Taco Turkey Burger Recipe – with video
Posted: 06/20/2014
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This taco turkey burger recipe combines your summertime favorite (the burger!) with your every day favorite – the taco!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Taco burgers are a tasty alternative to plain beef burgers.
How long it takes: 20 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large mixing bowl, sheet pan, foil
Servings: x
We’re big fans of turkey burgers here in the Gurk household. It’s a quick and easy meal, healthy and satisfying. I’ve done pizza turkey burgers so it was clearly time for a TACO turkey burger recipe with my beloved taco seasoning.
Taco burgers are easy to make and are great for a crowd. I like to have a toppings bar and guests can customize their own burger. Offer traditional taco toppings like guacamole (or even just sliced avocado), diced tomato, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, fresh cilantro, whatever your heart desires.
(Please excuse the major guacamole avalanche in the photo above but a lot of guac is so completely necessary. The guacamole held strong through the first couple snaps of my camera but quickly met its demise. And then again when I ate it.)
As always, you’ll find a printable recipe with the complete ingredient list and directions at the end of the post.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
- Ground Turkey: I like the 85/15 or 93/7 lean ground turkey. A little fat makes a better burger.
- Tortilla Chips: I use crushed tortilla chips to bind things together instead of bread crumbs. It’s a great way to use the crumbs at the bottom of the bag of chips!
- Taco Seasoning: I always use my homemade blend which doesn’t have fillers or artificial ingredients.
- Onion: To avoid having big chunks of onion in the burgers, grate the onion over the mixing bowl. The finely grated onion and the juices add great flavor to the burger mix.
- Sliced Cheese, Buns, Toppings of Your Choice
How To Make Turkey Burgers
It’s pretty simple really. Our grill isn’t always too reliable so I cook these under the broiler. A stovetop grill or even in a regular nonstick skillet is fine too.
If you’re using a broiler, prepare a sheet pan by lining it with foil (easy clean-up!). Get the broiler preheating while you make the burgers.
Add the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix gently. I use my hands but a spoon is fine too.
Form the mixture into four patties. Make them a little thinner in the middle so the burgers get done evenly.
Arrange them in the sheet pan and broil about 6 minutes. Flip them over and broil another couple of minutes. The inside of the burger should be at least 165°F. Because it’s ground turkey, you don’t want to serve this burger rare.
Add a slice of cheese and broil for one more minute or until the cheese is melty. Pop those turkey burgers into a bun and dinner is ready! Wasn’t that fast and easy?
Serve the burgers with chips and salsa. If you have an air fryer, make homemade French fries or sweet potato fries. More into salads? Creamy coleslaw, grilled vegetable salad, or a simple cucumber salad are good choices.
Make It Your Own
- Not into buns? Swap out the whole wheat bun for a large tortilla. Top with shredded cheese and homemade salsa.
- Add fresh minced garlic or chopped cilantro for more flavor impact.
- Don’t have taco seasoning? Substitute a tablespoon of chili powder.
Is a turkey burger healthier than a hamburger?
Turkey burgers are lower in saturated fat than a beef burger (Healthline). Other than that, there’s not a lot of difference between the two.
How do you keep turkey burgers from falling apart?
Adding a filler and compressing the burgers pretty firmly helps. I like to cook the burgers under the broiler so I don’t have to deal with grill grates. Make sure the burgers are pretty well done on the first side before you flip them. If they’re sticking or falling apart, let them cook a bit longer before you try to flip them.
Why are my turkey burgers dry?
It could be that you’re overcooking them. They don’t have a lot of fat so be sure to cook the burger until they are just done. Use an instant read thermometer to check (165°F).
Make-Ahead Ideas/Storage
Make the burgers but don’t cook them. Refrigerate, covered well, for up to 24 hours.
To freeze raw burgers, stack the burgers with a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper between each burger. Place in a freezer container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to one month. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before broiling.
If you prefer, cook the burgers as directed and then refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month. To reheat, place in a single layer on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350°F for fifteen minutes or until heated through. Frozen unthawed burgers will take 5-10 minutes longer.
More Burgers and Buns
Looking for more ways to fill those buns? Tired of plain ol’ burgers? I have lots more ideas for you. Try:
- Black Bean Burgers — a vegetarian option
- The Best Meatball Subs – with garlic bun!
- Turkey Sloppy Joes
- Easy Sloppy Joes – FIVE ingredients!
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Barbecue Pulled Chicken – Cranberry Sherry BBQ Sauce
- Chicken Sandwich with Bacon, Leeks and Gouda
- Turkey Sliders – aka Rachel Sandwich Sliders
- Best Ham and Cheese Sliders Recipe
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
burgers
This taco turkey burger recipe combines your summertime favorite (the burger!) with your every day favorite – the taco!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon [taco seasoning]
- 1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 4 slices white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Place oven rack 4-5 inches from heat. Turn oven on to Broil. Prepare sheet pan by lining with foil.
- To a large bowl, add ground turkey, taco seasoning, crushed tortilla chips, and beaten egg. Grate the onion over the bowl to catch all the juice. Mix everything together using your hands until it is combined. Do not overmix.
- Form into four equal patties, pressing down the middle of each so they are slightly thinner in the middle. Arrange on prepared sheet pan.
- Broil about 6 minutes (or until golden brown), flip over, cook for another 2-3 minutes, add cheese slices, and cook for one more minute or until cheese is melted and burgers are cooked through to 165°F.
- Add to buns, top as desired and serve immediately.
- Topping suggestions: sour cream, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomato.
Notes
- Nutrition information includes cheese, but not bun or additional toppings.
- Substitute 1 tablespoon chili powder for taco seasoning, if desired.
- Burgers can be grilled or fried in nonstick skillet.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1burger, Calories: 403kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 133mg, Sodium: 419mg, Potassium: 459mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 428IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 265mg, Iron: 2mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Follow the links below to see other great burgers created for the final day of #BurgerWeek hosted by NoshOn.It!
French Bistro Burgers from Handle the Heat
Spicy Ahi Tuna Sliders with Crispy Maui Onion Strings from Pineapple and Coconut
Disclaimer: I was NOT paid or reimbursed in any way to write this post. I love burgers and NoshOn.It is a great blogger friend!
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
Wow! This taco turkey burger recipe is incredible! I’m seriously so inspired right now. I need to add bell peppers to recipe and it would be perfect. Thx for sharing Rachel!
mia says
what a great idea! I love that there is so little ingredients as well. I will definitely be trying this :)
Rachel Gurk says
Hope you love it, Mia!
Betsy says
Oh my goodness! I just, JUST had this. It was fun for my daughter and I to make (she loved the mixing by hand, and the crushing the chips). I knew this would be good, just the thought of it was making me drool, but the taste was so much better than I was expecting. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
Your comment made my day! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave your thoughts about this recipe. I love that you involved your daughter in the process and I’m thrilled that they were a hit! Thanks again!
Nandini Voice for the Deprived says
Nice post, fully informative thanks for sharing