled recipes or check out all of our main dish recipes.
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Recipe
Turkey Burger Recipe with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Panko Crumbs
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 6 ounces goat cheese softened
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together Panko crumbs, egg, ground turkey, seasonings and sun-dried tomatoes.¾ cup Panko Crumbs, 1 egg, 1 ½ pounds ground turkey, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- Form into 6 patties and refrigerate for at least one hour to set.
- Grill over medium -high heat for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove turkey burgers from the grill and tent with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Slather goat cheese on top of burgers and serve.6 ounces goat cheese
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
We eat turkey burgers more than regular burgers--I am loving the idea of putting goat cheese on them! Goat cheese makes everything better. 🙂
Goat cheese really makes everything better, it's kind of like bacon! 🙂
Even though I rarely make turkey anything (because we don't raise turkeys)I might need to pick up some ground turkey. Anything with oozey goat cheese it right up my alley!
I agree Emily- oozy goat cheese rocks!
This sounds DELISH. And I totally know what you mean about the healthy thing... though my husband would definitely still eat these burgers even if he knew they were healthy (WIN. :))!
Thanks, Steph! This are a new family favorite! How is that for a win? Yum!
Lisa- I made this yummy recipe last night for some dear friends staying with us last night. Everyone loved these!!! So easy too! Thanks a million.... Xo
I just gotta say, your pictures / presentation of food are always snazzy.