This Homemade Smashburger recipe is made with lean ground turkey, has plenty of melty cheese, a tangy burger sauce, and all the best toppings on fluffy Brioche buns. These burgers are quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner but taste even better than your favorite burger spot!

turkey smashburgers with fries on serving tray

The BEST Smashburgers You’ll Ever Eat

Y’all, I know it’s early into the year but this might be my favorite recipe of 2025. Bold claim, I know, but hear me out. These smashburgers are just so good and incredibly easy to make. I kind of have to thank my husband for the inception of this recipe. He decided we needed to add a burger press to our collection of kitchen gadgets and I just kind of ran with things and made you quite possibly the best burger that you will ever make at home.

Most smashburger recipes are made with ground beef, but I wanted to put my spin on things and decided to use ground turkey which can be a bit leaner than ground beef. We’re also adding an easy homemade burger sauce to each burger in addition to all of the classic toppings. I promise, once you make these you’ll never feel like you have to order takeout again!

Watch How to Make These Burgers

Smashburger Recipe Ingredients

Ground Turkey: my preference is to use ground turkey thighs for extra juicy burgers.

Spices: a simple blend of onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and paprika adds incredible savory flavor to the burgers.

Cheese: I like to use thin slices of sharp cheddar cheese for this smashburgers recipe, but you can use any type of cheese you like best.

Burger Sauce: you can find burger sauce in the condiment section of your local grocery store however, I prefer to make my own! All you need is a simple combination of mayo, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickle juice, dill relish, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.

Ingredient Variations

Ground Turkey – feel free to swap the ground turkey for dark meat ground turkey if you prefer. Of course, you can also use ground beef for the more traditional burger.
Cheese – need to keep these burgers dairy free? You can omit the cheese altogether, or use your favorite plant-based cheese instead. If you’re looking for that creamy element but don’t want to use cheese, try adding some mashed and salted avocado to your burger buns.
Buns – speaking of buns, feel free to use your favorite burger buns for this recipe! I always go with brioche and never regret that choice. Prefer a bun-less burger? You can easily use large lettuce leaves to make a lettuce-wrapped burger instead which is also delicious!

Helpful Kitchen Tools

balls of ground turkey for patties on sheet pan

two ground turkey smash burger patties in cast iron skillet

How to Make A Smashburger with Ground Turkey

Step One: Add the ground turkey, salt, pepper, and spices to a large mixing bowl. Then, use your fingers to gently mix everything together. Be careful not to overmix!

Step Two: Divide the turkey mixture into eight different two-ounce balls. A food scale can come in handy here or try using 1/4 cup sized measuring cup.

Step Three: Next, heat an extra-large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a bit of avocado oil. Then, add 1 to 2 burger patties to the skillet, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.

Step Four: Cover the patties with a square of parchment paper, and use a burger press to smash it down into a thin patty. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, use a spatula to scrape the patties from the skillet, and flip. Top the burgers with a slice of cheese, and continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and the cheese is melted.

Step Five: Remove the patties from the pan, and assemble your burgers with burger sauce and your favorite toppings. Repeat the process until all the ground turkey patties are cooked.

My Favorite Burger Toppings

In my opinion, one of the best parts of burgers is the toppings, and the options really are endless! Feel free to mix and match whatever you like best, but some of my favorite additions include:

Homemade burger sauce
Thinly sliced red onion
Green leaf lettuce
Sliced tomato
Sliced pickles

Serving Suggestions

If you’re not sure what to serve with your homemade smashburgers, some of my favorite sides include:

My Favorite Prep Tips

These burgers are best served right away but you can also store cooked patties in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat as needed.

If you want to do some prep in advance, you can make burger mixture, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Let the mixture come to room temperature, portion, and cook as usual when you’re ready to serve.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Turkey Smash Burgers

Use your hands to mix the burgers and prevent overmixing. Wet your fingers to help prevent the meat mixture from sticking to your hands.
Place the patties on wax or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to your plate or each other. This makes removing them from the plate to cook much easier.
Work in batches. The burger patties will spread quite a bit as you press them. So, you may be able to cook only one patty at a time, depending on the size of your skillet or griddle.
Use a meat thermometer to cook the burgers perfectly and prevent over or undercooking them.
You can easily prep the burger sauce a few days in advance to save a bit of time on burger night!
Toast those buns! don’t forget to toast your burger buns a bit before assembling your burgers. If you like you can brush a little melted butter on them for extra flavor!

smashburgers with burger sauce and fries

More Delicious Burger Recipes

I hope you give this Ground Turkey Smashburgrers Recipe a try! It’s so easy to make and packed with flavor! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.

Ground Turkey Smashburgers

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Author: Ashlea Carver
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound ground turkey, dark meat
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
avocado oil, for cooking
8 thin slices sharp cheddar cheese

For Serving

4 brioche buns, toasted
burger sauce
thinly sliced red onion
green leaf lettuce
sliced tomato
sliced pickles

Instructions

Add the ground turkey, salt, pepper, and spices to a large mixing bowl.
Use your fingers to gently mix everything together being careful not to over mix.
Divide the ground turkey mixture into 8, 2-ounce balls.
Heat an extra large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a bit of avocado oil and then add 1-2 balls of ground turkey to the skillet. (Note: the patties will spread quite a bit as you press them, so you may be able to only cook one patty at a time depending on the size of your skillet.) Cover the patty with a square of parchment and then use a burger press to press down into a thin patty. Cook the patty for 2-3 minutes and then use a spatula to scrape it from the skillet and flip. Top the burger and a slice of cheese. Cook for additional 1-2 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and the cheese has melted.
Remove the patties from the pan and assemble your burgers on toasted brioche buns (each bun gets two burger patties) with burger sauce and all your favorite toppings.