These smoky turkey burgers with tzatziki are an interesting and flavorful take on burgers! Juicy burgers packed with feta and topped with a healthy scoop of creamy tzatziki, finished with the cool crisp crunch of fresh romaine, butter lettuce, or sprouts. Delicious!
I love making different kinds of burgers to get some variety into summer grilling season! Enter these incredibly juicy and flavorful turkey burgers seasoned with smoked paprika and stuffed with chunks of salty, creamy feta. They're such a dream when paired with the creamy, cooling flavors of freshly made tzatziki, served atop a hearty bun with crunch from crisp lettuce (think butter or romaine).
Serve these up with a summery pasta salad (like my fruity caprese pasta salad), a simple greens salad, roasted veggies (like these simple roasted radishes), or vinegar cucumber salad.
This flavor and texture combo is such a refreshing take on burgers. Let's make them!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Greek yogurt - For the tzatziki base. I recommend 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt for the richest flavor.
- Cucumbers - To be grated for tzatziki.
- Garlic
- Fresh mint
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Ground turkey - We'll use ground turkey for our burger meat. I tend to prefer a 93% lean turkey for juicy and delicious burgers!
- Feta - Feta will be crumbled and added to the burgers for amazing salty, creamy chunks in every bite.
- Egg - Helps bind the burger together and provides richness.
- Smoked paprika - Key ingredient for the smokiness of these burgers.
- Onion
- Buns
- Lettuce - I recommend a crisp lettuce here for texture contrast, such as butter or romaine lettuce.
Instructions
First, we'll make the tzatziki so it can chill in the fridge and the flavors get a chance to mingle.
Step 1: We'll start with the tzatziki! Grate cucumbers using a grater or food processor and transfer to a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve to drain. If using a cheesecloth, wrap it around the grated cucumbers and squeeze out excess water. If using a fine mesh sieve, use the back of a spoon to push excess water through.
Step 2: Add the grated cucumbers, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust ingredients if desired. Cover and chill in the fridge while you cook the burgers.
Step 3: Now for the turkey burgers! Preheat olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes to soften. Remove onions from pan to cool.
Step 4: Combine ground turkey, egg, feta, sautéed onions (cooled), smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix together using a fork or clean hands to get a uniform mixture. Form into four large patties that are thick but flat.
Step 5: Add more olive oil to the pan used for the onions (reduce heat or temporarily remove from heat if the pan is getting too hot). Sauté or grill patties in grill pan for 4-5 minutes on each side. No pink should remain in the middle, but we also want to be careful not to overcook them. Since burgers continue to cook for a bit after being removed from heat, I like to take them off of the grill pan at 160 degrees (if using a meat thermometer) and allow them to reach 165 degrees by resting. This ensures juicy burgers!
Step 6: If desired, toast burger buns for 1-2 minutes face down in the same grill pan used for the burgers. Assemble by layering tzatziki on the bottom bun, burger patty, more tzatziki, and your crunchy lettuce on top.
📖 Recipe
Smoky Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki
Keep grilling interesting all summer with these easy turkey burgers flavored with smoked paprika, packed with feta, and smothered with a simple tzatziki sauce.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 large burgers 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill pan or grill
- Cuisine: Greek/American
Ingredients
For the Tzatziki:
- 2 cups cucumbers, grated and drained (about 2 large cucumbers)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 cups plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For the Burgers:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅓ cup onions, finely diced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 egg
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Buns, crisp lettuce, and other desired toppings for serving
Instructions
- Make the tzatziki. Combine grated cucumbers, garlic, yogurt, mint, olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make the burger patties. Heat olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the onions and garlic until softened (about 7 minutes). Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine onions with turkey, egg, feta, and spices. Using clean hands or a fork. stir and mash everything together until just combined. Form into four thick yet flat, evenly sized patties. Sprinkle with additional spices if desired.
- Fry or grill the burgers. Preheat olive oil in a grill pan or sauté pan over medium high heat. Turn heat down to medium and cook patties for about 4-5 minutes on each side and the middle is no longer pink, or a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Remove from heat and set burgers aside to rest (temperature will continue to increase as they rest).
- Assemble. If desired, toast buns with cut side face down in the same grill pan used for the burgers for about one minute. Once toasted, spread some tzatziki on the bottom bun, layer burgers, one more giant scoop tzatziki, and top with a crunchy lettuce such as romaine or butter lettuce.
Notes
- Toppings. These burgers are especially good with something crunchy! Fresh lettuces certainly do the trick, but I also love adding some punchy pickled red onions. Additionally, if you haven't tried chili crisp yet... it's amazing with the flavors of feta and tzatziki, so it takes these burgers to the next level.
- Grill. If you would prefer to use an outdoor grill, simply spray the grill with olive oil spray and preheat at a high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook the burgers on each side for approximately 4-5 minutes with grill closed (check to ensure they're not over or underdone). Using a meat thermometer to test, remove patties from grill at 160 degrees and allow to rest for about five minutes.
This post contains affiliate links for products I truly recommend. Thanks for your support!
Leave a Reply