This irresistible yet healthy turkey burger recipe with jalapeno, lime, and cilantro is simply the best! Layered with roasted poblano peppers and chimichurri mayo, it’s dripping with flavor!
So, I’ve been noticing how many of you have been making our Thai Turkey Burger and so I’d share another flavorful turkey burger recipe that we make a lot at home. This one has more of a South American flavor profile, and I know you’ll love it!
The turkey burger patties are made with fresh jalapeno, cilantro and lime zest and are punchy and flavorful. Then they are grilled or seared on the stove- and layered with roasted poblano peppers, chimichurri mayo, avocado, tomato, red onions in a toasty bun or lettuce wrap. Add melty cheese if you like. So much flavor here! Vegan-adaptable.
Turkey Burger Ingredients
- Ground turkey- or substitute ground chicken, beef, lamb, or vegan, plant-based “ground meat” like Beyond Burger.
- Fresh jalapeno- finely minced for a little kick of heat
- Green onions– feel to sub red, white or yellow onions, finely diced.
- Cilantro- or sub flat-leaf parsley
- Fresh Lime Zest – for added brightness
- Fresh Garlic Cloves – for an added “bite” (or sub granulated garlic in a pinch)
- Extra virgin olive oil – for added richness, and to prevent burger from drying out.
- Seasonings- salt, black pepper and ground coriander (or sub ground cumin)
- Optional Fixings – roasted poblano peppers, chimichurri mayo or our chipotle mayo, soft buns or lettuce wraps, avocado, sliced tomatoes, grilled onions or pickled onions, melty cheese ( pepper jack, provolone, cheddar).
Turkey Burger Instructions
Step one: Make the turkey burger patties. Place all of the turkey burger ingredients in a medium bowl and use a fork to fluff and mixed into a fine crumble.
With slightly wet hands, knead for 20 seconds, then pat into 3-4 tidy turkey burger patties, 3/4-inch thick. Smooth the edges.
Step two: Cook the burgers. If pan-searing, heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey burgers and let them get golden, resisting the urge to fiddle (they may stick). Once they get a golden crust, they will naturally release themselves from the pan. Then flip. Cook each side for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.
Alternatively, if grilling, refrigerate for 20 minutes and make sure the grill is on medium-high heat and the grates are greased. Grill each side until golden, 4-5 minutes. Lower the heat or move to a cooler part to cook through.
Step three: Roast poblano peppers. Either char over a gas burner (on the stovetop) or on the grill, turning to char evenly. Place in a covered bowl or paper bag to steam 5-10 minutes. Peel under running water, destemming and deseeding. You can do this a day ahead and refrigerate.
Alternatively, you could also simply just grill these until tender and skip peeling.
Step four: Make the Chimichurri Mayo. The condiment that brings this turkey burger over the top! Mix 2 tablespoons (or more) of chimichurri sauce with 4 tablespoons of mayo. You can do this ahead and refrigerate.
Simply stir in a few tablespoons of Chimichurri Sauce into mayo, and voila- the best-tasting condiment ever! Of course, you can sub Chipotle Mayo!
Step five: Assemble the turkey burgers.
You can make lettuce-wrapped burgers—which honestly are a bit messy, I won’t lie—but they are super light, delicious, low-carb, and gluten-free.
Or serve them up on your favorite soft bun like a brioche bun. We love our sourdough buns if you’re on the sourdough bandwagon. 🙂
Turkey Burger Toppings
- Roasted poblano peppers
- Chimichurri mayo or our chipotle mayo ( you can sub vegan mayo)
- Melty cheese ( pepper jack, provolone, cheddar, or vegan cheese)
- Soft brioche buns or lettuce wraps ( iceberg lettuce)
- Avocado
- Sliced tomatoes
- Grilled onions, red onion, or pickled onions
- Microgreens
Serving suggestions
Serve them on their own, or create a Feast with any of the following.
- Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime
- Mexican Pinto Beans
- Mexican Papaya Salad
- Guacamole (three ways!)
- Mexican Corn (Esquites)
- Hibiscus Margaritas with Ginger and Lime
- Mezcal Margarita
- The Best Fresh Strawberry Margarita Recipe!
Storage and Make ahead
- Leftover cooked burgers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge and can be reheated on the stovetop, microwave or oven.
- The turkey burger patties, along with the roasted poblanos and chimichurri mayo, can be made 2- 3 days ahead- perfect for entertaining.
Hope you like them! xoxo
More Favorite Burger Recipes
- Sprouted Lentil Burgers (Vegan)
- Smokey Chipotle Black Bean Burger (vegan)
- The BEST Veggie Burger
- Healthy Delicious Bison Burger
- Burger Bowls!
Turkey Burger with Poblano and Chimichurri Mayo
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: main, poultry, burger, turkey recipes
- Method: grilled, pan-seared
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
This healthy turkey burger with jalapeno, lime and cilantro is the best! Layered with roasted poblano peppers, avocado and chimichurri mayo, it’s bursting with flavor!
Ingredients
Turkey Burger:
- 16 ounces ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely minced (optional)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro ( or flat-leaf parsley)
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil ( optional, but good)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Fixings (all optional)
- Chimichurri Mayo (see notes) or sub chipotle mayo
- roasted poblano peppers
- melty cheese or vegan cheese
- Avocado
- Tomato
- Grilled onions, Red onions or pickled red onions
- Microgreens
- Sourdough buns or lettuce wraps ( butter lettuce or iceberg) or make a burger bowl.
Instructions
- Make burger patties: Place all of the turkey burger ingredients in a bowl and lightly toss with a fork into a fine crumble until thoroughly mixed. With slightly wet hands, knead for 20 seconds, then pat into 4 tidy patties, 3/4- 1 inch thick. Smooth the edges. Refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 2 days ahead.
- Roast poblano peppers- char over a gas burner (on stovetop) turning with tongs, until all sides are blackened and charred evenly. Place in a covered bowl or paper bag to steam 5-10 minutes. Peel under running water, destemming and deseeding. Alternatively, you could char on your grill if using, or roast in a 425 F oven until collapsed. Feel free to make up to 2 days ahead.
- Make Chimichurri Mayo: mix 2 tablespoons (or more) chimichurri sauce with 4 tablespoons mayo. Feel free to make this up to 2 days ahead. Alternatively, you can make Chipotle Mayo.
- Cook the turkey burgers. If pan searing, heat 1-2 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey burgers and let them get golden, resisting the urge to fiddle (they may stick). Once they get a golden crust, they will naturally release themselves from the pan. Then flip. Add cheese if you like. Cook each side about 5-6 minutes, or cooked through. If Grilling- pre-heat grill to medium-high. Make sure the grill is hot, and the grates are well-greased. Grill each side until golden, 3-5 minutes, or until good grill marks appear, then lower the heat or move to a cooler part of the grill to cook all the way through to 165F.
- Assemble the burgers: Toast the buns, spread both sides with chimichurri mayo, add the cooked turkey burger, roasted poblano pepper, tomato, onion, avocado and microgreens. Or use a lettuce wrap ( few layers of butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce).
Notes
Leftover turkey burgers will keep for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can be reheated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-ounce turkey burger patty
- Calories: 193
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 649 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.3 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 22.5 g
- Cholesterol: 78.2 mg
We had these for dinner last night and for lunch today. So good. Except for the sauce they are quite healthy. They are going on our “keeper list.” I used head lettuce for the first time in decades but liked the crunch it gave with the burgers. And, yes, they are messy. I think I will deconstruct them and serve to friends they are that good. My chimichurri was a little thin but I will correct that next time.
Thanks Barbara!
Made these last week and they were delicious. I used 99% lean organic turkey breast, which is always a challenge to deliver a flavorful and moist outcome, but this recipe delivered! My only minor substitution was Kensington mayo for the olive oil in the mix, as I had the mayo out to mix up the chimichurri mayo. Served ours on top of my garden fresh lettuce, with the roasted poblanos, sliced red onion, and avocado — drizzled with the delicious chimichurri mayo — and a side of roasted sweet potato wedges and some sauteed corn I sliced off the cob. Everyone was happy!
Great to hear!
This was the first recipe I tried of yours and it’s the reason I came back! The flavors are wonderful and complex. The chimichurri mayo is now our favorite dipping sauce for sweet potato fries (which we love as a side to this) and I love the addition of lime zest within the burger itself. I would have never thought of that! Thank you for creative, spot on, healthy recipes!
Thanks so much Amanda- glad you enjoyed this!
Really, really good. First time making a recipe from Feasting at Home, but now my week is full of recipes from here! The turkey burgers had a ton of flavor and my husband, who is usually not a fan of ground turkey, really enjoyed it as well. I made some without jalapeno for my 3 yr old and she gobbled them up with the chimichurri mayo!
Great to hear Ashley!
These burgers are so flavorful and crazy delicious. Sylvia does it again!
thanks Sarah!
So inventive and delicious! Didn’t roast the poblanos, but sautéed them with onion and put them on top of burgers. LOVE your recipes! Been spending my free time perusing through them, and family friends are loving them too. Thank you!
YAY Kristen- thanks so much!
Making this for the 2nd time tonight! So delicious! I’m so glad I found you – making a goal to try as many of your recipes as possible.
Awww…. thanks Elisabeth, glad you are enjoying the blog!
So amazing!
Thanks Jules, I like this one too. 😉
Deliciousness! Thank you. Made it exactly per recipe and served it with sweet potato fries.
The first time I made this, I forgot to pick up poblano peppers when I went grocery shopping. The burgers were still good, but I made them again this weekend WITH the poblanos and omg! The poblanos are not to be missed! Leftovers are great too, currently enjoying mine as a bowl.
Made this last night and both my husband and I LOVED it! We did it with the lettuce “bun” and it was delicious and fresh. The chimichurri mayo is a must. Excited to have the leftovers for lunch.
Thanks so much, great to hear!
My husband and I made these this evening. He’s a red meat eater and he just raved about how flavorful they were. This was easy and DELICIOUS. Thank you for sharing your talent!
These were absolutely delicious. We loved them but as warned they are messy. Followed the burger recipe but made small adjustments to chimichurri per my personal taste. This is a “keeper” recipe for us. Does require a fair amount of prep.
Yay! Glad you liked it! 🙌 Yes, messy. 😉
The turkey burger was delicious!
I will definitely make it again.
Awesome, thanks so much and glad you like it! 🙌
These burgers were absolutely delicious – everyone loved them. I followed the recipe for the most part but skipped the mayo in the chimichurri as my wife does not care for mayo. The chimichurri was still the perfect topping for the burger. Loved the poblano flavor and added habanero hot sauce as a topping. A definite keeper! I have made lots of Sylvia’s recipes and have loved every one of them. Thanks so much for the great ideas to keep cooking (and eating) interesting and fun!
Thanks Justin! Appreciate this!
Would you be able to make a big batch and freeze? Would the scallions and cilantro do ok?
Great question- and honestly I’m not sure. My guess is it would be fine?
I did and they have been great
thanks Nora!
Thanks again for sharing these wonderful recipes, Silvia. I made this turkey burger for lunch today, and it was amazing. I was able to get four good size burgers. So yummy and healthy.
Great to hear, thanks!
Followed this one exactly using parsley instead of cilantro. You know it’s a winner when all you get are a few mumbled hmmmm’s, but mostly complete silence.
Thanks Sylvia, looks like a new favorite here.
Colleen D
Awesome! great to hear! 🙌
I made these burgers tonight and we all thought they were outstanding!! You are right the Chimichurri mayo put them over the top yummy. Your recipes never disappoint . Thank you Sylvia:)
Thanks Amy! Glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! I made this with ground chicken, but otherwise followed all directions in the recipe. The burgers were great and the whole family liked them.
Awesome, great to hear- thanks Lisa 🙌
So so delicious! My new favorite recipe. Turkey burgers taste great now.
Thanks Sherlyn!
We made this last night. Although my husband is not a fan of turkey burgers, he loved this! We will definitely make this again, probably next weekend!
Yay~!! Glad you both liked.
Oh I am most definitely going to try this! The Thai turkey burgers are wonderful! Do you think I could do this with pork? I defrosted some last night and saw this recipe this morning and it sounds so good.
Yes, or beef or lamb or chicken. 🙂
Made this tonight for the first time. So good! The Chimichurri Mayo was the best. Thank you!
Thanks Jen!
Excellent! My husband’s comment was “I could eat this quite often.”
Yay Ashley!! My husband loves these too. 🙂