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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Entree

    Best Homemade Hamburger Recipe

    Published: Jan 22, 2025 by Lisa Killian ยท This post may contain affiliate links. Please read myย  disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Looking for the best homemade hamburger recipe? Look no further! Whether you grill, cook on the stove or even bake- I have the best recipe for you! With all the tips and tricks to make these the tastiest, juiciest burgers ever.

    double pattie burger cross section
    Are you a single or double patty kind of person?

    Burgers are one of my favorite foods- whether itโ€™s topped with roasted green chile and a runny egg, something fancy like apple chutney and blue cheese, or simply cheese, lettuce, and pickles. Anyway you dress them up I will love them!

    If you have a Fortnite fan make sure to check out my Durr Burger! 

    Now, weโ€™ve all had (or at least most of us) those frozen patties from the store. And although they are great for convenience sake they donโ€™t tend to make the best burgers.  They get the job done for BBQs and parties but what if you want to take your burgers to the next level?

    Donโ€™t forget to try my Olive Oil Mayo and Homemade Hamburger Buns!

    Ever wonder why a bistro or brewery burger is always so juicy, thick, and perfectly cooked? Want to know how to get your burgers like that?

    burger with blue cheese and apple chutney
    Apple Chutney, blue cheese, and bacon is an amazing burger combo!

    Let's talk  about the best hamburger recipe!

    Best Ground Beef for Burgers

    Typically, the more fat the tastier it is- but the more fat and the harder it is for the meat to stick together.

    Ground beef that is 70/30 to 80/20 will be perfect for burgers.  (70/30 and 80/20 refers to % lean meat to % fat.  So any ground burger that has between 20% and 30% fat will be super tasty.

    80/20 ground beef is most common in stores and what I typically use.

    You can also grind your own ground beef or ask a butcher to grind meat for you.

    If you grind your own meat Beef Chuck is a great meat to grind for patties because the it has between 15 and 20% fat.

    What about other ground meats for burgers- like elk, lamb, pork and even chicken?

    Other meats will have different cooking temps that need to be reached and are sold in different fat percentages (like chicken). If you would like to learn more about making patties out of different meats let me know in the comments below!

    ยผ lb and ยฝ lb patties, 4 inches in diameter, with indent in center of each
    Indents in the patties help keep them from shrinking while cooking!

    How to make Hamburger Patties

    Now that we have the ground beef letโ€™s make the patties.

    Remove ground beef from the refrigerator and form it to balls, then  flatten into a 4 inch wide patty.

    Want super thick burgers? Use a ยฝ lb for each patty.

    Want โ€œnormalโ€ thickness burgers- similar to what youโ€™d get from fast food places and prefrozen patties? Use ยผ lb for each patty and I tend to try to make them 4.5 inches in diameter (they tend to shrink a little more than the thick burgers).

    Want to make sliders? Use 45 grams for each patty (or just divide a 1lb of ground beef into 10 equal pieces). Check out my hamburger sliders recipe here!

    Sliders staced in a pyramid
    Sliders are super fun for a party!

    If I want the perfect patty, I recommend weighing the ground beef using a food scale. However, if you eyeball it it should be fine too.

    Once you form the patties make a slight indent in the center of each one, about the size of the tip of your thumb. This will help the patty keep from shrinking.

    How to season hamburger patties?

    You might be wondering what about seasoning the meat- what about flavor?!

    Trust me on this- if you cook the hamburger right you wonโ€™t need a lot of seasoning.

    Once patties are formed and right before cooking sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Thatโ€™s it.

    If you want you can sprinkle with garlic and onion powder- but Iโ€™ll be the first to tell you it wonโ€™t need it.

    Shouldnโ€™t I mix the seasoning into the ground beef?

    Nope- itโ€™s not necessary, plus if you handle/work the ground beef too much it can cause the meat to become tough when cooked and we donโ€™t want that!

    What about stuffing the burgers with cheese or other tasty things?

    If you want a stuffed burger just mix in the cheese (or whatever) with the minimalist amount of mixing.

     patties in a cast iron skillet uncooked vs cooked
    YOu want a nice browned outside and a juicy inside.

    How to cook hamburgers:

    There are three main ways to cook a burger- well two but I am going to introduce you to a third that has become one of my favorites!

    Before starting  just remember that any hot oil and grease from the burgers can burn you. Any sort of pan frying will splatter (and be quite messy)- please be careful and take the proper precautions.

    How to cook burgers on the stove?

    Preheat a heavy bottomed fry pan/skillet (like a cast iron) with ยฝ teaspoon of oil. (Use an oil like vegetable oil).

    For thick ยฝ lb patties: Place patties on the pan and sear both sides, then flip the patties every 30 seconds or so until an internal temperature of 125-135ยฐF is reached for medium rare or 135-145ยฐF for medium (I use a meat thermometer for this).

    For ยผ lb patties: Since these are thinner, they will cook faster. So, place the patties in the preheated, oiled pan and cook without flipping for ~2 minutes. You want the side to form a nice golden/browned crust, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

    With thinner burgers itโ€™s harder to get a medium rare cooked burger, so expect it to be cooked to medium/well doneness.

    patties on grill- uncooked vs cooked
    Grilling burgers is so easy!

    Save this for later!

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Don't worry, I promise not to spam you!

    How to grill a burger?

    Preheat your grill for at least 5 minutes then clean and oil the grilling grate. (I use a gas grill so if you have a charcoal one adjust accordingly.)

    For thick ยฝ lb patties: Place patties on grill on, cover and cook for about 2 minutes- you want nice grill marks.   Flip and grill for another 2 minutes. Then and allow to continue to cook until the internal temperature reads 125-135ยฐF is reached for medium rare or 135-145ยฐF for medium- 5 to 6 minutes approximately.

    For ยผ lb patties: Place patties on the preheated grill and grill for 2 minutes, rotate 90ยฐF and cook for another 2 minutes until more grill marks appear. Then flip the patties, place cheese on the cooked side and grill from another 2-3 minutes.

    Burger Patties before and after baking
    Baking burgers might be my favorite way to cook a burger!

    How to bake a burger:

    Preheat oven to 200ยฐF and adjust your oven rack to the mid lower section of your oven.

    Line a baking sheet with foil. Place formed patties on prepared baking sheet.

    I used to bake the patties on a greased wire rack placed on top of the baking sheet (as shown above)  but never noticed a huge difference in how they baked and didnโ€™t want to clean the rack every time I made burgers. So you can try it if you want but it isn't necessary.

    Bake in oven until an internal temperature of 125-130ยฐF is reached for medium rare or 135-140ยฐF for medium, about 30-40 minutes. Time will vary depending on oven- make sure to check internal temp of burgers often.

    When burgers are at the correct internal temperature remove from oven. They will look like grey unappetizing blobs- but they are perfectly cooked and delicious.

    Now heat a heavy bottomed fry pan/ skillet with a tablespoon of vegetable oil until the oil is just smoking. Then place the patties in the pan and cook until a golden-brown crust forms, ~45 seconds to 1 minute, then flip and cook for another 45 seconds. Remove from pan and enjoy!

    I use a wireless meat thermometer most of the time- the same one for grilling, smoking, or baking meat- to make sure the internal temperature is correct. I love using my Thermoworks thermometer.

    This method works well for both ยฝ lb and ยผ lb burgers since you are really just waiting for the internal temp to reach the desired temperature.

    hamburger with fried egg and sweet potato strings
    Add a fried egg and some fried sweet potato strings! Yum!

    What about smash burgers?

    This is a topic for a different post and until I get to writing it up I recommend cooking smash burgers similar to my sliders just make the patties larger than the sliders- ~4-4.5 inches in diameter.

    How to keep burgers from shrinking?

    • Don't overwork the meat.
    • Use a good fat to meat ratio .
    • Flatten patties to 4-4.5 inches in diameter.
    • Make a small indent in the middle of each patty.

    Tips for buying ground beef in bulk:

    Often times, as with most things, the more ground beef you buy the cheaper it is.

    I will often buy a 5lb package of 80/20 ground beef and then when I get home portion out 1-2lb portions (using my food scale), bag them in quart freezer bags and freeze them.

    I also flatten out each bag before freezing, so they stack nicely.

    ground beef in quart freezer bags- flattened
    Freeze extra hamburger meat flat for easy stacking!

    The biggest takeaways from this entire post on how to make juicy hamburgers is:

    • Donโ€™t overwork the ground beef
    • Donโ€™t over season (thereโ€™s no need too!)
    • Make the patties at least 4 inches in diameter
    • Most importantly cook the burgers to your perfect internal temperature of doneness- cooking times will vary based on cooking method and cooking appliance (different ovens, grills, and pans will all affect how the burger cooks) .
    ยฝ lb burger with fixings
    Can go wrong with a classing cheese, lettuce, and tomato burger!

    What is your perfect burger doneness? Let me know in the comments!

    • Rare: 120-125ยฐF
    • Medium Rare: 130-135ยฐF
    • Medium: 140-145ยฐF
    • Medium Well: 150-155ยฐF
    • Well Done: 160-165ยฐF

    One of my favorite gourmet hamburger recipes is my Apple Chutney Blue Cheese Bacon Burger. First had this gem at a little brewery in Colorado and knew I had to recreate it for you all!

    Favorite toppings for burgers:

    • Classic: Cheese, Onion, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo, Mustard, Ketchup, and Pickles
    • Southwest Green Chile Cheeseburger: Green Chile, Fried Egg, Cheese
    • In-N-Out Animal style: Grilled Onions, In-N-Out Sauce (see my copy cat recipe here!), Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese
    • Hawaiian: Grilled pineapple, Red Onion, Lettuce and Sweet Teriyaki Sauce (mixture of teriyaki, mayo, and a little honey).
    • The Perfect Fall Burger: Apple Chutney, Blue Cheese, Bacon
    hamburger with lots of toppings
    Do you like simple burgers or burgers with lots of toppings?

    Other tasty toppings:

    • Fried Sweet Potato Strings
    • Sweet Pickles
    • BBQ Sauce
    • A 1 Sauce
    • Hot Sauce
    • Onion Rings
    • Chips
    • Peanut Butter (yes people really like this!)
    • Hot Dog- sliced in half lengthwise and laid on top

    Some of my favorite sides for burgers include:

    • Homemade French Fries
    • Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Easy Pasta Salad with Pepperoni

    Favorite Drinks with Burgers (besides a delicious ice-cold soda):

    • Homemade Lemonade
    • Homemade Limeade
    • Easy Mint Julep (non-alcoholic)
    • Homemade Watermelon Slush

    After Burger Desserts:

    • Sโ€™mores Bars
    • Bakery Style Rice Crispy Treats
    • Homemade Chocolate Cake
    • Easy Lemon Bars
    Best Burger Pinterest Pin
    Don't forget to pin this recipe!

    Video

    HTMLFont size
    Best Burger Featured Image

    The Best Hamburger Recipe

    Looking for the best hamburger recipe? Whether you grill, cook on the stove or even bake- I have the best recipe for you! With all the tips and tricks to make these the tastiest, juiciest burgers ever.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin
    Author: Lisa Killian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4 ยผ lb patties and ยฝ lb patties

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb ground hamburger- with 20-30% fat 80/20 is fine
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Vegetable oil

    Instructions

    Before startingย  just remember that any hot oil and grease from the burgers can burn you. Any sort of pan frying will splatter and be quite messy- please be careful and take the proper precautions.

    • Divide ground beef into equal portions and flatten into patties that are 4 inches in diameter. I recommend either making two ยฝ lb patties or four ยผ lb patties.
      Patties formed

    To cook on the stove:

    • Preheat a heavy bottomed fry pan/skillet (like a cast iron) with 1 teaspoon of oil. (Use an oil like vegetable oil).
    • For thick ยฝ lb patties: Place patties on the pan and sear both sides, then flip the patties every 30 seconds or so until an internal temperature of 125-135ยฐF is reached for medium rare or 135-145ยฐF for medium (I use a meat thermometer for this). ~4-7 minutes.
    • For ยผ lb patties: Since these are thinner, they will cook faster. So, place the patties in the preheated, oiled pan and cook without flipping for ~2 minutes. You want the side to form a nice golden/browned crust, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
      Browned Hamburger in Skillet
    • With thinner burgers itโ€™s harder to get a medium rare cooked burger, so expect it to be cooked to medium/well doneness.
      Best Burger Featured Image

    To grill the burgers:

    • Preheat your grill for at least 5 minutes then clean and oil the grilling grate. (I use a gas grill so if you have a charcoal one adjust accordingly.)
      Patties on grill
    • For thick ยฝ lb patties: Place patties on grill on, cover and cook for about 2 minutes- you want nice grill marks. Flip and grill for another 2 minutes. Then and allow to continue to cook until the internal temperature reads 125-135ยฐF is reached for medium rare or 135-145ยฐF for medium- 5 to 6 minutes approximately.
    • For ยผ lb patties: Place patties on the preheated grill and grill for 2 minutes, rotate 90ยฐF and cook for another 2 minutes until more grill marks appear. Then flip the patties, place cheese on the cooked side and grill from another 2-3 minutes.
      ยฝ lb burger with fixings

    To bake the burgers:

    • Preheat oven to 200ยฐF and adjust your oven rack to the mid lower section of your oven.
    • Line a baking sheet with foil. Place formed patties on prepared baking sheet.
      Patties on baking sheet
    • Bake in oven until an internal temperature of 120-125ยฐF is reached for medium rare or 130-135ยฐF for medium, about 30-40 minutes. Time will vary depending on oven- make sure to check internal temp of burgers often.
    • When burgers are at the correct internal temperature remove from oven. They will look like grey unappetizing blobs- but they are perfectly cooked and delicious.
      Hamburgers that were baked
    • Now heat a heavy bottomed fry pan/ skillet with a tablespoon of vegetable oil until the oil is just about smoking. Then place the patties in the pan and cook until a golden-brown crust forms, ~45seconds to a minute, then flip and cook for another 45 seconds. Remove from pan and enjoy!
      Browned Hamburger in Skillet
    • This method works well for both ยฝ lb and ยผ lb burgers since you are really just waiting for the internal temp to reach the desired temperature.
      ยฝ lb burger with fixings

    Notes

    Lisaโ€™s Tips and Tricks
    For all my tips please see the above blog post.
    The summary of my tips from the post:
    • Donโ€™t overwork the ground beef
    • Donโ€™t over season (thereโ€™s no need too!)
    • Make the patties at least 4 inches in diameter
    • Most importantly cook the burgers to your perfect internal temperature of doneness- cooking times will vary based on cooking method and cooking appliance (different ovens, grills, and pans will all affect how the burger cooks) .
    • Check out my Wagyu Burger recipe for extra flavorful burgers!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 288kcal | Protein: 19g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 306mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg

     

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