These cilantro lime Whole 30 turkey burgers are full of blissfully bright flavor from herbs with the added brightness of lime zest. My Whole 30 burgers are super simple to make with minimal ingredients to really bring the cilantro flavor to the front of your taste buds. I lettuce-wrapped these in butter lettuce to keep them Whole 30and paleo but feel free to bun them up.
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What is Whole 30?
Whole 30 is basically a body reset where you eliminate common allergens and do a cleaner version of paleo for 30 days. You eliminate grains, all forms of sugars, dairy, and if you can, cigarettes. I waver on the tobacco but on all others, I stick to the rules if I want the full benefit of the Whole 30. Once you reset your metabolism and clear out your body it allows you to trust your intuition again. Before healing your body trusting your inner intuition might mean a sugar dragon ready to eat a million cupcakes.
While I personally benefited from the Whole 30 and now can really feel what it means for me mentally when I have sugar or gluten, hormone spikes, and mood swings, I will still eat a cupcake if I’m feeling it. I view it as an empowerment reset for my body to heal and eat delicious food. On the Whole 30 I try to keep meals simple and quick so I can avoid snacking while waiting an hour for a casserole to bake. These cilantro lime burgers are so fast you could make them quicker than fast food, counting the time to drive there and back.
The Flavor of Cilantro Lime Whole 30 Turkey Burgers
As a Texas in a small town, I grew up with about four Mexican restaurants and five fast-food restaurants. Then, of course, two Bar-B-Que ones, and those were the only options. Years later we got a seafood joint that no one trusted and yet they’re still there ten years later. It’s weird and we all think there’s just super loyal friends that keep it open.
I grew up on Mexican food. Okay, I grew up on Tex-Mex and it was awesome. Now that I live in Austin there’s even better Mexican food. We go all fancy Mexican with Suerte that uses fresh corn from all over the world, to $3 tacos out of trucks that have been there for eighty years. Now we are also the new school home of Siete. So Mexican food has been my food culture my whole life, more than any other cuisine.
Cilantro and lime together in guacamole is the most refreshing comfort food to have in the summer. My father experimented with guacamole constantly in the summer. We grew our own tomatoes and guacamole is where he found them shining. We also just cut them onto a plate with cracked pepper when we were desperate for that red summer juice. Since summer is still here and tomatoes are deliciously in season I think it is the perfect time for cilantro lime burgers. You can top with any type of tomato. I topped these with cherry tomatoes because I had them and I like how you can get the whole bit in one bite rather than fight the large chunk of tomato as it spills all over you.
What You’ll Need to Make These Whole 30 Turkey Burgers:
To make these burgers you’ll need one pound of turkey, a lime, and a bunch of cilantro. From there you can choose your toppings. I just added a tablespoon of mayonnaise to not overpower the cilantro or lime. Both of these flavors can be hidden pretty easily. If you want to really up the toppings I suggest adding more lime zest but keep the cilantro the same so it doesn’t feel like you’re eating a grass burger. If you try it and it comes to that I’m sure there’s some symbiotic relationship of grass and turkeys that will feel honored.
I also used a meat thermometer, especially since it’s hard to gauge turkey burgers just by looking at them. This meat thermometer is instant read and removes any guess work. We also love these stainless steel pans and use them daily. Finally this zester/cheese grater combo tool is epic and has lasted me years. It’s nearly impossible to get that beautiful size for lime zest without one. I have tried by chopping the zest for twenty minutes and it barely worked out.
I hope you enjoy these whole 30 burgers, they’re definitely going to be a staple for me since they’re super easy to whip up. Since you can make these in bulk they are a very easy option and you can simply add them to a salad for a complete meal.
To Prepare These Burgers for Later:
To store these burgers for later you can mix the ingredients together and shape them into four burger patties. Then add them to a storage container with parchment paper between them so they don’t shape into one. You can also mix the ingredients together and store then shape the patties later. These are great to make in bulk and then freeze them. Simply remove as many patties you want for the next day and defrost in the fridge overnight. The next day, check to make sure they’re fully defrosted then fry as normal. For freezing, you will definitely need to separate them with paper so they don’t blob together.
To make sure the meat is cooked all the way through let them rest for thirty minutes to bring them up to room temp. This method is heavily debated so you could bring one out and cook it straight from the fridge. Then try one at room temp and see what you like best. For me, it depends on how hungry I am but I do feel they cook better after sitting out.
For other easy Whole 30 recipes check out my creamy alfredo zoodles or this bacon and celery root egg skillet.
To use up the lime after getting all of the zest you can use it in place of the lemon in this 1-minute mayonnaise. Then you can top your whole 30 cilantro-lime turkey burgers with your fresh-made mayonnaise. I literally ran out when making this and whipped it up in about 30 seconds. All you need besides the lime juice is oil, salt, and dijon mustard.
Visual Tutorial for Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers:
To increase your mindfulness and intuition for cooking feel free to smell every spice as you add it.
Bring the meat out to rest for 30 minutes before shaping to avoid your hands getting cold when mixing the meat together (I hate cold hands so this is optional but feels solo much better).
Combine one sprig of chopped green onion
with 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. I prefer to use kitchen shears because it’s so much easier than chopping.
Then add all of the zest from one lime with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of cumin. I use this zester that is multifunctional with a cheese grater/large grater and even use it to zest ginger. It’s lasted me years.
When zesting a lime or lemon the moment you see white stop zesting. The white is where it gets bitter.
Take a deep inhale of that lime zest for true calm and bliss.
and mix together then form into four patties. I prefer to use a scale to make sure they’re even so they cook evenly, but eyeballing this works too!
To shape the turkey patties first roll them between your hands. Then slap the turkeys back and forth between your hands to get the right shape.
Heat your pan to medium-high heat with one tablespoon of avocado oil until hot but not smoking,. You can put your hand over it to know when it’s ready or just wait until you hear a sizzle when you put the meat down.
Cook on each side for five minutes or until a thermometer reads 145 for medium-rare and if you want medium just cook an extra minute but watch them as stove-tops tend to range in heat. Meat thermometers assure accuracy and remove the guess work.
While burgers are cooking add mayonnaise or whatever dressing you wish to laid out lettuce wraps or buns if not doing Whole 30.
Remove cooked patties to lettuce wraps and add more chopped cilantro.
Either add fresh chopped tomatoes or if you’re feeling extra adventurous you can slice the tomatoes and quickly sear them in the leftover grease in the pan. Add them to the pan immediately after removing the burgers and just sear for two minutes with a couple of stirs.
While the tomatoes are cooking or before you add fresh ones juice and use any leftover lime zest to top off the turkey burgers.
Bring the pan over to your prepared burgers and spoon the seared tomatoes over the burgers.
Enjoy!
Pin These Whole 30 Turkey Burgers for Later!
Looking for other Whole 30 and Paleo Summer Recipes?
Whole 30 BBQ Chicken
Whole 30 and Paleo Air Fryer Alfredo Zoodles
Whole 30 Peaches and Pork Chops
Sheet Pan Whole 30 Baked Salmon with Cherries and Mint
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Easy as Bread Lettuce Wrapped Sandwiches
Whole 30 Salsa Verde
Whole 30 and Paleo Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
1 Pound of Ground Turkey
1 Lime - Including the Zest
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped and Divided
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 Tablespoon of Avocado Oil - For Frying
1/2 Cup of Cherry Tomatoes (optional)
Mayo for Topping -about a tablespoon each
Instructions
 1. Bring the meat out to rest for 30 minutes before shaping to avoid your hands getting cold when mixing the meat together (I hate cold hands so this is optional but feels so much better). You can also use a paddle attachment on your Kitchenaid.
2. Combine all of the zest from one lime with the salt and a 1/4 cup of the cilantro as well as the cumin.
3. Smell the spices and bliss out over the sensation of lime zest.
4. Mix together with your hands or the paddle attachment on a Kitchenaid.
5. Form the mix into four patties. If you want to be super accurate go ahead and use a scale. Mine weighed out to 80 grams each.
6. Heat your pan to medium-high heat (see notes) with the avocado oil until hot but not smoking, you can put your hand over the pan to know when it's ready or just wait until you hear a sizzle when you put the meat down.
7. Cook on each side for five minutes or until a thermometer reads 165 for medium-rare and if you want medium just cook an extra minute but watch them as stove-tops tend to range in heat.
8. While the burgers are cooking go ahead and lay out your lettuce wraps so they are ready to go. Add whatever dressings you are using to the wraps as well. (I just used mayonnaise)
9. If you are using tomatoes go ahead and chop them in half.
10. Remove the burgers and add them to your wraps.
11. Add extra cilantro to each burger, a little less than a 1/4 cup as well as lime juice and any leftover lime zest.
12. If you're feeling extra adventurous sear the tomatoes in the leftover grease in the pan. If the pan looks dry add about a teaspoon more of avocado oil
13. Be sure to bring napkins or reusable ones to the table as the grease from the burgers and the tomatoes and mayonnaise is messy in the best way. You can also prevent the mess by adding two or three lettuce leaves, but the more lettuce you add the more it masks the flavor. Enjoy!
Notes
I highly recommend not going above medium high because avocado oil can pop up and splatter you. A way to avoid this is to use one of those pan splash guards or use less oil.
Cooking Tools for Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers:
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