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
Units
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