How to Grill the Perfect Turkey Burger
Updated Mar 09, 2026
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Grilled turkey burgers that are actually juicy — made with 85/15 ground turkey, a little mayo, Worcestershire, and finely grated onion, then grilled hot and fast. Twenty minutes, genuinely satisfying, and good enough to make anyone stop dismissing turkey burgers entirely.
Turkey burgers get dismissed constantly — dry, bland, second-best. I’ve heard it all, and I disagree with every word of it. I love turkey burgers, and they aren’t a consolation prize at my table; they’re just dinner. And once you know how to make them properly, there is nothing second-best about them.
The secrets are straightforward: the right fat ratio, Worcestershire for depth, and a tablespoon of mayo and finely grated onion for moisture. That’s it. Twenty minutes from bowl to table, and every time I make these, someone at the table asks for the recipe.
Also, think about topping them with homemade pickles, pickled onions, grilled onions, or pimento cheese. Scroll down for more topping ideas!
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What's In This Post?
- Ingredients
- The Fat Ratio
- The Mayo Secret
- How Long to Grill Turkey Burgers
- How to Make Grilled Turkey Burgers
- Best Turkey Burger Tips
- How to Top a Turkey Burger
- Troubleshooting
- What to Serve With Turkey Burgers
- Perfect Grilled Turkey Burgers Recipe
- Turkey Burger Tips
- FAQs
- Best Ground Turkey for Burgers
- More Burger Recipes
Ingredients
- Ground turkey – See below for what you need to know about the best ground turkey!
- Onion – Adds a little bit of bite.
- Mayonnaise – This is my secret ingredient for turkey burgers. Mayo adds moisture and tenderness, and helps bind the patties together.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds great umami flavor.
- Cheese – Optional, but I do love a good turkey cheeseburger.
The Fat Ratio
This is where most turkey burger recipes go wrong before they even start. Extra-lean ground turkey — 99% or even 93% lean — will give you a dry burger no matter what else you do. You need fat for juiciness, and turkey has almost none on its own.
Use 85/15 ground turkey. Yes, it has more fat than the lean stuff. It is still significantly leaner than ground beef, and it will produce a burger that actually tastes like something. Look for turkey with dark meat mixed in — or ask your butcher for ground turkey thigh. This single decision matters more than any other in this recipe.
The Mayo Secret
Mayo in turkey burgers sounds wrong until you understand what it’s doing. It adds moisture and fat directly into the meat, it helps bind the patty so it holds together on the grill, and it disappears completely into the burger — you won’t taste it. It’s not a flavor ingredient; it’s an insurance policy against dryness. Use it.
The Grated Onion Tip
Don’t chop the onion — grate it. Run half a small onion across a box grater directly into the bowl with the turkey. Grated onion releases its juice into the meat, adding both moisture and a more subtle, evenly distributed onion flavor than chopped onion gives you. It also helps the patty hold together. Blot the grated onion lightly with a paper towel first if it seems very wet.
How Long to Grill Turkey Burgers
Unlike beef or red meat burgers, turkey burgers (like all poultry) must be fully cooked before eating. The USDA recommends cooking ground turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F for safety reasons. Use a meat thermometer to ensure your burgers reach that temp. The flexibility you have with beef hamburgers in terms of rare, medium-rare, etc., doesn’t pertain to turkey burgers.
A 3/4-inch turkey burger should cook to a safe internal temperature over direct high heat in about 8 to 10 minutes total, or 4 to 5 minutes per side. There should not be notable pinkness inside.
How to Make Grilled Turkey Burgers
- Combine the turkey burger mixture: Blend the ground turkey, onion, mayo, and Worcestershire sauce gently until just combined.
- Make the patties: Divide the meat into 4 equal portions and form each portion into a patty about 3/4-inch thick. Chill for at least 15 minutes.
- Grill the burgers: Heat the grill to high. Lightly brush both sides of each patty with oil. Grill the burgers.
- Make cheeseburgers and grill the buns, if desired: Add the cheese, if using, during the last minute of cooking. Place the split buns on the grill grates for just about 10 seconds.
- Build the turkey burger: Place the burgers on the bottom halves of the buns, top as desired, and place the top of the buns on the burgers.
Best Turkey Burger Tips
Make the thumb indent. Press a shallow dimple into the center of each raw patty with your thumb before it goes on the grill. As the meat cooks and contracts, the center tends to puff up — the indent counteracts this and gives you a flat, evenly cooked burger instead of a domed one. Read on for all you need to know about how to shape perfect burger patties (including the indent tip!).
Chill the patties. Getting the patties cold in the fridge before putting them on the grill will help them hold their shape.
Don’t move the patties. Place them on the grill and leave them alone for a full 4 to 5 minutes. If you try to flip too early, they will stick and tear. When they’re ready, they’ll release cleanly.
Don’t press them. Every drop of juice you press out with a spatula is a drop you won’t get back. Never press a turkey burger.
Use a thermometer. Turkey must reach 165°F — no exceptions. But don’t go past it. The difference between 165°F and 175°F is the difference between juicy and dry. Start checking at 8 minutes.
Oil the grates right before grilling. Cold oil burns off. Brush or wipe the grates with oil right before the patties go on, not when you first preheat.
How to Top a Turkey Burger
Turkey burgers are actually a better canvas for interesting toppings than beef burgers — the milder flavor doesn’t fight back. The classic lineup works perfectly (ketchup, mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, and sliced onions), but if you want to play:
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Chipotle Mayo
- Sriracha Mayonnaise
- BBQ Sauce
- Herbed Mayonnaise
- Blue Cheese Dressing
- Green Olive Tapenade
The Best Cheese for Turkey Cheeseburgers
The sky is the limit here! There are so many ways to turn that turkey burger into a turkey cheeseburger (which is basically what happens to every burger I make for my family). I know some people like their burgers with no cheese — or perhaps have issues with lactose — but a burger without cheese is like a day without sunshine in our house.
You can use sliced, shredded, or crumbled cheese. Be careful when using shredded or crumbled cheese to ensure it is placed squarely on the burger, so it doesn’t roll off into the fire. You may want to remove the burgers from the grill to top them with cheese, then put them carefully back over the fire for the last minute.
- Cheddar
- American
- Monterey Jack
- Mozzarella
- Provolone
- Swiss cheese
- Gruyere
- Blue Cheese
- Feta
- Queso Fresco
Troubleshooting
My turkey burgers are always dry. Three possible culprits: too-lean turkey, overcooked, skipping the extra fat. Use 85/15 ground turkey, pull at exactly 165°F, and don’t skip the mayo or grated onion. Any one of these changes will help. All three together will fix the problem permanently.
My turkey burgers fall apart on the grill. The patties need a binder, and they need to be cold when they hit the grill. Make sure the mayo and Worcestershire are fully incorporated, grate rather than chop the onion, and refrigerate the formed patties for at least 15 minutes before grilling. Also — don’t flip too early. Let them sear and release on their own.
My turkey burgers stick to the grill. Grates weren’t hot enough, oiled enough, or clean enough — usually some combination of all three. Preheat thoroughly, scrub the grates clean, oil them right before the patties go on. And wait — a burger that sticks is almost always a burger that isn’t ready to flip yet.
My turkey burgers taste bland. Two things: not enough salt in the mixture, and under-seasoned components. Season the meat mixture generously — turkey needs more salt than you think. Worcestershire is doing umami work, but it needs salt alongside it. Also, toast the bun. A warm, slightly crisped bun makes every flavor in the burger come forward.
My patties puffed up in the middle and cooked unevenly. Make the thumb indent. Press a shallow dimple into the center of each raw patty — it looks wrong, but it compensates for the natural puffing that happens as the meat contracts on the grill and gives you a flat, evenly cooked burger.
What to Serve With Turkey Burgers
Serve these burgers with any of your favorite BBQ and cookout sides, such as traditional coleslaw, classic potato salad (try a no-mayo potato salad recipe instead), or classic macaroni salad.
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Perfect Grilled Turkey Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
- ¼ cup grated onion
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Vegetable oil (for brushing)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 4 slices cheese (such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Swiss or American; optional)
- 4 hamburger buns (split and toasted)
- Burger toppings (mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, sliced pickles or relish, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions; optional)
Instructions
- Place the turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, mayonnaise, and Worcestershire sauce. Very gently blend the turkey with the other ingredients until well combined. Be careful not to squish or squeeze the turkey, which can result in less tender burgers. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions.
- Form each portion into a patty, working as lightly as possible with the meat, not squishing it. Use your thumb to make a deep depression in the center of the patty, about 1 inch in diameter, and halfway through the thickness of the patty. Season both sides of the burgers with salt and pepper. Chill for about 15 minutes, up to a day.
- Heat a gas grill to high, or heat the coals in a charcoal grill until they are glowing a bright orange with ash all over the outside of the coals. Lightly brush both sides of each patty with the oil. Grill the burgers for 5 minutes on each side until just cooked through (an internal temperature of 165 degrees). Add the cheese, if using, during the last minute of cooking. Close the top of the grill while the cheese melts.
- Place the split buns, cut sides down on the hot grill grates for just about 10 seconds, then remove them. Place the burgers on the bottom halves of the buns, top as desired, and place the top of the buns on the burgers.
Notes
Turkey Burger Tips
- Keep the meat in the fridge until you are ready to shape the patties, and keep the patties in the fridge until you are ready to grill them. This prevents bacteria from forming.
- Be careful not to squish or squeeze the turkey, which can result in less tender burgers.
- Do not press down on the burgers as they cook! You will simply be pressing all of those flavorful juices out of the burger, into the fire. You want those juices where they belong, right there in the meat. (Pressing down on the burger can also cause flare-ups, which are annoying and possibly dangerous.)
- Don’t flip the burgers constantly. Leaving them sit for a few minutes will give them those nice grill marks and prevent them from falling apart when you turn them.
- Never put cooked burgers on the plate you used to bring the uncooked patties to the grill. This can cause contamination, so use a fresh plate, platter, or board for your cooked patties.
- Set your gas grill to high for grilling burgers, and for a charcoal grill, make sure your coals are bright orange and ashy. You want high heat here.
- Make sure to cook them through to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- If grilling outdoors isn’t an option, you can also cook these burgers in the oven or in a pan on the stove. A grill pan is great, but you can also use a heavy skillet, like a cast-iron pan. Preheat the pan before adding the burgers; the cooking times should be similar.
- Leftover burgers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave before serving, or warm on the grill.
Nutrition
FAQs
The best method is to thaw it overnight in the fridge. Do not defrost or thaw ground turkey (or any meat) on the counter or at room temperature, which could cause bacteria to form. You can also defrost ground turkey in a very well-sealed bag in a bowl of very cold water, or using the defrosting option in the microwave. If you defrost the meat in the microwave, make and cook the burgers right away.
Sesame or plain is up to you but look for a soft bun with some presence. Potato buns are good, and brioche buns are a treat. Lightly toast the buns over medium heat right as you are taking the burgers from the grill. This should only take about 10 to 15 seconds, as you just want to get some gentle grill marks on the bread for flavor, but keep them nice and soft. And definitely get some gluten-free buns if you think those might be needed.
Ground turkey generally has less saturated fat than ground beef — though the gap narrows when you use 85/15, which is what you should be using for a juicy burger.
The little bit of mayo and Worcestershire sauce blended into the turkey mixture adds flavor and acts as a binder. Make sure the onion is very finely grated, which will also help keep the patties from falling apart. Also refrigerate the formed patties for 15 minutes before grilling.
Best Ground Turkey for Burgers
The best bet for ground turkey is to find a good butcher who grinds his or her meat on-site fresh daily. If you have a butcher nearby, definitely make a point of buying your meat there and ask for the ground dark turkey meat. Online, you can also find quite a few really good meat purveyors who will ship frozen, freshly ground turkey to your home.
Or, buy your turkey at a good supermarket or grocery store where they grind their meat in-house. Shop at a store with a high turnover so you know your meat is fresh. There might be a butcher counter in the market; get to know the butcher! Or look for packaged ground turkey with the furthest away expiration date.
It’s best to stay away from pre-formed or packed ground turkey patties. They can be inconsistent in freshness, flavor, and texture, and the meat is probably older. Get all the best tips for how to form perfect burger patties. The first tip: making a little indent in the patties when uncooked results in nicely flat and even patties after cooking!
Very good flavor and were moist and juicy. I didn’t exactly follow the measurements as I had 2 lbs. of meat to use and also added some garlic powder. My family asked me to put these in the weekly recipe rotation, thanks!
This was SO MUCH BETTER than the first Turkey Burgers I made!! I asked for a simple grilled Turkey burger and I got yours. The previous one did not taste good at all and had 9 – 10 ingredients which took longer to make. Thankfully I had only used 1/2 of a pound on that one, not knowing if we would like it or not. Today, I used your recipe for the last 1/2 pound and the taste was so much better that I now think my husband and I may have turkey burgers more often.
Thank You, Kattie. I would recommend lots of people to try this one.