Burgers are truly one of the BEST, most iconic summer foods and for good reason. They’re easy for people to customize, come in tons of varieties and are easy to grill with some key tips.

Today I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about grilling perfect burgers: chicken, turkey, beef and even veggie burgers! Get ready to impress friends and family with your burger-flipping skills.

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The best tips for making any burgers

• Season your patty. This may seem obvious, but adding spices and/or fresh herbs to your burger patty is essential for making them taste delicious. Don’t forget a pinch of salt and pepper! This goes for both meat and veggie burgers.
• Add veggies. For chicken and turkey burgers I often like to add finely diced onion, jalapeño or even shredded sweet potato or zucchini to give them extra flavor and moisture because the meats are lean.
• Chill the patties. Be sure to grill your burgers when they’re nice and chilled so that they stay together, are easier to work with and retain those juices. This is essential for veggie burgers to help them stick together. For meat patties, you can skip this step as the meat is usually still cold.
• Not too big, not too small. Shape your patties so that they’re about ¼-½ inch thick so that they hold together well but don’t take way too long to cook.
• Flip once & don’t cut. If you can help it, try to only flip your burgers once so that they retain their juiciness. For veggie burgers this also helps ensure that they stay together. Use a meat thermometer to read the temp of meat burgers to avoid cutting into them and causing them to lose moisture.
• Let them rest. After cooking your burgers, let them rest before serving so that they hold together and hold in all of those juices.

How to grill perfect chicken & turkey burgers

I absolutely love using ground chicken and turkey to make burgers because they’re a great lean protein source for when I’m cutting down on red meat. Plus, they’re the perfect canvas for adding delicious, unique flavors! Here’s the best way to cook them:

1. Use a ground chicken or turkey that’s no more than 93% lean so that your burgers are still juicy.
2. Preheat your grill to medium high heat, about 400 degrees F. Scrape off anything left over from the last time you grilled.
3. Shape your burgers into ¼-½ inch thick patties.
4. Grill the burgers for 6-8 minutes per side until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.

How to grill juicy beef burgers

You can’t go wrong with regular beef burgers! And cheddar cheese? Yes, please. Here’s how to grill them depending on how cooked you like them:

1. Preheat your grill to medium high heat, about 400 degrees F. Scrape off anything left over from the last time you grilled.
2. Shape your burgers into ½ inch thick patties and then chill them for 15-30 minutes.
3. Grill beef burgers for about 4-5 minutes per side for medium-well doneness. Decrease the time for burgers that are closer to medium-rare, and increase it for well done burgers. Beef burgers are typically closer to medium-well when a meat thermometer reads 150 degrees F.

How to grill vegetarian burgers

There are plenty of fun veggie burgers you can make with black beans and even sweet potato! They are much more delicate than regular burgers, so follow these tips for making them on the grill:

1. Preheat your grill to medium high heat, about 400 degrees F. Scrape off anything left over from the last time you grilled.
2. Grease a large piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray or olive oil.
3. Shape your veggie burgers into ½ inch thick patties and refrigerate them for about 20-30 minutes to help them hold together. Then place your veggie burger patties onto your greased aluminum foil.
4. Place the aluminum foil with your veggie burgers directly onto the grill. Grill the veggie burgers for 6-8 minutes on each side and be sure to flip very carefully with a metal spatula. Burgers are done when they are heated through.

Finally, put your grilling skills to the test and try one of our incredible burger recipes below. Feel free to mix and match flavors whether you’re using ground chicken, turkey, beef or a plant based protein. Enjoy!

Chicken burgers

1. Seriously Good Sweet Potato Cheddar BBQ Chicken Burgers
2. Healthy Chicken Burgers with Spinach Basil Pesto & Mozzarella
3. Buffalo Zucchini Chicken Burgers

Turkey burgers

1. Jalapeño Curry Turkey Burgers
2. Pesto Turkey Burger Sliders on Sweet Potato Buns
3. Sweet & Spicy BBQ Bacon Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

Plant based burgers

1. Ultimate Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Creamy Tahini Garlic Sauce
2. Vegan Sweet Potato Burgers

More amazing grilling tutorials

• How to Grill Perfect Salmon
• How to Grill Vegetables (4 different ways!)
• How to Grill the Best Tofu
• How to Grill Chicken Breast that’s Perfectly Juicy

Get all of our delicious grilling recipes here!

Print this easy guide to grilling proteins

I hope you love this guide to grilling burgers and delicious recipes! If you try any of them be sure to leave a comment and a rating on the recipe so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!