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Anyone can easily make this Smash Burger Recipe with fabulous results. The thin patties are browned to perfection but flavorful and juicy on the inside.
Smash burgers at home are perfect for a weeknight meal or to feed a crowd. The burgers are cooked perfect with the best texture and a juicy center. This easy beef recipe taste just like the burgers you get at your favorite diner.
If you love home cooked burgers, then you must try this Smash Burger Sliders, Bacon Blue Cheese Burger or Copycat In-N-Out Burger Recipe.
Table of Contents
What is a Smash burger?
This type of burger is formed into a ball. It is then smashed into a patty with a burger press or spatula as it is placed on the grill.
The texture of the burger is amazing cooked this way. The outside gets extra brown but the inside retains all the juices and flavor.
This all combines for one fantastic burger. It is all around a wonderful meal with lots of flavor packed into the burger patties.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef, 80/20
- Butter
- Garlic Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cheddar Cheese
- Hamburger Buns
- Butter, Melted
- Leaf Lettuce
- Tomato, sliced
- Red Onion, peeled and slice
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Prepare the meat. Divide the beef into 8 balls that are approximately 3 oz each. Place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
- Step 2 – Preheat the griddle. Use medium high heat (approximately 400 degrees F).
- Step 3 – Butter the hamburger buns. Place the burger buns on the griddle for 2 minutes to toast them and then set them aside while you prepare the beef.
- Step 4 – Coat the hot griddle with butter. Then place the remaining butter on the griddle. Move it around to melt it.
- Step 5 – Place the burgers on the griddle. Then place 4 of the beef balls on the griddle in the melted butter. Top each one with a piece on parchment paper. Then firmly press down to smash the beef into a thin patty with either a burger press or a large metal spatula and then discard the parchment paper.
- Step 6 – Season the burgers before cooking. Season with the patties with garlic salt and the pepper.
- Step 7 – Cook the seasoned burgers. The burger cooks for 2 minutes until the juices in the beef start to raise to the top and the color starts to change. Then scrape under the patty to get under the caramelized parts and flip the burger. Once flipped, do not smash down the patties again.
- Step 8 – Top with cheese. Cook for 1 more minute and place a piece of cheese on 2 of the patties (half of them) to melt. Once the cheese is melted, top each of those patties with the other patties without cheese.
- Step 9 – Continue the process. Then move those patties to a separate platter and continue this process until all the patties have been prepared.
- Step 10 – Assemble the burgers. Then it’s time to assemble your burgers. Place the lettuce, sliced tomatoes and slice red onions on the bottom bun. Add the double patty on top and top with the the top of the hamburger buns.
- Step 11 – Enjoy. Then the smash burgers are ready to enjoy! They are so easy and taste great for any occasion.
Recipe Tips
- Patties. When preparing the balls with the beef, do not pack them together. Loosely roll them into balls so that they are easier to smash.
- Buns. You can use your favorite style hamburger buns. Some ideas include: Sesame buns, brioche, steakhouse style and more.
- Well chilled burgers. It is important that the hamburger patties stay chilled until they go on the grill. This helps the fat content remain in the meat and results in a juicy burger that tastes amazing.
- Onions. We used red onions but you can use white onions or sweet onions such as Vidalia. Any of these would be great.
- Burger Press. You can use a burger press or large metal spatula to press the burgers down. Either of these will work.
- Make ahead. This recipe is easy to shape into balls and refrigerate ahead of time. Just cover and place in the fridge up to 1-2 days. Cook as normal.
- Parchment paper. The secret to preventing the burgers from sticking is the parchment paper. Don’t skip this step or it will be messy.
- Serve a crowd. If you need to feed a large crowd, you can make these in batches and keep them warm in the oven. Another option is to use a large flat top grill and make a bunch at once.
- Substitute Garlic Salt. If you are trying to reduce the sodium, you can use garlic powder instead of garlic salt.
Burger Toppings
- Homemade Ketchup. It is so easy to make ketchup at home. Give this a try if you never have tried it.
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow Mustard
- Homemade Barbecue Sauce
- American Cheese or any slice of cheese you prefer. Cheddar cheese is delicious.
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Tomato
- Lettuce.
- Special Sauce or burger sauces. Combine mustard and mayonnaise together.
- Pickles
These are just a few options to top your burger with. Feel free to use your favorite toppings.
We like to set out a topping bar and everyone can choose what they like best.
Serving Suggestions
There are lots of options that pair nicely with these smash burger recipe. These are a couple of our favorites and everyone loves when we serve these.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover smashburgers recipe in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I recommend storing the smash burger ingredients separately for best results.
Yes, you can cook this best smash burger recipe using a cast iron skillet over medium heat. This is an easy alternative to the grill if the weather does not permit.
The cast iron cooks the burgers evenly and gives them a nice texture. Try cooking the burgers this way if you can’t use the outside griddle.
Lean ground beef or ground chuck is best for smashburgers. We used 80/20 blend of ground beef and it turned out delicious.
You can use 90/10 or 93/7 for this recipe to lower the fat content in this recipe, but we think that the 80/20 gives the best flavor to this recipe.
More Burger Recipes
- Fried onion burgers
- Patty Melt Recipe
- Copycat In-N-Out Burger Animal Style
- Freddy’s Patty Melt Recipe
- Grilled Taco Burger Recipe
- Jalapeno popper burger sliders
- Air fryer hamburgers
We love to hear from you. If you make this Smash Burger Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Smash Burger
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef 80/20
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 4 slices Cheddar Cheese
- 4 Hamburger Buns
- 1 Tbsp Butter Melted
- 4 Pieces Leaf Lettuce
- 1 Tomato sliced
- 1/2 Red Onion peeled and slice
Instructions
- Divide the beef into 8 balls that are approximately 3 oz each. Place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
- Preheat the griddle over medium high heat (approximately 400 degrees F).
- Butter the buns and place them on the griddle for 2 minutes to toast them and then set them aside while you prepare the beef.
- The place the remaining butter on the griddle. Move it around to melt it. Then place 4 of the beef balls on the griddle in the melted butter. Then top each one with a piece on parchment paper and then firmly press down to smash the beef into a thin patty with either a burger press or a large spatula and then discard the parchment paper. Season with the patties with garlic salt and the pepper.
- Cook the patties for 2 minutes until the juices in the beef start to raise to the top and the color starts to change. Then scrape under the patty to get under the caramelized parts and flip the patty. Once flipped, do not smash down the patties again. Cook for 1 more minute and place a piece of cheese on 2 of the patties (half of them) to melt. Once the cheese is melted, top each of those patties with the other patties without cheese.
- Then move those patties to a separate platter and continue this process until all the patties have been prepared.
- Then it’s time to assemble your burgers. Place the lettuce, sliced tomatoes and slice red onions on the bottom bun. Add the double patty on top and top with the the top of the hamburger buns.
- Then the smash burgers are ready to enjoy!
