Our air fryer turkey burgers are just as good as grilling the burger. They come out juicy, they are easy to cook, and maybe best of all, they don’t stick to the air fryer basket like they can to a grill!
There are plenty of reasons to mix up turkey burgers into your dinner rotation instead of hamburgers. Even the delicious air fryer hamburgers.
Whatever your reasons, you want them to be easy to cook and taste great, right?
For this recipe, we mix in some cracker crumbs with our ground turkey to add more flavor and a great texture that holds together through the cooking and eating process.
True Story: I like turkey burgers better than beef burgers thanks to this recipe!
The end result is a juicy turkey burger that cooks in 15 minutes with minimal prep and clean-up. I love to grill as much as the next person, but this is sooooo much easier!
Ingredient Notes:
Turkey– We have found that 85% lean ground turkey works really well.
Butter crackers– Butter cracker crumbs work as a binder for the turkey and keep it nice and moist.
Toppings– Use the toppings you want, with fresh toppings being the best. You can see which toppings I like best in the picture, and I have listed some below. I love fry sauce on my burgers, with ketchup and mayo as a close second when it comes to sauces. Experiment a little with this!
How to make turkey burgers in the air fryer:
- COMBINE – In a medium-sized bowl combine ground turkey, cracker crumbs, egg, chives, and seasoned salt. Shape this blend into four burger patties. Then use your thumb to put a slight indention in the center of each patty. This will help the burger keep its shape while cooking.
- COOK – Place the patties in your air fryer basket evenly spaced, and not touching each other. Cook for 14 minutes at 360 degrees F after which the center of the patty should be 165 degrees F. If it isn’t, cook in one-minute intervals until you reach a safe consumption temp of 165 degrees F.
- SERVE – After removing the patties from the air fryer, add cheese to the patties and cover with foil. We like to toast our buns in the air fryer before serving. Add some buttered buns with the buttered side up in your air fryer basket. Cook for 1 minute and they will be lightly toasted. Put it all together with your pickles and onions, or favorite toppings, and enjoy!
FAQ
If you are following the recipe and measuring the cracker crumbs properly, the only thing I have seen cause this is using low-fat turkey meat. In this case, you may need to add a small amount of water to provide some moisture to the meat.
We believe the air fryer is the easiest way to cook them. We find them easier than grilling for cleaning and preheating reasons. Easier than skillet frying for clean up reasons. And easier than baking because in baking you sacrifice some of the quality of the burger.
The best way to tell is by using a meat thermometer. Doing this you simply need to be sure the center of the burger is over 165 degrees F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer you want to be sure the ground meat is light brown all the way through. The meat should also have a consistent texture.
Optional toppings:
Greek style – Use Feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and red peppers.
American style – Add bacon, ketchup, mayo, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato.
Barbecue style- Add some barbecue sauce and onion rings to the top of the burger. This is good with cheddar cheese or American cheese.
Just trust me style – Mix together equal parts honey mustard and BBQ sauce and add it to the burger with your favorite cheese. This is also good with lettuce and tomato on it.
No matter how you top it, your air fryer turkey burger is going to turn out delicious!
More air fryer recipes you might like:
- Air fryer blooming onion
- Air fried pickles
- Air fried frozen french fries
- Air fryer frozen burritos
- Air fryer hamburger
Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey 85% lean
- 1 cup butter cracker crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 4 burger buns
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 4 slices cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees.
- Add the ground turkey, cracker crumbs, egg, chives, and seasoned salt to a mixing bowl and use your hands to combine the mixture.
- Shape into 4 patties. Use your thumb to make a divot in the center of each patty to help the burger hold it’s shape better during cooking.
- Place in the air fryer and cook for 14 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. The burgers should be 165 degrees internally. Continue cooking in 1 minute intervals if necessary to reach temperature.
- Remove from the air fryer and place on a plate. Top with sliced cheese, if desired. Cover tightly with foil.
- Spread the buns with butter and place butter side up in the air fryer. Cook at 360 for 1 minute or until as toasted as you prefer.
- If your cheese has not melted on the burgers under the foil, return to the air fryer for 1 minute with the air fryer turned off. The residual heat will finish melting the cheese.
- Assemble the burgers and top with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Sparkkel says
Here’s my idea, turkey reminds me of thanksgiving!! So add tyme and sage instead of chives, cornbread dressing or leftover cornbread instead of crackers. Then mix some cranberry sauce with dijon mustard for your spread (like Boarshead) mild chz like mozzarella if needed. Yumo !!
Karly says
We actually have a Thanksgiving burger recipe on the site! It’s one of my favs! Good idea! 🙂
Karly says
Oh, just realized the recipe is actually on our sister site: https://www.bunsinmyoven.com/the-thanksgiving-burger/