This healthy turkey burger recipe bursts with irresistible Thai flavor! Cook them on the grill, on the stovetop, or in your air fryer, then top with fresh and crunchy Asian slaw, cucumber ribbons, and sriracha aioli. Gluten-free, made without bread crumbs. Video. Serve with Sweet Potato Fries.
Here’s a ground turkey recipe that will rock your world! These Thai turkey burgers are an easy, delicious weeknight dinner, or special enough for entertaining. Infused with fresh lemongrass, ginger, lime zest, shallots, and basil, they are bursting with Thai flavor. We leave out the breadcrumbs in the recipe so they are gluten-free, light, and healthy.
They are topped with a crunchy Asian slaw and fresh cucumber ribbons, and the buns are slathered with spicy aioli, basically like sriracha mayo. There is so much deliciousness happening here!
A very common problem when making turkey burgers is how dry they can get because they need to be cooked through, unlike beef burgers. I will show you a little tip on how to keep them moist and juicy. Love cooking with ground turkey? Here are our best turkey recipes!
Why you’ll love our Turkey Burgers!
- Versatile! The burgers can be cooked on the grill, can be pan-seared on the stovetop, or made in your air fryer!
- Healthy and Flavorful. Full of vibrant Thai flavor, yet lean and light, with no addition of bread crumbs needed.
- Make it ahead. The burger patties and sides can be made ahead if entertaining!
Turkey Burger Recipe video
Turkey Burger Ingredients
- Ground turkey– or sub ground chicken, beef or lamb, or a plant-based “meat”.
- Shallots – add the BEST flavor here. Use red onion in a pinch.
- Lemongrass – freshly chopped lemongrass, lemongrass paste, or sub-dried lemongrass in a pinch.
- Ginger– use fresh grated ginger root, or ginger paste.
- Garlic -adds a pungent flavor.
- Lime zest- add lime flavor without liquid.
- Cilantro or Thai basil
- Extra virgin olive oil– to add a little richness and keep them moist!
- Serve with: Asian Slaw, cucumber ribbons, Sriracha Aioli and Buns- make our Sourdough buns, or buy GF buns. Serve over dressed greens or in a lettuce wrap!
Turkey Burger Instructions
Combine all the turkey burger ingredients in a medium bowl and using a fork, break apart the ground turkey. 
Mix with fork, then using a wet hand, knead until mixed well.
With damp hands, shape into 3-4 burgers, compressing. The burgers will feel tender, but should hold their shape.
Place on a parchment-lined plate in the fridge until ready to grill or cook.
Grill patties on a well-greased, pre-heated grill for 4-5 minutes ( use the grill cover.)
Flip, lower heat and continue cooking until cooked through to 160F. (They will continue to cook to a perfect 165F). Keep warm until ready to serve.
Assemble the burgers. Grill the buns and slather with sriracha aioli. Add cucumber ribbons if you like and top with the slaw.
The cucumber ribbons and crunchy Asian slaw add refreshing texture and flavor. The sriracha aioli adds punchy flavor!
Turkey Burger Variations
- Add pickled onions, microgreens, or avocado.
- If you are feeling crafty, these quick sourdough buns are amazing!
- Serve in lettuce wraps and go totally grain-free.
- Serve the burger over the Asian slaw as a main course salad.
- Create Burger Bowls!
What to serve with Turkey Burgers
- Asian Slaw
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Quick Sourdough Buns
- Pickled Red Onions
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Thai Noodle Salad
- Vermicelli Salad
- Grilled Bok Choy with Ponzu Sauce
- Sesame Cabbage Noodle Salad
Storing turkey burgers
Leftover turkey burgers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, great for meal prep! Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Recipes you may like:
- Chimichurri Poblano Turkey Burger
- Bison Burger
- Thai Turkey Meatballs
- Lamb Burgers
- Sloppy Joes
- Homemade Meatloaf
On the home front: Earlier this spring, I hosted a birthday gathering at my house for a couple of friends. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before – I’ve been meeting with a group of women friends every Thursday night for the past 20+ years. It has been a godsend and truly one of the best things in my life.
The group shifts and 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.
Birthdays are extra special. We make a big deal of them, celebrating and honoring each other, and taking the pressure off our spouses to do this for us. So it was at one of these birthday celebrations for my dear friend Jill, that this recipe came to be.
I hope you enjoy these Thai Turkey Burgers as much as we have! Let us know what you think in the comments below!
xoxoxo
Print
Thai Turkey Burger Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main, burgers,
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This irresistible turkey burger recipe is topped with crunchy Asian Slaw and bursts with Thai flavor! Use the grill, stovetop, or air fryer!
Ingredients
Turkey Burger:
- 1 lb ground turkey (see notes)
- 3 tablespoons shallot, very finely diced (or sub red onion)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves- finely minced (or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or Thai basil
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1/2 – 1 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped (or sub 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or one tablespoon fish sauce- see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper- or sub black pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
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
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
Spicy Aioli:
- 1/4 cup mayo, vegan mayo 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. ( See notes to pan-sear or air fry)
- Combine all the burger ingredients in a medium bowl using a fork, breaking apart the ground turkey. Using a wet hand, knead until mixed well. It will feel very tender. With damp hands, shape into 3-4 burgers, compressing and tidying up the edges. Place on a plate in the fridge until ready to grill.
- Toss the Asian slaw ingredients together in a medium bowl. (You could do this up to a day ahead).
- Mix the spicy aioli ingredients together in a small bowl. ( You could make this up to 3 days ahead)
- Grill patties on a well-greased, pre-heated grill 4-5 minutes each side until golden and cooked through to 160F. (They will continue to cook to a perfect 165F).
- Toast or grill 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 up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated until ready to grill.
- To Pan-Sear: heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, over medium heat, pan sear turkey burgers until golden and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Resist the urge to fiddle with them- let them develop a good crust before flipping. 🙂
- To air fry- Heat the air fryer to 370F. Place turkey burgers in a single layer, and air fry for 9-12 minutes or until they reach 160 F. (They will continue to cook to a perfect 165F).
- The original recipe used 1 tablespoon fish sauce, instead of the salt, we changed this to make them easier to handle, but feel free to do that if you are used to it!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger with slaw, mayo and bun
- Calories: 451
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 764.5 mg
- Fat: 24.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 27.8 g
- Cholesterol: 84 mg
These turkey burgers were delicious! I used garlic chili oil in lieu of jalapeno for the burgers. I I cooked them medium-high, 5 minutes on each side in an oiled skillet on the stove and they were perfect. I also served them with your other crunchy Asian slaw as I prefer that dressing. The aoili with mayo and chili garlic sauce is a must as well. I will definitely make these again!
Love that Beth!!
This blog has made me so happy! I have such a hard time finding recipes that we all love. This one was delish! Going to be one of our staples. We love “FestingAtHome”
Made this recipe two nights in a row. Delicious! I added sesame oil to the raw meat before forming the patties so they wouldn’t be too dry.
Great Idea- love it!
They were delicious. I don’t think I made mine thick enough and they broke apart on the grill. Other than that, awesome!!
Sorry about that!
A great recipe. Healthy, and all the lovely Thai flavours.
Food to make you smile😊
Yay Carole! Glad you like.
The perfect amount of spice and delicious flavors. So good!
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.