Guys. Get ready to never look at a burger the same way again. I am obsessed with cheeseburgers and love eating them when I’m dining out (ask me sometime about my most recent New Year’s resolution), but cooking them at home tends to be greasy/messy enough to prevent me from doing it too often. Until now. I MUCH prefer a smash burger cooked on the stovetop to a dry, hockey puck-esque thing mangled on a grill (I have stories, can you tell?). Anyway, these Oven Baked Turkey Burgers are true-blue gems, and this recipe is an absolute back-pocket must.
Turkey burgers make for a delicious leaner alternative to beef burgers. However improper cooking can lead to dry, bland turkey patties. What oven temperature ensures moist, flavorful turkey burgers?
The ideal oven temperature range to bake turkey burgers is 350°F to 400°F. This high heat helps create a nice browned exterior while gently cooking the interior. Follow these guidelines for perfect oven-baked turkey burgers every time.
Why High Oven Temps Are Best
Cooking turkey burgers in a hot oven rather than low and slow offers several advantages
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Browning – Higher heat promotes browning through the Maillard reaction for more flavor.
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Moisture – Quick cooking at high heat seals in moisture before patties dry out.
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Carryover cooking – The high residual heat finishes cooking the centers once removed from oven.
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Efficiency – At hotter temperatures, the burgers bake faster.
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Kill bacteria – The high heat helps eliminate any potentially harmful bacteria.
So preheating your oven to at least 350°F provides the right conditions for cooking turkey burgers thoroughly without drying them out.
Recommended Oven Temperature Range
The optimum oven temperature for baking turkey burgers falls between:
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350°F – Cooks patties through gently without over-browning.
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375°F – Provides a good balance of quick browning and even cooking.
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400°F – Best for getting a nice crispy exterior while keeping interior moist.
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425°F – Can over-brown the surface before the center cooks through.
For most turkey burgers, bake at 375°F to 400°F for the ideal texture and moisture level. Adjust temps based on your oven.
How to Tell if Your Oven is Hot Enough
Watch for these signs your oven temperature is in the target range for turkey burgers:
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Browning in 15-20 minutes – The patties develop a nice browned crust within this short cook time.
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Sizzling sound – You may hear light sizzling during baking as the exterior browns.
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Warm oven interior – The oven feels notably hot when opening it to flip or check burgers.
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Burner red/orange glow – For gas ovens, the flames change color at higher temperatures.
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Preheated display – The oven display confirms it reached your set preheat temperature.
Step-by-Step Guide for Oven-Baking Turkey Burgers
Follow these simple steps for baking moist, flavorful turkey burgers in a 350°F – 400°F oven:
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Form patties about 1⁄2 inch thick from ground turkey. Handle gently.
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Preheat oven to 375°F – 400°F. This only takes 10-15 minutes.
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Arrange patties evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet.
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Bake at 375°F for 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway through.
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Check temperature with an instant-read thermometer to confirm 165°F.
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Let patties rest 5 minutes before serving for juicy results.
Internal Temperature For Safely Cooked Turkey Burgers
Always rely on an instant-read thermometer to determine doneness, not just oven time. Cook turkey burgers in a 350°F – 400°F oven until:
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160°F for pink interior (not recommended for safety).
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165°F for fully cooked, no pink.
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170°F for very well done burgers.
The safe minimum internal temperature for turkey is 165°F to destroy potentially harmful bacteria. Let the burgers rest off heat as the temperature rises another 5°F – 10°F.
Adding Flavorful Mix-Ins
One benefit of oven baking is you can easily mix in or layer flavorful ingredients on your turkey patties:
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Shredded cheese like cheddar or pepper jack
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Diced onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic
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Fresh herbs like parsley, basil, oregano
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Spices like chili powder, cumin, paprika
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Worcestershire or soy sauce
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Chopped bacon pieces
Preventing Dry Turkey Burgers
To keep your turkey burgers juicy in the 350°F – 400°F oven:
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Use 93% lean ground turkey with some fat content.
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Gently shape thin, evenly-sized patties about 1⁄2 inch thick.
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Brush patties with oil before baking.
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Don’t overbake – cook only to 165°F internal temperature.
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Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Top baked turkey burgers with traditional favorites like lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheese, mustard, or mayo. Pair them with oven fries, a fresh salad, or baked beans on the side.
With the right high oven temperature, turkey burgers can be just as delicious as beef patties. Bake between 350°F and 400°F until 165°F internal temperature for the juiciest results.
Top three tips and tricks for the very best oven baked turkey burgers
- Smash! Smash! Okay, we’re not going for pucks here, right? We’re trying to achieve that good smash burger effect. You know, the burgers that are somehow both incredibly juicy and still have an even, crisp surface all over? Yes, that’s what we’re getting here, but all done in the oven! The smashing really helps with it, too. It keeps the cook time lower, the patties will bake more evenly, and they’re more apt to actually develop a crust . So, we’re going to smash these to a thickness of about 1/3 inch (give or take) and a diameter of about 4 to 4.5 inches. This is what I do every time, and with 2 pounds of ground turkey, you can get about six big burgers out of it. You could do eight quarter-pounders, but honestly that’s not quite big enough.
- Use a little bit of the doughy bun interiors to help bind the ground turkey. Yes! This is one of my favorite MKL tricks. Rather than introducing a whole new ingredient to the program here (store-bought breadcrumbs) let’s just pick out some of the excess bread from our burger buns and throw that into the meat mixture, yes? Fresh bread is better for this sort of thing than dried anyway, as it contributes to the overall juiciness of the finished burgers more effectively. Similar to how you make classic meatballs, we’ll simply pick out some of the bread from the bun tops, hollowing them out a bit. Next, we’ll tear that bread up into fresh breadcrumbs. This will maintain moisture – literally holding onto it – and it will also bind the patties together nicely. {Speaking of super easy meatballs, you may want to peep my Easiest hands-off spaghetti and meatballs, or my lemony orzo with meatballs, or my Pacific Rim Meatballs.}
- Work it, but not real good. So, as with just about any recipe that uses ground meat, we want to gently mix the ingredients together just until blended. We DON’T want to over-work the turkey, as this will contribute a toughness to the finished burgers. We want lightness, not toughness. Also the heat from your hands will begin to render what little fat they actually do have. We don’t want this to happen just yet.
Oven-Baked Turkey Burger INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground turkey
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Old Bay (optional)
One teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preferred toppings (I keep it classic with American cheese, sliced red onion, sliced tomatoes, mayo, pickles, and crunchy lettuce)
Best Ever Juicy Turkey Burgers
FAQ
What temperature do you cook turkey burgers?
- Turkey is lean meat and can dry out easily, so it’s important to remove burgers from heat as soon as they reach 165°F.
- Every degree counts when cooking ground turkey.
How long to cook burgers in the oven at 375 degrees?
Yes, you can make burgers in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C), place seasoned patties on a lined baking sheet, and bake for about 20-25 minutes for medium-rare. Adjust time for desired doneness. Using this method yields juicy, evenly cooked burgers without the need for a grill.
What temperature to cook turkey in the oven?
- Cook an unstuffed turkey at 350° F for 13 minutes per pound.
- Cook a stuffed turkey at 350° F for 15 minutes per pound.
- In the final 45 minutes of cooking, you can increase the oven temperature to 425° F and baste the turkey.
Can a turkey burger be a little pink?
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Use a thermometer:The most reliable way to ensure a turkey burger is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer and check that it reaches 165°F internally.
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Pink can be normal:Even fully cooked turkey can sometimes appear slightly pink due to the natural muscle proteins in the meat.
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Don’t rely on color alone:Unlike beef, where a pink center might indicate medium-rare, a pink turkey burger could still be undercooked if not cooked to the proper temperature.