Turkey Spinach Burgers

These turkey spinach burgers come together in about 20 minutes making them great for a weeknight dinner. Ground turkey gets mixed with fresh spinach, six cloves of garlic, and a little cumin, then pan-seared in a cast iron skillet until browned and cooked through. No egg, no binder, no filler. The patties hold together on their own.

They work well for meal prep too. Make a full batch on Sunday and you have burgers ready through the week. Serve them in lettuce wraps with avocado and salsa, or put them on a gluten-free bun with whatever toppings you have out. If you want to use the same ground turkey for something else this week, my Baked Turkey Spinach Meatballs use the same flavor profile and are just as good for meal prep.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Ready in 20 minutes. Mix everything in one bowl, form the patties, and cook them in two batches on the stovetop. No oven, no marinating, no waiting.
• Built for meal prep. A full batch makes 8 to 10 burgers and they reheat well. Make them Sunday and you have lunch or dinner for the whole week.
• Six cloves of garlic do the heavy lifting. Most turkey burgers taste like nothing. These don’t. The garlic and cumin season the meat all the way through, so every bite has actual flavor.

Ingredient Notes

• Ground Turkey – Higher fat ground turkey (93/7) holds together better and stays juicy. Leaner blends tend to dry out, especially over higher heat.
• Fresh Spinach – Pack the cup tightly before chopping. Fresh works better here than frozen spinach, which releases too much water and can make the patties fall apart.
• Garlic – Six cloves is not a typo. This is where all the flavor comes from. But feel free to adjust according to your taste preferences.
• Cumin – Just a teaspoon, but it rounds out the garlic and gives the burgers a little warmth without tipping into taco territory.

Get a Good Sear

Let the skillet get fully hot before the patties go in. If you add them too early, they’ll steam instead of brown and you’ll lose the crust on the outside. Medium heat on cast iron takes a couple of minutes to come up to temperature. Once it’s hot, add the oil, let that heat through, then add the patties. Don’t move them for the full 3 to 4 minutes. Let the crust form before you flip.

Recipe FAQs

You can, but you need to thaw it completely and squeeze out as much liquid as possible before adding it to the meat. Extra moisture in the mix is the main reason turkey burgers fall apart. If you go that route, wring it out in a clean kitchen towel until it’s nearly dry.

Yes. Preheat the grill to medium-high and oil the grates well. Cook for about 4 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The indent trick in the center of each patty helps them cook flat on the grill too.

Yes, both raw and cooked. To freeze raw, form the patties, place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and freeze until solid before transferring to a freezer bag. Cook from frozen over medium heat, adding a few extra minutes per side. Cooked patties reheat well in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Meg’s Expert Tips

• Use a thumb indent in the center of each patty. Press your thumb about halfway into the middle before they go in the pan. This keeps the burgers from puffing up in the center as they cook and helps them stay flat.
• Cook in two batches. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and you lose the sear. Four or five patties at a time with space between them is the right amount for a standard cast iron skillet.
• Check the temperature, not the color. Turkey needs to hit 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally. The outside browns quickly and can look done before the inside is there. A meat thermometer takes the guesswork out.

Storage Instructions

Storing: Keep leftover burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freezing: Freeze cooked patties in a single layer until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Reheating: Warm in a skillet over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side if thawed, or a few extra minutes straight from frozen. The microwave works too in 30-second intervals.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these in lettuce wraps with avocado, salsa, and a squeeze of lime. My dill cabbage coleslaw takes about 15 minutes with no cooking and works as a side or piled right on top of the wrap. If you want a quick topping, my 4-ingredient guacamole comes together in about 5 minutes while the patties are cooking.

For a full dinner, get my sheet pan roasted vegetables in the oven first at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. They take about 40 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to mix the burger patties and cook them on the stovetop while the vegetables roast.