Juicy, healthy turkey burgers for the Fourth of July or summer BBQ? I’m thinking YES!
This recipe is from 2019, when Tony made his first video appearance on Ambitious Kitchen. He was such a trooper during the process — be sure to watch the full video below because there are some fun moments involved (including Tony referencing Forrest Gump).
These jalapeño curry turkey burgers are insanely delicious. They’re loaded with curry spices, turmeric, jalapeño, fresh cilantro, and an addicting curry tahini sauce that’s going to BLOW YOUR MIND.
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Everything you’ll need to make these jalapeño curry turkey burgers
These aren’t your average frozen patty turkey burgers. They’re loaded with tons of delicious herbs & spices, and topped with both a fresh homemade slaw and a lip-smacking-good curry tahini sauce. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Ground turkey: I typically use 94% lean ground turkey so that the burgers are still juicy. Ground chicken works just as well!
- Herbs & spices: we’re mixing a diced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, a little coconut sugar, ground turmeric, cumin, yellow curry powder, salt & pepper right into the turkey burger mixture. Flavor BLASTED.
- For the curry sauce: this savory, creamy sauce is made with tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, a little pure maple syrup, yellow curry powder, fresh ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper. Yes, you’ll want to put it on everything.
- For the slaw: gotta have a fresh, crunchy topping! The homemade slaw has shredded carrots, cabbage (red or green), green onion, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, toasted sesame oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper.
- To serve: feel free to use any buns you’d like (including gluten-free). I love a good seedy hamburger bun!
More ways to serve these turkey burgers
I’m always #TeamBun when it comes to burgers, but you could also serve these curry turkey burgers with:
- A big lettuce wrap
- A collard green leaf (more tips on this here!)
- Over rice or quinoa for the ultimate burger bowl
Tips for making the best healthy turkey burgers
- Season the meat. It’s SO important to use plenty of herbs and spices in the ground turkey mixture to ensure that it packs flavor. My go-to everyday turkey burger is a mix of cooked diced onions, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, a little dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. It’s delicious!
- Don’t go too lean. To ensure the burgers stay moist and juicy, you don’t want to use 99% lean turkey meat; otherwise, the burger will most likely dry out and lack the juiciness of a burger we all know and love. I recommend 93-94% lean ground turkey, and if you want them to stay extra moist, you can try and use 1/2 cup shredded zucchini in the burgers (just make sure you squeeze it of excess moisture).
- Use a binder as needed. This burger recipe doesn’t require an egg, but if you feel like you may need one to help bind them together, then you can add 1 egg and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs of choice (I love panko).
How to cook these curry turkey burgers
- On the grill: preheat your grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Once the grill is hot, add burger patties and cook until the turkey is no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately. Burgers are done when a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. Remember to get all of my best tips & tricks for grilling burgers here!
- On the stove: add 1/2 tablespoon oil to a nonstick skillet. Cook burgers over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Burgers are done when a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.
How to store & meal prep turkey burgers
I LOVE making turkey burgers for meal prep because they’re so easy and delicious. Simply cook burgers according to the recipe, then allow them to cool to room temperature before transferring them to a meal prep container and placing them in the refrigerator. Burgers will stay good in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Once ready to serve, reheat in the microwave for about 1 minute on high or on the stovetop. Serve with buns or lettuce wraps!
What to serve with healthy turkey burgers
- Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto & Goat Cheese
- Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado, Goat Cheese & Hot Honey Vinaigrette
- Vegan Curried Broccoli Chickpea Salad
- Cucumber Jalapeño Cilantro Cabbage Slaw
- Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese + Jalapeño Cilantro Pistachio Pesto
Get even more side dishes here, and salads here!
Freezer-friendly curry turkey burgers
- Freeze before cooking: shape your turkey burgers and place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container or bag. If you’re stacking the burgers, I’d recommend putting wax or parchment paper in between the layers so that they don’t stick together. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, you can either let them thaw in the fridge before cooking or cook them directly from frozen – you may just need to cook them a bit longer from frozen.
- Freeze after cooking: let your burger patties cool completely before placing them in airtight, freezer-friendly containers or bags. As I mentioned above, put wax or parchment paper in between the layers of burgers if you’re stacking them. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, let them thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop for a couple of minutes on each side. You can also reheat these directly from frozen – I recommend doing so on the stovetop.
Our fav burger-making tools
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More grilling recipes you’ll love
- Buffalo Zucchini Chicken Burgers
- Grilled Tahini Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
- How to Grill Pizza that’s Crispy, Chewy and Ready in only 15 Minutes
- Crazy Good Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Firecracker Salmon with Peach Avocado Salsa
Get all of my grilling recipes here!
I hope you love these incredible jalapeño curry turkey burgers! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Jalapeño Curry Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- For the burgers:
- 1 pound 94% lean ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced (seeds included or leave out seeds if you don't like spicy food)
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ½ tablespoon coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon yellow curry powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, to sweeten
- ½ teaspoon yellow curry powder
- ½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons warm water, to thin sauce as necessary
- For the slaw:
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup shredded red cabbage (or green works)
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- To serve:
- 4 whole grain or gluten-free seedy hamburger buns
Instructions
- Make the slaw: In a medium bowl combine carrots, cabbage, cilantro, green onion, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, and salt and pepper. Place in the fridge to marinate while you make and cook the burgers.
- In a large bowl, add the lean ground turkey, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, coconut sugar, turmeric, cumin, yellow curry powder, salt and pepper. Mix together with clean hands and form 4 large patties, about 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle patties with a little more salt and pepper.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat or about 400 degrees. Lightly oil grill grate.
- Place burgers on the grill and cook for 5 minutes per side or until completely cooked and no longer pink. A meat thermometer should reach 165 degrees F.
- While the burgers are cooking you can make the curry sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, yellow curry powder, ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Add a little water to thin, about a teaspoon at a time, if necessary.
- Place each patty on a bun, then drizzle with a little sauce and top with the slaw and remaining bun. Enjoy. Makes 4 burgers.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 25th, 2018, republished on May 22nd, 2019, updated & republished on May 14th, 2023, and republished on June 28th, 2026.
I’ll admit, I was very skeptical when I first looked at this recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised once I made it. The combination of flavors and textures makes this an absolutely incredible burger! I even made the slaw again the following week and topped it with sesame-crusted ahi for lunch. It was just as delicious!
So glad you gave these a try! Great idea to make the slaw for ahi, too – YUM.
Delicious. Brighter than I expected. Do NOT skip the sauce. I will make these again.
So good! Glad you enjoyed!
This is such a fun and fresh take on a burger recipe! I love when the weather gets warmer and making this in spring/summer to switch it up. I don’t like jalapenos so I just don’t add them and it’s still really yummy.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
My new favorite burgers! Do NOT skip the slaw, it adds so much. I even turn the leftover slaw & sauce into a sauté. I’ve frozen a burger too, and it reheated like a dream! These are on repeat in my house
These were lovely and juicy with loads of flavour!
One of our all-time favs! Glad you loved them!
Delicious. Very different than the usual turkey burgers. I felt it was a lot of work but seeing as I love to cook it didn’t bother me..
Glad you enjoyed!
Wow! These are perfection. Perfectly full of flavor. This recipe takes a turkey burger and kicks it up 100 notches. I served them on a toasted bun with the sauce and slaw. My family devoured them!
So happy they were a hit!
These were so tasty! The curry. The slight heat. LOVED. I always use hawaiian burger buns which was the perfect addition for these. Will definitely make again.
We made these last month and they are out of this world delicious! We used ground chicken but made everything else as is in the recipe! Will definitely make these again & again!
These were the most flavorful burgers and that sauce just takes the whole flavor profile over the edge! I did add a smashed avocado to the meat and a few shakes of fish sauce in order to get a moist burger with that wonderful umami thing going on. I took a shortcut and used a bag of slaw mix with both carrots and red cabbage already inside!
I doubled this recipe bc I had 2lbs of turkey to use, but in future I will always double it bc it’s that freaking good. Every part works, the burgers, the slaw (omg!), and sauce 💗 are all chef’s kiss!
YES so good! Great idea to double 🙂
Easy to prepare, make and cook, and taste absolutely delicious! A bit different and a great mix of flavours
These better-for-you burgers were unreal! We added a Fresno instead of a jalapeno and it was great. Will be making these again!
Amazing! So glad you loved them!
I rarely write reviews but wanted to let everyone know to make these. I made them as is and cooked on a cast iron since I don’t have a grill. They are delicious and the sauce is addictive. Even the picky eater in the house loved them.
Amazing! Glad they were a hit!
This is a favorite in our house! Any suggestions for using up the leftover sauce?
So happy to hear that! Head to this post, which has a list at the end with more delicious ways to use the sauce 🙂
Well Written & Explained. Thanks.
Oh wow, these are incredible!! The perfect marriage of flavors, takes the humble turkey burger to the next level. Honestly, I love all of your recipes. Thanks for another winner!
Ahh yay! This makes me so happy to hear, glad you’re loving these turkey burgers and they turned out great for you!
These were PHENOMENAL!! Super tasty. I honestly felt like I was eating at a restaurant!
YUM! So glad you are loving these turkey burgers 🙂
We made these for dinner tonight and they were sooooo good! We served with sweet potato fries and topped ‘em with roasted tomatoes and guacamole. Definitely will be making again in the future!
Oooh that all sounds incredible! Glad you loved them, Jess 🙂
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This recipe is fantastic! I’ve made a couple times and loved it. The first time I followed the recipe and the second time I added the suggested alternative of the egg plus breadcrumbs, and also added corn and both turned out great! The sauce is perfect and so addictive – also added it to some Mayo to make an aioli for my husband fir round two lunches with leftovers.
I’ll be the first to admit- I think turkey is dry EXCEPT when it comes to these burgers. They are a huge hit, little kick with the jalapeños and the tahini sauce just adds more flavor. I love these and they are perfect for meal prep.
These were so good! So much flavor in both the burgers and the sauce. Made the cauliflower tots on the side. Such a good meal!
That sounds like an AMAZING meal! So happy you loved everything 🙂
amazing, mm…………………. One of the my best fastfoot is Jalapeño Curry Turkey Burgers. i love it. ..
i eat it, twice a week
So happy you’re loving them!
Fantastic burgers!
Glad you enjoyed!
Got the biggest pregnancy craving for a burger and this did not disappoint! Really easy to throw together and packed a nice little bit of spice! It was so tasty my partner ate the extra burgers I made for leftovers tomorrow. We will definitely be making this one again 🙂
The best! Glad you both enjoyed 🙂