You’ll love the fresh and flavorful spin on this healthy Greek burger recipe! Each patty contains turkey, feta cheese, olives, and a special seasoning blend made with seven herbs and spices. It also comes with a refreshing homemade tzatziki sauce made with plain Greek yogurt, cucumbers, and fresh dill. All layered up with red onion, tomato slices, and more crumbled feta cheese into one big fat burger. Have Greek turkey burgers alongside crunchy oven fries for a filling and nutritious snack.
Tips on Making Greek Burger
Once you try them, you’ll agree that these homemade hamburgers are one of the best ones out there. They’re just full of tasty and healthy ingredients! Here are helpful tips on how to make them:
- Though we used turkey, you can make these burgers using ground beef, chicken, pork, or lamb. Don’t worry about drying them out even if you use lean ground beef because we’ll be mixing crumbled feta cheese into the patties to keep them moist.
- Add other delicious ingredients to the patty mixture like pine nuts, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and grated onions for more flavor. Any additional ingredient should be dry or at least drained to prevent your cooked patties from being watery. Excessive moisture content will cause them to break apart when cooked.
- Cook the burgers over an evenly distributed heat so that it cooks evenly. A griddle, grill, or cast-iron skillet will work best for this.
- Make it ahead of time. Shape them into patties, place them in a single layer on a plastic wrap lined baking sheet, and freeze them for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge the night before cooking.
- Make tzatziki up to 4 days ahead. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge. The flavor will get even better. If you got leftovers, worry not. They go well as a dip for tortilla chips and as a sauce for chicken gyros.
- Use flavored hamburger buns, ciabatta bread, pita, or your preferred bread in making your healthy burgers. We also suggest serving your flavorful and tender patties with Greek rice for a heavier meal.
How To Make Greek-Style Burgers with Tzatziki
Each moist and flavorful Greek burger includes a turkey patty exploding with flavors from feta cheese, olives, and herbs. It comes with a refreshing yogurt and dill homemade tzatziki sauce for the perfect Mediterranean tasty experience.
Ingredients
For Greek Burger:
- 3 hamburger buns
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 oz arugula leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1½ cups crumbled feta cheese, divided
- ½ cup olives, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil, optional
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ground black pepper, to taste
For Tzatziki Sauce:
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 large English cucumber
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped, or 1 tsp dried
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce:
- Using a box grater, grate the cucumber on the coarse side.
- Place the grated cucumber in the middle of a kitchen towel. Squeeze out as much juice as possible.
- Place the grated cucumber in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients for tzatziki sauce. Mix together and chill until ready to use.
Greek Burger:
- In a bowl, combine turkey, 1 cup of feta cheese, olives, oregano, Italian seasoning, parsley, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix well.
- Divide the meat mixture into 3.
- Shape them into about 4-inch wide patties.
- Make a dent by pressing your thumb finger in the middle of each patty.
- Heat up the cast iron skillet, grill, or griddle on medium. Drizzle olive oil.
- Cook the burgers for 7 minutes per side, flipping only once.
- Once done, set aside.
- In the same pan, toast the hamburger buns for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Place one burger on each bottom hamburger bun. Place 2 tablespoons of tzatziki sauce, two sliced tomatoes, two arugula leaves, and the remaining crumbled feta on top of each.
- Serve with the top bun and extra tzatziki sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Sugar: 13g
- :
- Calcium: 681mg
- Calories: 1037kcal
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Cholesterol: 157mg
- Fat: 70g
- Fiber: 4g
- Iron: 5mg
- Monounsaturated Fat: 40g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g
- Potassium: 1078mg
- Protein: 66g
- Saturated Fat: 19g
- Sodium: 1537mg
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Vitamin A: 1156IU
- Vitamin C: 12mg
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the secret to a juicy greek burger?
The secret to juicy hamburgers is having a good amount of moisture. For ground beef burger recipes, it’s best to use an 80:20 lean meat to fat ratio. However, we’re mixing feta cheese on our Greek burger patty mixture to make sure that our patties don’t dry out. The moisture and fat content of feta cheese compensate for the lacking fat from the turkey.
Why do my hamburger patties fall apart?
One main reason why hamburger patties fall apart is that it’s too watery. The excessive amounts of water prevent the proteins from coagulating and forming together. So make sure to drain ingredients properly and add the proper amount of each. Another reason is flipping the patties too often. The best practice is to allow them to cook for 7 minutes undisturbed, then flip them only once. This allows the burgers to have a good sear as well as to have the inside cook evenly.
Conclusion
The herbs and feta cheese take the flavor of these burgers to a higher level of yumminess. Enjoy this classic loaded sandwich with a Mediterranean twist in this easy-to-make and delicious Greek burger recipe. Serve them for lunch, dinner, or snacks. Don’t forget the matching homemade tzatziki sauce!Have your own special recipe to share? Submit Your Recipe Today!
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