Turkey Zucchini Burgers

3 from 2 votes

Turkey Zucchini Burgers

Juicy turkey burgers with grated zucchini, fresh mint, and cilantro, topped with a zippy yogurt sumac sauce. The zucchini keeps them moist and tender, and they come together in under 30 minutes on the stovetop or grill.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern

Servings:

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Catherine McCord

Equipment

large sauté pan

Ingredients

Turkey Zucchini Burgers:

1 pound ground turkey, light or dark meat
1 large zucchini, coarsely grated
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large egg
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
olive oil (for greasing the pan)
4 hamburger buns (or 8 mini slider buns)
toppings and condiments of choice

Yogurt Sumac Sauce:

1 cup greek yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sumac
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, grated zucchini, scallions, egg, mint, cilantro, garlic, cumin and salt. Mix well.
With dampened hands form the mixture into 4 burgers about 1 inch thick or you can do 8 slider size burgers.
In a large sauté pan or stove top grill over medium heat, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the burger patties. Cook burgers 3-4 minutes on each side for small slider burgers or 5-6 minutes on each side for larger burgers.
Place all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Place the burgers on buns and top with the yogurt-sumac sauce and additional toppings of choice.

Notes

Substitution/Variations:

Swap the ground turkey: If you want, you can substitute ground chicken in place of the turkey in this recipe.
Ditch the bun: Serve these burgers protein style wrapped in lettuce or opt for gluten free buns if you need!
Skip the egg: If you have an egg allergy and need to leave it out, that would be okay. You may want to let the formed patties sit in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes before you cook to help the patties stay together.
Try it with yellow squash: If you happen to have yellow summer squash on hand and want to use it, you could use squash in place of the zucchini.

Grilling them? Preheat the grill and oil the grates well before the patties go on. Turkey is leaner than beef, so it's more prone to sticking.

Nutrition