These succulent Salmon Burgers are among the healthiest and most delicious burgers you’ll ever eat! They’re made with fresh (not canned) salmon and without added breadcrumbs or eggs. It’s pure salmon goodness, all the way.
Email Me the Recipe!
From time to time, we'll send you Well Plated emails. You can unsubscribe anytime. Have an account? Log In.
These salmon burgers are a total crowd-pleaser!
Buns, toppings, and a tender protein—the gang’s all here! Step aside, Turkey Burgers! This salmon burger is light, tender, and moist, and the friendly format means even seafood skeptics will enjoy it.
What makes this recipe such a winner? I’m glad you asked!
- My salmon burger recipe is made with FRESH salmon, not canned!
- Instead of breadcrumbs, eggs, or mayo to bind the burgers (like my Shrimp Burger), I chop the salmon finely to help it hold together. This makes the patties gluten-free and low-carb.
- Like my Avocado Tuna Cakes, these burgers are rich in Omega-3s, protein, calcium, and vitamin B. Salmon burgers are healthy and serve as a lighter alternative in your burger repertoire.
- Even those who are new to cooking seafood can master these salmon burgers. The ingredients are simple and preparing them is easy. You’ll want to make them on repeat!
5 Star Review
“LOVED this recipe. Huge hit! We will definitely make it a staple in our house.”
— Danielle —
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Salmon. The star of these fresh burgers! The tiny, diced pieces of salmon become exceptionally tender and flaky as they’re cooked, creating a scrumptious texture.
- Greek Yogurt. Our sneaky binding agent. Not only is Greek yogurt a tasty, tangy way to hold our burgers together, but it also gives them an extra dose of protein.
- Lemon Juice. A squeeze of lemon juice brightens everything up and helps these burgers taste their best.
- Ginger. An overlooked companion flavor to salmon is ginger. Ginger adds great balance to almost any fish. Ginger all-out stars in this Soy Ginger Salmon, while the ginger in these salmon burgers is more complementary than robust.
- Herbs + Spices. Herbs like cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, or a mix will work perfectly here and add a touch of freshness.
- Greek Yogurt Herb Sauce. A bit of vinegar, Greek yogurt, diced herbs (e.g. cilantro, parsley, or dill), and garlic powder mixed together make an easy, yet impeccable sauce for salmon burgers that adds even more moisture.
- Bun. Soft buns that compress fairly easily are the best type of buns for burgers (dry, chewy buns are not as pleasant with burgers). Make sure it is sturdy enough to hold the patty too. I like brioche buns, or for extra fiber, whole wheat buns. Want to go the extra mile? Make your own with my Hamburger Buns recipe.
My Tips and Tricks for Perfect Salmon Burgers
- Mince the Salmon Thoroughly. This is critical! Dicing the salmon into small cubes and combining them with two tablespoons of Greek yogurt creates a patty that is substantial in texture, yet also moist, fresh, and flavorful because the patty remains mostly fish. Don’t be tempted to shortcut this step!
- Get a Head Start. Assemble your patties up to 1 day in advance, storing them in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator. You can also prepare your sauce up to 1 day in advance and store it in a separate airtight storage container in the refrigerator.
- Fresh Salmon Is the Move. I do not recommend making these salmon burgers with canned salmon. Fresh salmon will produce the best results. (My Salmon Croquettes are a better option for canned salmon.)
What Do You Put On a Salmon Burger?
To find the right condiment for salmon burgers, think beyond ketchup and cheese. Basil Pesto, sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), and Dijon mustard are all fantastic options. Here are more of my favorite options:
- Grilled Pineapple. Care to elevate this salmon burger recipe to a tropical paradise? Add grilled pineapple! Just as in these Teriyaki Burgers with Grilled Pineapple, a pineapple caramelizes on the grill and adds some sweetness that transports this recipe AND you to the beach.
- Arugula. Its peppery notes can stand up to the flavorful salmon burger patty.
- Tomato. A thick slice of juicy tomato is delicious on salmon burgers and my favorite for pairing with the burger sauce. (Roasted Tomatoes would be yummy too.)
- Red Onion. A burger classic. Or try Pickled Onions.
- Avocado. As this Avocado Burger can attest, avocado is a delicious addition to a burger. Try sliced or mashed avocado, or take things up a notch with homemade guacamole.
Salmon Burgers
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes
Total: 19 minutes
Servings: 4 burgers
Video
How to make the best fresh salmon burgers that are healthy and hold together on the stovetop or grill. No breadcrumbs or fillers!
Email Me the Recipe!
From time to time, we’ll send you Well Plated emails. You can unsubscribe anytime. Have an account? Log In.
Ingredients
For the Burgers:
- 1 ¼ pounds salmon fillets skin and pinbones removed
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, or a mix
- 2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional as needed
For the Sauce:
- ¾ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs such as cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, or a mix
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For Serving:
- Buns or lettuce cups
- Arugula optional
- Sliced tomato optional
Instructions
- Place the salmon on a cutting board and cut crosswise into very thin, 1/4-inch strips. Now, take a second pass at cutting, going over the pieces in the opposite direction so that you cut the strips into a dice. Continue cutting the salmon until the pieces are very small, about 1/8- to 1/4-inch each. (Be patient. Moist, tender patties will be your reward.)
- Transfer the salmon to a large mixing bowl. Add the herbs, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, ginger, and black pepper. With a fork, mix to combine.
- Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. With your hands, compact each portion into a patty that is about 1 inch thick. They might not hold together at first, but keep squeezing. Place the patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet or large plate. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
- While the burgers chill, prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, vinegar, herbs, garlic powder, and salt. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, gently lower the salmon patties onto it. Cook on the first side until crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently flip burgers and cook on the second side until crisp and the burgers register 145°F on an instant read thermometer, about 4 minutes more.
- Serve the burgers immediately (on buns or inside of lettuce cups), topped with lots of the sauce and a sliced tomato if you like.
Notes
- TO GRILL: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (about 400° F). Just before grilling the burgers, oil the grill VERY well. Add the burgers and cook as directed in Step 5, being careful just to flip them once if possible. If you want to 100% safeguard against the burgers sticking, you can grill them on a piece of aluminum foil coated with nonstick spray. Toast the buns on the grill if desired.
- If you’d like to toast the buns, you can do so either on the grill, in your skillet after you are finished cooking the burgers (cover them with foil to keep them hot), or place them cut-side up on a baking sheet and toast in the oven under your broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute (watch VERY CAREFULLY).
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Assemble your patties up to 1 day in advance, storing them in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator. You can also prepare your sauce up to 1 day in advance and store it in a separate airtight storage container in the refrigerator.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate burgers and sauce separately in airtight storage containers for up to 2 days.
- TO REHEAT: Very gently reheat burgers in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat. I also like to splash a bit of water into the skillet, then cover it to help the burgers steam.
- TO FREEZE: Individually wrap burgers, and freeze them in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1burger (with 1/4 sauce and no bun)Calories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 30gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 79mgPotassium: 721mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 111IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
Email Me the Recipe!
From time to time, we’ll send you Well Plated emails. You can unsubscribe anytime. Have an account? Log In.
What to Serve With Salmon Burgers
- Salad. Roasted Vegetable Salad or Healthy Coleslaw would be tasty.
- Fries. From Sweet Potato Fries to Parsnip Fries to Air Fryer French Fries, you can’t go wrong!
- Veggies. Try Grilled Asparagus, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, or Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts.
- Chips. A side of crispy Air Fryer Potato Chips is always a hit!
Could you use canned salmon vs. fillets?
Samantha, for this recipe you need uncooked salmon (vs. canned salmon which is cooked). If you are looking for a recipe with canned salmon, check out these salmon patties. You could make them larger and serve them as burgers: https://www.wellplated.com/salmon-patty-recipe/
Amazing recipe. Made it precisely like it said and they came out perfect ! So Delicious !!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Allison! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This recipe was phenomenal, easy and super light! Definitely worth the time dicing up the salmon filet and refrigerating the burgers for an hour-plus definitely helped them stay together. Another Well Plated success story!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Mike! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This recipe is awesome! The burgers were delicious and very easy to make and the sauce went quite well with them. Though I made the burgers in a skillet atop the stove, I browned them nicely by oiling the pan really well, putting a lid on the skillet, and turning the temperature up high for around three minutes before cooking them a few more minutes and flipping. That added a nice flavor to them (though it dries them out a bit) and I served them on hamburger buns with romaine lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Thank you for creating this easy and wonderful recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Z! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This was beyond!! Much simpler than I thought – I made for a large group of people and it was loved by everyone. Served with sweet potato fries and a side salad. Delish!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Allyson! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Fantastic and so fresh! Added celery salt instead of regular salt, which was a great flavor addition. Removing the skin and mincing the salmon was a pain, but worth it. Adding this recipe to my arsenal.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Rebecca! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made these today for my husband. I didn’t have ground ginger, so I substituted fresh. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written. The burgers were delicious and easy to make. I will definitely be making these again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Susan! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
LOVED this recipe. Huge hit! We will definitely make it a staple in our house.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Danielle! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Erin,
I loved this recipe! I used Mayo because I didn’t have yogurt on hand. Before placing them in the pan to fry, I sprinkled the patties lightly with plain Panko. The result was amazing: flavorful, crispy on the outside and tender/moist on the inside. I served on Focaccia with the sauce, arugula and tomato. So good!!!
P.S. I found an easy way to remove the skin from salmon: bring about a 1/2 inch of water to boil in a frying pan; place the salmon in it, skin down. Let sit for about a minute and remove. Using a spatula, the skin will easily peel off.
Hi Janet! Thank you for your feedback! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for this kind review!
Please, ask whoever is plugging in advertisements on your page, stop making the ads moving. Extremely difficult to concentrate on reading your recipes when the ads are constantly moving in and out, plus moving within them.
Hi Lorna! I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience the ads caused you! I will certainly keep paying close attention to the number of ads and how they load, as I never want them to hinder your ability to view the recipe or the blog post. I do truly appreciate your feedback and apologize again for the inconvenience!
Hey Erin! I love this recipe so much (and all your recipes to be honest)! Do you think it would work if I used any other fish as well or would the greek yogurt be overpowering? I have heaps of cod and haddock leftover from a fish chipper dinner.
Hi Bern! Thank you for this kind review! I have not tested this recipe with any other fish so it would be hard to say if it would work or not. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Tasty. Light. I liked them. Thank you. I used fresh salmon which I minced very small. Held patty shape nicely. (I refrigerated them for 25 min) I would not recommend canned salmon.
Hi MaryJo! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! I don’t recommend it either for these burgers. We use it for our salmon patties recipe.
This is the best recipe, grilled them and they came out so moist and juicy. Loaded with flavor. Thank you.
Hi Sandra! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Wow, super happy with this recipe. Stumbled upon and was not disappointed. Made sure to save for future.
Hi Dennis! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I loved these! I used cilantro and because I did not have chives, the green tops of green onion. The sauce was good too! Will make again! Thanks!
Hi Mary! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I have made these 4 times now. This time I also added garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, a bit of cayenne and smoked paprika and finally some coriander and cumin powder. They gave them an extra kick and the taste was phenomenal! My family love these so much, we’ve decided to prep these weekly for our meals!
Hi Sammy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Wow…wow…wow! I just made these and they are DELICIOUS!!! I was nervous about the combination of ingredients, but the flavour is perfect. I made six burgers for more of a ‘slider’ result. These went down a treat. Thank you, Erin, for sharing this simple, tasty recipe with us!
Yay! Thank you KayL!
these are so great. love them. I wondering if I can use my food processor instead of chopping the salmon. Also, can I use a non dairy yogurt?
Hi Linda, so glad you enjoyed it. Non dairy yogurt should be ok. Using the food processor might grind it too much, but you could try. If you decide to give it a try, let me know how it goes.
Thanks for the recipe! The salmon burgers were delicious and helped me stay on track with my diet. I added a little slap ya momma seasoning to the salmon seasoning. I don’t even like salmon that much but these changed my mind. I used low carb multi grain bread instead of buns, and topped it with lettuce, a tomato slice, red onion, avocado and a little gourmet chipotle mayo. I will definitely be making these going forward!
Glad to hear you enjoyed them Christine!
Also what can we do with the left over spread/sauce?
Hi! This sauce is great over any kind of seafood, but you could possibly use it on sandwiches, pile it onto baked potatoes, and dollop it onto grilled veggies or dip some air fryer cauliflower into it. Enjoy! https://www.wellplated.com/air-fryer-cauliflower/
These are sooo yummy! I grilled them on a copper slip at mat and they came out beautifully.
I can’t give it t 4.75 because the app won’t allow it. I do get frustrated when recipe says 10 minutes of prep. Really??? I doubled the recipe, so that adds more, but it took me close to an hour to do the prep. Reasonable prep estimates with fresh filets is 40 including everything.
Glad you enjoyed them, Vicki! Thanks for the feedback!
What a nice spin on a burger. This is the first time I’ve had a salmon burger and being not the biggest fan of fish, I adore this! I will definitely be making this again, thank you so much for this recipe!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Katrina! Thank you!
These look AMAZING! I really love your photography. I love that I can make the mixture ahead of time and hold it in the fridge and/or make a couple at a time on nights when everyone needs to eat at a different time!! My husband and I loved extra peppers in the dipping sauce.
Thank you Andrea!
This was fantastic. Never thought I would’ve enjoyed this and it surpassed my expectations. I added a drizzle of fresh lemon juice on the arugula for the sandwich.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Alessandra! Thank you!
Can I bake it instead of frying?
Hi Monica, I haven’t tested it out myself but it seems like you probably could. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Thanks for the respond Erin,
Do you think that baking it would make the patty drier?
Hi Monica, I can really only attest to the way I’ve tested it out which is skillet and grill versions. If experimenting with them in the oven you’ll want to make sure they cook to 145°F. If you achieve that, then they won’t be dry. Enjoy!
I’m after recipes for IBD and this one looks great. If I change Greek yogurt to coconut for the dressing and omit the leaves, it’ll be even more easily digestible.
Hope you enjoy it, Michelle!
I would make this recipe again
Thank you Diana!
These tasted really good! But my burgers fell apart :( any advice?
Hi Kylie! Salmon burgers are super delicate. You could try packing them a little more tightly next time. I also recommend a fish spatula for easy flipping.
I’m trying to cut back on carbs and this was a great find! The fact that there are no breadcrumbs makes it feel so much cleaner and healthier. I put mine on top of a big arugula salad with some of the herb sauce drizzled over everything. The flavor was really fresh and not “fishy” at all. I really enjoyed this. Thanks
So glad you enjoyed the burgers, Vanessa! Thank you!
Made these for a quick dinner, and they were a nice change from our usual burgers. They cooked up fast, didn’t fall apart, and had a light, fresh taste. I think next time I’ll add a little more seasoning or a sauce to kick up the flavor, but overall they were really good.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the burgers, Fatima! Thank you!
Not gonna lie, I doubted this at first because there’s no binder, but I’m glad I trusted the process. The flavors are really good, not overwhelming at all. The sauce totally makes it. I did add a touch more garlic powder to the patties, and it gave them that extra punch I like.
So glad you enjoyed the burgers, Betty! Thank you!