Juicy AIP turkey burgers bound with coconut flour and hidden vegetables, no egg or breadcrumb

No egg, no breadcrumb, and if you have made burgers your whole life with one or the other, your hands might tell you this cannot possibly hold together. It does. The grated carrot and diced vegetables give the patty something to grip, and a spoonful of coconut flour pulls just enough moisture out of the mix to set it. Give the formed patties a minute to rest before they go anywhere near heat and they will not fall apart on you.

Turkey is a decent source of zinc, useful to an immune system that needs its response kept properly tuned rather than running hot, and folding in that much onion, celery, carrot, and mushroom means real vegetables are getting into a meal that reads, on the plate, like nothing but a burger.

Press your thumb into the center of each patty before it cooks, notice the herbs flecked through the meat, and let a burger this ordinary still be something you shaped by hand, on purpose, for yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450g) ground organic turkey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 3 to 4 cremini or button mushrooms, finely diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Method

Put the ground turkey in a large bowl. Add the minced garlic, finely diced onion, celery, and mushrooms, and the grated carrot. Scatter in the chopped cilantro and basil, then add the coconut aminos, coconut flour, and sea salt.

Mix everything together with your hands until the vegetables and herbs are evenly distributed through the meat. The coconut flour will absorb some of the moisture and help the mixture hold together, so give it a minute to come together before shaping. Divide the mix into four equal portions and form each into a patty, pressing a slight dimple into the center so they cook evenly and do not dome.

Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Lay the patties in and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning once, until they are browned on the outside and cooked through to the center with no pink remaining. Because these are turkey, cook them fully. Let them rest for a couple of minutes before serving warm, plain or with an AIP-compliant topping.

Air fryer variation

These do well in the air fryer. Form the patties as above, set them in a single layer in the basket, and cook at about 375F for roughly 12 to 14 minutes, turning once partway through, until cooked through to the center. (Air fryer time is an estimate and untested against the source.)

Oven variation

To bake, set the patties on a lined sheet pan and bake at about 375F for around 20 minutes, until cooked through. (Oven time is an estimate and untested.)

*Adapted from healmedelicious.com*