A tasty, easy Mediterranean-inspired burger
These Mediterranean Turkey Burgers are packed full of flavor and so easy to make! Lean ground turkey meat gets an upgrade with Kalamata olives, green onions, fresh herbs, horseradish Dijon, and both feta and gruyere cheese. These tasty turkey burgers come together in about 20-minutes and are perfect for summer grilling, but are just as good pan-fried in the cooler months indoors.
What ingredients do I need to make these Mediterranean Turkey Burgers?
- Ground turkey – I generally use an extra-lean 99/1 fat percentage for these burgers which usually doesn’t require any binder other than an egg, but you’re totally welcome to use a fattier percentage if you prefer. However, if you use a fattier turkey percentage, you may want to consider a binder such as breadcrumbs or ground pork rinds if your turkey is especially loose. The added benefit of a lean ground turkey is less overall shrinkage when cooking.
- Kalamata olives – A boldly flavored, soft briny olive variety with a dark purple color
- Onions – I like to use milk green onions in the burger meat and then serve red onions on the side as an optional topping.
- Feta cheese – A soft cheese with lovely creaminess and a salty profile
- Gruyere cheese – A sharp cheese with earthy, nutty, and buttery flavor
- Horseradish Dijon mustard – I love the gentle spice this adds to these turkey burgers. You can swap in traditional Dijon with a bit of horseradish cream, but I would be careful when adding the horseradish on its own when making this swap as it packs a punch.
- Egg – One large egg helps bind the meat so it doesn’t fall apart when you cook the burger patties.
- Fresh herbs – I use fresh parsley and dill for these turkey burgers, but you are welcome to swap in dried parsley and if that’s what you have on hand.
- Salt and pepper – A small amount of Kosher salt and cracked black pepper helps flavor the meat.
- Burger buns or alternative – I love serving these turkey burgers with a brioche burger bun, but we are just as likely to skip the bun and serve these Mediterranean Turkey Burgers over a simple salad or slaw — This Horseradish Dill Slaw is my favorite option to pair with these. It also makes a tremendous burger topping if you do choose to use a bun.
- Additional toppings – If you don’t feel like topping these burgers with slaw, I alternatively love to top these burgers with a cool Tzatziki Sauce. They are also great with sliced red onion and tomatoes.
What side dishes should I serve with these turkey burgers?
- Horseradish Dill Slaw
- Crunchy Greek Salad with Avocado and Feta
- Creamy Cucumber Radish Salad
- Creamy Dijon Dill Potato Salad
- Couscous Summer Salad
- Roasted Greek Potatoes with Whipped Feta
- Mediterranean Roasted Rainbow Vegetables
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey Sriracha Sauce
- Creamy Kale Salad with Raspberries and Feta
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- A cutting board
- A chef’s knife
- A kitchen scale
- Measuring spoons
- A cheese grater
- A mixing spoon
- A gas grill
- A grill spatula
- A meat thermometer
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
Looking for more dinner inspiration?
Love this Mediterranean Turkey Burger recipe? Here are some of my other favorite dinner recipes:
- Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza
- Greek Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
- Grilled Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce
- Picadillo
- Sloppy Joe Bowls
A note for special diets
These Mediterranean Turkey Burgers can easily be made friendly for grain-free or gluten-free diets, depending on how you serve them. For gluten-free diets, a gluten-free burger bun can be swapped in for traditional buns, and for grain-free, I love these burgers served over a simple salad or slaw instead. These burgers can also accommodate Low-FODMAP diets, but you’ll want to pay attention to the green onions, utilizing only the dark green tops; as well as selecting a Low-FODMAP-friendly bun or salad.
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Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 burger patties 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Grill / Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
These Mediterranean Turkey Burgers are packed full of flavor and so easy to make! Lean ground turkey meat gets an upgrade with Kalamata olives, green onions, fresh herbs, horseradish Dijon, and both feta and gruyere cheese. These tasty turkey burgers come together in about 20-minutes and are perfect for summer grilling, but are just as good pan-fried in the cooler months indoors.
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground turkey (I usually use 1% fat. See notes for tips on using higher fat percentages)
- 20 g (about 1/4 cup) green onion, chopped
- 35 g (about 1/4 cup) pitted kalamata olives, sliced or chopped
- 2 oz (57 g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 oz (30 g) gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (may sub for 1 tsp dried parsley)
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (may sub for 1 tsp dried dill)
- 4 tsp horseradish Dijon mustard
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Form into 4 patties, about 1-inch thick and set to the side.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high, about 450 degrees F/ 230 C.
- Grill turkey burgers for 6-7 minutes per side until they reach 165 degrees F / 74 C.
- Serve with your choice of toppings. I love to serve mine in a brioche bun with Horseradish Dill Slaw on top, but we are just as likely to serve them sans-buns directly on top of the slaw or a salad. Sliced red onion and tomatoes also make a great topping.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
9/1/21 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post.
I generally use an extra-lean 99/1 fat percentage for these burgers which usually doesn’t require any binder other than an egg, but you’re totally welcome to use a fattier percentage if you prefer. However, if you use a fattier turkey percentage, you may want to consider a binder such as breadcrumbs or ground pork rinds if your turkey is especially loose.
You can alternatively pan-fry these in a skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger patty
- Calories: 238
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 615 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Cholesterol: 132 mg
Keywords: ground turkey, horseradish, dill, feta, gruyere
I’m so impressed you threw this together with leftover ingredients in your fridge! This sounds delicious – I’ll have to try it out!
This sounds amazing! Wow I can not wait to try it!
I love that they’re gluten free as well!
And I’m so grateful you posted the nutrition info because I’ve just recently started tracking and it really helps a lot! Thanks for this! Xo
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This is my kind of burger! Sounds absolutely wonderful and right up my alley…definitely going to have to try this!
I love all things mediterranean and I know I would love these! What a great happy accident! Planning the grocery list now so I can make these this weekend!
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I must admit that I have never made or tasted a turkey burger before but you have definitely encouraged me to give it a try. Love the Mediterranean flavors you included.
This turkey burger sounds delicious! Love the addition of feta and Gruyère in the mixture – so much flavour!
Ooh I love turkey burgers, but these have been taken to a while new level! Mediterranean flavors are my favorite and I love the gruyere cheese, too!
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I’m down with Mediterranean ANYTHING, and these look fantastic! Great addition of color to an otherwise bland protein.
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Whenever I have a burger, it’s always plain ol’ American-style, but clearly I need to mix things up. This one looks delish!
I love when dinner just comes together! This is an awesome way to make use of all of your leftover ingredients. Nice work!
These do sound really good! I love it when you have happy “accidents” in the kitchen and end up with a recipe that’s a keeper! Definitely going to give these a try!
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these look great, I love easy dinner ideas!
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Love me a good burger! These sounds so yummy 🙂
They sound delicious! I love the greek flavors added to them
These look really good!
My husband loves turkey burgers – this looks like a more fun and flavorful way of making them than just using ground turkey on its own. Love the idea!
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Love the Mediterranean flavors here! And the slaw sounds great!
Wow! I love the kalamata olives in your burgers. great idea!
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This would be perfect for my family. My husband and I can have it with lettuce wraps for a low carb option and the kids can have it with burger buns!
Love all those flavors goin’ on here! It’s great to see some color on these too… ground turkey can be so bland and pale. Look forward to trying these.
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These look so great! Yum! Will try them out!
Turkey burgers are always our go-to for a lean burger. We love them in lettuce wraps too.
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I can definitely relate to dinner accidents that become dinner accomplishments! I’m happy to say I’ve had more of those than mishaps, but of course, we all have those as well. Love the flavors in these turkey burgers and that they are gluten-free! 🙂
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This sounds fabulous! I am trying to eat healthier and always looking for great ideas like this. I just pinned this for later. I think i’ll make it next week.
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All of these ingredients make for a delicious turkey burger! Love creating recipes by throwing ingredients together and seeing what sticks… this one is a keeper!
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I love homemade burgers, so I just batch make them and then freeze. Very convenient to prepare later, healthy and delicious!
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Love good burgers and made at home are top of the line. Also Mediterranean is one of my favorite kind of cuisine. Love these
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What a great combination of flavors! I love kalamata olives and feta cheese.
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We love turkey burgers as they are nice and lean and still moist. Loving. The flavours going on here.
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I agree! I actually used super lean turkey here too, so these are really healthy without sacrificing flavor.
Love the kalamata olives and spicy horseradish cream that’s in there. Such a flavorful recipe!
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It’s a great way to amp up burger night in a healthy way!
Yes, I love it when a meal like this comes together! I adore a good burger.
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Oh my goodness! You had me at black olives, but truth be told, I love everything in these! Wrap one up in lettuce and I’m good to go!
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This looks so good! Feta and Gruyere must add some great flavor to the turkey. I like those topping ideas, too.
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I love that you use two kinds of cheese. I bet these are SO flavorful! I can’t wait to try them!
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The more cheese the better!
Well you got me at the cheese alone. What a great burger. Nice change of pace from the regular beef burgers. This would be a great BBQ meal on the weekend.
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Fantastic recipe! I too love it when random stuff found in the fridge end up yielding a fabulous meal. The combination of two cheeses and olives really makes my mouth water, I want to try these soon. I don’t normally buy ground turkey, but I might want to make an exception!
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They’re really flavorful. I hope you give them a try!
I love using ingredients on hand to make something delicious! Your Mediterranean turkey burgers look so delicious! I can’t wait to try them. I literally have everything on hand except the ground turkey, though I do have ground chicken!
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I love being able to use what’s on hand so things don’t go to waste! I think chicken would make an excellent swap for these.
Wow these look great even though I dont eat meat this burger may change my mind. It looks tasty!
Great recipe. I like all the ingredients in it. This is perfect for me. thank you.
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I love how easy dinner comes together with this turkey burgers and all things Mediterranean is most welcome in my family
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I love turkey burgers and these sounds so good. can’t believe you made this with left overs from the fridge. how cool. Love kalamata olives in my burgers too. Not many people add them usually. Looks delish.
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I love it when cleaning out the fridge results in a delicious meal! These burgers look so tasty, and I am *always* down to put slaw up on top of a sandwich. Yum!
I love this combination of ingredients and that slaw on top sounds amazing!
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Wow these look and sound delicious 😀 I love the Mediterranean twist and it’s perfect without the bun! ^_^
Anything Greek is a winner for me, and these are certainly no exception!!! I love that you added the olives right into the patties, YUM!
Oooh, the burgers sound marvelous. Sometimes the cooking muse takes over and we get creative and make something spectacular. I could almost hear the burgers sizzling as they hit the pan and the terrific aroma. I certainly wish this was on our menu tonight.
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The best kind of recipes are accidents!! I’ve got a couple of those! This looks perfect for lunch! And it’s gluten free and I can wrap it in a piece of lettuce!! LOVE!
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Wow these look like they are full of delicious flavor! I can’t wait to make them.
O I absolutely dig this burgers. Like totally. Flavors are amazing and they look super delicious. Mediterranean cuisine is something I really love. And my family loves turkey burgers. Can’t wait to give this a try.
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What’s better than turning leftovers into a delicious meal? This burger looks so tasty!
That cheese and the horseradish dijon must really pack a punch in those burgers. Yum!! (: