Homemade Grilled Turkey Burgers Recipe

Turkey burgers are notorious for being dry, for falling apart and being flavorless. This recipe solves all 3 of these issues.
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By Dylan Clay
October 4, 2025

Stuff You Need (~9-10 Patties):

  • 2.5 lbs ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 small vidalia onions (sweet onions)*
  • 1 red bell pepper*
  • 2 tbsp mayo
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme (ground)
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs (plain)
  • 1 egg

*Some of these will fall out during grilling – use more than you think you need.

For Grilling:

  • Sprinkle seasoned salted (my recipe) BEFORE grilling not in the grind**
  • Neutral oil for brushing burgers

**Seasoning the grind will make the patties the texture of rubber bands, especially the longer you let the salt interact withe meat.

Dice the Onions and Bell Pepper

Heat a skillet with 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat.

Add your diced onions and pepper and season with a pinch of salt. Allow to sautee until the moisture is gone – this is ~5-7 mins – you want the exterior to be browned (this is flavor).

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Grab a Large Mixing Bowl and Add Everything

Mix everything together completely.

Once mixed, form into patties – I prefer around ~5-ish oz. You should have roughly ~9-10 patties from 2.5 lbs of ground meat.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours but overnight is ideal so the shape holds better. You could even opt to freeze these.

Get Your Grill to ~375F – 400F

Before grilling the patties, sprinkle on each side some seasoned salt (I use a homemade Lawry’s but anything works, even just salt is fine).

Then grab a neutral oil and a basting brush and add a thin layer to the patties.

Turkey patties are notorious for sticking to grill grates, the oil is to prevent this.

Then put on the grill and allow to grill on each side for ~5-6 minutes.

Once they’re at 165F, take off to rest for ~5 minutes and then enjoy!

homemade turkey burgers

Note: While the above “charring” might be indicative of “burnt” to some people, there is ZERO bitterness. If you want to avoid that type of thing, flip more frequently, say every 2 minutes or so until at your desired color and then move to indirect heat until 165F+.

Homemade Grilled Turkey Burgers

Turkey burgers are notorious for being dry, for falling apart and being flavorless. This recipe solves all 3 of these issues.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 42 minutes

Ingredients

Stuff You Need (~9-10 Patties):

  • 2.5 lbs ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 small vidalia onions * sweet onions
  • 1 red bell pepper*
  • 2 tbsp mayo
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme ground
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs plain
  • 1 egg

For Grilling:

  • Sprinkle seasoned salted BEFORE grilling not in the grind** my recipe
  • Neutral oil for brushing burgers

Instructions

  • Sauté diced onions and bell pepper with pinch of salt until browned and moisture evaporates, about 5-7 minutes. You want the color to be browned, not just translucent. Once browned, allow to cool completely.
  • Mix cooled vegetables with ground turkey, Worcestershire sauce, mayo, black pepper, thyme, bread crumbs, and egg until well combined.
  • Form into 9-10 patties (about 5 oz each).
  • Refrigerate patties at least 2 hours or overnight.
  • Heat grill to 400°F.
  • Season patties with seasoned salt and brush lightly with neutral oil before grilling (both sides).
  • Grill 5-6 minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
  • Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Season patties just before grilling, NOT during mixing.
Oil prevents sticking to grates.
For less char, flip every 2 minutes and finish on indirect heat.

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