Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
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Upgrade your burger game with these juicy and delicious air fryer turkey burgers. Made with lean ground turkey and an abundance of seasoning, these burgers are cooked to crispy perfection in the air fryer for a healthy twist on a classic favorite. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy a healthy meal that’s ready in minutes.
Reasons You’ll Love this Recipe
- Air fryer turkey burgers are a delicious and healthy alternative to traditional beef burgers, offering a leaner protein source that is still flavorful and satisfying.
- Using an air fryer to cook turkey burgers allows for a crispy exterior and juicy interior, while also reducing the amount of oil and fat needed for cooking.
- These turkey burgers are freezer friendly. You can save time and money by doubling the recipe and freezing a batch for later.
- They can be cooked straight from frozen! Another great reason to double and freeze a batch.
Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or a healthier option for a summer BBQ, air fryer turkey burgers are a great choice that the whole family can enjoy.
Ingredients
Gather these few healthy ingredients, many of which you may already have on hand.
- Ground turkey – We recommend NOT using the 99% lean ground turkey. It’s much better to get turkey that’s less lean, so the burgers are more moist and flavorful.
- Minced garlic – I buy the jarred kind to save time.
- Fresh parsley – Flat or curly leaf will work fine.
- Dried oregano – Crush this in your hand before adding to the mixture for extra flavor.
- Lemon juice – Fresh is always best, so grab a lemon and squeeze.
- Salt & pepper
- Whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs – Make your own breadcrumbs, if you’d like to avoid store bought ones.
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Avocado oil or olive oil
- Sliced provolone – Mozzarella slices will work as well.
- Mini ciabatta rolls, dinner rolls, or slider buns
- Optional toppings: lettuce or arugula, tomato slices, mayo, thinly sliced red onion
What kind of air fryer do you use?
We both use the 6 quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus Air Fryer and highly recommend it.
Here’s what we love about it:
- America’s Test Kitchen said it’s #1 in their tests.
- Extra-large capacity. (I fit 12+ meatballs in it.)
- Wide drawer-style basket that is easy to remove and insert.
- The drawer and cooking rack are dish washer safe.
- Super easy to use digital controls.
- It cooks food to perfection!
How to Assemble the Turkey Burgers
In a large mixing bowl, gently combine the turkey burger ingredients with your hands. Then, divide the mixture into 8-10 equal portions and form each portion into a small patty.
How to Air Fry Turkey Burgers
Cooking your burger patties in the air fryer is the easy part! Here’s how…
- Spray the air fryer insert with cooking spray. Preheat to 350°F.
- Place as many turkey burgers in the air fryer as will fit in a single layer without touching (leave room for air to circulate) and cook for 6 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook another 6 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
- Place on a plate, cover each patty with 2 small pieces of cheese, and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Repeat with any remaining burgers.
Air Fryer Tips
Try these tips to get the best results when using an air fryer:
- Preheat your air fryer: Preheating your air fryer can help ensure that your food cooks evenly and becomes crispy.
- Use the right amount of oil: While air fryers require less oil than traditional frying methods, it is still important to use some oil to achieve a crispy texture. Use a small amount of oil (1-2 teaspoons) or cooking spray to coat your food before cooking.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket: It is important to leave some space between the food in the air fryer basket to ensure that the hot air can circulate around the food and cook it evenly.
- Shake the basket: Shaking the basket halfway through the cooking time can help ensure that your food cooks evenly on all sides.
- Use a meat thermometer: Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your food to ensure that it is cooked through and safe to eat.
- Experiment with cooking times and temperatures: Every air fryer is different, so it may take some trial and error to find the best cooking time and temperature for your favorite foods.
- Clean your air fryer regularly: Regular cleaning can help ensure that your air fryer operates at its best and that your food doesn’t pick up any off flavors or odors from previous cooking sessions.
Side Dish Ideas
Here are some side dish ideas that would go well with Air Fryer Turkey Burgers.
Freezing Instructions
Turkey burgers are a great meal to prep ahead and freeze. Here’s how:
Freeze For Later: Form the patties and freeze uncooked burgers in single layers between parchment paper either in a gallon-sized freezer bag or freezer container. Seal well and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Cook according to instructions in steps 3-4.
Be sure to check out our 100+ Healthy Freezer Meals.
FAQs
Can I cook turkey burgers from frozen in the air fryer?
Yes! I recently tested this method with this recipe and it worked. Cook them straight from frozen at 350 for 13-15 minutes. Because every air fryer is different be sure to use a meat thermometer to make sure they are at least 165 degrees.
Can I make these on the stove top?
Yes. These burgers taste great when cooked on the stove. We have a delicious Turkey Burger Slider recipe that will walk you through how to do this.
Are turkey burgers healthier than ground beef burgers?
Turkey burgers are often considered to be healthier than beef burgers because they are generally lower in fat and calories.
Can I make turkey burgers gluten-free?
Yes! Use almond flour in place of the bread crumbs or make your own gluten-free breadcrumbs using toasted, gluten-free bread. I have found that store-bought gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs (made with rice flour) stick to the pan and don’t yield good results, so I don’t recommend those.
Can I make turkey burgers dairy-free?
Yep! Use breadcrumbs or almond flour in place of the Parmesan cheese and add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the mixture. I’ve also found that nutritional yeast can add some cheesy flavor, so feel free to sub in a few tablespoons to your dry mix.
Where do I get quality ground turkey?
We get our meat from ButcherBox. The poultry is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves. Read my honest review here.
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Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Upgrade your burger game with these juicy and delicious air fryer turkey burgers. Made with lean ground turkey and an abundance of seasoning, these burgers are cooked to crispy perfection in the air fryer for a healthy twist on a classic favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey*
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (remove stems)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in hand
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs (or make your own breadcrumbs)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 4–5 slices of Provolone, cut into 4 pieces each
- 8–10 mini ciabatta rolls or dinner rolls
- Optional toppings: lettuce or arugula, tomato slices, mayo, thinly sliced red onion
*We recommend NOT using the 99% lean ground turkey. It’s much better to get turkey that’s less lean, so the burgers are more moist and flavorful.
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Instructions
Air Fryer:
- In a large bowl, use clean hands to combine the ground turkey, parsley, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese.
- Form the mixture into 8-10 small patties (about 3 inches across). (Freezer meal instructions begin here.)
- Spray the air fryer insert with cooking spray. Preheat to 350°F.
- Place as many turkey burgers in the air fryer as will fit in a single layer without touching (leave room for air to circulate) and cook for 6 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook another 6 minutes, or until browned and cooked through*. Place on a plate, cover each patty with 2 small pieces of cheese, and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Repeat Step 4 with any remaining burgers.
- Place the patties on the buns and add desired burger toppings.
*Burgers are done when they have no more pink inside or register 165°F internally.
Freeze For Later: Form the patties (steps 1-2) and freeze uncooked burgers in single layers between parchment paper either in a gallon-sized freezer bag or freezer container. Seal well and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Cook according to instructions.
Notes/Tips
- You can cook frozen turkey burger sliders at 350 for 13-15 minutes.
- If you have leftover cooked patties, wrap tightly and freeze them. Warm at 50% in the microwave until heated through.
- Gluten-Free Version: Use almond flour in place of the bread crumbs or make your own gluten-free breadcrumbs using toasted, gluten-free bread. I have found that store-bought gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs (made with rice flour) stick to the pan and don’t yield good results, so I don’t recommend those.
- Dairy-Free Version: Use breadcrumbs or almond flour in place of the Parmesan cheese and add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the mixture. I’ve also found that nutritional yeast can add in some cheesy flavor, so feel free to sub in a few tablespoons to your dry mix.
- Where We Get Our Ground Turkey: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The poultry is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves. Read my honest review here.
More Sliders You’ll Love
We are big fans of small sandwiches around here. Try some of these other fan favorites.
These were so good and so easy! It’s so easy to dry out ground turkey but these came out perfectly moist.
★★★★★
Agreed. I like them cooked this way too!