These smashburgers are our family’s favorite burger. They cook in 4 minutes, have an amazingly juicy patty that locks in the flavor when smashed, a flavorful crisp crust, and a fantastic sauce that tastes so good with the burger. If you haven’t tried making smashburgers before, these are a must-try for your next barbecue!
What we love about Smashburgers
I’m not joking when I say these are our favorite burgers. They cook fast, are super juicy and have an incredible crust. When you smash a burger patty on to a hot griddle it causes deep, fantastic browning and a crisp, flavorful crust.
And I mean juicy! When you smash burgers, they cook quickly and stay juicy. The fast cooking locks in the moisture, especially using beef with a higher fat content (I like an 80/20 lean meat to fat ratio for these burgers).
Then you add the American cheese, which melts into the little crevices in the smashed beef, an amazing sauce and veggies, toasted buns, and I’m telling you these burgers are so good!! And did I mention they are done cooking in 4 minutes? These are a must-try for your summer barbecues, I can’t recommend them enough!
Looking for other summer barbecue dishes? Try our amazing Baby Back Barbecue Ribs, our tasty Potato Salad with Dill Pickles, our Vegetable Macaroni Salad, or for dessert, our delicious Strawberry Glazed Pie!
What you need to make this Smashburgers Recipe
You will need the following ingredients:
- Mayonniase
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Beef
- Worcestershire sauce
- Onion powder
- American cheese
- Hamburger buns
- Butter
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Dill pickle slices
- Slice onion
Best Smashburger Recipe Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- Instead of using the smashburger sauce recommended, you could try a different burger sauce, homemade or store bought, or just use mayonnaise, ketchup, and/or mustard
- Any of the lettuce, tomato, pickle and tomato ingredients can be omitted according to preference.
- You could add additional toppings like bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions, guacamole, etc.
- While I prefer the meltiness and flavor of American cheese with the burger, you can substitute the cheese for cheddar, Pepper Jack, Cheddar Jack, or other cheese varieties.
- I really like buttered and toasted brioche hamburger buns with this, but any variety of hamburger buns work great.
Step-by-step Instructions for this Smashburger Recipe
Step 1. In a large bowl, combine the beef with the Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and pepper. Divide the beef mixture into 8 equal pieces, about ¼ cup in size, and form into a ball with your hands. Place the beef on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and put it in the fridge while you make the sauce.
Step 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
Step 3. Heat a pan or griddle to medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add one of the beef patties and immediately smash it straight down with good, even pressure for several seconds using a piece of parchment paper between the patty and the beef press to ¼ of an inch thickness. Generously season with Kosher salt and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Flip the burger and immediately add the cheese on top. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Step 4. To serve the burgers, slather the sauce on the top bun, place lettuce on the bottom bun, and build your burger with one or two patties, tomatoes, onions, and pickles. Serve immediately.
Tips
- I like using a round burger press for making smash burgers. You can use a metal spatula as well if you don’t have one, but the round press applies even pressure around the patty and helps to flatten it. It should be a little heavy to help apply pressure to the patty. Stainless steel and cast iron presses are both popular. I prefer my stainless steel one because it is easier to clean and it works well. It helps to use a small piece of parchment paper between the press and the burger patty to ensure the press doesn’t stick to the meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can you make smashburgers ahead of time? |
| a. Smashburgers taste best right after cooking, so I wouldn’t recommend cooking them ahead of time. Cooked ground beef is good in the refrigerator for up to four days, but it will lose its crispness and have a less desirable texture. b. You can, however, season and shape the patties in advance, they will stay good covered in the fridge up to 2 days before cooking. |
| What can I serve with Vegetable Macaroni Salad? |
| Smashburgers are a popular summer side dish for barbecues and can be served with barbecue chicken, brats, hot dogs, ribs, brisket, or fried chicken. Other side dishes that often accompany smashburgers include fries, onion rings, macaroni salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, potato salad, cucumber salad, coleslaw, watermelon, fruit salad, and broccoli salad. |
Best Smashburger Recipe
20
minutes4-16
minutes, faster if using a griddle4-8
servings, 4 double cheeseburgers or 8 single cheeseburgers24-36
minutesThese smashburgers are our family’s favorite burger. They cook in 4 minutes, have an amazingly juicy patty that locks in the flavor when smashed, a flavorful crisp crust, and a fantastic sauce that tastes so good with the burger. If you haven’t tried making smashburgers before, these are a must-try for your next barbecue!
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef, 80/20 lean meat to fat ratio recommended
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
½ cup mayo
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
8 hamburger buns, I prefer brioche buns (8 for single patty burgers, 4 for double patty burgers)
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 -2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt
8 slices American cheese
Toppings: sliced tomato, sliced onion, lettuce, pickles
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef with the Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and pepper. (I put food-safe vinyl gloves on and mix it together with my hands to help evenly spread the seasonings).
- Divide the beef mixture into 8 equal pieces, about ¼ cup in size, and form into a ball with your hands. Place the beef on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and put it in the fridge while you make the sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
- Preheat a pan (if I use a pan, I like using my cast iron skillet) or griddle to medium heat. Butter the insides of the buns and toast them for about 2-3 minutes until lightly toasted, checking on them while they cook to make sure they don’t burn.
- Set the buns aside on individual plates or on a platter ready to serve. If using the same pan for the burgers, wipe the pan free of any crumbs, or use a different pan.
- Before cooking the burgers, make sure your toppings are sliced and ready. The burgers cook fast and you want to be able to serve them when warm.
- Heat a pan or griddle to medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add one of the beef patties and immediately smash it straight down with good, even pressure for several seconds using a piece of parchment paper between the patty and the beef press to ¼ of an inch thickness. I wear a heat-resistant oven mitt or glove when doing this. Generously season with Kosher salt and let it cook for about 2 minutes. If using a grill, repeat this process with all the patties.
- Flip the burger and immediately add the cheese on top. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. If using a pan, remove the burger when done and repeat this process with the next patty/patties. Using a griddle is faster as you can cook the patties all at once. Place the burgers in a 200-degree Fahrenheit oven to stay warm if necessary while finishing other burgers if you are not serving immediately.
- To serve the burgers, slather the sauce on the top bun, place lettuce on the bottom bun, and build your burger with one or two patties, tomatoes, onions, and pickles. Serve immediately. This serves 4 with double patty burgers or 8 with single patty burgers.
Notes
- You want to make sure and add the salt to the patty right after smashing the burger before it starts to cook. Adding the salt to the meat mixture in advance can draw out the moisture from the meat, which you don’t want. Adding salt after smashing helps to ensure a nice crust on the hamburger patty and improves flavor.
- I like using a round burger press for making smash burgers. You can use a metal spatula as well if you don’t have one, but the round press applies even pressure around the patty and helps to flatten it. It should be a little heavy to help apply pressure to the patty. Stainless steel and cast iron presses are both popular. I prefer a stainless steel one because it is easier to clean and it works well. It helps to use a small piece of parchment paper between the press and the burger patty to ensure the press doesn’t stick to the meat.
- I like to refrigerate the patties for a few minutes after forming them before cooking them. Cold patties help to retain their shape, prevent them from falling apart when smashing, and allow for better searing and a crispier crust.
- We love this Dijonnaise burger sauce, it perfectly compliments the burger. It is a Dijon aioli that is creamy, rich, slightly tangy and sharp that is a great compliment to the beef. We have tried other burger sauces and like this the best.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! My sons love cheeseburgers and this one is a keeper:)
Thank you so much! Its our family’s favorite burger, I love hearing that you enjoy it too. Thank you!
Thanks for this fantastic recipe. It’s turning into one of our go-to summer lunches at home.
I love hearing that, thank you Stephanie! I appreciate you taking the time to leave some feedback. Its my kids’ favorite burger, we love the sauce with it and I love how fast they are to make! I’m so glad you are enjoying it too!
Agree! The BEST Smash burger to try! Look at the juiciness and flavors , fantastic:)
Thank you so much! We love these burgers! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and share feedback!
I saw a picture of your burger and thought, “I have to try these”. I’m so glad I did! I didn’t have the press, but I used a spatula and was very happy with the results. I’m only making smash burgers from now on!
I love hearing this! Our family really loves them too. I’m so glad to hear the spatula worked, thanks for the great feedback!
OMG, can’t wait to make these!!
Let me know if you make them! They are our favorite burger and are so quick and easy to make! Thanks for stopping by and for the great feedback!
We made these this weekend and they’re AMAZING! Our new favorite burger. Thanks, Risa!
I LOVE hearing that Jen! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, they are our favorite too! Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback!
My kids will love these! Can’t wait to try!
It’s a fun recipe for the family, we all enjoy them! Let me know if you try them, thanks for stopping by!
I put Sean on this one, outside on the flat top griddle. He said the parchment paper made it a breeze to do the smash. We all enjoyed the seasoning you came up with for the patties, so tasty.
This makes me so happy to hear! The parchment paper really does help and the whole family loves these. I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thanks for letting me know!
I’ve heard smashburgers are next level, can’t wait to try making these!
Thanks so much! We just had them tonight and they really are so good! Let me know if you try them, thanks for stopping by!