recipes articles & more

Ingenious Kitchen Tips
Quiche Recipe: Create Your Own
Recipes Dads Love
How to Roll a Roulade Cake
Tour Steven Raichlen's Kitchens
Win Steven Raichlen’s Must-Have Grilling Tools
How to Make Chocolate Soufflés
10-Minute Strawberry Recipes
How to Make Barbecued Chicken
Strawberry Mojito

Print It| Add to Favorites| | Pin It

Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers

by John Ash

read reviews (16)

This burger gets a Middle Eastern twist from the addition of garlic, cumin, coriander, and fresh mint and parsely folded into the ground turkey. Fat is flavor, so for the best results, choose a ground turkey that's not too lean. Serve with Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce. Serves four.

To learn more, read the article:
Burger Revolution

Get a quick and delicious recipe every day with our FREE Make it Tonight newsletter Make it Tonight Recipe

coriander seeds paprika cumin seeds more more

1-1/2 lb. ground turkey, preferably including some dark meat (93% lean)
2 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne

Gently break the meat into large pieces in a large bowl. Mince the garlic, sprinkle with 1-1/2 tsp. salt, and using the flat side of a chef's knife, smear and mash to a paste. Gently mix the garlic paste, mint, parsley, olive oil, paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne into the turkey. Shape the meat into 4 equal 1-inch-thick patties. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Prepare a medium charcoal or gas grill fire. Grill the burgers, covered with vents open, until nicely marked and just cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted in a burger should read 165°F), 4 to 6 minutes per side.

Serve with the Cucumber & Yogurt Sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these burgers with Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta on the side.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 400; Fat (g): 26; Fat Calories (kcal): 230; Saturated Fat (g): 7; Protein (g): 36; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 11; Carbohydrates (g): 4; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 5; Sodium (mg): 840; Cholesterol (mg): 130; Fiber (g): 1;

photo: Scott Phillips

From Fine Cooking 94 , pp. 50

July 1, 2008

user reviews

Rate this Recipe

by twood, 5/8/2012My new favorite burger. Great flavor, easy, and a nice change from standard burger. I have made this three times now. Each time I have served on pita with cucumber-yogurt and with a mediterranean side. The first time I found the burger to be a bit dry. The second time I used ground chicken with a higher fat content and I also added some mashed white beans and the burger was amazing. Third time I used the higher fat ground chicken without the beans and it was also really good. Definitely a keeper!!

by vangiefan, 5/27/2012I made this for the Memorial weekend. My family LOVED the turkey burgers!!! I will definitely make these again. Great recipe!

by DJ, 8/9/2011Excellent recipe. Flavor that is similar to gyros. I've made this many times .

by Mandogirl, 6/5/2011This recipe was incredible. My husband was skeptical, being a beef fan, but we both felt like this was the best turkey burger we had ever tasted! The fresh herbs and spices really make the recipe. We aren't big mint fans so I left it out and just used the parsley. The flavor was great.

by sk88, 7/14/2010Definitely the best turkey burger we've ever made. We used all dark meat with great results.

by IL, 7/8/2010Wow! This is the best and only turkey burger my family and I have ever enjoyed eating. The herbs and spices make the burger. I made yogurt cheese for the dressing and it all held together very nicely. The cucumber/onion mix needs several rinses to remove the excess salt. Paired very nicely with the Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta. All that was missing was a great bottle of wine.

by dsraymond, 7/8/2010Great burger recipe! Something different, a big hit served to friend visiting. You must make the cucumber yogurt sauce that goes along with it. Excellent flavor combination.

by BarbaraSki, 7/7/2010Loved this burger and so did my husband (who I thought might find the different herbs & seasonings off-putting!). Used fresh herbs from my garden. I made it with just 1 lb.of turkey (except I couldn't find the leaner turkey). I used my George Forman grill instead of doing them on the gas grill outside. The cucumber yogurt sauce was fabulous. We didn't eat these with bread - didn't need it. Will definitely make again and pass this recipe around.

by mymal73, 6/30/2010I used white meat ground turkey and it came out amazing! Great recipe and a definite keeper!

by polly13, 2/27/2010Great recipe. Made them as meatballs in the winter for a large party and cooked them in the oven for about 20 minutes. Great with Israeli salad and hummus too.

by atriola702, 2/22/2010These burgers are very flavorful - especially for turkey burgers. I added some crumbled feta to the meat mixture and cooked them on a contact grill.

by Janelle2277, 7/25/2009These were very tasty and refreshing. We especially enjoyed the yogurt sauce that went with it and will make extra the next time.

by whatscooking, 7/1/2009This recipe is a big hit each and every time I make it. It's a keeper.

by MKF, 9/8/2008It's a great recipe. I did use all dark turkey meat. I did not overmix the meat mixture, but thought if the recipe called for 2 eggs and 1/2 to 3/4 cup crushed crackers crumbs added to the meat mixture that it would lighten up the product. I also baked/broiled the piece of meat as one large burger. Then sliced pieces from that and placed in the pocket bread, served with the sauce.

by duckyfufu, 8/20/2008These turkey burgers are really good. Very refreshing for summer eating, definitely different from a traditional burger. I especially liked the fresh herbs in the burger.

join the conversation