This Shake Shack Burger is a perfect copycat from the burger joint, Shack sauce and all! These burgers are surprisingly easy to make at home.
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Ingredients in Shake Shack burgers
- extra-lean ground beef
- cheddar cheese slices
- potato buns or sandwich rolls + butter for the buns
- tomato & lettuce (for toppings)
- frozen crinkle cut fries (to serve, optional)
Shack Sauce
- light mayo
- ketchup
- Dijon mustard
- pickle brine
- paprika
- garlic powder
You can use salted or unsalted butter, it doesn’t matter. Any kind of lettuce will do, but iceberg is never a bad move here. It provides just the right kind of crunch.
How to make a Shake Shack burger
Here's how to make your fave burger at home – more detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Add salt & pepper to ground beef and mix together in a large bowl. Form 4 even round balls of beef.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add balls, then press down to “smash” into patties.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cheese slice to each burger, then place the lid over the skillet to let the cheese melt and remove from heat.
- Remove burger patties from the skillet, and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Butter the potato buns. Place in skillet, then add back to med-high heat, waiting until buns are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Add burger patties to each bun, then top with tomato, lettuce and Shack sauce. Serve alongside crinkle cut fries if desired, then serve and enjoy!
How to keep the burger moist
The process of making this kind of burger may not be what you’re used to, because you smash down the meat right in the hot skillet to make each patty.
This process makes for the perfect sear and crispy edges, but it also means you have to approach them differently than anything you’d put on the grill.
Here’s how to get a juicy result every time:
- Handle the meat as lightly and as little as possible – you want the texture tender and just right.
- Stay right by the skillet while cooking – a close eye keeps them from overcooking and drying out.
How to make the special sauce
It couldn’t be simpler. Put these ingredients all in a little bowl and stir ‘em up to make this signature sweet, spicy and tangy sauce. The burgers just aren’t the same without it.
The pickle brine makes a big difference, so please don’t skip it!
Oh, and in case you are one of those people who likes to dip fries into condiments other than ketchup, you’ll want to try this sauce!
Ingredient substitutions
A burger is like a blank slate, right? You can put almost anything on one. Here are some easy substitutions you can make:
- Bacon: Turkey or regular bacon is an old standby.
- Meat: Ground turkey, chicken, or pork, or some combo, will also taste good but cook differently.
- Veggies: Mushrooms, onions, peppers, eggplant: if you can slice it, you can put it on a burger.
- Cheese: American, Gouda, jalapeno Monterey jack, Swiss, or Havarti are all great melting cheeses.
- Avocado: Slices of avocado would be so good, plus you’d get a boost of omega-3s!
- Pickles: People love pickles. They somehow taste tangy and sweet and salty all at once.
- Eggs: This really takes it to another level. Fry an egg and serve it on top for a protein-packed sandwich.
- Condiments: The secret sauce combines a lot of the favorite burger condiments in one, but ketchup, mustard, mayo, hot sauce, BBQ sauce, Blue Cheese, Thousand Island or Ranch dressing are also go-to picks.
Making them low carb
If you’re watching your carb intake, don’t worry. There are definitely still ways to have a great burger experience.
- Lettuce: Wrap the burger in a large lettuce leaf such as butter or Bibb, and top it as usual.
- Portobello mushrooms: The caps can easily double as buns. Brush them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes to soften them up while you’re cooking everything else.
- Wraps: Try a low-carb wrap, or even a corn-based tortilla.
The ultimate way to make it low-carb? Don’t use the bun at all!
Shake Shack burger calories
These burgers have 440 calories per serving and the recipe yields 4 burgers. I use a pound of extra lean ground beef. Regular Shake Shack burgers have 490 calories so you're shaving some calories off by making them at home.
You can also save some calories by not using a bun or using less of the sauce, or skipping the cheese so you're better able to enjoy the same flavours while saving calories.
What to serve with burgers
What not to serve with burgers?
Fries are always a classic choice, such as frozen crinkle cut ones I’ve used here, but you can also make your own. It’s not hard!
Try my Healthy Airfryer Sweet Potato Fries if you’re up for something a little different. Set the air fryer to do its thing while you’re at the stovetop.
Salad is something you might want, whether it’s a green one with veggies, or a cold pasta or potato salad.
Coleslaw always works in this situation too!
Storing and reheating
Once cooked, burgers will keep for 3 to 4 days, wrapped well and refrigerated.
There are a few ways you can reheat burgers. But please bring them to room temp first if you’re doing anything other than microwaving them.
- Microwave: Reheat for 1-2 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
- Stovetop: Add to skillet on medium-low with a little bit of oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, flip, and repeat.
- Oven: Heat to 400 degrees. Loosely wrap burger in aluminum foil so it doesn’t dry out. Heat for 5 minutes.
Freezing burger patties
These patties can be wrapped for meal prep purposes. Wrap them up individually in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, pop them in a ziptop bag, and freeze.
They will keep for a long time, but they’re best if used within 4 months.
To defrost, put them in the fridge for a few hours, or in the microwave if you’re in a hurry and need to get them on the skillet ASAP.
More burger recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Save time and use this pre-made special sauce – it's very similar to the real thing!
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your beef is cooked through
- Freeze the beef patties in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
Shake Shack Burger
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 4 cheddar cheese slices
- 4 potato buns or sandwich rolls
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1 lettuce
- 1 bag frozen crinkle cut fries (to serve, optional)
Shack Sauce
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp pickle brine
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients together for the Shack sauce and, if serving, bake crinkle cut fries in the oven according to package directions.
- Add salt & pepper to ground beef and mix together in a large bowl. Form 4 even round balls of beef.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add balls, then press down to "smash" into patties. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 minutes. Add 1 cheese slice to each burger, then place lid over the skillet to let the cheese melt and remove from heat.
- Remove burger patties from skillet, and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Butter the potato buns. Place in skillet, then add back to med-high heat, waiting until buns are lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Add burger patties to each bun, then top with tomato, lettuce and Shack sauce. Serve alongside crinkle cut fries if desired, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Brandy says
These look amazing! I can’t wait to make them! Silly question! What is pickle brine and where can I get it?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Brandy – just use some pickle juice from a jar of pickles 🙂