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Say goodbye to bland, dry turkey burgers and make these flavorful Zucchini Turkey Burgers instead! The shredded zucchini in the patty keeps them moist, and your favorite salsa packs them with flavor. They come together and cook in just 20 minutes, are packed with 29 grams of protein, and are only 222 calories each.
If you have a zucchini at the bottom of your produce drawer that you need to use before it goes bad, or an excess of zucchini from your garden, try putting it in your burgers!
These easy zucchini turkey burgers are great for meal prep, cookouts, or sneaking more vegetables into your family’s dinners.
If you like healthy burger recipes, you will love my Asian turkey burgers and ground chicken burgers!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Juicy and Flavorful: Turkey burgers can be dry and bland, but the additional zucchini and salsa in these burger patties ensure that they are moist and packed with flavor.
- Quick and Easy Dinner: These zucchini ground turkey burgers take only 5 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook. That makes them perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight or for quickly cooking a lot of food for a crowd.
- Great Way to Sneak in Veggies: Whether you want to add more vegetables to your own diet or need to hide them in your kids’ food, these burgers are a great vessel for hiding fresh zucchini.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: Use 99% lean ground turkey for these burgers to keep fat and calories low. Lean meats are still an excellent source of protein without excess fat.
- Zucchini: Shred your excess zucchini so it easily mixes into the burger meat. There are many ways to cook with zucchini to add moisture and boost the veggies.
- Rolled Oats: These burgers use rolled oats blended into a flour to act as the binder.
- Salsa: Add your favorite salsa, either homemade or store-bought, to your burgers for a burst of flavor. Salsa is a healthy way to add a punch of flavor to your favorite dishes without excessive calories. My creamy salsa dressing makes a great topping for the burgers, too.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Add Cheese: Make these cheeseburgers and add a thin slice of your favorite cheese on top towards the end of cooking. You can also add shredded Parmesan cheese directly to the meat mixture for a little more saltiness and flavor within the burgers themselves.
- Use a Different Protein: You can substitute the turkey for another lean meat like ground chicken or 93% lean ground beef. You could also use a vegan meat substitute, like Impossible Meat, if you wanted your burgers to be vegetarian or vegan.
- Adjust the Spicy: Whether you like spicy dinners or need family-friendly burgers, you can easily adjust the spice level by choosing the type of salsa you use. Use hot salsa for the spicy lovers and mild for the whole family.
How to Make Zucchini Turkey Burgers
This salsa turkey burger recipe comes together quickly for an easy meal. After you shred the zucchini, preheat a lightly greased grill pan or skillet on the stove to medium heat.
- Step 1: Blend the Oats. Add the gluten-free rolled oats to a blender and blend them until they are a flour-like consistency.
- Step 2: Combine the Ingredients. Pour the oat flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the ground turkey, zucchini, salsa, and seasonings. Use your hands to combine the meat mixture until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Step 3: Form the Burger Patties. Portion the meat into 6 equal servings using your hands. Then remove the portions from the bowl and form them into patties.
- Step 4: Cook the Burgers. Place the burger patties in the preheated pan and cook them for 7-8 minutes. The burgers should be set and easy to flip at this point.
- Step 5: Flip. Turn the burgers over and cook them for an additional 4-5 minutes until both sides are lightly browned.
- Step 6: Prepare the Salsa Dressing. Remove the burgers from the pan and set aside. Make the creamy salsa dressing by combining the yogurt and salsa. Use it to top each burger and serve with a side of air-fried sweet potato fries.
Expert Tips
- Don’t Overmix: Any ground meat becomes tough and chewy if it’s overmixed. Be sure to combine the meat mixture until it is just combined and stop to avoid overworking it.
- Cook to 165°F: The burgers are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the burgers to ensure they are cooked through, but not overcooked.
- Squeeze Out Excess Moisture: The zucchini can carry a lot of excess moisture and make your patties watery. After you peel the zucchini, use paper towels or a clean dish towel to squeeze out any extra water from the zucchini.
- Skip the Peel: Don’t bother peeling the zucchini; just shred it with the skin on. It won’t affect the flavor or texture of the burgers and contains added nutrients.
- Storing: Keep leftover zucchini turkey burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Be sure to store them with sheets of parchment paper between the burgers to keep them from sticking together.
Serving Suggestions
These spicy zucchini turkey burgers are a great alternative to regular hamburgers. They are packed with protein to keep you full and vegetables to nourish your body. You can serve them wrapped in lettuce or on your favorite buns.
- Name a more iconic duo than a burger and fries! Serve your turkey burgers with classic baked fries or use even more zucchini and make baked zucchini fries.
- Instead of a creamy salsa dressing, try topping your turkey zucchini burgers with homemade low-sugar BBQ sauce instead.
- If you’re making these burgers for a cookout, serve them with a fresh and low-calorie potato salad. You can have all of your barbecue favorites without overindulging.
Zucchini Turkey Burgers Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, you can bake these juicy zucchini turkey burgers in the oven instead. Preheat your oven to 350°F, then bake the burgers for 20-25 minutes. Flip them over halfway through cooking. They are done when they reach 165°F internally.
Sure, you can cook these burgers outside on the grill. You’ll want to clean the grill well and spray the grates with nonstick spray to avoid sticking. Then preheat the grill to medium heat, add the burgers, and grill them for about 5 minutes on each side. Continue cooking until they are 165°F internally.
Sure, if you know you’ll be in a hurry to get dinner on the table, you can make the patties 24 hours in advance. Store them covered in the refrigerator until it’s time to cook them. This is also great for preparing for a large cookout or dinner party.
My preferred method is reheating the burgers in a skillet over medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes until they reach 165°F. You can also pop them in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes until they are heated through.
More Delicious Healthy Zucchini Recipes
If you tried this Zucchini Turkey Burger recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Zucchini Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
For the Burgers:
- 1 lb Ground Turkey Breast, 99% lean
- ¾ cup Zucchini, shredded and liquid squeezed out
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ⅔ cup Rolled Oats, or gluten free oats
- 1 tablespoon Oregano
- 5 tablespoons Salsa, one that's thin (not chunky) works best
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup Low Fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup Salsa
Instructions
- Heat a grill pan on the stove to medium heat and spray with cooking spray or lightly grease.
- Place the oats in a blender and blend until smooth. Then place all the ingredients for the burgers in a large mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together with hands until combined evenly with the meat.
- With your hand, score the meat 6 ways to make 6 burgers approximately the same size. Remove 1 score from the bowl to make rounded patties with your hands.
- Add the patties to the grill pan. Cook 7-8 minutes on the first side (the patties should be set by this point) if not cook a bit longer before flipping and cooking another 4-5 minutes until lightly browned on both sides.
- Remove patties from grill pan, place on a plate while you prepare the dressing. Make the dressing by stirring the two ingredients together in a bowl. About 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dressing goes with each burger.
- Serve your burger on a bun or lettuce wrap then top with dressing!
Notes
- Don’t overmix the ground turkey mixture or the meat will turn tough. Stop working the meat once the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout.
- All poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to ensure your burgers are cooked through.
- Use paper towels or a clean dish towel to squeeze excess water out of the shredded zucchini to avoid watery meat that doesn’t hold together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These sound amazing!! I love the added zucchini.
Thank you!
I just love this salsa for the Turkey Burger, great flavor. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
These look so mouthwatering and moist! I’d never think to put zucchini into a burger. The salsa sounds awesome as an addition as well. These are going on my list to make soon for sure. I’d love for you to come ink up with us over at Throwback Thursday’s tonight at 6!
Thanks, I’ll swing by! Glad you like the burgers, they are truly delicious.
With a side of carrot fries. Yes please. When should I be over for dinner?
You know you are invited over anytime, but bring the Wild Friends because I love that stuff!
Good call on the quinoa flakes! I never think to use them in burgers. This looks scrumptious. 🙂
It was definitely a strange but good combo! Enjoy the weekend and stay away from those naked beaches hehe!
I have honestly never thought to add zucchini to any kind of burger before! I don’t know why; I put it in everything else! This sounds delicious! Salsa makes everything better!
It’s really good & keeps the burgers from drying out. Have a good weekend Heather!
YUM!! Will loves turkey burgers, and I think this would be a nice new version of them. Pinning!
Yeah, hope you guys love them!
I love that you used quinoa flakes as a binder! What a smart idea!
Thanks, Dani! A little extra protein never hurts. 😉
zucchini goes into all of my turkey burgers. I love it in there! I’m not the biggest quinoa flake person–I tried it very early on in my healthy eating new foods journey, An I didn’t like it, so I’ve always been a bit against it, lol. And salsa for everything, you bet. I went through a phase, years ago, where I put it on something for every meal, no lie. And spoonfuls of it between. I went through it like some people go through nut butter!
Have a great weekend, Megan!
Haha…that’s how my relationship is with nut butter. I keep keep trying to break up with it, but like a bad boyfriend it keeps coming back. Have a good weekend too friend!