Made without any egg, bread crumbs, oil, or mayonnaise, these turkey burgers remain moist and juicy when cooked and are so incredibly flavorful! They take no time to throw together and they’ve become a favorite family weeknight meal for their ease and deliciousness.

A plated turkey burger aside some lettuce, bun spread with raita.

This turkey burger recipe comes from Mindy Kaling, who credits Oprah Winfrey with the recipe.

The recipe was unlike any turkey burger recipe I had seen: blend an apple, cilantro, scallions, mango chutney, soy sauce, and a few other seasonings in a food processor, mix the herby-spiced purée with the ground turkey, then form and grill the patties.

The recipe did not call for eggs, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, or oil, ingredients so often included in turkey burger recipes to prevent the patties from being dry, which turkey burgers can be due to the leanness of the meat.

But these burgers were not at all dry. They were moist, juicy, and oh-so-flavorful! They soon became a frequently requested meal by my children, which I happily honored, given their ease and deliciousness. Something I love about the recipe is that the shaped patties can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days before being cooked as needed.

How to Make Turkey Burgers, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients:

The ingredients to make turkey burgers on a countertop.

The only potentially hard ingredient you need is the mango chutney. I found this brand at my co-op, and I’ve been really liking it. I’m sure whatever brand you can find will be great:

A jar of mango chutney.

You’ll also need ground turkey. I look for dark meat ground turkey (as opposed to leaner ground turkey made with from the breasts), but use what you like/can find:

Two 1-lb. containers of ground turkey.

Combine the seasonings in a food processor:

The flavorings and seasonings to make turkey burgers in a food processor unblended.

Then purée until smooth:

A blended mix of seasonings and flavorings for turkey burgers in a food processor.

Pour the sauce over the ground turkey meat:

The flavoring sauce for turkey burgers poured over ground turkey in a large glass bowl.

Then mix with your hands to combine:

Ground turkey and its flavoring sauce all mixed together in a large glass bowl.

Lightly oil a 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, then use it to scoop the mixture into 8 portions:

Portioned turkey burger mixture on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Using lightly oiled hands, shape each portion into a burger shape — the mixture is very wet/moist:

Shaped turkey burgers on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

At this point you can cover the burgers and transfer to the fridge (for as long as 3 to 4 days) or you can cook them right away. I love the convenience of making them ahead — I’ve been placing four burgers each on two dinner plates; then tucking each plate into a ziptop bag and placing in the fridge until I need them. When ready, cook as many as you need in a grill pan for roughly 8 minutes total flipping after 3 to 4 minutes. Alternatively, you can broil the burgers for 8 minutes, flipping after 4 (see recipe box for more details).

Three turkey burgers cooking on a grill pan on the stovetop.

You also could grill them, which is how we made them last summer, using a grill mat, for fear of grilling the delicate patties directly on the grates:

The original recipe calls for a pretzel bun, but you could use anything you like: English muffins, brioche buns, etc. Real talk: during the week, I’m buying the buns.

Brioche buns aside lettuce aside raita.
A plated turkey burger aside some lettuce, bun spread with raita.

So juicy, so flavorful, so good!

A plated turkey burger aside some lettuce, bun spread with raita.
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A plated turkey burger aside some lettuce, bun spread with raita.

Miraculously Delicious Turkey Burgers

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Description

Made without any egg, bread crumbs, oil, or mayonnaise, these turkey burgers remain moist and juicy when cooked and are so incredibly flavorful! They take no time to throw together and they’ve become a favorite family weeknight meal for their ease and deliciousness.

Notes

I’ve adapted the recipe from this one featured on Katie Couric Media. The original recipe is credited to Chef Taryn of the Kismet Table and was popularized by both Oprah Winfrey and Mindy Kaling. 

The original recipe called for 1.5 pounds of ground turkey, so I’ve scaled the recipe up to call for 2 pounds of ground turkey, and I’ve made a few other teensy changes:

  • I love this Burlap and Barrel garlic powder, so I use 2 teaspoons of it in place of the fresh garlic. Use what you wish. If you do use garlic powder, make sure it’s salt free otherwise the burgers may be too salty.
  • To ensure the burgers are not too spicy for the kids, I use regular chili powder in place of chipotle chili powder. Again, use what you wish. 

Other Cooking Methods:

  • The original recipe calls for using a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron. I have not tried this. 
  • To broil: Preheat your broiler with a rack on the highest shelf for at least 15 minutes. Lightly oil a small sheet pan or a sizzle pan with neutral oil. Place however many burgers you want to cook on the pan. Broil for 4 minutes. Flip. Broil for 4 minutes more. 
  • To Grill Outdoors: These burgers, in their uncooked state, are very moist and slightly difficult to handle — I would worry that they might stick to an outdoor grill or get very mangled in the process. When I have grilled them outdoors, I used one of these grill mats, which worked great. See photo above. 
  • I have never used a thermometer for these burgers, but if you wish to, an inserted thermometer should register 165°F. This is my favorite instant-read thermometer. 

Ingredients

For the burgers:

  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (about 1.5 ounces)
  • 3 tablespoons mango chutney
  • 1 tablespoon + 1.5 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal Brand, use half as much if using Morton)
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder, see notes above, or 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 small honey crisp coarsely chopped (4 to 5 ounces post chopping)
  • 4 scallions, coarsely chopped
  • 2 pounds ground dark-meat turkey
  • neutral oil of choice (grapeseed, organic canola oil, avocado oil)

For serving: 

  • 8 brioche buns (store bought or homemade), pretzel buns (store bought or homemade), English muffins, or bun of your choice
  • lettuce, ketchup, relish, or other condiments — I love it with raita or tzatziki

Instructions

  1. Process cilantro, mango chutney, soy sauce, salt, curry powder, chili powder, garlic, apple, and scallions in a food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides as needed.

  2. Combine apple mixture and turkey in a large bowl, and mix with hands until thoroughly combined.

  3. Lightly oil a 1/2 cup dry measuring cup (inside and out), then use it to scoop the mixture into 8 portions. You can place the portions on a parchment-lined sheet pan or onto two dinner plates (4 portions on each plate… I like the dinner plate option, because I can tuck the entire plate into a ziptop bag and store each in the fridge until I need them.) Using lightly oiled hands, pat and shape each portion into a burger shape — the mixture will be very wet/mushy. At this point you can cover the burgers and transfer them to the fridge (for as long as 3 days), or you can cook them right away. 

  4. Heat a large grill pan over medium to medium-high heat. (See notes above re other cooking methods such as using an outdoor grill or the broiler.) Add 1 tablespoon of oil, and brush to coat; add patties — they should sizzle when they hit the pan. Cook for 8 minutes total. I like to flip after 3 to 4 minutes — the burgers will be lightly charred… this is OK. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on the other side. Flip again if necessary once or twice at the end. My burgers consistently are done in 8 minutes but err on the side of over-cooking them — they are forgiving and you want them to be cooked all the way through. Remove the burgers from the pan, and let rest on a plate for 4 to 5 minutes. Note: The burgers will continue to cook as they rest. And as noted above, I have never used a thermometer for these burgers, but if you wish to, an inserted thermometer should register 165°F. 

  5. Meanwhile, toast the buns and pull out any and all condiments. Assemble your burgers and enjoy. 

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: American