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!
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.
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 this turkey burger recipe:
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 grilled turkey burgers:
Grilled Turkey Burgers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 200kcal
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 (this is an estimate)
Nutrition Facts
Grilled Turkey Burgers
Amount Per Serving
Calories 200 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Cholesterol 62mg 21%
Sodium 643mg 27%
Potassium 417mg 12%
Total Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Sugars 8g
Protein 28g 56%
Vitamin A 1.6%
Vitamin C 1.4%
Calcium 2.4%
Iron 7.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
