A homemade Smash Burger is quick and easy to make. These fly off the grill in minutes so it’s a great way to feed a crowd.

Smash burgers have the iconic flavor profile of classic Burgers, but that double burger patty with cheese melted in between is irresistible and you’ll love the special sauce.

Smash burger with cheese

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Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make restaurant-style Smash Burgers for your next cookout.

Smash Burger Video

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What is a Smash Burger?

Smash burgers are formed into balls of ground beef then pressed or smashed with a burger press into a thin patty as soon as they hit the grill. This creates extra browning and flavor on the outside while maintaining the patty’s juiciness.

We love burgers, from classic Juicy Burgers to Cheeseburger Sliders. Making your own patty from ground beef tastes so much better than flash-frozen or fast-food patties. These go down easier and you feel better after eating a fresh homemade burger because you control the quality of ingredients.

If you are a fan of Smash Burgers this homemade version is a must-try!

Center of a smash burger showing the layers

Ingredients for Smash Burgers

  • Ground Beef – We use 1.5 lbs of 80/20 beef to make 4 double-patty burgers, but you can easily scale the recipe up to feed a crowd (use 3 lbs for 8 double-patty burgers).
  • Sauce – A simple combination of mayo and yellow mustard is what we use to grill and assemble the burgers.
  • Cheese – we love thick-sliced medium cheddar cheese for burgers, but you can use American-style cheese or your favorite sliced cheese.
Ingredient for smash burgers

Burger Toppings

  • Buns – brioche buns taste great and have that steakhouse burger look, but any burger bun will work
  • Lettuce – thinly slice your iceberg lettuce for a restaurant-style smash burger
  • Pickles – sliced dill pickle chips are the best
  • Tomatoes – Select meaty and large-sized tomatoes for burgers and cut them into rings
  • Red onion – thinly sliced into rings
Burger toppings

How to Make Smash Burgers

  1. Prepare Patties – Divide 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef into 8 equal portions (3 oz each), cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
  2. Make Sauce – Stir together 1/3 cup mayo and 1 tsp mustard and set aside.
  3. Prep Toppings – fully prep your toppings ahead to assemble the burgers right away while the patties are hot and juicy off the grill.
  4. Toast buns – lightly butter the cut side of your buns and toast on a griddle or skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer to a rack.
  5. Cook patties – increase to medium-high heat. Depending on your surface area, place 2 to 4 cold pieces of meat onto the hot surface. Working quickly, cover each piece with a sheet of parchment paper and smash each into a thin patty. Remove parchment paper, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, add a dab of sauce, and flip. Sear for 2 minutes on the first side and about a minute on the second side.
  6. Add cheese – place a slice of cheese onto half of the patties and top with a second patty and remove from heat. Serve warm over toasted buns with toppings.
how to make smash burgers step by step

When to Flip the Burger: We cook the patty on the first side for about 2 minutes. Flip once the bottom is browned and caramelized.

Common Questions

What is the best beef for burgers?

For a tasty and juicy burger, use ground beef that is 80/20, or 80% lean and 20% fat.

Can I skip the burger sauce?

You can skip the sauce step when grilling the patties if you prefer then add your favorite burger sauces when assembling the burger.

Can I Make this on the stovetop?

Smash burgers can be cooked in a very large cast-iron skillet, or on a griddle (indoor or outdoor). We love using our Camp Chef cooktop to cook several patties at once.

Why does the beef need to be cold?

Unlike a good steak which we like to bring to room temperature first, burger patties should be well chilled before they go onto the grill. It helps the fat stay in the meat and will result in a juicier burger.

What is the Best Smash Burger Press?

A flat press works best to get the patties very thin. This is our favorite Smash Burger Tool, but you can also push over the top of a spatula with a meat mallet to smash burgers. Also, pre-cut parchment paper makes the job easy, but you can cut your own pieces.

Smash burger press, spatula and parchment paper

Make-Ahead

To Refrigerate: Since smash burgers are best using chilled ground beef, you can portion and refrigerate ahead. Roll the ground beef into balls then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.

Meatballs made ahead for smash burgers

How to Assemble a Smash Burger

According to my husband Vadim, who used to work at a restaurant, this is the proper way to assemble a burger.

  1. Spread sauce on the bottom bun.
  2. Add 3 slices of pickle
  3. Top with a mound of lettuce
  4. Add tomatoes and onions if using
  5. Top with meat patties and cover with the top bun.
Step by step assembling a smash burger.

How to Wrap a Burger

If you really want to replicate a restaurant copycat burger, try this easy burger wrapping technique. It’s easy and similar to wrapping a gift.

  1. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a 10-12″ square and fold in half into a triangle. Place parchment halfway over the burger.
  2. Flip burger upside and tuck in the sides.
  3. Tuck the bottom flap under the burger.
How to wrap a burger

The wrappers are so fun and help contain drips and messes. The kids seem to appreciate the wrappers. Maybe it’s because it feels like eating out.

smash burger wrapped in parchment paper

Serve With:

These are our favorite cookout recipes to make with burgers.

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Smash Burger Recipe with Easy Sauce

5 from 201 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
Smash burger recipe served on a bun
It’s easy to make restaurant-style Smash Burgers at home. These cook quickly and it’s one of the tastiest ways to prepare a burger. You’ll love the double patty with melted cheese in between, and the sauce is a must-try!
Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 4 burgers

Smash Burger Patties:

  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef, 80/20, divided into 8 portions (3oz each)
  • Salt, added to taste
  • Black Pepper, added to taste
  • garlic powder, optional, added to taste
  • 4 slices medium cheddar cheese, we love thick-sliced

Burger Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard

Toppings:

  • 4 burger buns, we used brioche buns
  • 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 1 large tomato, sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced into thin rings
  • 2 Dill Pickles, cut into 12 slices

Instructions

Portion Beef Patties:

  • Divide beef into 8 even portions, about 3 oz each. Loosely Roll them into balls then cover and refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients. The meat must be cold when it hits the grill.

Prep Toppings and Buns:

  • Remove wilted leaves from lettuce to keep it crunchy then finely shred lettuce. Slice tomatoes, onions, and pickles.
  • Butter and toast buns over medium heat until golden on the buttered side.

Cook the Patties:

  • Increase griddle to medium/high heat. Place 2-4 burger balls onto hot griddle. Working quickly, place parchment paper over the meat and firmly smash straight down into a thin patty.
  • Once patties are smashed, peel back and discard parchment papers and season patties with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add 1/2 teaspoon of burger sauce. Cook 2 minutes on the first side or until seared and juices start to come to the surface.
  • Scrape under the burger with spatula facing down at a 45˚ angle to get under the caramelized part and flip. Cook another 1 minute. Top half of the patties with sliced cheese and cover cheese with the second patty. Repeat with remaining burgers and transfer them to a platter as they finish cooking.

Assemble Burgers:

  • Place sauce on bottom of bun. Top with 3 pickle slices, shredded lettuce, 2 tomato slices and thin sliced onion. Add double patty and top with bun.

Nutrition Per Serving

730kcal Calories26g Carbs42g Protein59g Fat22g Saturated Fat10g Polyunsaturated Fat21g Monounsaturated Fat2g Trans Fat158mg Cholesterol926mg Sodium720mg Potassium2g Fiber6g Sugar791IU Vitamin A7mg Vitamin C335mg Calcium5mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Smash Burger Recipe with Easy Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
730
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
59
g
91
%
Saturated Fat
 
22
g
138
%
Trans Fat
 
2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
10
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
21
g
Cholesterol
 
158
mg
53
%
Sodium
 
926
mg
40
%
Potassium
 
720
mg
21
%
Carbohydrates
 
26
g
9
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
6
g
7
%
Protein
 
42
g
84
%
Vitamin A
 
791
IU
16
%
Vitamin C
 
7
mg
8
%
Calcium
 
335
mg
34
%
Iron
 
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: smash burger, smashburgers
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 730

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Shannon
    January 21, 2024

    The best burgers! Patties were so nice and crisp. Buttered brioche buns paired so nicely with the meat, and special sauce was perfect!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 21, 2024

      Hello Shannon, thank you for your great comments and feedback. Glad you loved it!

      Reply

  • Patricia Durkin
    October 28, 2023

    This recipe is the one! I followed recipe exactly as printed. The burgers were crispy, juicy and tasty. The key is HOT cast iron skillet and cold meat.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      October 28, 2023

      I’m so glad you loved the recipe!

      Reply

  • Mon
    October 11, 2023

    I’m no longer scared of making these!!! turned out FAB, and was so easy! I used a flipper and my olive oil bottle to press, and make sure your pan is WELL pre-heated! water drops thrown on dry pan should dance around, then and only then is it hot enough. I can’t wait to make these all the time 😀

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      October 11, 2023

      Thank you for sharing your experience, Mon!

      Reply

  • Ashley
    September 14, 2023

    This was easy to make and so delicious! I think smash burgers will my goto from now on. Served it with poutine and my husband raved about dinner!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 14, 2023

      Thannk you for your awesome review, Ashley!

      Reply

  • Therese Corsaro
    September 3, 2023

    The Smash Burgers were amazing!! Wouldn’t change a thing! You out did yourself again, Natasha! Keep the recipes coming!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 4, 2023

      I appreciate your good comments and feedback, Therese. Thank you!

      Reply

  • Nick S.
    August 17, 2023

    I made these twice now. The first time, they were just ok. I figured out that the grill needed to be a LOT hotter. The 2nd time I made them, tonight, they were awesome. We’re ruined now; we can’t go out to a burger joint now. Thanks for sharing this! 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      August 17, 2023

      Hello Nick, awesome! Great to hear that it turned out great after adjust the heat more. Thanks for this review!

      Reply

  • Cindy Norsen
    August 11, 2023

    I made these last night. Did just as you said with prepping everything ahead of time. These cooked up so fast. They were very juicy. This is the way I’ll be going for a burger from now on. So simple and delicious!!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 11, 2023

      They sure do, I’m glad you got it all ready beforehand, makes the process much easier and the patties stay hot and fresh! Thank you for your great comment, Cindy!

      Reply

  • Alisha D
    August 5, 2023

    Just loved it! The mayo and mustard really adds so much flavor! I ate the smashburger (bunless) with all the toppings and grilled corn. Thank you so much! ❤

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 5, 2023

      You’re so very welcome! I’m glad you loved the recipe.

      Reply

  • Kristie
    July 31, 2023

    My husband and son love these. I want to make them tonight. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 31, 2023

      I hope you’ll both enjoy it!

      Reply

  • Md Nuruzzman
    July 23, 2023

    Hey Natasha,

    I always love Smash Burger. As a burger lover, I will try make at my home.

    Reply

  • Nick S.
    July 12, 2023

    This was great… SO next time, I need to make sure the grill is hotter, have big pre-sliced cheese slice and I could have used my cast iron bacon press to smash the burgers (20-20 hindsight). This is a total
    do-again :).

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 12, 2023

      Sounds like a plan! I’m glad that you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  • Brittany
    July 4, 2023

    This is our go to burger recipe now. We use thousand island as our spread for an In n Out feel without the long line.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      July 4, 2023

      So glad you love it!

      Reply

  • Doug S
    July 2, 2023

    Smash Burger was delicious and easy to make, just follow this recipe- you’ll be glad you did!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 3, 2023

      Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Doug!

      Reply

  • Sachin
    July 2, 2023

    The recipe is so die-for in taste. It’s fabulous even by looking at it.

    Best Regards Sachin

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      July 2, 2023

      Thank you, Sachin!

      Reply

  • Olga Hunter
    June 27, 2023

    After attending a birthday party that had burgers that were oversized and so hard to enjoy my husband did not crave burgers for months now. Today I was running out of ideas on what to cook, I show him my favorite cooking website (Natashas kitchen of course ;)) he wanted this!!! excited I ran out to grab the ingredients and I was in complete shock on not only how easy this was but how delicious the outcome was!!! He was so happy and is back to loving Burgers!! Thank you Natasha for your amazing recipes, another recipe for the books!!:)

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 27, 2023

      That’s amazing, Olga! Thank you for trying this recipe. I’m happy to hear it was a hit!

      Reply

  • Diana
    June 22, 2023

    Love love LOVED this recipe! Your recipes never disappoint! I don’t think I will make a burger a different way again! Making really good use of my husband’s Father’s day griddle gift, lol!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 22, 2023

      I’m so glad to hear that, Diana! Thank you for the feedback.

      Reply

  • Tapiwa
    June 14, 2023

    Hi Natasha
    The burger looks good and yummy. Can I freeze the burger?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 14, 2023

      Hi Tapiwa! I think you could but we prefer to make these fresh because they taste so much better than frozen patties. You can also refrigerate them. Since smash burgers are best using chilled ground beef, you can portion and refrigerate ahead. Roll the ground beef into balls then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.

      Reply

  • Angie
    June 11, 2023

    Natasha,
    What grill / griddle are you using for this recipe? I’ve been looking for awhile now and your setup seems to have everything I need.

    Reply

  • Cheryl
    June 2, 2023

    Only change we had to make was I forgot to bring the mustard to the campground. So we used our chipotle mayonnaise for the sauce. Burgers turned out nice & crispy. Thank You.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 2, 2023

      You’re welcome, Cheryl! I’m so glad you loved this recipe.

      Reply

  • Debi
    May 27, 2023

    Oh soooo good. I have had burgers all over the world, wherever I go, I have to try the burgers. I have to say these are delicious… It’s all about the juiciness and THE BARK! I used a thin layer of sauce to grill the rolls (outstanding). Second time I made smashburgers I caramelized onions on the flat top, put them to the side. The first side of burgers were smashed on top of a melted large pat of butter. Great bark. Then before I flipped them, Worcestershire sauce on the raw tops = amazing bark again. Topped one patty with onions and cheese, the other just cheese. No lettuce , tomato, or any garnish. Straight to the arteries lol. I could go on all day Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      May 29, 2023

      Thanks for this awesome review, Debi. So proud that we’re one of the best burgers that you’ve tried!

      Reply

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