The best hamburger recipes are made with nothing more than beef, salt and pepper. I’m talking the ones you get from good steakhouses and diners. A great crust on the outside, juicy, beef and tender on the inside.
Homemade hamburgers are made for piling on toppings of choice. So don’t let anyone tell you what should and shouldn’t go on your burger!
Hamburger recipe
In my youth, I learned how to make hamburgers from a celebrity chef who insisted that you needed breadcrumbs, egg and seasonings for a truly great burger. And that’s how I made it for years, thinking that was the right way.
After multiple trips to the States (sorry Australia, but no one does burgers like America!), too many burgers, and watching countless cooking shows, meeting chefs, caterers and restauranteurs, I’ve been converted to the right way.
A great beef hamburger patty requires nothing more than beef.
No flavourings other than salt and pepper. Just a nice fatty beef mince – even from the supermarket.
Best Hamburger Patties
The secret to a truly great homemade hamburger recipe is to use beef that’s nice and fatty. Ideally, a good quality ground beef / mince from a butcher, but nowadays, supermarkets sell very good quality beef too.
When it comes to cooking with meat, here’s a big takeaway from this hamburger recipe: fat = flavour. If you mix pork fat into lean beef then cook it up, you’d swear you’re eating pork.
Thus, the big secret is revealed. The very best burgers you’ve had are made with nothing more than fatty beef, salt and pepper. That’s the way it’s done at all your favourite burger joints and diners (McDonald’s aside, because who knows the secret spices in those burgers??).
Tip: Dent the Hamburger Patty
If you’ve ever had your burgers shrink into little domes, you’ll love this little tip.
Dent the surface of the patty using your fingers. You’ll still get some shrinkage, but substantially less. Great tip I picked up from Bobby Flay!
What to put on Hamburgers
As a food blogger, it’s sometimes hard to resist making food look crazy irresistible. I confess to being a sucker for this, and such is the case with the first hamburger recipe I published, pictured below, with that mouth watering runny yolk and golden crispy bacon.
Truth be told, I never order burgers fully loaded. Because classic hamburgers done right are crazy delicious as they are, and also for practical reasons – whose mouth is big enough to shove THIS in????
For me, if you’ve got a big, juicy hamburger patty topped with melted cheese, all you need is a big dollop of a condiment of choice (relish, ketchup, mustard, mayo), lettuce, tomato and pickles.
Everything else is optional.
Though as an Aussie, excluding beetroot from the list of “must haves” may be considered a blasphemy!!! – Nagi x
PS I’m a sucker for hamburgers on the BBQ, but ironically, I usually make them on the stove because it’s easier midweek.
More Burgers, Sliders and Sandwiches
Chicken Burger – juicy seasoned chicken breast steak with the lot!
Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burger – chicken marinated in a homemade flavour bomb Peri Peri sauce
Cubanos – The famous Cuban roast pork sandwich from The Chef movie
Pastrami Sandwiches – Rye bread piled high with homemade pastrami. EPIC!
Veggie Burger – Meatless made amazing. Puts those doughy bricks at the shops to shame!
Browse all Burgers and Sandwiches & Sliders recipes
How to make hamburgers
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Hamburger Recipe
Ingredients
Hamburger Pattie
- 800g – 1kg / 1.6 – 2 lb ground beef (mince), 20%+ fat (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 onions, peeled and sliced into rings
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 – 8 slices cheese of choice, I use Swiss (optional)
Hamburger
- 4 soft hamburger buns, lightly toasted
- Lettuce, tomato slices
- Ketchup, mustard, relish, sliced pickles
On the side
Instructions
- Separate beef into 4 equal portions. Use hands to lightly form into patties the size of your buns (mine are about 10 cm / 4″) – don’t press hard, light fingers = soft juicy patties (see video for how I do this).
- Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Make a dent on one side (stop burger from become dome shape and shrinking when cooking).
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy based skillet or BBQ over high heat. Add onion and cook until wilted and caramelised. Season with salt and pepper, then remove.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil until smoking. Add patties and cook for 2 minutes until deep golden with a great crust. Do not press! Flip carefully, cook for 1 minute then top with cheese (if using). Cover with lid and cook for further 1 minute until cheese is melted.
- Meanwhile, toast the cut side of the buns lightly.
- To serve: Spread base of buns with sauce / condiment of choice. Top with lettuce then tomato, then hamburger patty. Pile over onions, sliced pickles, then more sauce/condiments. Top with lid of bun. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Originally published 2016 with this recipe. Recipe updated and improved in May 2018.Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
This inflatable cone (the alternative to the plastic Cone of Shame) – he loves it. It’s like an inbuilt pillow. He’s been like this for hours! (Yeah, he ain’t cute when he sleeps!)
Nagi, I was a doubter….. didn’t think just salt and pepper would cut it, but I have to admit (even with lean mince) these were the best burgers I’ve made. The two of us ate the lot with some sweet potato wedges on the side. I’m a convert now. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Planning on making the Family Meat Pie on the weekend. I knew that the ‘spare’ stubby of Guinness I was hoarding would be put to a special use 😀
OMG!!! What a delight for such a simple recipe ☺️
Hi Nagi, Just wanted to know what should be the internal temperature of the patty to know its properly cooked and safe to eat
Amazing!
This is literally the best burger recipe in the world. As a self confessed burger coniseur I have been trying to find the perfect recipe for a couple of years. This, despite its simplicity, is simply unreal. Burger patties do not need anything added to the actual pattie; you make it your own with the toppings, and well done for actually telling people that you MUST use a higher fat beef mince as a lot of recipes simply state “beef mince”. As you say, the fat is imperative for flavour. Also texture, as these were the most juicy burgers ever. Thank you so much Nagi
Nagi I must say I was skeptical of this recipe. Could it really be this simple?!
YES IT IS!!!! As self appointed burger experts, my partner and I were really impressed – very juicy and tasty. This recipe will be going into high rotation
Beef burger is not a hamburger
Fantastic!! so easy and so delicious.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This is the best burger patty I’ve ever made and will be the only way I make them from now on. Your instructions and video were so helpful! All of your recipes are amazing!
I made 14 of these for a bbq on the weekend along with chicken skewers, sausages and marinated pork chops (another Nagi recipe). Only one leftover pork chop but there were no hamburgers left at all. I didn’t even get one they vanished so fast. So many compliments and queries where I bought them from haha. Thanks for an awesome recipe Nagi. I’ll have to make them again so I can try them too.
I forgot the stars but definitely 5 stars!
I’ve used mince, breadcrumbs, egg, onion and spices for YEARS to make my burger patties but tonight I thought “how does Nagi make her patties?” I was surprised when I saw how simple they were and I must say – they were a BIG hit!! They’re my new less-is-more burger pattie – thanks for sharing Nagi! x
Delicious. Just Delicious.🍔
Who knew! Most simple ingredients yet, best burger ever!!!
This was truly the best burger I’ve ever made and it was so simple!
That’s great Jane!! N x
Can you tell me how to keep the burgers from shrinking?
That’s the fat ‘n’ moisture rendering off, and the meat fibres contracting. You’ve gotta allow for shrinkage by making your patties 1½cm/½inch bigger than your bun. Happy scoffing.
Oh they were good. Moist, tasty delicious.
fat idiot mate
Hi Nagi, can’t wait to try these!! how do you get Chuck beef mince? Is that different to normal beef mince? TIA x
Hi Erin, as long as you have high fat content in the meat you’ll be guaranteed flavour 🙂 N x
Made a bunless version of this recipe for dinner the other night and I couldn’t get over how tasty the patty was! Took some for lunch leftovers and all the girls in the office were asking me what I put in the patties and they couldn’t believe that it was just salt and pepper!! Thank you for the cooking tips, Nagi. This will be heavily incorporated into our weekly dinners! xx
Super easy! Very yummy burgers. Mine took a LOT longer to cook, probably too thick but turned out fab. I used this on 5% fat beef, still yum. This is my go too burger recipe. Thank you very much Nagi x
Perfect Cha! N x
Can you cook these burgers in the oven?
Hi Nagi! Thank you for this absolutely delicious recipe. I used 1kg of meat for our family of six and the burgers were thick and juicy. We added lettuce, tomato, cucumber, fried egg (broken and cooked through yolks), bacon, onions and sauces.
So yummy and filling!
Sounds like you nailed it Yewnique!! N x