These unique turkey burgers are based on the recipe shared from the executive chef at the Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida. Oprah once listed them as one of her favorite things from Donald Trump’s famous resort restaurant and shared the recipe. They’ve become a family favorite for us. Don’t be scared by a unique ingredient in the patties (apples!). These burgers have an amazing sweet and savory flavor combo and an easy sauce takes them over the top. They’re great for a casual dinner at at home, and fun to serve to dinner guests, too! Try them with a great side salad and some sweet potato fries on the side for the perfect summer dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – for sautéing
- Celery – I realize it sounds like a strange thing in a burger, but trust!
- Apples – The original recipe calls for Granny Smith apples and I like to stick to that. Granny Smith are a more tart apple. You can substitute another variety of apple, and it would just add a little more sweetness, but still be delicious.
- Green Onions
- Ground turkey breast – Feel free to use lean ground turkey breast, or if you prefer, ground turkey (not 100% breast) works great, too. 100% breast is leaner and generally not as juicy or flavorful, but it works in this recipe combined with so many other great things. I personally like the added fat and flavor from ground turkey with dark meat (85/15).
- Tabasco sauce – This doesn’t make the burgers too spicy, but you can also leave it out, I often do. Feel free to add a little more if you like your food with a kick.
- Parsley – Opt for flat leaf Italian style parsley (as opposed to the curly leaf style you see used as garnish).
- Lemon
- Major Grey’s Chutney – You can find this in the grocery store near the BBQ sauces, often on the top shelf. It’s a delicious sweet and savory jam made with mangoes and seasonings.
- Buns – A good quality hamburger bun is a must, I prefer brioche buns.
- Additional toppings: as desired, like lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, etc.
How to Make Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers
- Sauté celery, apples, and onions. Apples and celery not only add really great flavor here, but they also keep the burgers nice and moist- which is helpful as turkey has a tendency to dry out on the grill.
- Next, combine the sautéed apple mixture with ground turkey, Major Grey’s Chutney, the zest and juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, and a splash of Tabasco. Form that into patties.
- Grill. When you place them on the grill, do it very gently. Turkey is much more fragile than beef and it’s easy to crumble the burgers right up. Another key thing is to not flip the burgers too soon, or too often or they can also fall to pieces. Let them cook completely on one side and then flip just once to finish cooking on the other side. When you’re all done you’ll have beautiful burgers!
- Add Mango Chutney sauce. I’m a huge fan of mango chutney, and one of my favorite things to do is make a burger spread to go along with these burgers with simply mango chutney + mayo. It brings all the flavors together and is great on other burgers as well.
Serving Suggestions
I love pairing these burgers with a side of Baked Sweet Potato Fries. You could also try these Oven Steak Fries , or even Grilled Corn on the Cob.
If you love mango chutney, and have some to use up, I highly recommend this Chicken Salad With Mango Chutney Dressing!
Frequently Asked Questions
While I have not personally tested any substitutes, apricot or peach jam may make a great substitute. Feel free to try it if necessary, just remember that chutney is quite thick, so a thinner jam may not hold up as well when forming patties.
Absolutely! If you have a crowd to feed, go ahead and mix everything up a day ahead of time and store in the fridge, either all together in an airtight container, or pre-formed into patties and separated by a piece of parchment between each one.
You can absolutely cook them indoors on a grill pan or large skillet.
Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
Burger Patties
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 3 Granny Smith Apples peeled and very finely diced or shredded
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
- 4 pounds ground turkey breast or 85/15 turkey
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
- ½ lemon zested then juiced
- ½ bunch parsley chopped
- ¼ cup Major Grey’s Chutney
Burger Spread
- ¾ cup mayo
- 4 tablespoons Major Grey’s Chutney
For Assembly
- 8 good quality hamburger buns
- additional toppings as desired lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, etc.
Instructions
- In a saute pan over medium-low heat, sauté the celery, apples, and green onions in butter until tender. Let cool. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sauteed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours to firm.
- To make burger spread, combine mayo and chutney and whisk until smooth, Feel free to add more chutney as desired.
- Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 165℉. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- To serve, toast buns if desired and spread with sauce. Add toppings as desired like greens, onion and tomato.
- Try it with a side of Sweet Potato Fries, or some Grilled Corn on the Cob for a great (and healthy!) summer meal.
Questions & Reviews
Made these tonight, loved them!
OMG these were delicious!!!!
I inadvertently left out the Tabasco, but they were delicious! There are only 4 of us, so I I used one package of turkey and basically cut the recipe almost in 1/4 and it worked out perfectly. I ended up chopping the apple really small and no one even noticed. The family usually balks when I make the hamburger’s inferior cousin, the turkey burger, but not this time! Thanks!
Oh my goodness! These were such a hit tonight! You guys have taken over my kitchen and my family is LOVING you for it!
I used ground chicken instead of turkey. Mainly because that is what I had, but also because in general, I have found ground turkey to be more dry than the chicken. I used 2 1/3 pounds of meat and was able to make 11- 5 to 6 ounce burgers. My husband always uses extra spices and hot sauce on the food I make, but he didnt use ANY tonight! Even with no bun or cheese! Everyone loved them.
Thank you again! Off to our next yummy recipe tomorrow night!
I loved these on the grill, but January in Utah might not be ideal for grilling. Any other suggestions on how these can be cooked indoors? Thanks … ready to use up that Mango Chutney that’s been in the fridge since last time I made them. I guess I can wait for spring if I need to 🙂
Yep, just use a grill pan on the stove top, or even a regular ol’ skillet will work 🙂
I was so excited to make these….and they exceeded my expectations tonight! Thank you for sharing this…I can now have hamburgers without feeling extremely guilty!
These burgers are delightful. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’m not a fan of Oprah or Major Grey Chutney, so I was skeptical about this recipe. I’m also allergic to beef (tragic!), so I’m always on the look-out for respectable turkey burger recipes. These are rapidly becoming a staple in our house. We love them. They freeze VERY well, and they go nicely on the Deli Flats (for those of us counting calories).
Made these last night and they were delish! I used 2 pkgs of ground turkey and made 11 big burgers. My husband really liked them but the kids were split down the middle. Some really loved them and others, not so much. I plan on making them again and would love to try the chutney-mayo spread.
I have loved every recipe I have tried on your site! I think I will try these tonight, do you think they freeze well? I am always looking for a good freezer meal that I can pull out individually. I don’t have Mar-a-Lego, but do have Mango jam. Would that work?
I’ve never frozen these, but I imagine they’d freeze great. And yes, you could use mango jam. It’s just missing the spices of a chutney so you might want to add in a tiny pinch of ginger, garlic, and cloves.
I used the mango jam and added a bit of curry to it. They were terrific!
We didn’t follow this recipe to the T because we only had one pound of ground turkey and no lemons but it was still great! Even my husband (who hates pretty much anything healthy) said they were AWESOME! Can’t wait to make these again!