Name: Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 33 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: ½ medium yellow onion; 16 ounces ground turkey (we use 93/7); ¼ cup quick oats; 1 large egg, beaten; 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley (if using fresh, double the amount); ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper; 4 slices cheese (optional); 4 hamburger buns; any toppings you like!

At a glance

What stands out: Turkey burgers are even better when you cook them in the air fryer! These from-scratch air fryer turkey burgers are always juicy, flavorful, and so much tastier than frozen patties.

How long it takes: 33 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer
Servings: 4

A air fried turkey burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cheese on a bun, served on a white plate.

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From-scratch Turkey Burgers

Turkey burgers might not be high on your list of dinners to get excited about, but these air fryer turkey burgers may get you running to the kitchen. Like our best straightforward turkey burgers, these from-scratch seasoned turkey burgers are ultra tender and juicy, healthier than traditional beef burgers, and the air fryer method makes them EASY. What more could you want in a dinner?

Lighter Turkey Burger Recipe

A protein-packed choice. Ground turkey is lean, mean, and full of protein. (Okay, maybe not that second one. But the other two, definitely.) Turkey burgers are a great way to transform your burgers into a lighter weeknight dinner.

Always juicy. The pitfall of making burgers with such lean meat is that they have a tendency to be dry and bland. We've got a few tricks up our sleeve to keep your turkey burgers tender and juicy. These turkey burgers don’t taste anything like the frozen burger patties you buy.

Fuss-free in the air fryer. The air fryer means you don’t have to stand at the stovetop frying burgers or tend to your burgers on the grill. These turkey burgers are ridiculously straightforward.

Ready for toppings. Any topping you would normally put on your beef burger can be also be used for a turkey burger. This means you can do anything with them. Go classic with a slice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion, or do them up gourmet-style with toppings like sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, and the like.

What goes in

Ground turkey: Ground turkey is available with varying blends of lean meat and fat. We've found that 93/7 is the reliable balance. It’s leaner than most ground beef but if you go too much leaner, the burgers tend to be dry.
Yellow onion: Grating the onion means you don’t get big crunchy bits of onion in your burger, the onion flavor is evenly distributed, and (most important of all!) it adds moisture to the burgers.
Speedy oats: In this case, speedy oats work better than old-fashioned oats. The smaller pieces invisibly blend into the mixture.
Egg: An egg is essential for binding the burgers. It also adds flavor and protein.
Seasonings: The burgers are seasoned with dried parsley, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. You can put any take you like on the seasoning.
The fixings: Turkey burgers can be served the same way as beef burgers, on buns with sliced cheese, pickles, onions, whatever you like!

How it comes together

Grate the onion. Use a box grater set over a large bowl to grate the onion; you can also mince the onion if you’d prefer, but be sure to mince it finely. The bowl catches all the grated onion and the juices that drip out. You’ll be using the same bowl to mix the meat.

Make the ground turkey mixture. To the bowl with the onion, add all of the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over-mix—working the ground turkey too much will give you tough burgers. Using your hands gives you a pretty good feel for how much to mix it. If you’re squeamish, use food-grade disposable gloves.

Form the patties. Divide the ground turkey mixture equally and form 4 patties, about a half-inch thick, and make a slight indentation in the middle of each. This will help the burgers cook more evenly and stay flatter.

Cook the burgers. Set the turkey burger patties in the air fryer basket and cook at 380ºF for 12 minutes. Flip the patties and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Turkey burgers should never be served rare or pink in the center.

Finish. If you’re adding cheese, top the patties with the slices and close the air fryer; the residual heat will quickly melt the cheese. Add the patties to buns with your favorite toppings.

Topping Ideas

Mushroom Swiss turkey burgers: Sautéed mushrooms with marsala would be memorable, especially with sautéed onions and melty Swiss cheese.
Barbecue turkey burgers: Barbecue sauce, and a spoonful of coleslaw for crunch.
Tex-Mex turkey burgers: Slather your turkey burgers with jalapeño ranch dip or guacamole and top them with pico de gallo and pepper jack cheese.

Sides

Fries: Air fryer French fries are always a favorite! You can keep them warm in a 200ºF oven while the burgers cook.
Salads: Pair your turkey burgers with a deli-style salad like this dill potato salad.
Chips: From-scratch sweet potato chips and air fryer zucchini chips would both be rich. Warm baked tortilla chips are straightforward to mix and so good!

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Store the turkey burger patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Reheat: A standby way to warm up your leftover turkey burgers is in the air fryer, but a skillet set over medium heat on the stovetop will also work. We don’t recommend using the microwave, but if it’s your only option, heat the patty on a plate in 15-second intervals, flipping after each interval.

Make ahead and freeze: If you want to freeze turkey burgers, we recommend shaping them and then freezing them raw, rather than cooking them and freezing. Flash-freeze raw burgers on a parchment-lined baking sheet until they’re firm, then transfer the patties to an airtight container or freezer bag.

Yield: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 18 minutes
Total: 33 minutes

Ingredients

½ medium yellow onion
16 ounces ground turkey (we use 93/7)
¼ cup quick oats
1 large egg, beaten
1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley (if using fresh, double the amount)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

For Serving:

4 slices cheese (optional)
4 hamburger buns
any toppings you like!

Method

Grate the onion over a large bowl, catching all the juices, or finely mince the onion if you prefer.
In the same bowl, add ground turkey, oats, egg, parsley, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined but not overmixed (your hands work great for this!).
Form turkey mixture into 4 evenly-sized patties, about a half inch thick. Make a slight indentation in the middle of each burger using your thumb or a spoon, so they are slightly thinner in the centers. This helps the burgers cook more evenly.
Place burgers in air fryer basket and set temperature to 380ºF. Cook for 12 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. When fully cooked, internal temperature of burgers should be 165ºF.
If desired, add a slice of cheese when burgers have finished cooking, return to air fryer and let the residual heat melt the cheese (should take a minute or less).
Serve the turkey burgers on buns with your choice of toppings.

Notes

Cooking tip: Use an instant read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your burgers in the thickest middle part of the patty. Air fryers vary and cooking time also varies depending on the thickness of the patties, so checking the internal temperature of the burgers is a standby way to ensure they’re cooked evenly.

Seasoning: Feel free to season the burgers however you like.

Make ahead/freeze: Flash-freeze raw patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet until they’re firm, then transfer the patties to an airtight container or freezer bag. To cook from frozen, increase total cooking time. Cook for 14 minutes, flip, and continue to cook for 8 to 9 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF.