When you need a winning, family friendly meal in a hurry, try these delicious turkey burger sliders. Simple pantry staples, slider buns, ground turkey, and your family’s favorite toppings make a 20 minute meal that everyone from the kids to the adults will want to dig into.
Are there any kids out there who don’t love burger night? I know mine love it, and these mini turkey burger sliders are a cuter, leaner variation on classic beef burgers. The easy to make patties are seasoned with pantry staples like onion and garlic and pan-seared to juicy perfection.
Plus you can easy change things up! Use your air fryer, oven, or grill or switch out our recommended cheese and toppings for the ones you know your family will love. It’s a cute, fun, and downright irresistible dinner for even the busiest of weeknights!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- 20 Minute Recipe – 10 minutes of preparation plus 10 minutes to cook is why this ground turkey slider recipe is perfect for busy families.
- Easy to Customize – Feel free to swap in your favorite cheeses, burger toppings, and sauces!
- Family Friendly Flavors – Juicy, tender, full-flavored burgers make these a hit with everyone!
- Flexible Cooking Methods – You can prepare these on a stove, grill, or in your oven or air fryer, and they’ll always turn out delicious!
Recipe Notes
This turkey sliders recipe is as simple as promised! Just a 20 minutes for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make easy turkey sliders to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Ground Turkey – Any type of ground turkey will work, but leaner is usually what we pick. Adding egg and bread crumbs helps keep them super tender and juicy, so don’t worry about using super lean ground turkey if that is your preference!
- Seasoned Breadcrumbs– You can sub plain bread crumbs in a pinch
- Onion
- Egg
- Fresh Parsley
- Olive Oil
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper, and garlic powder are the simple pantry seasonings you’ll need to flavor your ground turkey sliders.
- Toppings – Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and ranch dressing are our favorites, but feel free to switch them up with your own.
- Slider Buns – We love to make our turkey burger sliders on Hawaiian rolls or mini burger buns, but you can use any small bun or roll, or even use lettuce, biscuits, or whatever inspires you.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Air Fryer Turkey Burger Sliders– Preheat your air fryer to 350°F. Form your patties and place them in a single layer in the basket. Cook for 6 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook another 6-8 minutes, or until the slider patty is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. You may need to work in batches depending on your air fryer.
- Oven Baked Turkey Burger Sliders– Lightly brush a large baking sheet with oil and preheat the oven to 350°F. Place formed turkey burger slider patties onto the baking sheet and brush the tops lightly with oil. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the patties are cooked to the proper 165°F.
- Grilled Turkey Burger Sliders– Lightly oil your grill grates then place the formed slider patties on the grill. Cook for 4-6 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- Tuscan Turkey Burgers – A slightly different flavor thanks to the Tuscan herbs and seasonings, but the same juicy, tender burgers!
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make ground turkey sliders.
- Mix the patties – Mix all of the ingredients for the turkey slider patties together except the olive oil.
- Form the patties – Roll the ground turkey mixture into 12 equal balls then flatten into patties no thicker than 1/2 inch.
- Cook the sliders – Cook each slider in a hot pan with olive oil for 2-4 minutes per side, until cooked through to 165°F. Top with cheese if desired.
- Assemble turkey burger sliders – Spread ranch dressing on your bun, then layer on a slider patty, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t over work the meat – It’s important to evenly mix the breadcrumbs, seasonings, and egg through the ground turkey, but be careful not to mix for too long. Overworked ground turkey begins to look like paste and will lead to dry, tough patties.
- Divide the mixture evenly – You can use a kitchen scale to weigh out each slider patty, but I have a trick that works every time! Simply divide the turkey burger mixture into four parts, then separate each quarter into three patties. Dividing it in steps is much easier than eyeballing each slider patty one at a time!
- Pay attention to thickness – Aim for between 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness for each patty. Keeping them consistent and thin is the key to the fast cooking time.
- Work in batches – It’s tempting to rush, but don’t overcrowd your pan! You want to leave enough space for the sliders to sear and brown on each side. Cramming lots of patties into a pan will lead to steamed, colorless sliders instead. Use the biggest pan you have, and cook in two or more batches if needed. They’ll taste better that way!
- Melt the cheese on top – If you want that ooey gooey melted cheese on your mini burgers, then add the cheese slices in the last minute of cooking. It won’t melt right away, but once you turn the burner off, put the lid on the pan for just a minute or two, and the residual heat will melt the cheese perfectly.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Prep ingredients in advance – You can prepare all the toppings and even mix the ground turkey up to 24 hours in advance.
- Form the patties ahead of time – Feel free to shape each slider patty up to 24 hours ahead. Keep them refrigerated in a covered container, separated with parchment paper or foil to prevent sticking to each other.
- Pre-cook your turkey burger slider patties – You can cook the burger patties and simply reheat them gently in the microwave or oven before serving.
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this turkey sliders recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To freeze before cooking
- Mix and shape the slider patties.
- Place them on a freezer-safe flat surface like a baking sheet, leaving some space between them.
- Freeze completely.
- Once patties are frozen, transfer to freezer-safe airtight container.
- When ready to cook, place frozen patties in a hot pan with oil for 10-12 minutes, flipping twice.
How to Freeze Turkey Burger Sliders After Cooking
- Don’t add cheese to the patties while cooking.
- Allow them to cool completely.
- Place them on a freezer-safe flat surface like a baking sheet, leaving some space between them.
- Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container or bag.
- To reheat place frozen patties on a baking sheet and slide them into a 350°F oven to cook for 12-15 minutes or until hot throughout.
What to Serve with Turkey Burger Sliders
Since this protein based dinner has the delicious flavors of classic turkey burgers, it will pair well with many of your favorite traditional side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Potato Wedges – These easy baked wedges are a family-friendly homemade alternative to fries.
- Side Salad – Either a classic Italian house salad or steakhouse style house salad would be great, healthy sides.
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob – This 3 minute recipe is the BEST way to cook juicy corn on the cob for dinner!
- Brown Butter Broccoli – This is my FAVE way to make broccoli taste amazing!
- Oven Roasted Green Beans – Dress these up with your favorite seasonings and enjoy a fast, flavorful side.
- Chips – Sometimes a quick and easy dinner calls for a quick and easy side!
- Southern Coleslaw – top your burger with this for a little crunch or serve as a side.
- Italian Grinder Pasta Salad – The dressing makes this whole dish!
Ground Turkey Sliders Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
Leftover Recipes
Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!
- Turkey Burger Slider Biscuits and Gravy– Make a batch of mile high buttermilk biscuits. Combine 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk to form a roux, or paste. Keep stirring until it’s lightly golden, then slowly pour in 2 cups of milk while whisking. Simmer until thickened, then season with salt and pepper. Reheat leftover turkey sliders and place them on split biscuits with a ladleful of gravy.
- Turkey Slider Wraps– Reheat the slider patties, then cut them in half and place on a large tortilla. Top with a shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. Wrap and serve.
- Turkey Cheeseburger Pasta– Make my cheeseburger pasta recipe, but skip to step 3. When the sauce is made, add chopped leftover turkey burger sliders in to warm up just before adding the pasta.
- Turkey Burger Slider Quesadillas– Chop up leftover slider patties. Layer one tortilla with shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese and sprinkle the chopped turkey sliders on top. Sprinkle with more cheese and top with another tortilla. Cook in a hot pan until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted. Serve with buttermilk ranch dressing for dipping.
Recipe FAQ’s
How do I keep turkey burger sliders from falling apart?
The combination of eggs and breadcrumbs create the essential binding that keeps lean ground turkey from falling apart when you cook the slider patties.
What cheese goes best on these turkey burger sliders?
We like cheddar or colby jack cheese on our turkey burger sliders, but Swiss and pepper jack are also popular choices. You can use any good melting cheese that you like.
Why are my turkey burger sliders soggy?
If you add the correct amount of breadcrumbs to the ground turkey, it should not be wet or soggy. Turkey is wetter than ground beef, so they’re very important. If you increase the amount of meat you also need to increase the breadcrumbs.
More EASY Slider Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy ground turkey recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
Turkey Burger Sliders
Ingredients
For the Turkey Slider patties
- 1.5 pounds ground turkey
- ¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sliders (optional toppings)
- 12 slider rolls
- 2 ounces Lettuce
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion, sliced
- 6 slices cheddar cheese, or colby jack
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons ranch seasoning
Instructions
To make the turkey burgers
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the patties except the olive oil. Use your hands to work the meat just until everything is evenly distributed. Avoid overworking the meat mixture.
- Divide the meat into 12 even sections and roll each into a ball then flatten into a patty.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Once hot, place the slider patties in the skillet and cook about 2-4 minutes per side. Patty should be 165˚F internal temp when cooked.Optional: If desired add cheese to the top of the turkey slider patty in the last minute of cooking to melt the cheese.Cook in batches until all turkey slider patties are cooked.
To assemble the sliders
- Mix the mayonnaise with the ranch seasoning and spread on the inside top of each slider roll.
- To build the slider start with the bottom of the slider roll, then add your choice of lettuce, tomato, onion, slider patty (with or without cheese), and add the top of the roll spread with ranch to finish.
Recipe Notes
- Ground Turkey – Ground chicken
- Breadcrumbs – Crushed Ritz or saltine crackers
- Egg – 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
- Mix and shape the slider patties.
- Place them on a freezer-safe flat surface like a baking sheet, leaving some space between them.
- Freeze completely.
- Once patties are frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container.
- When ready to cook, place frozen in a hot pan with oil for 10-12 minutes, flipping twice.
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