These Grilled Turkey Burgers are an easy summer meal that is make ahead and freezer friendly! The perfect healthy meal prep dinner for summer, and loaded with flavor!
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Summer is on its way and these turkey burgers are on repeat!
For me, summer is all about grilling and keeping things simple.
If I can work once and have several meals for throughout the summer that I can just grab and cook? That’s my idea of a relaxing summer!
Healthy, homemade grilled turkey burgers are on my list of must haves and the fact that they’re freezer friendly doesn’t hurt either!
Load them up with barbecue sauce, cheese slices, tomatoes, lettuce, grilled pineapple slices even and they are one of our favorite easy dinner ideas for a hot day out on the deck, along with these Hawaiian Chicken Burgers and this Grilled Cheeseburger Pizza.
We love serving them all up with one of these Pasta Salad Recipes for an easy summer dinner.
Don’t forget to finish with a popsicle 😉
Are turkey burgers healthier than beef burgers?
If you know me, you know I am not one to say things like this, although I do love to lighten up my favorite comfort foods so I can enjoy them more often.
Honestly?
I feel like ground turkey and lean ground beef are nearly equal in calories, fat and protein but I still like switching up my beef burgers with turkey burgers every now and then just for something different!
Both turkey and beef (and yes, even chicken!) have a lot of great things to offer and are all healthy choices.
Just for reference, these turkey burgers have ????? calories, fat, protein, but what you serve them with definitely needs to be taken into consideration!
How to make grilled turkey burgers:
- Put your ground turkey, seasonings, barbecue sauce, egg and bread crumbs into a big bowl and mix it up just until combined — don’t overmix!
- Shape your burgers — be sure to make your patties a little larger than your buns because they will shrink up on the grill as they cook.
- Place your patties on a parchment lined plate or baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 20-40 minutes — I find this helps them to keep their shape and not fall apart on the grill. It’s not totally necessary, but you’ll have to be a little more careful with the flipper if you don’t give them a bit of a chill.
- Grill for 5-6 minutes per side, until browned and the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F.
- Serve!
How to freeze burgers:
Burger patties, beef or turkey, are great for making ahead in the summer as they can easily be refrigerated or frozen.
To freeze, place patties in a single layer on a baking sheet on parchment paper. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Remove from the baking sheet and place in a large freezer bag or air tight freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can grill right from frozen!
To refrigerate, simply prepare the patties as the recipe instructs, then place in a single layer or stack with wax paper in between layers. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
What to serve with:
- Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Creamy Fruit Salad Recipe with Homemade Vanilla Dressing
- Easy Potato Salad Recipe
- Layered Broccoli Salad
Grilled Turkey Burgers
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup red onion finely diced
- 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt I use Lawry’s
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine turkey, barbecue sauce, onion, bread crumbs, garlic, seasoning salt and pepper just until combined.
- Form into 4 large patties (they will shrink as they cook so you want to make them slightly larger than your buns), and place on a plate or baking sheet in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or in the freezer for 30-60 minutes (or see above for steps to freeze and store frozen). This will ensure they don’t fall apart during grilling.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high, or about 400 degrees F.
- Grill burgers on each side for 5-6 minutes until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.
- Brush with additional barbecue sauce and serve as desired.
Nutrition Information
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Carol says
Decided to make these burgers inside and not on the grill. The barbecue sauce added to the mix took the flavors to a delicious level. I chose to cook the onions with the burgers in the pan and the onions picked up the delicious flavor from the burgers as they cooked.
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Carol.
April says
Was just wondering, when you go to freeze them and lay them on parchment paper for 2 hours, do you cover it?
Ashley Fehr says
I cover it if I am leaving them for longer than a couple of hours, but not for a short time
Becky Hardin says
Turkey Burgers are my all time favorites!!
Ashley Fehr says
They’re so great in the summer!
Toni says
Everyone at my house loved it! An easy weeknight meal!
Sara Welch says
What a savory dish for summer! I know what I will be having for dinner tonight; this looks delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sara!
Allyson Zea says
This is so perfect for summer! Love this!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Allyson!