Turkey Burgers with Feta and Basil
These Turkey Burgers are full of flavor and quick to make. You can make them on the stove or on the grill!
If you think turkey burgers are bland and boring, I urge you to try this recipe.
Do you know what a turkey burger has that a beef burger doesn’t?
A special friendliness with other flavors.
A turkey burger is more suited to having different flavor combinations added to it.
Put feta and basil in a beef patty, and that might be kind of weird.
Put feta and basil in a turkey patty, and you get something magnificent.
If you were to put this turkey burger and a beef burger in front of me, I might pick the turkey burger based on flavor alone.
I always love the grill for the best flavor possible, but these are fantastic even when they’re quickly cooked in a cast iron skillet on the stove indoors.
Just make sure to get the heat high so you get that wonderful brown crust on the edges.
How to Make Turkey Burgers:
In a bowl, combine dark ground turkey, feta cheese crumbles, fresh basil, worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper:
Mix this all together gently to distribute the ingredients evenly, then shape into four equal patties:
To cook the burgers, I’ve had great success for years simply cooking them in a cast iron skillet on the stove, but since my father-in-law bought me this indoor grill (affiliate) for Christmas, I’ve started using that instead.
And of course, it’s great for outdoor grilling too.
Here’s a look at the fully cooked turkey burger patty, without any toppings:
Because there’s so much going on with the actual turkey patty, you can go pretty minimal with the fixings.
I usually do sliced tomato, lettuce, red onion, and some pickles on the side:
I served my burger here with some Baked Garlic Fries, though Red Potato Salad or Greek Zucchini Salad are also perfect for pairing. Enjoy!
More Ground Turkey Recipes:
The full recipe is below, plus a quick 3 minute video below that shows how to make it. Enjoy!
Turkey Burgers with Feta and Basil
Ingredients
For the Turkey Burgers:
- 1 lb dark ground turkey
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 2 tbsp packed chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt*
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 4 hamburger buns
- desired toppings like red onion, lettuce, tomatoes, condiments, etc
Side Dish Ideas for Pairing:
Instructions
- Gently mix together the ground turkey, feta crumbles, chopped basil, worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper with your fingertips. Make sure not to overwork the meat, but rather to think of distributing the ingredients evenly.
- Form the meat mixture into 4 patties, keeping in mind that the burger will shrink up during cooking. For this reason, I usually make them flatter than I ultimately want, and a little bit wider than the bun. Don’t make the patties too thick or they’ll take too long to cook.
- To cook on the stove, heat up a cast iron skillet over medium high heat for a couple minutes. Once the pan is hot, add the turkey patties and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Time will vary depending on how hot your pan is and how thick your patties are, but you want the center of the turkey burger to read at 165 degrees F. If you find that the burgers are browning too much before the interior is cooking through, you can put a lid on the pan, or pop the burgers into a hot oven for a few minutes to finish cooking.
- You may also grill the burgers either on an indoor or outdoor grill. About 3 minutes on each side as well, depending on how intense the heat is. Check for doneness using a thermometer, aiming for 165F.
- Serve the turkey burgers with any accompaniments you want, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Post updated in May 2019. Originally published May 2013.
This recipe was so delicious. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Are the nutirition facts based on just the turkey patty or with the bun included?
It includes everything listed on the ingredients list, so yes, it includes the bun. Everything is estimated by a 3rd party company calculating everything, so only use as a rough guide.
Can you replace the feta cheese with a different one? If so what would you recommend.
Do you like ricotta salata?
No i don’t like ricotta salata what other cheese would you recommend?
Can I use dry basil? I have a very hard time keeping basil fresh and waste money buying it fresh..
This my favorite turkey burger recipe. It’s now my go-to 🙂 The only thing I add is 1 tsp of minced garlic. They are so good!
Easy and delicious. The 2nd time I made these during lockdown and a total success! Could not be easier. Turkey burgers can be difficult and I love this recipe – especially love not having to use egg and bread crumbs. The first time I didn’t have Worcestershire so I used fish sauce which wasn’t ideal but today was perfect! Also having the thermometer makes a huge difference. Thanks Joanne!
How would these be with turkey breast (white meat)?
My husband is on a pretty strict diet. Thank you in advance for a speedy response.
Pat