Are you a burger lover looking for a lower fat option? Our Low FODMAP Turkey Burgers are right up your alley! Easy to make and everyone loves them, whether they are following the low FODMAP diet or not; make them for the family or even guests.
What Makes Our Low FODMAP Turkey Burgers The Best?
I am sure you are wondering how I can make such a statement – that our low FODMAP turkey burgers are the best. I have a lot to say about that!
Turkey Burgers vs. Turkey Meatloaf
The short answer is that our low FODMAP turkey burger is incredibly moist and flavorful. Period! But how did we achieve that?
If you have searched for turkey burger recipes you have probably noticed that the great majority of them include breadcrumbs. Now, I love Turkey Meatloaf, and we have a great one for you that is low FODMAP, and it, indeed, does contain breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs belong in meatloaf.
In my opinion they do not belong in a burger. Same difference with all-beef burgers and beef-based meatloaf. Breadcrumbs in the latter but not in the former.
I think the breadcrumbs crop up a lot because ground turkey can be much looser and harder to form into a patty than ground beef burgers.
But, turkey is also leaner than beef and we want to add moisture to our turkey burgers, not add a dry ingredient like breadcrumbs. And ground turkey can stand some help holding together.
Eggs Are An Essential Ingredient
This is where egg comes in. Whole eggs, yolk and white, work wonders in a turkey burger. The egg yolk adds fat and moisture. The egg white, which happens to add extra protein too, helps bind the turkey meat together. All in one standard fridge item.
Great Beef Burgers Were Our Model
When it comes to a fabulous beef burger, most chefs agree that if you start with high quality beef, freshly ground, that you should do very little to it. I wanted to take the same approach with our low FODMAP turkey burger.
I did think about the butter burgers I had made a while ago, where I ground my own meat and added frozen butter cubes to the burger. Yes, you heard me right. My husband and I are still fondly reminiscing about those. I wasn’t against adding butter cubes to our turkey burgers, but I wanted to see if there was another way.
Then I found an interesting recipe at my alma mater, Bon Appetit, where they brilliantly added mashed avocado (full of healthy fat) to the ground turkey mixture. I thought this was incredibly innovative, but being that many FODMAPers have issues with avocados, I kept thinking for another option.
Avocados, by the way, are low FODMAP in 30 g portions. Read more here.
Butter Makes It Better
I kept coming back to the fact that turkey meat is lean and butter is a handy low FODMAP fat that we always have around…and then I realized that as an alternative to adding butter cubes to the meat, or encasing a pat of butter in the middle of each patty, why not sauté the burgers in butter?
And then I thought, why not combine the butter with some Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil and cook the burgers in that mixture. Bathe them in butter and garlic-infused oil for maximum moisture and flavor.
We Love Bell’s Seasoning
Are you familiar with Bell’s Seasoning? It has been around in the U.S. since 1867 and – fun fact – it is America’s oldest seasoning and spice brand, and it all began in Boston, MA. It is a flavorful combination of Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Ginger, Marjoram, Thyme and Pepper. The ginger might seem like an odd addition, but the blend is more than a sum of its parts and provides the iconic flavor profile for traditional turkey and stuffing and all of those classic Thanksgiving dishes. I thought, why not add it to our low FODMAP Turkey Burger?
And, of course, Bell’s Seasoning is low FODMAP and it is oh so convenient to use a spice blend and dip our measuring spoon into a jar once.
I was ready to cook our low FODMAP turkey burgers!
Ingredients for The BEST Low FODMAP Turkey Burger
Luckily for all of us, the ingredients needed for our turkey burger are easy to find at a well-stocked supermarket.
Turkey – Our ground turkey is 94% lean. Sometimes we see all white meat ground turkey available in the store, but I do not recommend it, as it is too lean.
Bell’s Seasoning – As explained above, this is a combo of Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Ginger, Marjoram, Thyme and Pepper. You will love it in all kinds of turkey recipes and stuffings, so you will not regret purchasing.
Egg – As always, I use large eggs. Whole eggs add moisture and help the ground turkey hold together.
Scallions – We use low FODMAP scallion greens to add flavor, a bit of moisture and color.
Worcestershire Sauce – Good old Worcestershire Sauce adds umami to so many dishes. I like Lea & Perrins.
Butter & Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil – This combo of fats bathe our low FODMAP turkey burgers in lusciousness. Do it for the BEST low FODMAP Turkey Burger ever!
Kosher salt & Black Pepper – We like kosher salt for seasoning our savory dishes and always recommend freshly ground black pepper. It makes a difference.
Don’t Forget The Condiments!
What is a burger without your favorite condiments? And now that you are eating low FODMAP we want you to know that you CAN have many of them, like ketchup and mustard and mayonnaise and so many more.
Read our article, The Ultimate Guide to Low FODMAP Condiments.
How To Make The BEST Low FODMAP Turkey Burger
Making our turkey burgers is really simple.
- Mix all the ingredients together
- Gently form the moist patties.
- Cook in a mixture of butter and garlic-infused oil for the BEST low FODMAP turkey burgers ever!
Here below is a bowl with all of our turkey burger ingredients, ready to be mixed together.
Mix everything together until well mixed. It will be very moist! Let it sit for a few minutes.
Form the patties. The mixture will form nice round patties if you handle it carefully.
Now the magic happens in the skillet. Melt the butter and low FODMAP garlic-infused oil in a nonstick pan, add the patties and let them get a nice sear. The butter and oil add flavor and moisture.
It is important to cook the turkey through. You can see in the image below that the middle of the burgers is still too rare. Keep cooking until cooked all the way through.
Want more quick and easy dinners? Check out our article, Easy Peasy Dinner and Dessert: 20 One-Pan, One Bowl Low FODMAP Recipes for Busy Nights.
Low FODMAP Turkey Burgers
Are you a burger lover looking for a lower fat option? Our Low FODMAP Turkey Burgers are right up your alley! Easy to make and everyone loves them, whether they are following the low FODMAP diet or not; make them for the family or even guests.
Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 1 -pound (455 g) 94% lean ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions, green parts only
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil or purchased equivalent, divided
- ½ teaspoon Bell’s Seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 low FODMAP rolls; we used sourdough
- Low FODMAP condiments of choice
- Sliced tomato & Lettuce; optional
Preparation:
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Place egg in a mixing bowl and beat well. Add the turkey, scallions, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil, Bell’s Seasoning and some salt and pepper. Mix together thoroughly; the mixture will be wet. Allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, which allows it to firm up a little bit.
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Form four patties, which might be challenging, as the mixture will still be very moist. Just do the best you can and then wash your hands well!
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Heat the butter and remaining 1 tablespoon of Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until butter is melted. Add the patties and cook for about 4 minutes or until the bottom develops a nice sear and you can see that the meat is about halfway cooked through. Flip the burgers over and continue to cook until the burgers are thoroughly cooked. Serve on a roll (or not) with low FODMAP condiments of your choice.
Notes:
Tips
- Turkey Cheeseburgers: You can top your burgers with a slice of cheese, if you like! After you flip the burger over and are cooking the second side, when it is about halfway cooked through, top with cheese and continue cooking until burger is cooked through.
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
- Cheese: Many cheeses have low FODMAP serving sizes. The low FODMAP diet is not a dairy-free diet. Hard cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano have been lab tested by Monash University and are low FODMAP in 40 g amounts.
- Garlic-Infused Oil: Make your own Garlic-Infused Oil or buy a commercial equivalent for the easiest way to add garlic flavor to your food. Fructans in garlic are not oil-soluble, so garlic-infused oil is low FODMAP.
- Scallions: The green parts of scallions are low FODMAP as determined by Monash University lab testing and can be used to add onion flavor to your low FODMAP cooking.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
Made for my daughter who is struggling with IBS related to PCOS. Made a triple batch to serve 6 with leftovers. These were excellent! My husband wanted to grill…cuz he’s a dude! So glad I didn’t let him. They would havefallen through the grates because they are very wet/loose. Loved them a little darker to form a crust. My daughter ate with sourdough bread. My family wants me to make again and they’re not trying to do low fodmap! Thank you for all of the amazing recipes.
So glad this pleased the whole family! The issue with turkey or ground chicken burgers is that the texture can be a challenge, balanced with taste. If you add low FODMAP breadcrumbs, and especially a lot of breadcrumbs, they taste more “meatloaf-like” to me, but this is a way to bulk them up if you want to grill.
This recipe is a KEEPER for a quick, delicious mid-week meal. My mother can’t do turkey so I had the butcher grind up some chicken thighs. I find the pre-packaged ground chicken to taste like sawdust (yuck). These burgers were so moist with a perfectly subtle flavor. I served them with oven-baked parsnip fries, spaghetti squash done in the instant pot tossed with a touch of nutmeg, and some quick sauteed spinach. People, add this one to your list ASAP!!
You make me want to make them again SOON! Love the idea of the parsnip fries alongside. Try them with some BBQ sauce on top, too!
The Worcestershire sauces has garlic and onion in it. How is this recipe low fodmap?
Because Monash University has lab tested MANY items (many of them condiments, sauces etc. – like ketchup as an example) that contain garlic and/or onion and have determined that there Are low FODMAP serving sizes. Including Worcestershire sauce. It all comes down to portion size. Please download the Monash app for more info and this article on Serving Sizes might help as well; this one too on High FODMAP foods with Low FODMAP serving sizes.
This is the first recipe I have tried from the website. These are divine! I don’t have Bell’s seasoning, so I just sprinkled in some oregano, basil, poultry seasoning, and smoked paprika. I also made 12 small patties, instead of the 4 big ones, jut to be sure i could get them cooked through, for my first time making these. I am freezing one portion in foil, to see how they do. Thank you for this great recipe!
We are so glad you enjoyed these! Good substitutions, too. Enjoy your freezer stash:)
Would these be ok to cook on the grill instead?
My goal with these burgers was not to overload them with breadcrumbs. You can see in the directions that I explain that the mixture is going to be very wet. For this reason it will be very difficult to grill. You could try, but I can’t guarantee that they won’t fall apart.