These Turkey Patties with Avocado are the juiciest, most flavorful turkey patties you’ll ever try! Packed with lean protein and healthy fats for a delicious and easy dinner that is made with 4 common ingredients plus salt and pepper.
Why you should make this recipe
This is hands-down my favorite recipe for healthy turkey patties! I prefer these to beef patties, which says a lot, coming from a burger lover like me.
If you’ve never mixed avocado in with your protein for a burger patty, you’ll be amazed at how it turns out. The avocado adds moisture and flavor to the turkey patties and balances out the super lean protein from the turkey. As a result, you get a nutritious and filling meal you can feel good about eating.
Enjoy these with your favorite side dish like spaghetti squash or tuck them between burger buns for a delicious turkey burger.
Ingredients
This simple recipe has only four common ingredients, plus salt and pepper.
- ground turkey: use 93% lean ground turkey meat; ground chicken will work too
- avocado: very important to add juiciness, healthy fats, and flavor
- egg: works to hold the turkey patties together
- garlic: just one clove of garlic is sufficient to add excellent flavor
- salt and black pepper
Step-by-step instructions
These amazing turkey burger patties come together in four simple steps. And it only takes about ten minutes!
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, egg, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper until well combined. Take care not to handle the meat too much to avoid it becoming tough and dry.
Step 2: Chop the avocado into small cubes and fold it into the turkey mixture.
Step 3: Divide the turkey mixture evenly and form it into 2 large patties or 3 smaller ones.
Step 4: Coat a large pan with cooking spray or a healthy oil like avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil. Cook the turkey patties over medium heat for 3 minutes on one side. Flip the turkey patty and cook the other side for 3 minutes or until fully cooked.
Serve immediately, or see the instructions below for proper storage.
Expert tips
There’s nothing better than an easy and delicious meat recipe that can be quickly made in minutes. But there are a few tips that may be helpful to you as you make this avocado turkey burger recipe.
- No breadcrumbs: The uncooked turkey patty mixture will probably be less firm than you usually expect from burger patties. This is normal for a recipe without breadcrumbs.
- Be gentle: Turkey patties will stick together well once you fry them. Just handle them carefully when transferring them to the pan so they are not falling apart.
- Don’t overmix: handling ground meat too much may produce a tough turkey patty; therefore, don’t overmix the meat mixture!
- Check for doneness: Cut into a patty to check for doneness before removing it from the pan. If there is still pink, cook for an additional minute or two per side. This may be necessary if the patties are on the larger side or the ground turkey is very moist.
- Food safety: Turkey needs to be FULLY cooked before you can eat it. Never eat undercooked poultry!
- Bake the patties: Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Bake patties on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 30 minutes, turning them over halfway. This is especially great for keeping the stovetop clean.
Variations
Using ground meats like ground turkey allows flexibility and versatility when adding your favorite seasonings.
I usually add a little garlic, salt, and pepper to ground turkey and leave it at that. It keeps the recipe simple yet flavorful. But check out these variations to jazz up the recipe:
- Add thyme or sage (fresh or dried will work) to the meat mixture for a breakfast sausage spin.
- Ground ginger, green onions, and extra garlic will yield Asian-inspired patties.
- Add curry powder, turmeric, and cumin for more Indian-inspired flavors.
- Or consider Mediterranean herbs like oregano, basil, and parsley for an herby turkey patty.
In short, turkey and avocado will taste great no matter what flavor combo you choose!
Serving suggestions
My favorite way to serve avocado turkey patties is with a healthy low-carb side like spaghetti squash or riced cauliflower. But you can also throw them in burger buns with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pickles for a delicious turkey burger.
You can also serve these for breakfast as turkey fritters with fried eggs. There’s no wrong way to enjoy turkey patties as long as you nourish your body well.
Storage instructions
Leftover turkey patties can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Throw this easy recipe together on the weekend to have healthy turkey avocado patties ready throughout the week. Or better yet, include this as part of your meal prep – double or triple the recipe for a quick, nourishing meal on busy weeknights.
Nutrition
If you use a 97 percent lean ground turkey, each serving will have 26 grams of protein, 15 grams of healthy fat, and only 4 grams of carbs. And most of the carbs are fiber from the avocado!
You can reduce the fat further by using 99 percent lean ground turkey, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The ultra-lean ground turkey has less flavor and tends to produce dry turkey patties.
Instead, if you want to reduce the fat content, I recommend cutting the avocado to a quarter, not half as written in the recipe card.
Frequently asked questions
Ground turkey is a lean source of protein and has less saturated fat than ground beef. Furthermore, this turkey burger patties recipe also has healthy fats from avocado, making it a delicious and healthy choice.
Ground meats, especially poultry, tend to dry when overmixed. Avoid handling the meat mixture too much as the turkey burger will become dry and tough.
The only way to know when the patties are done is to cut into one with a knife. If the juice is clear and there is no pink turkey meat, the patties are done.
More healthy turkey recipes
Turkey is a great way to shake up your routine and still enjoy healthy lean protein. If you’re looking for a few more delicious recipes with turkey, these are some of my favorites that I know you’ll love:
If you’re looking for even more inspiration for quick and tasty meals, check out my round-up of my top Healthy Low-Carb Chicken Recipes!
When you’ve tried this dish, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Turkey Patties with Avocado
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ground turkey, 93% lean
- 1 egg
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ avocado, diced
Instructions
- Mix the ground turkey, egg, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Take care not to handle the meat too much otherwise, it will become dry and rubbery.8 ounces ground turkey, 1 egg, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Chop the avocado into small cubes and fold it into the turkey mixture.½ avocado
- Divide the turkey mixture evenly and form it into 2 large patties or 3 smaller ones.
- Coat a large pan with cooking spray or another healthy oil. Cook the turkey patties over medium heat for 3 minutes on one side. Flip the turkey patty and cook the other side for 3 minutes or until fully cooked.
Cherry Armstrong
These are so moist and delicious we can’t get enough of them and we are not diabetic. We just eat them with green salad and coleslaw. Young grandchildren love them too. Cherry A
Sue
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I will be making this a lot!
Mikana
Ok, this is my new favorite. So easy to make and it tastes delicious! I made them exactly the way the recipe was written. Thank you!
Lori
My family loved these. “So tender” was their response. I added a very tiny amount of breadcrumbs as it seemed they were falling apart. I forgot the garlic but did add paprika and poultry seasoning (thyme, sage, basil, oregano). I baked them in the oven (a bit longer, in my oven, than you suggested). Delicious! Thank you! ❤️
Petrina
It was so delicious. I do t think o chopped the avacado enough, it looked as if they wanted to fall apart, but they were so yummy
Christel Oerum
Glad you liked them
Monika
this is a great recipe that i am going to try tonight but i am going to replace turkey with some other ingredient as i am a vegetarian but you have given me a new idea to try
Brittany Jones
I love this recipe! Made it for my family yesterday. Thanks a lot!