Why Fresh Breadcrumbs Are Better For Binding Turkey Burgers - Tasting Table (2024)

Why Fresh Breadcrumbs Are Better For Binding Turkey Burgers - Tasting Table (1)

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ByJen Peng/

Whether you're trying to cut down on red meat, eat healthier, want to switch things up, or just because, there are many reasons to pick a turkey burger over a regular beef burger. However, as anyone who has ever made, or even had, a turkey burger knows, they can far too easily turn out bland, crumbly, and dry.

To help the turkey burger patties keep their shape, it's important to use a binding agent. While most people will reach for some dried breadcrumbs as their binder, in the case of turkey burgers, it makes a lot more sense to use fresh breadcrumbs instead. The extra moisture in fresh breadcrumbs can help prevent the patties from drying out. You'll want to use small bits of breadcrumbs, which you can achieve by using the pulse function on your food processor, or simply using your hands to tear apart the fresh bread.

What if you don't have fresh breadcrumbs?

Why Fresh Breadcrumbs Are Better For Binding Turkey Burgers - Tasting Table (2)

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If you don't have fresh bread to make fresh breadcrumbs and need to make the turkey burgers right away, there are ways around this. You can add extra moisture to dried breadcrumbs (either premade or made from stale bread) by soaking them in some milk — goat's milk in particular, with its higher fat content, is a game-changing ingredient to add to turkey burgers. You can also add a little egg or mayonnaise for extra moisture. Cheese is another great option for a binder — semi-soft cheese is the best type of cheese to bind juicy turkey burgersand works best when grated and incorporated into the patty.

Also, make sure you have enough fat in the patty –20% to 25% is an ideal rangefor juicy burgers that are not too sloppy. Since turkey is inherently lean, you'll want to add some extra fat to the patty, such as grated cold butter or different cooking oils. Bacon is another great option and will add both flavor and fat. You can also opt for more dark meat than white meat in your ground turkey mixture, which will also increase your overall fat percentage for the juiciest turkey burger ever.

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Why Fresh Breadcrumbs Are Better For Binding Turkey Burgers - Tasting Table (2024)

FAQs

Why Fresh Breadcrumbs Are Better For Binding Turkey Burgers - Tasting Table? ›

The extra moisture in fresh breadcrumbs can help prevent the patties from drying out. You'll want to use small bits of breadcrumbs, which you can achieve by using the pulse function on your food processor, or simply using your hands to tear apart the fresh bread.

Why add breadcrumbs to turkey burgers? ›

The crumbs will absorb the moisture and, together with the egg, will act like glue and help your burgers maintain their shape on the grill.

What is the best binder for turkey burgers? ›

While raw egg can be used to bind the burgers, mayonnaise does the trick while also adding an irreplacable dimension of creaminess, moisture, and flavor. When the patties cook, the mayo melts into the pockets of the meat to create a wonderfully juicy patty. Goodbye, dry turkey burgers.

Do breadcrumbs help bind burgers? ›

Using breadcrumbs is another way to bind a burger if you prefer not to use eggs. Begin by mixing your desired seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic powder with ground beef in a mixing bowl.

What is the best binder for burgers? ›

The most common burger binding agent is egg. This makes your ground beef stick together and is the most readily available ingredient. You can also use potato starch as a burger binding agent depending on your allergies or general availability.

What to use to keep turkey burgers from falling apart? ›

Just half a beaten egg in the raw meat will work as a binder to hold it all together. Just be sure to mix it into the meat well before forming patties. Turkey burgers are really worth the extra effort. When they turn out well, they are a fantastic burger that stand alone as great BBQ food.

Why are my turkey burgers so dry? ›

Both turkey and chicken have a much lower fat content than beef, which is why they're so prone to drying out.

What is the best ingredient to bind burgers? ›

Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.

What's a good binder for turkey? ›

Apply a thin coat of good-ol' mayonnaise to you turkey breasts before seasoning, and you'll get better adhesion and better “bark.” The proteins in the mayo act as a simple glue when they heat up, binding with the spices.

What can I use as a binder instead of eggs in burgers? ›

One of the most common substitutes is breadcrumbs, but sometimes the breadcrumbs can fall off when the burgers are cooking if there are too many or they are too dry. Other popular substitutions for eggs include cornstarch, flour, ketchup, porridge oats, cracker crumbs, and ground flaxseed.

What can I use instead of breadcrumbs for binding? ›

Bread Crumb Substitutes
  1. ¾ cup soft bread crumbs.
  2. ¼ cup panko.
  3. ¼ cup cracker or pretzel crumbs.
  4. ¼ cup crushed cornflakes or other unsweetened cereals.
  5. ⅔ cup regular rolled oats (Use this only as a substitute for bread crumbs in meat loaf and other meat mixtures, such as burgers.
May 24, 2023

Are breadcrumbs a binder? ›

Breadcrumbs are an essential ingredient in so many recipes: They act as a binder for meatballs and meatloaf and keep them from becoming dry.

What does breadcrumbs do to meat? ›

Breadcrumbs for meatloaf are used to absorb the juices and keep them in the meat while it cooks so that it stays moist; without the breadcrumbs, the meat would dry out in the oven. Breadcrumbs also add to the meatloaf's tender texture so it's more than a giant seasoned hamburger when you pull it out of the oven.

What is the best binder agent for veggie burgers? ›

Common binding agents include flax eggs (a mixture of ground flaxseed and water), chia seeds, mashed potatoes, tapioca flour, or even your favorite nut butter. These ingredients help hold everything together and prevent your burger from crumbling.

Do homemade burgers need a binder? ›

Do Homemade Burgers Need an Egg? No, you do not need to use an egg to make a traditional burger patty. The ground meat does not need an additional binding agent to stay together during the cooking process. Eggs can also alter the texture and cook times for your burgers.

How do you get ground turkey to stick together for burgers? ›

In order to prevent turkey burgers from falling apart you need to add something to hold everything together. This is called a meat binder. Similar to meatloaf, the meat binder, in this case, is an egg and breadcrumbs that will promote the turkey burger to keep its shape and structure.

What is the point of breadcrumbs? ›

A breadcrumb is a secondary navigation aid that improves customer experience by helping users understand their location on a website or mobile application.

Will burgers fall apart without breadcrumbs? ›

Hamburgers without breadcrumbs are the norm. They can act as a binding agent, but the great thing about burgers is there are so many ways to make them delicious! If you want burgers without breadcrumbs to stay together, use fresh meat and cool them in the refrigerator before cooking.

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