These Air Fryer Turkey Burgers have the perfect golden crust outside, while keeping a classic juicy burger inside. They pack bold flavor with my special blend of seasoning and are a healthy alternative to traditional beef burgers. You can serve them as a main dish or side at any healthy weeknight dinner.
Quick Look: Easy Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🍔 Serving: 4 burgers
- ⚡ Calories: 138 calories per burger
- 🍂 Flavor Profile: juicy turkey burgers packed with protein and ready for your favorite toppings
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy, a lovely option to hit your health goals
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON:
I am on a crusade to see how many different ways I can use an air fryer. Simply put, I am obsessed with mine. I can't even begin to tell you how many countless hours it has saved me. From quick chicken nuggets to cake (yes, you read that right), it can do it all! It helps lower the amount of oil I use and it guarantees a crispy crust. I love turkey burgers in the air fryer because it keeps a perfectly moist center.
Like my grilled chicken burgers, these air fry turkey burgers are a protein-packed recipe. At 30 grams of protein per burger, it's perfect for a healthy lunch, dinner, meal prep, or a post-workout snack.
If you are looking for other great protein options, make sure to check out my Garlic Chilli Chicken Tenders and my George Foreman Chicken Thighs. Lazy Lasagna is another recipe you do not want to miss!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: This homemade turkey burgers recipe uses ground turkey, bold spices, and a bit of olive oil, all of which are readily available at any grocery store.
- Keep it Healthy: Ground turkey is low in fat and high in protein, and air fryer recipes reduce the amount of oil needed for the recipe. Go one step further by making them with lettuce wraps.
- A Perfect Sear: Air frying these turkey burgers ensures perfectly cooked burgers every time, with a crispy, golden exterior and a juicy, tender interior.
- Great for Meal Prep: These burgers cook up fast, and they're freezer-friendly, making them the perfect option for healthy meal prepping.
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their amounts.
- Lean Ground Turkey: Ground turkey offers a lean protein alternative to beef. Cooked in the air fryer, it's juicy and flavorful.
- Garlic Olive Oil: Like the chili olive oil, Costabile garlic olive oil (Use Code: 15GoldenGk for 15% off), garlic olive oil adds more flavor and moisture to the burgers.
- Seasonings: The bold seasoning blend adds a ton of flavor and a nice kick of heat (but not too much).
Flavor Variations
- Switch Up Your Toppings: Go beyond the basic single layer of cheese, tomatoes, and red onion. I love some fresh greens, cooked onions, and avocado.
- Try Chicken: Ground chicken is a great way to make this recipe feel different without having to change the cooking time!
- Get Spicy: Red pepper flakes are a great way to give these air fryer herbed turkey burgers extra spice. A pinch of black pepper is also a great touch.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"These burgers are the best! I swear I make them every other week. The air fryer is such a life saver! Thanks."
- Thomas D.
How to Make Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Step 1. Add the ground turkey mixture, cumin, salt, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, dried cilantro, garlic powder, and both oils to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2. Using clean hands, mix the burger mixture and seasonings together until fully combined, being careful not to over mix. Divide the mixture evenly into 4 balls. Each one should weigh about 3.8 to 4 ounces.
Step 3. Using a pastry brush, lightly grease the air fryer tray with olive oil. Press the burger balls into ½-inch-thick patties and place them on the greased air fryer basket tray, leaving space between each for even cooking.
Step 4. Cook turkey burgers at 350 for 7 minutes. Then, flip the burgers and fry for another 3 to 5 minutes. The burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees f.
Step 5. I served my cooked turkey burgers on a bun and toppings on the side. This way everyone gets their burger how they want it. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use a Meat Thermometer: I love using my ThermoPro Meat Thermometer to make sure my turkey burgers in the air fryer cook just right.
- Mix By Hand: Mixing the ground turkey and spices by hand is the easiest way to quickly and efficiently combine the ingredients without over mixing. Wash your hands or use gloves to prevent cross-contamination.
- Oil Your Tray: Be sure to brush your air fryer basket with olive oil before cooking the burgers so they don't stick.
Air Fryer Turkey Burgers FAQ's
Yes. You can start with frozen patties but I would recommend letting them thaw to room temperature before cooking. Cooking them frozen will leave the inside under-cooked.
Yes, they do! Turkey burgers have a bad reputation for being bland, but that's because they need to be seasoned. Turkey is so lean that it doesn't have the kick of flavor that beef burgers have. Using salt, pepper, and other herbs and spices make turkey burgers flavorful and delicious alternative. I love mine served with a pickle on the side!
I love making my Healthy Chicken Burger Recipe. It is very similar but uses an electric grill. A Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl is another fantastic option.
If you added extra moisture and your turkey patty is still tough, you probably over mixed the meat mixture. Over mixing can causes a sticky protein called myosin in the ground turkey to contract tightly, making dense, tough burgers.
Yes! This recipe is naturally gluten free and dairy-free. In fact, all the recipes on my website are gluten-free for anyone who has a gluten allergy.
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey 93% lean, or ground beef
- 1 teaspoon cilantro dried
- ¾ teaspoon Costabile chili olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Costabile garlic olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Add the ground turkey, cumin, salt, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, dried cilantro, garlic powder, and both oils to a large bowl.
- Using clean hands, mix the ground turkey and seasonings together until fully combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Divide the mixture evenly into 4 balls. Each one should weigh about 3.8 to 4 ounces.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly grease the air fryer tray with olive oil. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Press the turkey burger balls into ½-inch-thick patties and place them on the greased air fryer basket tray, leaving space between each for even cooking.
- Air fry at 350 for 7 minutes. Then, flip the burgers and fry for another 3 to 5 minutes. The burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Notes
- Store leftovers for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Wrap each turkey patty in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Microwave burgers at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Preheat the air fryer for even cooking and accurate cooking times. It only takes about 5 minutes!
- Brush your air fryer tray with olive oil rather than using nonstick spray.
- Never use nonstick spray on your air fryer basket. The spray can damage the nonstick coating over time.
- Don't overmix the turkey. Overmixing causes the proteins to contract when the meat cooks, squeezing out the juice and making dry burgers.
Anonymous says
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Nora says
My family loved this!
Amy Liu Dong says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!