Smash Burger Recipe (with Video)

A homemade Smash Burger is quick and easy to make. These take just minutes to grill so it’s a great way to feed a crowd. Smash burgers have the iconic flavor profile of classic cheeseburgers, but the double burger patty with cheese melted in between is irresistible.

You’ll love my special sauce, which makes these taste like a restaurant copycat smashburger.

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Smash Burger Video

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

What is a Smash Burger?

After trying Smash Burgers at a restaurant, I was smitten and knew I had to recreate the recipe. It’s an exciting, extra-tasty, quick way to cook a burger, and even though the process seems to break all the traditional burger rules, the results are fantastic with crisp crust and juicy centers.

Smash burgers start by forming balls of ground beef (which you can make ahead), then pressed or smashed with a burger press into a thin patty as soon as they hit the hot grill. This creates extra browning and flavor on the outside while maintaining the patty’s juiciness. They also cook super fast!

We love all kinds of burgers, from my classic Burger Recipe to Cheeseburger Sliders and even Hamburger Soup! Making your own patty from ground beef tastes so much better than flash-frozen or fast-food patties. I always feel better after eating a fresh homemade burger because I can control the quality of ingredients.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef – We use 1.5 lbs of ground 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). For a tasty and juicy burger, use ground beef that is 80/20 (80% lean and 20% fat).
• Sauce – A simple combination of mayonnaise 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.

Restaurant-Style Burger Toppings

• Buns – Homemade Buns work great, and I think brioche buns also have that steakhouse burger look, but any store-bought burger bun will work here.
• 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 the heat. Serve warm over toasted buns with toppings and more sauce – check out all of my favorite burger sauces.

Can I make smashburgers 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.

Make-Ahead Tip

Since Smash Burgers are best when 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 smash burger.

• Spread sauce on the bottom bun.
• Add 3-4 slices of pickle
• Top with a mound of shredded 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. 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.

• Cut a piece of parchment paper into a 10-12″ square and fold in half into a triangle. Place the parchment halfway over the burger.
• Flip the burger upside down and tuck in the sides.
• Tuck the bottom flap under the burger.

Serve Smash Burgers With

These are our favorite cookout recipes to make with burgers.

• Grilled Corn on the Cob or Boiled Corn
• Oven-Baked Potato Wedges
• Air Fryer French Fries or Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
• Classic Lemonade (or Strawberry Lemonade)
• Potato Salad
• Macaroni Salad
• Garden Salad

Mmm, looking at that juicy double patty with melty cheese in the center always gives me major cravings. Try this Smash Burger recipe and it might just become your new favorite way to grill burgers, and make sure you don’t skip the sauce – it adds tons of extra flavor.

Smash Burger Recipe

5 from 229 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

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!

SaveSaved Pin Review Print

Prep Time: 18 minutes mins

Cook Time: 12 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

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

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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 (you can prep and refrigerate the balls of meat 1-2 days ahead). 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 a hot griddle. Working quickly, place a square of parchment paper over the meat and use a burger press or spatula to 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 metal 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

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Smash Burger Recipe

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

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