Jalapeño Turkey Burgers

Jalapeno Turkey Burgers are packed with flavor and are the perfect grilled meal for a summer barbecue. The lean ground turkey is paired with soft buns, guacamole, fresh salsa, and your favorite condiments and toppings. 

Try another summer favorite – homemade chicken patties with corn succotash!

What are Jalapeno Turkey Burgers?

This turkey burger recipe is seasoned with ingredients that pack a punch, like melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, onions, and jalapenos. So the turkey burger turns out incredibly moist, tender, and flavorful.

It’s the perfect summer meal you can have on the table and ready to eat in under an hour. Don’t forget to add a side of roasted sweet potato wedges, a simple house salad, and mini lemon cheesecake.

How to Choose the Best Ground Turkey Meat

Not all ground turkey is high quality, which matters when your dish’s star is the turkey. 

Find the best quality ground turkey with the highest fat content at your local grocery store. Typically the turkey in plastic tubes isn’t as good as the turkey on trays wrapped in plastic. If possible, always buy organic.

If you can’t find good-quality turkey or don’t like it, you can use ground beef or ground chicken for this recipe.  

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients for these delicious turkey burgers: 

• ground turkey 
• butter 
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Dijon mustard 
• mayonnaise 
• jalapeno 
• white onion
• shredded cheese, cheddar, or pepper jack
• salt and pepper

How to Make Jalapeno Turkey Burgers

This is a brief description of how to make these jalapeno turkey burgers. For the full instructions, see the recipe card below. 

Combine: Mix all the chopped vegetables, spices, sauces, and ground turkey in a bowl with your hands. 

Portion: Divide the turkey mixture into equal portions, shaping each ball into patties. 

Grill: Grease the hot grill, place the patties gently on the grate, and cook, flipping once. When they’re done, allow them to rest for 5 minutes on a plate. 

Assemble: Serve each patty on a burger bun topped with guacamole, fresh tomato salsa, and any additional toppings you’d like.

Recipe Tips

These tips and tricks will help you make foolproof jalapeno turkey burgers every single time:

• Don’t overcook: Be sure not to overcook the patties since turkey is low fat and will dry out quickly if cooked too long. You only need about 5 minutes on each side when cooking on an outdoor gas grill or an indoor grill pan.

• Spiciness: Make as spicy (or not) as you want.  

• No cheese: Leave out the cheese for lactose intolerant. 

• No sticking: Lightly grease your hands before forming the patties, so it doesn’t stick. 

• Add breadcrumbs: Add some breadcrumbs or crackers for some texture and for easier to work with.

• Finely chop: Chop the onions and jalapenos very finely, so you don’t get any big chunks in your burgers. 

• Refrigerate: Put the patties in the fridge for 15 minutes before grilling, so they stay together better. 

• Saute: Don’t have a grill? No problem! Cook the patties on a flat top or cast-iron skillet.

• Grease the grill: Spray the grill with cooking oil, so the patties don’t stick and fall apart.  

• Cook covered: Cover the patties while on the grill so the steam keeps them moist and they cook faster and have less time to dry out.   

• Make it low-carb: Leave off the buns and turn this burger into a lettuce burger.

• Air fryer: Another great way to cook the turkey patties is to use the air fryer. This will make the outside crispy and help keep them from falling apart. 

• Oven: Bake the patties on a baking sheet at 375F for 25-30 minutes if you don’t have a grill or want to cook inside.    

Burger Toppings 

While the centerpiece of this meal is the turkey, don’t forget to add some tasty toppings as well! Here are some fun ideas: 

• Guacamole – try chipotle guacamole or mango guacamole
• Fresh tomato salsa
• Spicy mayo 
• Spicy ranch dressing 
• Cilantro lime crema
• Pickles 
• Chipotle sauce
• Tobasco or other hot sauce  
• Tomatoes 
• Onions 
• Lettuce 
• Pepper jack cheese 
• Poached egg
• Thinly sliced jalapeños 

Serving Sides

These burgers pair well with so many delicious sides. Here are some summer favorites:

• Mexican Beans and Rice
• Quinoa Salad with Avocado
• Baked Potato Fries
• Sour Cream Dill Potato Salad
• Chopped Greek Salad
• Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

How to Store 

To refrigerate: Keep leftover turkey burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. It’s also a good idea to store the toppings and buns separately.

This will help it last longer and allow you to reheat only the turkey and not all the bun and toppings as well. 

To reheat the turkey patties, put them on a plate covered in the microwave and heat in 30-second increments until they’re hot. Don’t overheat them, as this will cause them to dry out. 

To freeze: Freeze the cooked turkey burgers wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a gallon freezer bag for up to three months. 

To thaw, let them sit in the refrigerator overnight or put them in the microwave and heat until they’re warm all the way through. 

To meal prep: Turkey burgers are an excellent meal prep food. Combine the ingredients for the patties and then place them on a parchment-lined baking tray in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will make them harden and not stick.

Remove them from the tray, wrap them in plastic, and store them in a large zip-top bag in the freezer for up to three months. 

Once they’re thawed, cook the patties, and assemble the burgers with toppings, buns, and condiments.   

Frequently Asked Questions

Love burgers? Try our Mediterranean Turkey Burgers or Grilled Salmon Burgers.

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