Cooking delicious, juicy turkey burgers in a pan is easy when you follow a few simple tips. Whether you want to pan fry, pan broil or skillet cook your turkey burgers, using the right technique is key.
As a food blogger who loves creating easy weeknight meals, I’ve perfected the method for cooking turkey burgers in a pan. The key is to not overcook them, which can lead to dry, rubbery patties. With just a few simple steps, you can have restaurant-quality turkey burgers ready in about 20 minutes.
Why Cook Turkey Burgers in a Pan?
There are a few reasons to cook turkey burgers in a skillet on the stovetop rather than grilling them
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No grill required – If you don’t have an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan, a regular skillet is all you need to make juicy burgers.
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Quick and easy – Pan frying is one of the fastest ways to cook burgers with minimal cleanup.
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Temperature control – It’s easier to regulate the heat and cook the burgers evenly in a pan.
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Great flavor – Pan frying gives turkey burgers a nice browned crust for added texture and flavor.
Tips for Cooking Turkey Burgers in a Pan
Follow these simple tips for cooking moist, flavorful turkey burgers in a skillet every time.
1. Choose the Right Pan
The best pans for cooking turkey burgers are:
- Cast iron skillet
- Stainless steel skillet
- Nonstick skillet
Avoid cooking burgers in an aluminum pan, which can cause the patties to stick.
For 4 burgers, use a 10-12 inch skillet so the burgers have room and don’t steam.
2. Use Enough Oil
Adding a thin coating of oil to the pan prevents sticking and helps the burgers brown. For 4 burgers, use:
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable, canola or avocado oil
- 1-2 tbsp butter
Grease the pan evenly and make sure to coat the entire cooking surface.
3. Add Aromatics
Cooking chopped aromatics like garlic, onions or shallots in the oil first adds a flavor boost. Cook for 1-2 minutes before adding burgers.
4. Season the Burgers
Season both sides of turkey burger patties generously with salt and pepper before placing in the pan. Other good seasoning options include garlic powder, paprika, oregano and chili powder.
5. Don’t Overcrowd the Pan
Cook burgers in a single layer without overcrowding for even browning. Work in batches if needed.
6. Let the Burgers Cook Undisturbed
After placing burgers in the pan, let them cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until browned. Resist the urge to move them around.
7. Flip Only Once
Flip the patties over gently using a thin metal spatula. Cook for another 2-3 minutes on the second side.
8. Check Internal Temperature
Test doneness by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of a patty. Turkey burgers are safe to eat at 165°F.
9. Don’t Press Down on Burgers
Pressing burgers with a spatula while they cook forces out juices, causing them to dry out. Let them cook undisturbed.
10. Let Them Rest
After cooking, transfer burgers to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. This allows juices to redistribute through the meat.
Easy Pan-Fried Turkey Burger Recipe
Now that you know the tips for cooking turkey burgers in a skillet, try this simple pan-fried turkey burger recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1.25 lbs ground turkey
- 1 shallot, grated
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp steak sauce
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 1-2 tbsp oil for pan-frying
Instructions:
- Grate shallot and mix with ground turkey, mayo, steak sauce, parsley, garlic salt and pepper until combined.
- Divide into 4 equal patties.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add burgers seasoned-side down. Season the other side.
- Cook 4-5 minutes until browned. Gently flip and cook 4-5 minutes on the other side until 165°F internally.
- Transfer to a plate and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Get creative with toppings on your pan-fried turkey burgers! Some tasty options include cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, caramelized onions and chipotle mayo.
Common Turkey Burger Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid these common mistakes when cooking turkey burgers on the stovetop:
- Using lean ground turkey – Go for an 85/15 turkey blend for juiciness
- Overmixing the meat – Gently mix ingredients to avoid dense burgers
- Making patties too thin – Go for 6-8 ounces each and 1/2-3/4 inch thick
- Cooking over high heat – Medium heat allows even browning without overcooking
- Moving burgers too much – Just flip once for best results
- Pressing down on patties – Let them cook undisturbed to retain moisture
- Overcooking – Use a meat thermometer to avoid drying out the burger
The Perfect Pan-Fried Turkey Burger
Follow this simple guide for cooking mouthwatering turkey burgers in a skillet anytime. With flavorful seasoned patties and a hot pan, you can enjoy tender, juicy turkey burgers in 20 minutes without firing up the grill. Ditch the dry hockey pucks and make pan-fried turkey burgers part of your dinner rotation. Just be prepared for requests for second helpings!
Fat and Flavor Boosters
A satisfying burger needs some richness, so next I added a bit of melted butter. A single tablespoon solidified when it hit the cold meat, creating tiny particles of fat throughout the patties that remelted during cooking to produce a rich taste and texture.
Ground turkey is full of moisture—more so than ground beef—but since you have to cook it to 160 degrees, it’s virtually impossible to keep the juices in the meat unless you give it some help. Here’s how we deliver all the qualities that make a turkey burger taste good—really good.
To augment the meat’s savoriness, I experimented with glutamate-rich soy sauce, Parmesan, and ground shiitake mushrooms separately and in combination. The mushrooms overwhelmed the meat, but 1½ tablespoons of soy sauce together with 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan packed a solid umami punch without being overpowering. When shaping the patties, I used a gentle hand to keep the burger mix coarse and loose.
We often cook burgers by searing the patties in a sizzling-hot skillet. The outside of the meat quickly browns while the interior stays cooler. But the interior of a turkey burger needs to be cooked thoroughly, and in a hot skillet the exterior is likely to overcook and turn leathery by the time the interior is done. Unless I wanted to negate all the advances I had already made, I needed to come up with a new method.
My Goals and Discoveries
Pleasantly coarse texture
A few tablespoons of panko bread crumbs break up the finely ground turkey; gently tossing all the ingredients together and using a light touch to shape the patties helps keep the texture loose.
Juicy mouthfeel and rich flavor
Baking soda and gelatin keep the meat moist; help with browning, richness, and savory flavor; and provide a juicy mouthfeel. Melted butter adds richness, and soy sauce and Parmesan contribute savoriness.
Evenly cooked meat
Starting the patties in a cold skillet means the exteriors can slowly start to brown while the interiors rise in temperature to 160 degrees. Covering the skillet envelops the burgers in steam so that they cook quickly and evenly.
Confession time: I genuinely enjoy turkey burgers. If you’ve encountered a truly bad version (plenty exist) or consider it a punishment to eat a burger made from anything but beef, hear me out: There’s a lot to like about a well‑made turkey burger. Think a light, juicy texture; savory meat; and a tender, well‑browned crust.
For turkey burger success, you must first make peace with the obvious: Ground turkey isn’t ground beef. It’s very wet—71 percent water versus 66 percent for beef—which makes it hard to work with, yet it can easily cook up dry. That’s because ground turkey must be cooked to 160 degrees. At that temperature, nearly all the turkey’s abundant moisture will have been squeezed out by contracting proteins. Thorough mixing also causes the myosin (a sticky protein) in the ground turkey to link up tightly, so the burger turns dense.
Many recipes mitigate dry, compact patties by adding mix-ins such as vegetables, beans, and grains that either contribute or trap moisture or break up the texture of the patty. Unfortunately, with too many additions, the result often resembles a veggie burger, perpetuating the idea that ground turkey makes a laughable meal for a meat lover. It’s true that to make an extraordinary burger, ground turkey needs a little help. The key is to choose the right mix-ins and use as little of them as you can get away with.
Pulsing a whole cut of turkey in the food processor would have allowed me to produce a coarse grind for a loose-textured patty, but that was too much trouble for an everyday recipe, so I set my sights on improving the preground stuff. Just like packaged ground beef, packaged ground turkey is blended to have a range of fat contents. I knew that the 99 percent lean type was a nonstarter; the greater amount of fat in 93 percent lean turkey (more widely available than 85 percent lean) would provide more flavor and moisture.
To address the dense consistency that the sticky myosin produces, I added panko bread crumbs, which physically disrupted the proteins and made the meat feel coarse and light (rather than tough and dense) on the tongue. For 1 pound of turkey, 3 tablespoons of panko did the job without making the burgers taste bready.
But panko wasn’t a panacea. Kneading and squeezing the turkey to evenly incorporate the bread crumbs created too sturdy a myosin gel, resulting in a springy, sausage-like consistency. To get around this, I broke the slab of ground turkey into ½-inch pieces prior to adding the panko. This exposed more surface area for even dispersal of the crumbs, reduced the amount of mixing required, and kept the meat loose.
Now the turkey had a pleasant texture, but after reaching 160 degrees, it still wasn’t juicy. A couple of test kitchen tricks took care of that. First, I bathed the meat in a solution of baking soda dissolved in a teaspoon of water. The baking soda solution raised the pH, changing the protein structure and enabling the meat to better retain moisture. (It also sped up the Maillard reaction, providing better browning.) Second, I added a bit of unflavored gelatin to hold moisture, creating a juicy mouthfeel.
Juicy Turkey Burger Recipe
FAQ
How long do you cook a turkey burger in a pan?
- Heat level: Heat your pan to medium heat before adding the burgers.
- Don’t overcrowd: Leave enough space between the patties to allow for even browning.
- Check for doneness: Use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Resting: Once cooked, let the burgers rest for a few minutes before serving to retain juices.
How do you know when a turkey burger is done on the stove?
When the pan is hot, place the turkey burger patties in the pan. Cook about 5-6 minutes per side, until cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F. The burgers should release fairly easily from the pan when they are ready to flip to the second side.
How do you cook burgers in a pan?
You can start on medium-high for about 2 minutes on each side in order to give it a nice sear, but after that lower the heat to medium low and allow the …Nov 9, 2020