Ground turkey patties in air fryer or pan fried on the stove are great. Make as a leftover turkey recipe or fresh meat with seasonings for a meal or side dish. Crispy on the outside they are great served on buns as burgers for an easy dinner.
After Thanksgiving last year we made some ground turkey patties in a cast iron skillet. This year we did the same but crisped as an air fryer recipe and wow were they amazing. If you have leftover turkey meat to use up this is a great one to try. (affiliate links present)
Air Fryer Turkey Patties
As you know I just hate wasting food. No matter what we have for dinner I will save what is left over and try to use it in another way the next day. When it comes to Thanksgiving leftovers the possibilities are endless. If you cook Frozen Turkey Burger in Air Fryer often, this is how to make them homemade!
You could use ground turkey instead, precooked, and then blend like you see here. I have done both but this tastes better. It’s kinda’ like making tuna patties in air fryer in a sense. You are going to need a binder and lots of seasonings to transform this into a totally new dish.
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Ninja Foodi Turkey Patties Recipe
Make these larger for inside burger buns for a complete meal instead of patties. Our preferred method of cooking is in our Ninja Foodi or Cosori. Any brand will do you just don’t want them to overlap so they can get crisp. Larger machines can air fry more at the same time obviously, smaller you just work in batches. The Foodi uses the lid that is attached with the basket that came with the pot.
Just use a food processor or a blender with an egg or two and some Greek yogurt to transform your leftover turkey into ground turkey. Then you can make meatloaf, these ground turkey patties, or meatballs.
Make this!! Skip your boring sandwiches and transform your leftover meat into patties with tons of flavor and crisp on the outside. Patties can be pan fried or air fried perfectly.
Air Fryer Turkey Burgers Ingredients
- Precooked and diced 1 lb turkey leftover meat from air fryer turkey breast
- 2 eggs
- Greek yogurt, or can substitute with sour cream
- Onions diced
- Breadcrumbs
- Paprika
- 1/3 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder / onion powder
- Coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste
Can you put parchment paper in an air fryer you might ask? You can read this article for all the info but yes if done correctly and only on the bottom.
We share how long to cook ground turkey in many ways on our site, this is my fave. Using a piece of parchment paper on the bottom will make it easier to flip each one over halfway thru. Even if you sprayed the basket they will sink in a bit and may fall apart when moved with a spatula so just go with this method.
How to Make Turkey Patties
- Grind your leftover meat in a blender. You can use boneless skinless meat from the thigh, legs or breast.
- Transfer into a large bowl. Grind or chop the peeled onion in a blender and transfer into the same bowl.
- In the bowl combine the eggs, salt and spices in there too. Pour in your Greek yogurt, breadcrumbs and a few pinches of black pepper.
- Mix everything thoroughly with a spatula until incorporated.
- Air fryer leftover turkey patties: Preheat to 400F for 5 minutes. Line basket with parchment paper and spray with olive oil.
- With wet hands, make patties and place on parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes cooking time.
- After the 8 minutes, the patties will become golden in color. Total time will be 10-12 minutes depending on their size. Turkey burger patties size would be closer to 15 minutes.
- Carefully flip each one to the other side and bake for another 3 minutes. (timing will depend on how large you made your patties)
Use a meat thermometer to ensure the middle reaches 165 F before removing and enjoying.
Pan Fried Turkey Patties
For this cooking method you would add 2 tbsp of olive oil into your skillet over medium/high heat. Add patties and heat a few minutes on each side until browned and cooked all the way thru. Set on paper towels when done to absorb excess oil and serve. I serve these with a side of zucchini corn fritters since they can be cooked in the same pan.
What to Make with Ground Turkey Meat
Once you get the hang of how these are made the possibilities are endless. You could make as a leftover ham recipe too if you wanted, the same way. All leftover precooked meat works so you never have to throw last night’s dinner away. Use whatever seasonings you like for this obviously but below are the ones we thought worked best.
Make larger for a meal and serve with some mashed potatoes or sweet potato fries. As a side dish or appetizer it is great to put a dollop of sour cream on top of each one.
Can you make these meat free?
Then from there you can make vegetarian versions like air fryer latkes with shredded potatoes like bagged hashbrowns and/or our air fryer zucchini fritters. Super fun way to combine a bunch of things and kids love them all.
Printable recipe card with nutritional information; calories and saturated fat listed below. That takes into account all amounts of ingredients listed and is calculated by the card itself so it may vary slightly.
Ground Turkey Patties
Equipment
- 1 air fryer or pan for stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 lb turkey, leftover meat
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c Greek yogurt, can substitute with sour cream
- 2 onions, diced
- 1/3 c breadcrumbs
- 1/3 tsp paprika
- 1/3 tsp granulated garlic, or garlic powder
- 1/3 tsp coriander
- 1 pinch salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Grind the roasted turkey in a blender. You can use boneless skinless meat from the thigh, legs or breast. Transfer to a large bowl. Grind the peeled onion in a blender and transfer into the same bowl.
- Add eggs, salt and spices to the bowl. Pour in your Greek yogurt, breadcrumbs and a few pinches of black pepper. Mix everything thoroughly with a spatula until incorporated.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes. Line basket with parchment paper and spray with olive oil. With wet hands, make patties and place on parchment paper. Bake 8 minutes.
- After the 8 minutes, the patties will become golden in color. Carefully flip each one to the other side and bake for another 3 minutes. (timing will depend on how large you made your patties)
- Fried: Add 2 tbsp of olive oil into your skillet over medium/high heat. Add patties and heat a few minutes on each side until browned and cooked all the way thru. Set on paper towels when done to absorb excess oil and serve.
- Serve the patties hot, with sauce or sour cream on sauce and a side of vegetables.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
