These skillet turkey burgers are lean and juicy with a sweet and salty twist that comes from dried cranberries and crumbly feta cheese.
If you’re here to make cranberry feta turkey burgers and you DON’T have a cast-iron skillet, don’t sweat it.
These burgers can be cooked however you like (grilled, baked, or fried up in a pan of your choice), but I encourage you to learn about the benefits of cooking with cast-iron!
It’s an easy way to sneak more iron into your everyday diet, eliminate unnecessary toxins, and invite a kitchen item that can last DECADES if cared for properly.
Anyhow, here’s what we’ll need for these beautiful turkey burgers.
CAST-IRON SKILLET CRANBERRY FETA TURKEY BURGERS RECIPE VIDEO
Whether this is your first time cooking with a cast-iron skillet, making burgers from scratch, or joining me in the Kitchen, you’re about to find out that I do things a little differently around here… If you want to find more videos like this one be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
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INGREDIENTS FOR CAST-IRON SKILLET TURKEY BURGERS
454g (1 lb) ground turkey
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 egg
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil (ie. avocado oil, lard, tallow, etc.)
DON’T LIKE CRANBERRIES OR FETA?
Does adding cranberries and feta to your homemade turkey burgers sound a little too weird for you?
It’s a fun twist on the turkey burger, but if you want to keep things more classic, leave them out!
Try replacing the feta with shredded parmesan and the cranberries with extra herbs, like rosemary or sage.
A NOTE ON THE BREADCRUMBS
Can I tell you a secret?
I never buy breadcrumbs, even when I need them.
Breadcrumbs are supposed to be simple, but not according to the food labels!
Have you ever looked at what goes into store-bought breadcrumbs?
Usually I have a container of stale bread that I run through my food processor whenever I need breadcrumbs for a recipe.
Another way to make breadcrumbs from scratch is to toast cubes of bread in the oven and then grind them up.
Sometimes this isn’t an option (like when the unthinkable happens and I run out of bread), so I’ll use Panko, oats, leftover rice, quinoa, or any cooked grains hanging out in the fridge.
MAKING THE TURKEY BURGER PATTIES
If you’ve never made burgers from scratch before, I have a surprise for you: it’s not that hard!
When your ingredients are prepped, just toss everything into a large mixing bowl (except for the cooking oil) and get in there with your hands.
If you’re faint of heart and the idea of touching raw meat makes you squeamish, you can mix it all up with a dough whisk and then use a patty maker to shape the patties.
I’ve actually never used a patty maker before, so I shan’t be telling you how to use one.
Now, you may have noticed that I didn’t include a measurement for salt and pepper.
We all have different taste buds, so I always leave it up to the home chef to decide.
For some, the feta will provide all the salt that’s needed in the burger.
For others, there’s no such thing as too much salt.
In any case, the best way to tell if your burgers are seasoned enough is to taste it.
I’m not asking you to eat raw turkey meat, but I am suggesting that you taste a wee little bit (spitting it out, of course) to make sure that you’re happy with the seasonings.
GET THAT SKILLET HOT AND GREASY
I should have mentioned this earlier, but the first thing you should do when you set about to making turkey burgers is preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC.
What you’ll be doing is searing the burgers and then transferring them to the oven to finish the job.
That way you won’t need to hover over the stove wondering if they’re ready, and it gives you a bit of time to prep the fixings for the burgers.
HOW DO YOU KEEP TURKEY BURGERS FROM STICKING TO THE PAN?
If this is your first time cooking with cast-iron, there are a couple of things to bear in mind:
1. The skillet must be hot before adding the patties, otherwise, the burgers might stick.
2. Don’t try flipping the burgers too soon, otherwise, the burgers might stick.
These are simple rules, but my husband still hasn’t gotten the grasp of them and grumbles every time his food sticks!
It’s important to give the burgers a good sear before flipping them.
Once they’ve gotten that nice caramelized crust, they won’t give you any trouble at all!
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK A TURKEY BURGER?
Aim for 3-5 minutes on the first side and 1-2 minutes on the second side before popping them in the oven for 15 minutes.
MAKING CRANBERRY FETA TURKEY BURGERS
Once your patties are ready to go, dress them however you like and serve.
I love sandwiching mine between a homemade kaiser roll, which is an extra two-hour step, granted, but well worth the effort.
If you end up making this recipe, I hope you’ll come back to the Kitchen to let me know how it went and to leave a quick rating!
Have you cooked with cast-iron before? How did you make these burgers yours?
Also, if you have any questions, I want to hear those, too!
In the meantime, here are some other cast-iron skillet recipes to inspire you.
MORE CAST-IRON SKILLET RECIPES TO INSPIRE YOU
1/4 pound Beef Burgers (includes the formula behind making burgers from scratch)
Asian-Inspired Pork & Shrimp Burgers
Buttery Pan-Fried Chicken Caesar Salad
SHOP THIS POST
PRINTABLE CAST-IRON SKILLET TURKEY BURGERS RECIPE CARD
Cast-Iron Skillet Cranberry Feta Turkey Burgers
Equipment
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 egg
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp cooking oil ie. avocado oil, lard, tallow, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC.
- Excluding the oil, mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste and add more breadcrumbs if needed.
- Form 6-8 patties and add the oil to the cast-iron skillet.
- Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is melted and the pan is piping hot. Turn down to medium heat and add the patties.
- Let the patties sear for 3-5 minutes before flipping. If they get stuck, they're either not ready to flip, or the skillet wasn't hot enough.
- Once flipped, sear the burgers for 1-2 minutes, then transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.
- Finish the patties in the oven for 15 minutes, dress, and serve.
Notes
- Don’t have a cast-iron skillet? You can use any oven-safe pan to fry these up, but you can also grill them or bake them. If grilling, pop the patties in the freezer for 20 minutes beforehand to help firm them up.
- Wondering how to season burgers with salt and pepper to taste? This sounds gross, but pop a small piece of meat in your mouth to gauge the flavour. Remember to spit it out!
- If you don’t have breadcrumbs on hand, other options include Panko breadcrumbs, oats, leftover rice, etc.
PIN IT FOR LATER
Love and gratitude,
Thanks For sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope they will like it.
I was wondering if you could prepare these ahead of time and freeze them before cooking?
I’ve never done that before, but I don’t see why not!