This is hands-down my favorite recipe for healthy turkey patties! I even prefer these to beef patties, which says a lot, coming from a burger lover like me. The avocado adds moisture and flavor to the turkey patties, making them super juicy!
I often serve the turkey patties with spaghetti squash like you see in the photos, but you can, of course, go all out and throw them in burger buns with a bunch of veggies to make real turkey burgers.
How to make your healthy turkey patties
You really don’t need to do a lot to make these turkey patties taste great. Three steps and ten minutes is all it takes.
Step 1 – Seasoning: I usually just add a little garlic, salt, and pepper to the ground turkey and leave it at that. The ground turkey and avocado have plenty of flavor by themselves. Of course, nobody is stopping you from adding a little ginger, thyme, sage, or whatever herbs you might fancy — they’ll taste great no matter what flavor combo you choose.
Step 2 – Mixing: Mix the ground turkey, seasoning, and egg in a bowl. When it’s well mixed, chop the avocado into small pieces and gently fold it into the turkey mix. Form the mix into 2 large patties (or 3 smaller ones).
Note: The uncooked turkey patty mix is a lot less firm than you would normally expect from burger patties. This is because I don’t use breadcrumbs or anything else to bind the mixture together. But don’t worry, the patties will stick together just fine if you fry them carefully.
Step 3 – Cooking: Put a little cooking spray or oil on a pan and cook the turkey patties on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. This may not be enough if the patties are large or the if the ground turkey was very moist so check if they are done by cutting into one before removing them from the pan. They sometimes need as much as 4-5 minutes on each side.
Note: Turkey needs to be FULLY cooked before you can eat it. Never eat undercooked poultry!
Turkey patty nutrition
Becuase these healthy turkey patties have no breadcrumbs to hold them together, they are almost pure protein and healthy fats. If you use a 97 percent lean ground turkey, each serving has 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 a little if you really want to by using 99 percent lean ground turkey, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The ultra-lean ground turkey has less flavor and gets a bit dry in my opinion. If you absolutely want to reduce the fat, cut the avocado in half instead.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Do I have to add the egg to the turkey patties? A: You don’t have to, but it helps hold the patties together. You can leave out the egg if you don’t mind the patties falling apart a bit.
Q: What spices can I add to the turkey patties? A: I really like paprika, curry powder or Mediterranean herbs.
Q: Can I cook the patties in the oven instead: A: Yes. I have only done it once but it worked. I baked them for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), turning them over halfway.
More healthy turkey recipes
If you liked this healthy turkey patties recipe, check out the other turkey recipes on Diabetes Strong as well. Here are some of my favorites:
When you’ve tried this healthy turkey patties recipe, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
The avocado makes these turkey patties the juiciest and most flavorful turkey patties you have ever tasted!
- 8 oz. ground turkey, (93% lean)
- ½ avocado
- 1 egg
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt & pepper
Mix ground turkey, egg, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. When well mixed, chop the avocado into small cubes and fold into the turkey mix.
Form the turkey mixture into 2 large patties (or 3 smaller ones).
Put a little cooking spray or oil on a pan and cook the turkey patties on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side (this may not be enough if the patties are large or the if the ground turkey was very moist so check if they are done by cutting into one before removing them from the pan. They sometimes need as much as 4-5 minutes on each side.)
I love this recipe! Made it for my family yesterday. Thanks a lot!