High-Protein Turkey Breakfast Patties
These high-protein turkey breakfast patties are the thing that actually gets me out the door when I’m trying to hit my protein goals but don’t have twenty minutes to stand at the stove. One patty has 10 grams of protein on its own, and once you build the full breakfast sandwich (patty, egg, English muffin, an ounce of cheese) you’re at 31 grams of protein for around 360 calories.
Table of contents
This is a make-ahead recipe. Cook the full batch on a weekend, and you’ve got breakfast sorted for the week from the fridge or freezer.
Sure, I could have done a full meal prep with assembled sandwiches – but honestly? My husband won’t touch them, and I hate microwaved food. The eggs and bread are spongy, the cheese loses its elasticity, and the meat or eggs are somehow still cold no matter what.
Trying to microwave a fully assembled sandwich usually takes me longer than it does to make a sandwich fresh each morning – just have the patties ready to go. Bonus if you even have pre-sliced cheese.
Why Make Homemade Turkey Breakfast Patties
Most store-bought turkey breakfast patties are either loaded with sodium and fillers, or it ends up being super dry. This version uses extra-lean ground turkey and a few important spices (fennel, sage, smoked paprika) to get that familiar breakfast sausage flavour without the mystery ingredients.
The breakfast sausage is often the most important part of the sandwich (flavour-wise) and reheats the best from frozen.
The Important Stuff
Fennel seed is the ingredient that makes this taste like “breakfast sausage” instead of “seasoned ground turkey.” Crush it partially with a mortar and pestle so you get little bursts of flavour throughout instead of biting into one whole seed. Don’t omit it, it’s vital to the sausage flavour.
The Worcestershire sauce is doing something similar, it adds a savoury note that ground turkey doesn’t have much of on its own. Don’t skip either of them – they’re doing most of the work here making it taste like a rich pork patty rather than just sad ground turkey.
What You Can Skip
- Food scale: optional. Eyeball 8 roughly even pieces if you don’t have one, they don’t need to be exact. I just like to know exactly what I’m getting in each.
- Dried savoury: optional. It adds a nice woodsy flavour but the patties are fine without it.
- Whole fennel seeds: if you only have ground fennel on hand, use a quarter of the amount to start. The flavour can be very overpowering when ground into a fine powder.
Make-Ahead and Freezer Instructions
Let the cooked patties cool completely before storing.
- Fridge: layer with parchment in an airtight container, good for 4-5 days.
- Freezer: layer with parchment paper and freeze in an air-tight bag. For even more ease, freeze in a single layer on a tray first, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Good for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Reheating from frozen: a few minutes in a pan over low, or about 40-50 seconds in the microwave if you’re actually running out the door (I do this for 20 sec, flip, and 20 sec again).
- Reheating from the fridge: just a minute or two in a pan over low-medium low or 30 seconds in the microwave. Do this in bursts, not all in one go. You want to flip it halfway so you can check on the heat level so it doesn’t get overcooked and chewy.
Quick Morning Breakfast Sandwich Instructions
- Preheat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
- Add a thawed, halved english muffin to a toaster, toast until your desired texture is reached (I like them a touch crispy on the inside while still soft on the outside). Meanwhile…
- Spritz the pan with some oil and add the egg. Break the yolk with your fingers or a spatula and add a touch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Place frozen or cold patty in the microwave or on a pan, reheat until warm/hot. Be careful not to over cook/reheat or it will be chewy.
- Flip egg, add a slice of cheese and let it cook another 60-90 seconds until cooked through.
- Place the toasted english muffin on a plate, open-faced. Add the patty and egg (cut in half and layer if needed to fit) on one side, then add the top of the muffin.
Making the Turkey Breakfast Patties
Place 1 lb of extra-lean ground turkey and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl, mix well with a fork, and flatten out as best you can (easier to distribute spices). Set aside while you prepare the seasonings.
In a small bowl, stir together 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp fennel seeds (partially crushed with a mortar and pestal), ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp dried sage, and ¼ tsp dried savoury.
Sprinkle the stirred spices evenly over the meat and immediately mix well to evenly distribute the seasoning in the meat. Work it only enough to incorporate, do not overwork the meat.
Use a food scale to divide the pieces equally into 8 pieces. Cut a couple pieces of parchment paper into 4-5″ squares to use to press the turkey patties. Lightly spray/oil one side of each of the parchment pieces.
Preheat a frying pan or skillet over medium when ready to cook. Roll one at a time into a ball and press between the two oiled parchment. Press down until it’s about ¼” / ½ cm thick.
Lightly spray the pan with cooking oil or brush with a small amount of high-heat oil. Remove one side of the parchment and press that side of the exposed turkey patty to the preheated, oiled pan. Remove the second parchment sheet and repeat with the remaining turkey patties. I usually do 2-3 at a time.
Cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side once liquid begins pooling on the surface of the patty and the edges are no longer pink. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until cooked through and it reaches 165°F. Remove from the heat and repeat with the remaining patties.
TIP: I find when I flip the patty the first time, pressing down on the cooked side a bit with a spatula actually helps keep them from shrinking and “bowing”. I was always told not to do this because it released the juices, but I did not notice any loss of juciness – if anything, they improved because they didn’t bow up and overcook.
FAQ
Yes, but be aware that chicken tends to be even leaner and can dry out faster. Keep an eye on your patties.
Some Worcestershire sauces are NOT gluten-free, so check your label to be sure. Otherwise, the patties are gluten-free. Use gluten-free english muffins to make a sandwich (Kinnikinnick makes the best ones in Canada IMO).
Yes, bake at 375°F for about 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Turkey should reach 165°F internally. Before this happens, the turkey will shrink a bit, but once it’s done it will start to dry out, so be careful to not overcook it. It should no longer be pink inside, but try not to cut them open while cooking too much (which is where the thermometer comes in handy).
Yes, I do this frequently. All instructions remain the same, though you will divide them into more patties.
Regular ground turkey has significantly more fat. They will still turn out with regular turkey, but more prone to shrinkage and you will not have as much protein in each patty.
Other Breakfast Recipes
- Easy Bacon Veggie Breakfast Wrap
- Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
- Southwest Tofu Breakfast Scramble
- Soft and Fluffy Vegan Savoury Breakfast Scones
High-Protein Turkey Breakfast Patties
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place the extra-lean ground turkey and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl, mix well with a fork, and flatten out as best you can (easier to distribute spices). Set aside while you prepare the seasonings.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, salt, fennel seeds, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, sage, and savoury.
- Sprinkle the stirred spices evenly over the meat and immediately mix well to evenly distribute the seasoning in the meat. Work it only enough to incorporate, do not overwork the meat.
- Use a food scale to divide the pieces equally into 8 pieces. Cut a couple pieces of parchment paper into 4-5" squares to use to press the turkey patties. Lightly spray/oil one side of each of the parchment pieces.
- Preheat a frying pan or skillet over medium when ready to cook. Roll one at a time into a ball and press between the two oiled parchment. Press down until it's about ¼" / ½ cm thick.
- Lightly spray the pan with cooking oil or brush with a small amount of high-heat oil. Remove one side of the parchment and press that side of the exposed turkey patty to the preheated, oiled pan. Remove the second parchment sheet and repeat with the remaining turkey patties. I usually did 2-3 at a time.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side once liquid begins pooling on the surface of the patty and the edges are no longer pink. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until cooked through (165°F). Remove from the heat and repeat with the remaining patties.