Southwest Turkey Burgers with Chipotle Yogurt Sauce

Southwest Turkey Burgers are infused with delicious southwestern-inspired goodies like jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, corn, and black beans for a unique burger recipe the whole family will love! Top it with your favorite toppings and amazing spicy chipotle yogurt sauce!

I’ve made a lot of burgers in my day, and this southwest turkey burger recipe might just be my absolute favorite.

The turkey burger patties are infused with goodies like corn, black beans, onion, garlic, and jalapeno to celebrate fresh flavor. Plus, the yogurt chipotle sauce adds a creamy, spicy element that further levels up the whole experience.

If the southwest turkey burger patties alone don’t make you want to put on M.C. Hammer pants and throw down some Hammer time, the chipotle yogurt sauce certainly will.

If you’ve ever experienced the sadness of dry turkey burgers, I can reassure you that this new recipe is everything but boring! It’s my favorite way to promote healthy eating (yay, protein!) while enjoying a little kick of flavors. 

​These juicy turkey burgers are highly customizable (just see the Recipe Adaptations section below)!

The best part is you don’t need to go outside to grill these beauties. We simply use a frying pan or a grill pan in the comfort of the kitchen, which makes for quick and easy cooking.

For those of you who love to meal prep, these flavorful turkey burgers are a great way of hitting your protein goals in the most delicious way possible.

Each burger contains 49 grams of protein when the recipe is made into three juicy southwest turkey burgers. You can easily make smaller burgers and form four patties out of the mixture if you’d like.

Let’s discuss all the fabulous ingredients it takes to make these Southwestern dreamboats come true, okay?

Ingredients for Southwest Turkey Burgers:

Lean Ground Turkey: The star of the show here, we need ground turkey meat to make our turkey burgers. You can use 99% lean ground turkey breast or 93% ground turkey, which is my preference. Higher fat content results in more flavor but also more calories.

Red Onion and Fresh Garlic: The combination of onion and garlic provides a big boost of flavor to the burger patties. Say good bye to plain, boring burgers!

Corn: Fresh or canned corn adds bursts of sweetness and texture to bring the southwest element to these juicy burgers.

Jalapeno: Fresh jalapeno brings a smoky flavor. 

Black Beans: Completing our southwestern profile, we need black beans! Beans bring a textural element as well as that southwest vibe.

Ground Cumin, Sea Salt, Black Pepper: The simple seasonings for the turkey burgers. Ground cumin brings warm flavor which is typical in southwest inspired foods. Season the meat with salt and pepper to your personal taste.

Olive Oil: Olive oil is used to sauté the veggies to soften them up and bring out their flavor to make the best turkey burgers. It also adds some fat to the burgers, which helps with moisture and tenderness.

Ingredients for Chipotle Yogurt Sauce:

Plain Greek Yogurt: The base of our creamy chipotle sauce is none other than plain Greek yogurt! This creates thick and creamy consistency without a lot of fat, like mayo.

Chipotle Chilis in Adobo Sauce: Pick up a can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and finely chop a few of them to add them to the sauce. Do not that chipotle chiles are very spicy by most people’s standards, so if you’re spice averse, start with one chili and add more as needed. 

Fresh Lime Juice: Lime juice brings some citrusy vibrance for an acidic touch.

Sea Salt: Season the sauce with sea salt to your personal taste.

Burger Ingredients:

Hamburger Buns: Pick your favorite kind of hamburger buns. I typically go with gluten-free hamburger buns for myself and either whole wheat hamburger buns or potato buns for others.

Pretzel buns and sesame buns are classic options too.

Toppings: Avocado, tomato, the chipotle yogurt sauce from above, and any additional toppings you enjoy. Cheese and crispy bacon are great options!

Recipe Adaptations: 

• If you prefer mild food, remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper before adding it to the turkey mixture so that the pepper isn’t as spicy in the burger. Also consider omitting the chipotle yogurt sauce, which is spicy.
• On the flipside, if you love spicy food, consider adding hot sauce to the burger mixture to increase the heat.
• Add your favorite melting cheese such as pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, etc.
• Mix some chili powder into the burger mixture for more flavor.
• Add one 4-ounce can of green chiles to the burger mixture.
• Chop up 1/2 cup worth of red bell pepper and add to the turkey mixture.

Because you didn’t complain about my photos of raw meat during my How to Braise Chicken post, I translated your polite silence into a desperate plea for more.

So let’s check out some raw meat, okay? Sweet! 

To make this gem, you sauté southwest goodies, smash them into large and in charge turkey burger patties, cook those suckers on a cast iron skillet, and that’s how your milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. 

Ohhhh that’s foul. Get it, fowl? What a knee-slappin’ honky tonk we’ve got going up in here!

But seriously, here are all the steps it takes to make Southwest Turkey Burgers.

How to Make Southwest Turkey Burgers:

Prepare the Chipotle Yogurt Sauce:

Open a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce and chop two to three of the chilis. Base the amount on your personal spice level. Chipotle chilis are hot, so stick with one for milder sauce and three for spicy sauce.

Add the chipotle chilis along with 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. Stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Turkey Burgers:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Sauté until the onion begins to sweat, soften and becomes fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the jalapeno, garlic cloves, salt and cumin. Sauté another 3 to 5 minutes. Set the sauté pan aside and allow everything to cool to room temperature.

Transfer the ground turkey, corn kernels, and black beans to a large bowl. Once the sauté mixture has cooled, add it to the mixing bowl.

Use your hands to mix the meat and sautéed veggies together. Form three turkey patties.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet (I use the same one I used to sauté the vegetables) over medium-high heat.

Place patties on the hot skillet and cook burgers until the sides firm up, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Flip the burgers and cook them on the other side until the burgers feel firm when poked and are cooked all the way through, another few minutes. Burgers are cooked through once they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

To check for doneness, insert a meat thermometer into the center of the burgers. Thick patties will require more time to cook so the best way of ensuring the burgers are fully cooked is by using a thermometer.

Assemble the Burgers:

Toast the buns using your favorite method (on a skillet or griddle, in the toaster, toaster oven, or under the broiler in your regular oven) until golden brown.

Transfer the peeled and pitted avocado to a bowl and smash it (you can also slice it if you prefer). Spread the mashed avocado over the burgers.

Set patties on top of avocado, douse with chipotle yogurt sauce, add fresh tomato, red onion lettuce, and any of your favorite burger toppings to your burgers. Enjoy!

Serve burgers with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries or tortilla chips.

If it were up to me, I’d send all of you one of these Southwest Turkey Burgers to your front door, like a candygram.

Don’t be surprised if you hear a knock at the door and upon opening it, Paula Abdul’s song, Rush Rush begins to play and a southwest turkey burger saunters in and sits its cheeky self on your plate. 

If I could mass distribute this sight for sore eyes, you bet your bottom dollar I would!

​Level up traditional burgers by infusing them with the joy of southwestern flavors!

Looking for more delicious hamburger recipes? Check these out.

More Burger Recipes:

• Lamb Burgers with Mint Pesto
• Pan Fried Bison Burgers with Havarti and Pesto
• Asian Turkey Burgers with Zucchini Noodles  
• Baked Salmon Burgers 
• Avocado Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Chipotle Aioli

Enjoy this southwest turkey burger recipe the next time you’re craving a juicy burger!

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