Juicy, delicious Barbecue Turkey Burgers are easy to make and cook on your grill. Learn how to make barbecue turkey burgers with tons of flavor and serve them on buns with BBQ sauce and all the toppings.
We love burger night around here, but as much as we love beef, we like to lighten things up and make turkey burgers instead. We top the patties with cheese, BBQ sauce, arugula, tomatoes, and onions. This is the same method I used for my Greek Turkey Burgers – they’re so delicious!
Grilled turkey burgers can have a bad reputation because they’re not always juicy and delicious. Turkey is lean and tends to dry out when you grill it, but I’ve figured out how to make turkey patties so they cook up juicy every time. Th0is is the best turkey burger recipe, it’s restaurant-style and so easy to make yourself at home.
How to Make Barbecue Turkey Burgers
- Mix the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Form the mixture into four patties of equal thickness.
- Heat the barbecue to medium heat and coat the grates with barbecue cooking spray. Cook the burgers on one side for five to seven minutes. Turn them over and cook them for five to seven minutes longer. Top each with a slice of cheese in the last two minutes of the cooking time.
- Place the arugula, red onion, and tomato on the bottom hamburger bun. Place the burger on top and drizzle some barbecue sauce over it. Add the top bun and serve!
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Storing Barbecue Turkey Burgers
- Store burger patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to a month.
mel’s expert tips
- When you mix the ingredients to form the patties, be careful not to overwork the meat or pack too tight. You want the patties to hold together when they cook, but you shouldn’t press them so much that they end up dense. So, use a light hand when mixing and forming them.
- Make sure you preheat the grill. It’s easy to forget, but you definitely want it nice and hot when you cook the burgers. That way, you get those nice grill marks. Plus, the burgers will cook faster.
- I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check the burgers. If your burgers overcook, they will be dry, which you definitely don’t want. So, keep an eye on them and use the thermometer to check them – as soon as the internal temperature hits 165°F take them off the grill.
Barbecue Turkey Burgers Recipe
Barbecue Turkey Burgers are not your average burgers! Grilled to perfection and topped with cheese, BBQ sauce, tomatoes, and onions – these can’t be beat!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce of your choice separated
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 4 cheddar cheese slices
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 beefsteak tomato slices
- 1-1½ cups arugula
- 4 red onion slices
- 4 hamburger buns
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Make 4 equal portions and shape into burger patties that are the same thickness.
- Pre-heat barbecue to medium high heat. Use barbecue cooking spray to coat the grates. Cook the burgers for 5-7 minutes on each side or until done cheese on top of each burger with about 2 minutes of cooking time left. The internal temperature should be 165°.
- Build your burger by putting the arugula, then onion, then tomato on the bottom portion of the bun. Put the burger on top. Then use the remaining barbecue sauce to drizzle on the top of the burger. Put top bun on and enjoy!
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 1426mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 2914IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Variations and Add-Ons:
- Choose your favorite hamburger buns – sesame seed, plain, or brioche buns. Or subbing the burger buns for a lettuce wrap is a great choice for low carb.
- We love sliced cheddar cheese on our burgers, but you can substitute another good melting cheese like American, pepper jack, Monterey jack, or even Provolone or Havarti.
- Use your favorite burger toppings – we list our favorites in the recipe, but choose whatever kind of cheese, condiments, and veggies you may like on your burger patties. Feel free to add your favorite condiments like ketchup or mustard.
