We’re a burger loving household. I swear we crave a burger about once a week! We love all types of burgers from turkey, chicken, to buffalo and veggie. Burgers make such an easy weeknight meal because all you have to do is form the patties, toss them on the grill, pair with them with a simple salad or roasted vegetable, and voila, dinner is served. Easy peasy weeknight cooking!
I simply love these turkey avocado burgers because the avocado is inside the burger, which to me is pretty innovative. This turkey burger is a lighter and leaner burger for those nights where you don’t want a heavy cheesy burger. It feels sort of like a cleansing burger, if there even is such a thing. Sub out almond meal for the panko bread crumbs to keep these burgers paleo, whole30 and gluten-free. You can also make these burgers with ground chicken, but I used ground turkey, as I know it’s easier for you all to find at the store.
You have to top this burger with the mint cucumber sauce because it takes this burger to a whole new level. Forget the ketchup here, this burger is too good for Plain Jane ketchup. The mint cucumber sauce is refreshing, minty, cool and crunchy.
The mint cucumber yogurt sauce also serves as a great dipping sauce for veggies, so it’s not just for burgers. If mint is out of season, then you can top this burger with a tzatziki yogurt sauce. As you can see in the below photo, I like a bit (I mean a lot) of sauce on my burger!
turkey avocado burgers with mint cucumber yogurt sauce:
burger recipe from The Laughing Spatula
yogurt sauce from It’s all Good
Ingredients for the yogurt mint cucumber sauce: makes 1 1/2 cups
- 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 1/2 English or plain cucumber, about 1/2 cup – washed, seeds removed and finely diced
- 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- leaves from 2 sprigs of mint (roughly 9 leaves), thinly sliced and then minced
- 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Ingredients for the burgers: makes 4 burgers
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken – I’ve used and loved both
- 1 large firm but ripe avocado, cut into small cubes – don’t use one that’s too ripe, or else the cubes won’t hold up in the patties
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup Panko bread crumbs, or almond meal (to keep it Paleo friendly )
- 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
I usually make the yogurt sauce up ahead of time, so these burgers can then be a 30-minute weeknight dinner. The burgers only take 10 minutes to form into patties, and then 10-12 minutes to grill up.
I’ve made this yogurt sauce dozens of times and used both an English cucumber and regular cucumber, and they both work great. I keep the skin on for color and extra crunch. To keep the yogurt sauce from getting super soggy, I slice off the seeds from the cucumber and then dice it.
In a medium-sized bowl mix together the yogurt, cucumber, scallions, mint, chives and salt until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
To make the burgers.
In a medium bowl gently combine (so you don’t mush the diced avocado) with your hands, the turkey, avocado, garlic, bread crumbs, jalapeño, salt and pepper.
Note: When you mix your seasonings into the meat, it’s important to remember that the more you handle the meat, and the more you squish it around, the more dense your burger will be. You might also squeeze out some of the juices and end up with a drier burger.
Gently form the mixture into four patties.
Use your thumb to create a dimple or well in the center of the patty, as this will ensure the burgers cook evenly without plumping up.
Not a pretty photo, but it shows you what the I mean by putting a dimple in the center of the burger.
Cook the burgers indentation side up. You can either grill up the burgers, or cook them up in a skillet. If you’re going to cook them up in a skillet, then heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the burger reaches 165 degrees.
Tip: Don’t press down on the patties or you will squeeze out and loose the flavorful juices.
We love serving these burgers up on a toasted mini brioche bun. I just slice the brioche buns in half, spread a bit of butter on each half, and put them under the broiler till browned. Make sure to top the burger with the mint cucumber yogurt sauce!
Skip the bun and top this burger on your favorite salad, or just eat it as it with some sauce dolloped on top. This burger tastes amazing anyway you eat it.
Make a larger batch, as these burgers make amazing leftovers! I had a leftover burger and some roasted carrots, so I heated them up side-by-side in the oven on some parchment paper, added a bit of coarse sea salt to the carrots, topped the burger with some leftover yogurt sauce, and it was amazing. The burger kept it’s flavor and was still super juicy! 
By the way, I have 2 more yummy family approved recipes that I will post in the next few weeks for you all.
I made these amazing crispy chickpeas with rosemary and lemon zest. They make the perfect snack or appetizer. So addicting…
I served these burgers up with some heirloom carrots that were roasted in coconut oil. They were the perfect “healthy fry” to serve up with the burgers, and tasted great dipped in the mint cucumber yogurt sauce.
I will post both of these recipes as soon as I can. I’m a full-time working mama now, so my blog is taking a bit of a back seat to real life, but I’m still aiming to make time for it,because honestly I LOVE cooking and I LOVE sharing!
By the way, if you LOVE burgers, then you have to try our other favorite turkey burger. It’s truly a family favorite!
- 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
- ½ English or plain cucumber, about ½ cup - washed, seeds removed and finely diced
- 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- leaves from 2 sprigs of mint (roughly 9 leaves), thinly sliced and then minced
- 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken - I've used and loved both
- 1 large firm but ripe avocado, cut into small cubes - don't use one that's too ripe, or else the cubes won't hold up in the patties
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup Panko bread crumbs, or almond meal (to keep it Paleo friendly )
- 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- In a medium-sized bowl mix together the yogurt, cucumber, scallions, mint, chives and salt until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- In a medium bowl gently combine (so you don't mush the diced avocado) with your hands, the turkey, avocado, garlic, bread crumbs, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Note: When you mix your seasonings into the meat, it’s important to remember that the more you handle the meat, and the more you squish it around, the more dense your burger will be. You might also squeeze out some of the juices and end up with a drier burger.
- Gently form the mixture into four patties.
- Use your thumb to create a dimple or well in the center of the patty, as this will ensure the burgers cook evenly without plumping up.
- Cook the burgers indentation side up. You can either grill up the burgers, or cook them up in a skillet. If you’re going to cook them up in a skillet, then heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the burger reaches 165 degrees. Tip: Don’t press down on the patties or you will squeeze out and loose the flavorful juices.
- We love serving these burgers up on a toasted mini brioche bun. I just slice the brioche buns in half, spread a bit of butter on each half, and put them under the broiler till browned. Make sure to top the burger with the mint cucumber yogurt sauce!
- Skip the bun and top this burger on your favorite salad, it tastes amazing either way.
kathi says
August 10, 2016 at 8:21 pmThank you for the ping back! Boy you rocked these burgers in a big way!
Bita says
August 9, 2016 at 8:50 amLove this idea, especially the Mediterrainean twist with the yogurt sauce! Thank you for sharing!