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.
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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!
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.
Burger Toppings
- Buns – Homemade Buns are best. For storebought, 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
How to Make Smash Burgers
- Prepare Patties – Divide 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef into 8 equal portions (3 oz each), cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Make Sauce – Stir together 1/3 cup mayo and 1 tsp mustard and set aside.
- Prep Toppings – fully prep your toppings ahead to assemble the burgers right away while the patties are hot and juicy off the grill.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
For a tasty and juicy burger, use ground beef that is 80/20, or 80% lean and 20% fat.
You can skip the sauce step when grilling the patties if you prefer then add your favorite burger sauces when assembling the burger.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Spread sauce on the bottom bun.
- Add 3 slices of pickle
- Top with a mound of lettuce
- Add tomatoes and onions if using
- Top with meat patties and cover with the top bun.
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.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper into a 10-12″ square and fold in half into a triangle. Place parchment halfway over the burger.
- Flip burger upside and tuck in the sides.
- Tuck the bottom flap under the 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.
Serve With:
These are our favorite cookout recipes to make with burgers.
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Oven-Baked Potato Wedges
- Crispy French Fries
- Classic Lemonade (or Strawberry Lemonade)
- Potato Salad
Smash Burger Recipe with Easy Sauce
Ingredients
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
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Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Easiest and tastiest burgers ever! So glad i found this recipe which is so simple and produces burgers that are better than any restaurant ones I’ve had, which I didn’t think was even possible!
That’s wonderful to hear, RJ! So glad you loved them.
I always go to your site while looking for a recipe. Thank you Natasha. There has never been one time I have had to move on. You ALWAYS hit it out of the park.
I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you’
100% true!! I do the exact same thing when looking for a recipe. Love your cookbook too!!
Oh, Natasha- you are such a blessing to our world!!! This burger is LIFE CHANGING and I’m so glad I never have to spend another dollar at a burger joint. Thanking you infinitely!!!!!!!
Hi Nadine! Thank you so much. I’m very happy to hear that.