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Try these healthy homemade ginger and soy turkey burgers and you’ll be shocked at how easy they are to make. Full of Asian flavours, these burgers will become your go-to weeknight meal.

This soy and ginger turkey burger recipe is so simple you’ll be reaching for it all the time. These turkey burgers are so delicious. They are juicy, full of flavour and ready in under 30 minutes.

There is really nothing better than a homemade burger but sometimes you just need something a little lighter. Turkey burgers are the perfect alternative to beef. They are still juicy and full of flavour and are much healthier for the heart.

In fact, these turkey burgers are so flavourful, thanks to the soy sauce and ginger, that you can happily enjoy them without a bun.

If you’ve been following along for a bit you know that the Polish people love to eat meat on their own so this would not be out of the ordinary at all. See our recipe for the delicious pork patties that in my opinion can only be eaten with a knife and fork.

But anyway, I digress. The point is that you can eat these soy and ginger turkey burgers any way that you like and they’ll stand up to the test.

Preparing Soy and Ginger Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

Fresh Ingredients

Ground turkey: Ground turkey is a mixture of dark and light meat, fat and skin from a turkey and minced to a ground state. Ground turkey meat is lean and lower in fat and calories per 100g compared to its beef and pork counterparts. It is also high in protein and vitamin B6.

Egg: Eggs are laid by many different animals but chicken eggs are what we use in this recipe. Eggs provide protein, fat and many other nutrients and therefore are a healthy part of our diet. Here they are used as a binder.

Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common onion or yellow onion in this recipe.

Ginger: For this recipe, we use fresh ginger which is the root of the ginger plant. It is native to Asia and is packed with antioxidants. Ginger is often used for medicinal purposes in eastern medicine and is packed with flavour.

Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more.

Pantry

Bread crumbs: Bread crumbs are simply ground-up dried bread. I actually make my own. I save the ends of bread loaves and let them dry out. Then I throw them

in the blender and voila, bread crumbs.

Soy sauce: Made from fermented soybeans and wheat, this Chinese condiment is salty and very dark in colour. There are many different varieties of soy sauce but we use dark soy sauce for this recipe.

Worcestershire sauce: This sauce is a complex mix of flavours that turn into a deep pungent and deep condiment. It’s made up of ingredients that include soy, anchovy, malt vinegar, chilies, and tamarind, among others.

Sesame oil: Sesame oil is a vegetable oil made from sesame seeds. It has a nutty and earthy taste that is very strong. Its use is often limited to flavouring foods versus other oils that are milder and are used for more general cooking.

Oil: I use either vegetable oil or olive oil for this recipe. Although we are cooking on high temperature at the beginning you shouldn’t go beyond these oils’ smoke points.

How to Make Soy and Ginger Turkey Burgers

Start by prepping the fresh ingredients, then it’s smooth sailing from there.

Dice the onion and the garlic.

Then add all of the ingredients to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer skipping the oil. Mix everything with the paddle attachment or your (clean) hands just until combined. You do not want to overmix or your burgers will be dense.

Now, add the olive oil to a large pan and heat up on medium-high heat.

While the oil heats up, shape the patties. Divide the meat mixture into quarters and form 4 patties. If you prefer smaller patties you can easily make 6 burgers. Roll the meat into a ball then flatten it out using your hand into about a half-inch-thick patty.

Once the oil is hot, add the patties to the pan. Cook the burgers on each side for about 5 minutes. This time may vary depending on how thick you make your turkey burgers. The internal temperature should reach a minimum of 165°F as indicated by a meat thermometer.

TIP: Make and cook extra burgers and freeze them for later. Then simply defrost in the microwave or oven before serving.

You can also freeze the turkey burgers raw but be sure to cook them to at least 165°F before serving.

Serving

You can serve these burgers exactly the same way you would serve a hamburger. In a bun with your favourite toppings and condiments, on their own eaten with a knife and fork or between lettuce leaves.