Learn how to make the ultimate Air Fryer Turkey Burgers. These are topped “animal style”, made popular by In-n-Out Burger.
I decided to take my Air Fryer Turkey Burgers over the top. Lean ground turkey has a reputation for being pretty dry when cooked. So they needed some help. In-n-Out Burger fries their “animal style” burgers in mustard. A combination of a panade mixture of Panko bread crumbs and milk, plus some yellow mustard, makes these lean ground turkey burgers super juicy and delicious! Each burger is 1/6 of a pound. I’ve pictured them as doubles, but a single patty is definitely enough for a very satisfying meal. Your air fryer does double-duty here, both sautéing the onions and cooking the turkey burgers to perfection.
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Ingredients for animal style Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
- 99% lean ground turkey breast
- Panko bread crumbs
- Milk
- Yellow Mustard – provides a punch of flavor and helps to keep the turkey from drying out, it’s also authentic to animal-style burgers
- Salt and Pepper
- Sautéed Onions – I make these in my air fryer too, but you could also cook them on your stovetop
- Cheddar cheese slices – you could also use American cheese
- Thousand Island Dressing – or if you prefer and have time, make a homemade version of the In-n-Out Burger animal sauce
- Pickle Slices
- Lettuce and Tomato
- Hamburger Buns – I use sesame seed buns, but any variety of burger bun will work
How to make Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
In a clean bowl, stir together the Panko bread crumbs, milk, mustard and salt and pepper until well combined. Break the lean ground turkey meat into small pieces and add it to the bread crumb mixture. Using your hands or a spatula, mix the meat with the bread crumb mixture until they are well combined.
Divide the turkey mixture into six even portions. Gently roll each portion into a ball and form them into burgers. Place 3 or 4 burgers at a time into the air fryer basket. Make sure the turkey burgers are not touching.
Air fry the turkey burgers at 375 degrees for 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the burgers has reached 165 degrees F. Place a slice of cheese on top of each burger and air fry for one additional minute to melt the cheese.
Repeat the process until all six burgers are cooked. To serve, place the burgers on the buns and top them with sautéed onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and Thousand Island dressing.
Can you make these burgers with Ground Beef?
Yes. If you prefer a ground beef burger, just replace the ground turkey with beef. Then proceed with the recipe as written. When I was researching the best way to top a turkey burger, I came across this recipe for In-n-Out Style Turkey Burgers and just loved the idea!
Kitchen Tips
- I use a Philips XXL Air Fryer to test all of my recipes
- Be sure and use a digital meat thermometer to check the temperature of your burgers before serving. Ground turkey is safe to eat once it has reached at least 165 degrees F.
- Here is the brand of Thousand Island dressing I use
- Serve your Air Fryer Turkey Burgers with french fries and a milkshake
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Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb 99% fat free ground turkey
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 slices Cheddar cheese
- sautéed onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles, Thousand Island dressing and buns
Instructions
- In a clean bowl, stir together the Panko bread crumbs, milk, mustard and salt and pepper until well combined.
- Break the lean ground turkey meat into small pieces and add it to the bread crumb mixture. Using your hands or a spatula, mix the meat with the bread crumb mixture until they are well combined.
- Divide the turkey mixture into six even portions. Gently roll each portion into a ball and form them into burgers.
- Place 3 or 4 burgers at a time into the air fryer basket. Make sure the turkey burgers are not touching.
- Air fry the turkey burgers at 375 degrees for 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the burgers has reached 165 degrees F. Place a slice of cheese on top of each burger and air fry for one additional minute to melt the cheese.
- Repeat the process until all six burgers are cooked. To serve, place the burgers on the buns and top them with sautéed onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and Thousand Island dressing.
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