I had the pleasure of leading a Whole 30 group in January (and will again in March!). It was amazing. And one of the things I love most about Whole 30 is it really makes you into a better cook! When you aren’t eating grains, dairy or legumes, you need to get creative with textures and flavors to keep things interesting and avoid food boredom. These extraordinary Jalapeño Turkey Burgers are a perfect example.
(This post contain affiliate links. I may make a commission from sales. Your price remains the same)
Jalapeño Turkey Burgers! Paleo, Whole 30 and Keto
I love a burger with a little kick to it and these juicy burgers have one! To keep this recipe low carb, keto, Whole30 and Paleo friendly, I serve these burgers without a bun and add flavorful toppings.
What’s In Them?
Obviously we start with ground turkey. I use 85% lean ground turkey so the burger has enough fat so that it doesn’t dry out. Then I add lime zest, onion, fresh and dried herbs and spices and of course the star of the show, jalapeño!
The method: So Simple!
These Jalapeño Turkey Burgers are super easy to make. Just combine all ingredients in a bowl, form into patties, and fry in olive oil until just cooked through. You don’t want to overcook, because even the 85% lean to 15% fat ration turkey will dry out if cooked too long.
The Toppings and Sides:
Toppings and sides are optional, but I say why not? Click to find my guacamole, and pico de gallo, and of course I had to throw a perfectly poached egg on top, because that’s how I roll. Serve with my Rosemary Butternut Squash or Sweet Potato Fries and everybody is happy!
More for The Burger Lover!
Click to learn to make the Secrets of Making a Fantastic Burger!
The Recipe: Jalapeño Turkey Burgers!
Tips, what you will need and what to serve this with: learn to handle hot chili peppers here (trust me, you’ll be glad you did!) Serve with my Rosemary Butternut Squash or Sweet Potato Fries! Learn to poach the perfect egg here. This recipe is Whole 30 and Paleo compliant. Top with my guacamole and Pico de Gallo!
I love a burger with a little kick to it and these juicy burgers have one! I use 85% lean ground turkey so the burger has enough fat so that it doesn’t dry out.
- 1 pound ground turkey, I prefer 85% lean, it has more fat which makes for a better burger! If your ground turkey has excess liquid, be sure to set on paper towels to remove the juices.
- 1/2-3/4 of one jalapeño pepper, minced (I like it hot so I use 3/4)
- 1 medium size shallot, peeled and minced
- zest of one lime
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 a teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- guacamole
- pico de gallo
- poached egg
-
Note: The ground turkey I buy is the consistency of hamburger. If yours seems to have extra liquid, set on paper towels to drain juices.
-
Place turkey, herbs, spices and lime in bowl and use hands to mix well.
-
Form into four patties.
-
Place pan on medium heat.
-
Add olive oil to bottom of pan.
-
When pan is hot, place patties in pan and cook for about 5 minutes each side or until cooked through.
-
Top with guacamole, pico de gallo and poached egg if desired!
MAY I PLEASE ASK A FAVOR?
We small bloggers need all the help we can get. Subscribing and sharing on social media is very appreciated!
STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE and Privacy Policy: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note that I only endorse products that are in alignment withThe Organic Kitchen’’s ideals and that I believe would be of value to my readers.The Organic Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. View The Organic Kitchen’s Privacy Policy
Oh YEAH! That sounds fantastic! Love the flavor profile!
Oh these look amazing! My husband loves the heat, however, I do not. Do they have a pretty solid kick to ’em?
They do but you can always use less Jalapeno to make them milder 🙂
These sound delicious! I like that they have a little kick!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This looks so delicious and I’m sure is not lacking on flavor! I love a good turkey burger and the fries look amazing as well! Thanks for sharing 🙂
These sound SO easy and look SO delicious! The idea of adding the egg, genius! I’m definitely pinning them and excited to make them!
Penn&Quill || Robin
This looks so goood!!!! I’m going to make these this week!
Guac is the best topping ever for burgers so this dish looks extra scrumptious!!
I’m trying to eat better, so this would be perfect!
Wow this looks so good! What a great way to layer a burger without the bread. Thanks for sharing this.
When you aren’t eating bread you need to get creative!
Ohhh my word – these burgers look incredible! The guac and the egg on that burger…I just drooled all over my keyboard.
Lol Thanks!
This is such a yummy post! I am seriously hungry now and it looks absolutely so wholesome. I wouldn’t feel guilty one bit! You did a great job with the formatting, content and images. So pro!
This post just made me so dang hungry!
Oh my God, yes to these. Healthy and delicious! Definitely making them for lunch soon.
WOW this looks amazing!
This looks absolutely amazing. I am drooling looking at the pictures! I haven’t done Whole 30 personally, but I have talked with several friends who have done it and love it. These recipes are an awesome way for people to not be intimidated by the idea of it – the food looks amazing, not weird, and it gets me thinking that I might actually be able to try Whole 30.
Thank you for posting this recipe and the info! It looks awesome!
I am starting another Whole 30 group in March if you are interested!
These look amazing, can’t wait to try them!!
Guacamole makes everything AMAZING! mmmm….
Agreed!
This turkey burger sounds wonderful! Will try soon. Any nutritional information? Protein, fat, fiber…
Nope. Sorry. I don’t.
I’m SOLD. I love jalapenos – and the fact that this is also whole 30 = awesome!
What a feast on any diet!
Yummy! I usually add cottage cheese to my jalapeño turkey burgers, keeps them moist and adds a bit of flavor.
Great idea but these are Whole 30…no dairy allowed!
I’ve been nervous to try Whole 30, but man, with food that looks THIS good I might have to!
xx katie // a touch of teal
Katie, I am starting anpther group in March. Would love to have you on board!
What exactly is Whole 30? Is it a diet plan?
Thanks,
Linda K.
Hi Linda. If you click the first link in the first sentence of the blog post that says “Whole 30 Group” it will give you all the information you need!
These look so incredible, and not too hard to throw together either. I would definitely have the egg on top too! Yum. The Whole 30 is so good for encouraging you to get back to real, unprocessed, simple foods isn’t it 🙂
Yes! It’s amazing!
This looks good, I love the egg on top with avocado, yum!
This looks like a very delicious and healthy burger
Adding this recipe to me collection. Cannot wait for bbq season. I am so ready to make homemade burgers.
Yes it would be nice to grill these!
Boy howdy do I love a great burger!! Love the avocado & also the poached egg topping, YUM!
Yum, this looks so good! Thanks for sharing!
Oh. My. Goodness. These are the best! I don’t like *spicy* things, but anything with a subtle jalapeño flavor has been my craving this pregnancy. I used half of a jalapeño and they were perfect!
Yay!!! I love hearing that people adapt recipes to suit their tastes!
YUMMM! We made these tonight, including the fried eggs on top (we did overeasy). They were SO good over a nice arugula salad. I did 1 whole jalapeno because mine were a little on the old side and were probably not as potent. Absolutely delicious, never would have thought of the egg idea- such a nice touch! Thanks so much for sharing, I always love a good healthy recipe!
You are welcome Jessica! I love that recipe too. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for letting me know!
Made these for dinner last night! So good!
I am so glad kayla! I love them too!
Made these for dinner last night and they were delicious! Only modification I would make is to cut down on the salt!
Glad you liked them.
Loved the flavor of this but my burgers fell apart. Had to make them into tacos. What’s the trick to keeping a turkey patty together?
I have never had a problem! It sticks together exactly like a beef burger. No one I have ever talked to has had that problem either. Was your turkey really mushy? I had chicken burgers fall apart once because the ground chicken was really soggy, but the turkey has always worked like a dream.
When making burgers, I always* add a raw egg to the mixture; it binds the mix together, so it doesn’t end up all over the pan.
btw: my rating is 5 stars for this recipe, but it doesn’t seem to be showing them all. Hope it gets marked as a 5!
* OK, I often forget for the first burger…
I just had the same problem! I think I had an extra juicy lime. I tried adding some arrowroot starch, but it was too late, next time I’ll add it when I’m mixing to see if they hold up a little better.
The flavor is amazing!
Hmmm! I am so sorry to hear that. Is it possible that your turkey has a lot of liquid? Mine has none. If so setting on paper towels might help. I will add that to the instructions.
I always have a few that fall apart- think I’m going to add an egg this time. They are DIVINE even when the crumble, especially with the guacamole and pico on top. Totally worth making the.inked recipes!
Interesting. Are you using the 80/20 fat ratio?
Me too- I’ve made them literally a dozen times and they all fall apart. The turkey just doesn’t have enough fat to bind them the way beef does- I’ve even added eggs to the turkey mixture and they still break up. I’ve just started calling them my turkey piles, we just cover them with lots of that delicious guacamole and enjoy them none the less. Not every one falls apart, just most of them. Still one of the most flavorful recipes and o e I still make a tear after my Whole 30 experience. Really love the flavorful recipes I found.
This is so interesting. I have made them for years now and never once has even a single one fallen apart! Are you using lean turkey? I use 80/20 and am wondering if it could be a “lean turkey” problem??
These are awesome good!
Thanks! I agree! i love them.
These look so good.. can you freeze the leftovers? xx
Thanks Emma. I have never frozen them so I don’t have an answer for you. But if you freeze them, please let me know how it works out!
This was the most delicious food I ever made all indoors (I mostly work on a Kamado Joe). My wife and I are heat lovers so we used a heaping TBSP of vitamixed Serrano peppers to amp up the heat.
The poached egg was the clincher.
I wish I could post a picture because these plated beautifully. Thank you!!!
You are welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed them and a heaping tablespoon! You really do like heat!
My guys really enjoyed them. However I added a beaten egg to the turkey mixture before cooking just to ensure that they would not fall apart, it worked. They were great with stuffed jalapeños on the side.
Mine have never once fallen apart but adding an egg can’t hurt! Glad you liked them.
These are super tasty but mine totally fell apart and ended up being ground turkey. I bought the 85% turkey as suggested (I always use 93% and I would do so next time with this recipe). I think the turkey had too many natural juices and adding the lime just turned it to mush. I am going to try it again though because the flavor and kick were great!
I literally make these all the time and have never had a problem with them falling apart! I will add a note to strain the meat if it has too much liquid. Thanks!
Just finished making these!! They are scrumptious!! My husband and 3 boys hate ground turkey but they are loving these! Thank you for the recipe!
I am so glad!
My husband does not like ground turkey. Would these flavors mix well with ground beef?
While I have not tried this recipe with ground beef I think it would work. Will he eat ground chicken? I do think that would work better than beef perhaps.
This is my second time making these. I love them! Thank your for the fabulous recipe!
You are welcome! So glad you enjoy them!
Hi Linda! I’m getting ready to start Whole 30 tomorrow and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I’ve featured your recipe on my latest blog post:
15 Quick & Easy Whole30 Dinners
https://www.happilyeverhauser.com/2017/03/03/15-quick-easy-whole30-dinners/
Thanks! I will share on all social media outlets! Great post!
Just made these tonight and they were a huge hit! My son doesn’t care for eggs, so I left it off of his, but the rest of us had it with an over easy egg on top. Love that it’s a flexible dish that way. Mine also fell apart, so I may try adding an egg to the turkey mixture next time, or even trying squeezing out the extra liquid before adding the rest of the ingredients. Will definitely be making this one again. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting. Literally mine have never fallen apart!
Was pretty good but I thought there was way too much cumin fior the recipe. That’s all I tasted.
To help with my patties staying together after I formed the patties I put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Also I didn’t flip them until they were completely done on the one side.
Hmmm. I love it as is, the jalepeno is stronger than the cumin for me, but you can always cut it back:).
I make these all the time now! Great recipe. I learned how to poach eggs because of this! Very filling and don’t fall apart, even with 93/7 simple truth ground turkey. 10/10
Awesome! Mine never fall apart either. Not once in all the times I have made them. I am so glad you love them and that you learned to poach an egg! Good skill to have.
i honestly thought these would be nothing special but boy was i wrong! these burgers are packed with flavour! i added two cloves of garlic to the mixture (just because i love it) and stayed true to the rest of the recipe. my patties held up just fine, didn’t even come close to falling apart. will definitely be making these again, delicious!
Right!? So good. And I am glad you had no problem with them falling apart, I have NEVER had a problem. I have no idea why some do? Thanks for the comment!
So delicious!!!! One of mine and my husband’s favorite recipes ever now!! And super easy to make!
I am so glad!
Dang these were phenomenal! I added an egg to the mixture because I forgot to squeeze out the moisture… and added bacon. Wasn’t expecting them to be that great because I’ve never had much luck with turkey burgers but these I will make again!!
I am so glad you like them!
These were amazing!!! The flavors all together are so good!
Yay! Thanks for commenting. I always love hearing when people love a recipe!
I have been making these every other week. They are a huge hit in our household and since they reheat so well, its great for busy weeknight dinners!
Sometimes I make the mixture into “meatballs” which works fantastic as well.
My favorite way to eat them: turkey patty (or meatballs) & brown rice bowls with garlicky peas and avocado 🙂
Thanks Tanis. I make them into meatballs too…great in salads. I am so glad you like them!
Loved these, in going to make some to freeze for quick dinners (even though it was pretty quick to make fresh). Will definitely be making these again.
Awesome! I am so glad. I love them too. Such a fun and easy dinner.
I used about 1 lb of fresh ground turkey thigh (which I then froze) to make these burgers. We ate two and I froze the other two. We had them tonight. They were every bit as good as the original two.
Thanks Susan! That is good to know. We never have leftovers to freeze lol. I am glad to know it works well!
Just made these for dinner! My husband hates eating healthy but this meal has so much flavor he didn’t even complain about not having a bun and all the other unhealthy nonsense. Absolutely delicious and easy. We will definitely be making this again!
Yay! You made my night!
My husband loves these (me too!) I triple the recipe and freeze it. Yummy yummy yummy! Thank you so much.
We just tried this recipe and loved it! I will be making it again soon!
Thanks! I am so glad!
These are amazing. Easy and flavorful… perfect combo. Have made them a dozen times and it’s one of those dishes that never disappoint.
Thank you so much! I am so glad you like them. I agree, they never disappoint!
Making these for my 3rd time tonight. I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I like to add a little extra guacamole and make my egg yolk runny so it is extra messy – this way you would never even miss a hamburger bun. Whole30 WholeYummy!
I make these regularly too! They are some spicy goodness for sure. I am so glad you like them! Thank you Dean.
This was really good. I didn’t have any shallots, so I used about 2 tbs minced onion and a clove of garlic. I also used lemon zest instead of lime because I won’t have limes for another month. I am usually a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so I only used half a jalapeno, but next time I’ll use more. I doubled the recipe because I had 2 pounds of ground chicken for 2 people. All but the first 4 are going in the freezer raw to make later
I am so glad you liked it!
So I just wanted to say that I made these today for my wife and my two boys. I love foods that have heat to them as long as they are tasty and this recipe did not disappoint. One item that I wanted to mention is that I used Jalepeno peppers from a jar, Nacho or pickled Jalepeno’s. I used the same amount the recipe calls for and minced them into the dish. Fantastic, the meat was very tasty, my wife made her own Pico de Gallo, and everything blended very well. Highly recommend putting the egg on top, it really adds that nice touch. Great recipe!!!!!
Thanks so much. And yes to the egg on top! Love it myself 🙂
I made these tonight! They were delicious! I added a diced red onion and diced up a 1/4 cup of jalepenos. I used half the cilantro amount because my husband isn’t a big herb guy. I made a whole30 approved chipotle ranch sauce to top it. I sautéed red onion in the turkey juices to add to it. Wrapped it in iceberg lettuce topped off with tomatoes and avocado. It was delicious. Made it with a side of potato fries! I also doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers. I only like cooking every other day..Lots of flavor and I wouldn’t recommend it for children. I made plain turkey burgers for the kiddos. Overall I added it to my recipe book and it’s a keeper! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hi Mel, I am glad you liked it! It depends on the kids of course, but my grandkids LOVE this recipe. With the exception of one, they are big fans of Thai chili paste, sriracha, and jalapenos! Pretty much all things spicy:)
I love this recipe. I make it all the time with the poached egg and pico. I didn’t have fresh jalapeños last time so I towel dried some Hot Giardinera, roughly chopped and mixed into the turkey. It was fantastic!
Nice! I love this recipe too. It never gets old!
Delicious! I have never cooked with ground turkey so I didn’t know what to expect. I pinned the recipe because we are doing Whole30. This was so easy to put together and extremely flavorful. I printed the recipe and added it to my everyday recipe binder. SO GOOD!
Thank you! I am o glad you liked it!
My bff and I made these for our girls night in- loved them! Delicious and easy to make. Thank you for such a great recipe that will sure to become a staple in out dinner-dates to come!
Yay! I love to hear that. So glad you enjoyed them!
Oh wow, you got be craving a burger so badly now! This looks so good and I love the guacamole on top.
Love the idea of mixing lime zest and juice into a turkey burger. These look fantastic!
I so need some of these in my life – Yum! Loving all that flavour!
What would you say cooking instructions would be if I wanted to bake these in the oven instead of pan-frying with oil?
Also, do you have nutritional information for these?
Thanks!
Hi Laura, I have never baked them. I would miss that caramelized exterior too much! But my guess would be around 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. But that’s a guess. And sorry, I don’t have the nutritional info on this recipe:)
AMAZING. If I had enough ingredients left I would have made this 2 nights in a row, and my husband agrees. This will be a staple in my house until the end of time. THANK YOU
I am so glad you liked it! We love it too:)
How long will these last if you freeze them?
I have not frozen them myself so I actually don’t know for sure, but I would assume from other experiences they should be fine for at least 3 months.
My absolute GO TO RECIPE for turkey burgers!!! We eat these weekly lol, I love mine on a bed of greens with a big side of guac. thank you!!
I am so glad! We love this recipe too!
Loved this recipe! The burger was moist and tasted great!! I’m allergic to avocado, to topped mine with jalapeño pimento cheese and salsa. Was great!!! Served with roasted sweet potatoes.
I am so glad to hear it! It’s a favorite of ours too. Thanks for your comment. I always love it when people let me know they had a success in the kitchen!
This was the best turkey burger I’ve ever had! Full of great flavor and just the right amount of heat. Yum!!
I am so glad you love them. I do too!
I am currently making these. They smell amazing and are very easy. I guess my only issue is with the little blip of a typo. It says “zest and of 1 lime” which made me want to put the juice of the lime into it. But I feel like that would be wrong?
Corrected! Thanks for the heads up!