Taco Turkey Burger Recipe – with video
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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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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!
Laura @ Raise Your Garden says
Hi Rachel! I’m so glad I found your blog……and I love love love cutting celery too. It’s funny because I don’t consider myself a cook but love that aspect. Anyhow, you just combined my kiddos two favorite foods into one, taco’s and burgers. The best of both worlds. And the prep time is 10 minutes…let’s do this =) Yay.
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen says
Such a fabulous idea to combine two great meals – the burger and the taco – into one! These look fantastic, and all of that guacamole is totally necessary!
Becky says
What a great idea for a burger! Looks amazing!
kristy @ the wicked noodle says
Guac avalanche totally forgiven – it looks too awesome not to!! Great photos for sure. And I’m craving this burger now, omg, looks amazing!!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Oh wow those look incredibly juicy and amazing. I fully appreciate the avalanche of guacamole too.
denise says
sounds good
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
Love the seaoning and the tortilla chips in the burger, even beef burger lovers will dig this yummy burger!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
Don’t be apologizing for guac messes, it looks totally salivatingly good!
Shanna @ Pineapple and Coconut says
I am pretty dang certain that guacamole, and a lot of it, is a turkey burger requirement. I craved turkey burgers like mad when I was pregnant with my second kiddo and I always smeared on the guac and salsa. I love the idea of using crushed chips as a binder. Totally making these soon since turkey burgers are a house staple. Awesome recipe
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
I think every ‘foodie’ who sees that photo with the dripping guacamole is going to be shouting YES! What a quick and cool way to zip up the flavor in the burger. That was pretty clever.
bev @ bevcooks says
girl you KNOW I’m in.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Wow! I am in love with this burger! Such a brilliant idea to make it taco flavored with tortilla chips!
Katie says
Stunning photo and the recipe… Looks amazing!
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks Katie!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
Crushed tortilla chips in the burger is genius! And you are way too hard on yourself, these photos are fantastic and the burger looks amazing!
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks girl! I just died when that guacamole slipped down, lol!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
My taste buds are judging these photos…that they want to jump in them and bite that burger!
Girl, this is EPIC. I love turkey burgers…and tacos..so, this. Pinned!
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks Taylor!