These Air Fryer Turkey Burgers are juicy, delicious, and full of amazing flavor. I use my healthy secret ingredient to keep these turkey burgers nice and juicy with no added oil or butter.
This post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclaimer here.
Full Recipe/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I’ve used ground turkey to replace ground beef in a ton of recipes for as long as I can remember. Not because I think it’s better for you, but because I like diversity in my food.
But turkey burgers usually get a bad rap for being dry and nasty. That’s generally because turkey has to be cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit so you can’t get away with undercooking it a bit like you can with other meats. But I figured out the secret ingredient to keep those turkey burgers nice and juicy…unsweetened apple sauce.
Unsweetened apple sauce adds moisture into your burgers and keeps the meat nice and juicy without adding any additional oil to the meat. I also add a little bit of grated fresh onion to the meat mixture to add moisture and flavor. It works every time and results in perfectly cooked juicy turkey burgers. And because I love my Air Fryer, that’s exactly what I use to cook them.
How to make Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
First, grate your onion on the side of a large box grater or use a small food processor to get half of an onion finely grated. I do this because minced onion adds juiciness and flavor to your burger and it does not leave huge chunks of onion in your burger.
Then combine your onion, ground turkey, unsweetened apple sauce, ranch seasoning, Worchestire sauce, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined.
Form into 4 hamburger patties. I use my burger press to ensure that my burgers are equally sized and perfectly formed.
Then place your burgers in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to have them firm up a bit. This step will help your patties stay together when your air frying.
Preheat your Air Fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit by running your Air fryer on 360 degrees for about 3 minutes. Place your burgers in your Air Fryer basket, making sure they don’t overlap or touch. Cook on 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Your burgers are finished when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit on a quick read thermometer.
Serve them however you like. I generally top them with lettuce, tomato, and a slice of red onion. I also top them with a little cranberry sauce if I’m feeling fancy.
How to make burgers from frozen in the Air Fryer
These turkey burgers freeze beautifully and can go straight from the freezer to Air Fryer. For frozen burgers, cook on 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 minutes, flipping halfway over. Use a quick read thermometer to ensure your turkey burger has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to add cheese to these burgers
Whenever we get the craving for a little melted cheese, I add them after I cooked the burger in the air fryer and then close the basket for a few minutes without running the air fryer. The cheese will melt on your burger while it sits in the warm air fryer.
Subbing Ground Beef
If you would rather make beef burgers, I recommend using ground chuck for your burgers (80/20 fat content) as it has so much flavor. I don’t add any additional ingredients to my beef patties except salt and pepper. I just form and shape ground beef into a patty and coat with salt and pepper. I got that tip from Bobby Flay and it’s one I absolutely agree with.
I generally cook ground beef burgers in the Air Fryer on 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-15 minutes or whenever my quick read thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
I hope you enjoy these turkey burgers as much as we do. If you’re looking for sides to go with these burgers, try these out:
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Easy Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes with Hot Honey Butter
- Air Fryer Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts
- Kale and Broccoli Salad with Sweet and Sour Dressing
- Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato
Looking for other recipes with ground turkey? Try these out:
Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey 85/15
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ½ onion grated
- 1 Tbsp ranch seasoning
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine your onion, ground turkey, unsweetened apple sauce, ranch seasoning, Worchestire sauce, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until combined. Form into 4 equally sized hamburger patties.
- Then place your burgers in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to have them firm up a bit.
- Preheat your Air Fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit by running your Air fryer on 360 degrees for about 3 minutes. Place your burgers on your Air fryer, making sure they don’t overlap or touch. Cook on 360 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Your burgers are finished when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit on a quick read thermometer.
Sarah M says
Wow! I didn’t expect much but these were great. I didn’t have an onion so it was really the applesauce making a huge difference. Next time I’ll try with the onion but this is a keeper!
Vicki Souza says
I had to add about 5-6 minutes and turn up my temp to 390 the last few minutes to get my burgers browned. That being said, they tasted delicious and will make again. I had no applesauce so I peeled and diced an apple and microwaved it for 3 minutes, then mashed it up. It made 1/4 cup…perfect.
Thank you for the recipe.
Kelly says
OMG. I just made these and they’re delicious. Very moist and flavorful. This will definitely be a keeper for me. ❤️
Tanya says
Awesome! So glad you liked them 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
Mary says
Look great, want to make them!! When you say “ranch seasoning” do you mean packaged dry ranch dressing mix?
Tanya says
Hi Mary, thank you. Yes I mean the packaged dry ranch dressing mix. Just 1 Tbsp out of the packet.
Natalie says
Sounds yummy! I’m making these tonight. Thank you, Tanya
Beth says
These look delicious! I love your secret ingredient of applesauce! Does it give the burgers a slight sweetness? Delish!
Tanya says
Thank you. The apple sauce doesn’t add any sweentess at all. Just a good bit of moisture to stop those burgers from getting dry,
Carol-Ann says
What would you suggest I substitute for the apple sauce?
Tanya says
Hi Carol-Ann, before apple sauce, I used to add butter or oil. But opted for apple sauce to keep it juicy. You could also omit it and they’ll still be pretty good.
Cindy says
Looks relish. Can I skip the refrigerator step if I’m in a rush?
Tanya says
Yup, just be really careful and gentle when flipping. I’ve skipped that stepped too. I just found it held firmer when it was refrigerated.