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Every summer needs a new burger and this is that burger.
You guys, say hello to the jalapeño cheddar guacamole turkey burger…with crispy onions. It’s spicy, cheesy, loaded with avocado, and topped with crispy fried onions. I mean, can you say, so much to love?
I came up with the idea for these burgers the other day while hiking and as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I knew I had to come home and make them right away. That’s just what I did…and here they are!
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I hate, hate, hate, photographing burgers of any kind. Therefore, any burger recipes even slightly less than incredible will not make the cut.
These turkey burgers more than made the cut, they were just too good to pass up…
As you can tell, I’m pretty excited about them. I had all my test tasters (aka most of my family, who are all in town in preparation for our Mexico trip), try them out last night. The verdict was unanimous, everyone loved them!
As I expected, I love the burger, but not so much the photos. Typical of me, but I’m just going to get over it because the most important thing here is that the recipe is solid and beyond good, and trust me it is.
The burger patties themselves are worthy of their own recipe. They are moist, full of flavor and every bite is delicious. To give the burgers a smoky feel, I roasted the jalapeños before adding them to the turkey mix. It’s a simple step that adds so much flavor and also helps to tame the heat of the burger. I then added some sharp cheddar cheese, and a pinch of smoked paprika for flavor.
So freaking good. I really can’t describe just how good these are, but as soon as you place a burger on the grill and begin to smell it’s amazing aroma you’ll begin to realize just how good these burgers are. And then, if you’re into it, you can add a slice of smoky gouda and melt it over top each burger.
You don’t have to add the extra cheese, but I highly recommend it.
Obviously.
To take things a step further, I finished each burger with plenty of smashed avocado and crispy fried onions.
Avocado + crispy onions…on a jalapeño cheddar burger?
All I have to say, is YUMMM.
One, this is the perfect dinner for a Wednesday night (because it’s been quite a week and a fun burger sounds like just what we all need). Two, after you make these once, you’ll realize that these burgers would be perfect for the 4th of July! How fun would these be served up for you Fourth festivities? You can make the onions and patties in advance so that all you have to do is grill the burgers and warm the onions, then just serve um up. <– I am so down with that!
Also, watermelon on the side?
That is a MUST.
Jalapeño Cheddar Guacamole Turkey Burgers with Crispy Onions
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 1101 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 jalapeños
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and pepper
- 4 slices smoked gouda or cheddar
- 4 burger buns, toasted
- 2 avocados lightly mashed
- juice from 1 lime
- chipotle mayo and fresh cilantro, for serving
Crispy Onions
- 2 large white onions, halved and then sliced very thin
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups flour
- Kosher salt and pepper
- oil, for frying
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the jalapeños on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until charred all over, about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool and then seed and chop the jalapeños.2. In a medium bowl, combine the jalapeños, turkey, cheddar, panko, egg, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined and then shape the mix into 4 even size burger patties.3. Preheat the outdoor grill or grill pan to high. Grill the burger for 5 minute per side or until cooked through. During the last minute of cooking add the cheese slices. 4. To assemble, spread the chipotle mayo on the bottom of each bun. Top with a burger, avocado, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Add the crispy onions (recipe follows) and cilantro. EAT
Crispy Onions
- 1. Heat a large pot of oil until it reaches 375 degrees F. or until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled over the pot.2. Add the sliced onions to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over top. Use your hand to submerge the onions in the buttermilk. 3. To a shallow bowl, add the flour and a pinch of salt. Remove a handful of onions from the buttermilk and place them into the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour mixture, and then tap them on the inside of the bowl to shake off the excess. Carefully drop the onions into the hot oil. With a spoon, fiddle with them a bit just to break them up. Watch the onions closely as they cook quick! After about 1 or 2 minutes, they should be golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate.4. Repeat with the remaining onion slices. Onions are best served right away, but can be reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes. *Watch closely, making sure they do not burn.
For real, these burgers are the best. Just sayin’.
Could you use ground beef instead of the turkey?
Hi Brandi,
Of course, ground beef will be great in this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
So yummy !! Did not have cheese for the top but it turned out so good. Made as sliders on Hawaiian rolls !
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Wow, This was the best burger I’ve ever eaten. The texture and seasonings were perfect. Even my husband loved it, and he usually will only eat a beef burger. Love that you create recipes with so much flavor, it’s how I love to cook and eat too. Thank you!
Hi Michelle,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:)
Delicious. Made these last night using ground chicken, followed recipe exactly. Great flavor and juicy. Making the crispy onions was more time consuming than expected, but worth it. My whole family loved them, said they were better than any chicken sandwich they have had at any restaurant!
Hi Denise,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
Made these again following my notes from previous review (1/2 t. smoked paprika, 1/2 t. regular, blistering jalapenos over open flame & only using 1 1/2), but this time I got even lazier and, at my husband’s suggestion, sub’d out the 1/3 C. panko crumbs in the turkey for 1/2 C. TJ’s canned fried onions. Oh my goodness! It was awesome that way! Cooked the patties in a skillet and I think we liked them even better than before!
At some point I’ll make the homemade onions, but may end up using this savory cheat in lots of different ways in the future!
Hey Carissa,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
Very, very good. Only used 1.5+ jalapeños (blistered over open flame on cooktop, peeled & seeded, but next time I’ll just “seed” them) and they were plenty spicy. I cut back on the smoked paprika to 1/2 tsp. and used 1/2 tsp. plain paprika. Made my own chipotle mayo w/ a few Tbs mayo and a few tsp “chipotles en adobo” sauce from a can. Per the photo, we used a ciabatta style bun versus a softer, brioche-type bun, which was a good choice; a regular bun would’ve become very mushy very quickly. Next time I’ll go to the trouble of making the onions… This time, I used purchased canned fried onions from Trader Joe’s, which were tiny (teeny!) little bits, so, while they tasted good, had to be *adhered* to the patty via the cheese melted on top of the onions! 😉 Finally, we cooked these in the air fryer for 9 min. at 370*, then onion’d and cheesed them and let them cook for one more minute.
My sweet sister forwarded this recipe and said her family is obsessed with them — clearly for very good reason. Will make these again (and again)!
Hey Carissa,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx