This Shake Shack Burger is a perfect copycat from the burger joint complete with Shake sauce – plus, they’re super easy to make at home!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-lean ground beef: ground beef will give you that authentic flavour but you can also try making these burgers with ground turkey, chicken, pork or a combo of any of the three.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Cheddar cheese slices: American, gouda, Monterey jack, Swiss or Havarti would all be delicious on these burgers.
- Potato buns: use sandwich rolls or any burger bun variety of your choice. For a low-carb option opt for lettuce wraps or skip the bun altogether.
- Butter: or the butter alternative of your choice.
- Tomato: leave this out altogether if you don’t like tomato or swap for another veggie like pickles.
- Lettuce: use iceberg or romaine lettuce or another leafy green.
- Crinkle-cut fries: serve with any fries of your choice like sweet potato fries or even homemade fries.
Shake Sauce
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- Light mayo – you can use full-fat mayo, it’ll just increase the calorie count.
- Ketchup – if you don’t have any ketchup, swap it out for a bit of BBQ sauce, just keep in mind the sauce will taste different.
- Dijon mustard – stone-ground mustard is the closest substitute here.
- Pickle brine – use a little bit of pickle juice instead for a similar flavour.
- Paprika – cayenne or chili powder would both work too.
- Garlic powder – use a bit of fresh minced garlic if you don’t have any garlic powder on hand.
How to make a Shake Shack burger
- Form the beef into balls.
- Smash the balls into patties.
- Cook the burgers.
- Add on the cheese.
- Toast the buns.
- Assemble with your fave toppings and dig in!
Making them low carb
If you’re watching your carb intake, there are definitely still ways to have a great burger experience without sacrificing on any of the flavour.
Here are some of the best ways to make these burgers low-carb:
- 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° Fahrenheit 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
These Shake Shack burgers are surprisingly simple – all you need is some extra-lean ground beef, salt and pepper! The Shack Sauce is really what makes the burger shine and brings out all those delicious flavours.
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.
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. To make sure you still get a juicy patty, handle the meat as lightly and as little as possible and stay right by the skillet while cooking to make sure they don’t overcook and get dried out.
Fries are always a classic choice, such as the frozen crinkle-cut fries I’ve used here, but you can also make your own. It’s not hard! For a healthier option you can even try making my homemade air fryer sweet potato fries. Salad or coleslaw are also classics when it comes to burger sides.
Storing and reheating
Once cooked, burgers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days as long as you store them in an airtight glass container.
There are a few ways you can reheat burgers. If you’re not microwaving them, the first step is to bring them to room temperature so they cook evenly (if you’re microwaving them, you can skip this step).
- Microwave: Reheat for 1-2 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through.
- Stovetop: Sauté on a skillet over medium-low heat with a little bit of oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, flip and repeat.
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Loosely wrap the burger in aluminum foil so it doesn’t dry out then heat it up for 5 minutes.
Freezing the burger patties
You can make a big batch of burgers ahead of time and freeze them for up to 4 months. After they’ve cooked, let them cool completely then wrap each patty in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Stick them in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag, put them in the freezer and you’re good to go!
I recommend letting them defrost in the fridge for a few hours before reheating, but you can defrost them in the microwave if you’re in a hurry.
More copycat 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.
- Freeze the beef patties in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Shake Shack Burger {Perfect Copycat}
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!
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 🙂