Thai Turkey Burgers with Asian Slaw, Cucumber Ribbons & Spicy Aioli. Light, healthy, Delicious! Easy to make.
Earlier this spring, I hosted a birthday gathering at my house for a couple of friends. I think I’ve mentioned this before – I’ve been meeting with a group of women every Thursday night for the past 20 years.
The group shifts, a few have come and gone through the years, and not everyone is present every single Thursday night, but for the most part, we gather as best we can, to eat, drink and commune. Together we ride the waves of our lives, supported, held up, loved. It is truly one of the best things in my life, and birthdays are extra special. We make a big deal of them, celebrating and honoring each other, and taking the pressure off our spouses.
So it was at one of these birthday celebrations, these Thai Turkey Burgers came to be. Infused with fresh lemongrass, ginger, lime zest, shallots and basil, they are full of flavor. They are topped with an Asian Slaw and fresh cucumber ribbons, and the buns are slathered with a spicy aioli. They can be grilled or pan-seared, and are perfect for weekend barbecues, a much lighter alternative to beef.
Tis’ the season to fire up the BBQ!
The cucumber ribbons and Crunchy Asian slaw add refreshing texture and flavor.
And then there is the spicy aioli….easy and yummy. Mix Spicy Chili sauce like…. Sriracha, with either mayo or tarter. That’s it.
For an even lighter option, serve in butter lettuce wraps and go totally bread free.
Add pickled onions, spicy greens, avocado, sprouts….or even pickled radishes would be good!
Thai Turkey Burgers with Asian Slaw, Cucumber Ribbons & Spicy Aioli. Light, healthy, Delicious! Easy to make.
PrintThai Turkey Burgers with Crunchy Asian Slaw
Thai Turkey Burgers infused with lemongrass, ginger and basil, served with a Crunchy Asian Slaw and Spicy Aioli. Serve this on a tasty bun, in a lettuce wrap or over grains and greens for healthy bowl.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
Turkey Burger:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 tablespoons shallot, very finely diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh grated, or chopped ginger
- 2 garlic cloves- finely minced
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped lemongrass
- 1– 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 scallion, chopped
- ½ – 1 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped ( or substitute 1 Tablespoon sriracha sauce, or red chili sauce)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce ( don’t leave this out)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper– optional
Crunchy Asian Slaw:
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice ( or rice wine vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper
Spicy Aioli:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise or tarter sauce
- 1–2 tablespoons sriracha or chili garlic sauce
Optional Additions: Toasted Buns, Cucumber Ribbons, pickled red onions ( yum), Pickled radishes, spicy greens like watercress, sprouts, avocado
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- Combine all the burger ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well using hands. Shape into 3 burgers. Place on a plate in the fridge.
- Toss the slaw ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Mix the spicy aioli ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Grill patties on a well-greased, pre-heated grill or pan-sear in a skillet until deeply golden, finishing in a warm oven.
- Toast the buns.
- Spread aioli on the bottom bun, top with the patty, then the slaw, cucumber ribbons ( optional) , more aioli, then the top bun. Enjoy!!
- NOTES: To make cucumber ribbons, use a veggie peeler to make long thin slices. No need to peel English or Turkish cucumbers, but do peel those with thick waxy skins. The burger patties can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to grill.
Keywords: turkey burgers, turkey burger recipes, thai burgers, thai burger recipe, turkey burgers thai
These were delicious! I used ground chicken in place of turkey because it was so much cheaper at my butchers. However, that change meant the raw burgers were very soft and sticky, so I started grilling them on aluminum foil and only moved them to the bare grill rack when they had cooked some and firmed up. Worked perfectly
★★★★
I would give these 6 stars if I could. Easy. Amazingly flavorful. So flavorful, in fact, that even though I left out the shallot and garlic as my husband can’t eat them, they were still great.
★★★★★
These are awesome bursting with flavour. ! So good I forwarded to my sisters. Only suggestion is I brushed Oliver oil on patties before BBQing and had virtually no stick to grill. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I love these guys too- light and flavorful!
Wonderful recipe. Full robust flavors bursting all over your taste buds! Husband and I made last evening (there is just a bit of chopping 🙂 ) and the family loved these. One left over for lunch today and reheated burger and the grilled bun in 350 oven for 15 mins (in foil) and even better day two! Love your site and love your recipes!
Namaste!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Jan- I appreciate your comment!
Made thus with the help of hubby. Was very fast to put together. Only used 2 tsp. Fish sauce. It was delicious. Our lb of turkey made 4 big patties.
So good!
★★★★★
Great to hear! thanks!
You failed to mention when the burger ingredients stop and slaw ingredients start in your directions.?
They are separated in the ingredients list.
Bursting with flavor! Made as lettuce wrap burger and was delicious! Thank you again, love your recipes and website!! Lillian
★★★★★
Love that thanks for sharing Lillian!
These burgers are fantastic! Ground turkey is often bland, but this recipe has inspired me to use it more often. I made it as listed, except I didn’t have lemongrass or basil, and I substituted pasilla peppers for the jalapeno so I didn’t have to go to the store. SO GOOD! I have forwarded the recipe to several friends and will put it in the regular rotation.
Delicious
★★★★★
I made these for dinner tonight. The whole family loved them! My 8-year old liked them so much that he even suggested that I make them again. What a success! Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks Rima- that is awesome!
Made these tonight and we loved them. So much flavor and simply to put together. Will certainly make these again.
★★★★
Yay! I really like them too…thanks for sharing!
I made these for dinner the other night. I used plain ground turkey (not turkey breast) and cooked them on a non-stick grilling mat because they were so juicy. At first they looked a bit messy (like “soup” my husband said), but as they cooked, they turned into perfect patties. They were so delicious! I made a double portion of the Asian slaw in lieu of using buns.
Some of the best burgers we have made yet! Fantastic flavors that our whole family loved. Delicious!
Yay!!! Thank you!
Amazing flavors! The whole family loved these.
Awesome, glad you enjoyed!
This sounds phenomenal, Sylvia! Cannot wait to try this out.
Thanks Finn!
These are so yummy and light! Thanks for posting the recipe!
These look absolutely delicious! I was just thinking about making some burgers this weekend for the holiday 😉 Might have to try these!
Thanks I hope you do!
Hello, love your blog but there is a new “Sign up for weekly deliciousness!” feature that makes my computer run so hard. My computer is generally strong and can handle any site, but this feature slows down scrolling and makes my computer run so hot, I have to leave the site after a few seconds. fyi.
Ok thanks! Appreciate you telling me.