Here's the Ultimate Smash Burger Recipe! This restaurant-quality burger is delicious and easy to make. Serve with your fave sides & toppings.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Lean ground beef – use lean or regular ground beef. I wouldn't recommend extra-lean ground beef, as it'll dry out.
- Cheese slices – use any cheese of your choice like American, cheddar, mozzarella or Swiss.
- Hamburger buns – you could also serve your patties in lettuce wraps for a low-carb option.
- Iceberg lettuce – romaine would also be good here.
- Beefsteak tomato – use any tomato of your choice. If you're not a fan of tomato, leave this off entirely.
- Red onion – sliced white onion would be good too. You could even get fancy and make caramelized onions!
- Dill pickle slices – or another pickle variety or burger topping of your choice.
Special sauce
- Light mayo – you can use regular mayo, but it'll increase the calorie count.
- Ketchup – use a combo of tomato paste mixed with vinegar and sugar or a hot sauce for a tangier finish.
- Dijon mustard – stone-ground mustard would also work here.
- Garlic powder – try onion powder for a similar flavor.
- Pickle juice – add a little relish instead or leave this out entirely.
How to make a smash burger
Step 1: Make the special sauce.
Prepare your toppings and make the special sauce. You can also make any side dishes of your choice.
Step 2: Form the beef balls.
Roll the ground beef into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 3: Smash the patties.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Add a ball of beef, then smash immediately with a sprayed spatula or burger presser.
Step 4: Cook then add the cheese.
Cook the burger until a crust forms on the bottom, then flip over and add the cheese.
Step 5: Toast the buns.
Add a bit of butter to the pan then add the buns and cook until lightly toasted.
Step 6: Assemble your burgers and serve!
Add your patty with cheese to the burger bun with any toppings of your choice. Serve and enjoy!
Smash burger tips and variations
Here are some of my top tips for making these smash burgers, including some different variations to try:
- Use the right beef: Make sure you're using lean or regular ground beef for this recipe. Extra-lean ground beef doesn't have enough fat and will result in a dry burger.
- Don't form patties: Roll the ground beef into balls – not burger patties! The entire point of smash burgers is that you smash them into thin patties in the hot pan.
- Smash right away: As soon as you add the patty ball to the pan, smash it down right away. If you let it cook for a bit before smashing it, you won't get the same crispy finish.
- Add on different toppings: Get creative with the toppings you can add. Caramelized onions, grilled mushrooms, bacon jam or In N Out secret sauce.
- Make them low-carb: Serve the smash burgers as lettuce wraps in iceberg lettuce leaves or Boston lettuce leaves for a low-carb option.
Frequently Asked Questions
A smash burger is made by rolling ground beef into balls, then adding it to a hot skillet or griddle and smashing it into the pan, versus regular burgers, which are formed into patties then cooked regularly on a grill. The process of ‘smashing' the burger results in a crispy finish and a thinner patty that's still super juicy and delicious.
You'll know your burger is done when it starts to develop a nice crispy finish on the bottom. Since the burgers are a lot thinner, they don't take as long to cook.
You can serve them with your favourite regular burger sides! You can't go wrong with frozen fries, coleslaw or a side salad. They'd also be delicious with animal fries, sweet potato fries, potato salad or even tater tots.
Lean ground beef is best for this recipe, but you could also use regular ground beef. You don't want to use extra-lean, because if the meat doesn't have enough fat, it'll dry out and won't get as crispy.
The trick to making the best smash burger is to making sure the skillet or griddle is pre-heated, and smashing the beef right away. I'd also highly recommend using a burger press – it's a foolproof way to smash your burger!
Storing and reheating
These smash burgers definitely taste best fresh, but if you have any leftovers, you can store the burgers and the toppings separately in the fridge for 3-4 days. When you're ready to enjoy, reheat your burger in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave for 1-2 mins, flipping over halfway through. Toast the bun, add all your fave toppings, and dig in.
You can also make the special sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to a week. It tastes delicious with other burger recipes or even as a dipping sauce for fries.
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze any cooked burger patties in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely after cooking, then wrap each one in aluminum foil or plastic wrap before transferring to the container. Let them defrost in the fridge overnight, then reheat as normal.
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Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing away leftover burgers.
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze and refrigerate leftover burger patties in round glass microwave-safe bowls with lids.
- A burger press is a great tool for making smash burgers!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Ultimate Smash Burger Recipe
Equipment
- 1 extra-wide stainless steel spatula or burger press
- 1 cast iron skillet or griddle
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 4 cheese slices
- 4 hamburger buns
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce shredded
- 1 beefsteak tomato sliced
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- dill pickle slices
Special sauce
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pickle juice
Optional side dish ideas
- Salad
- Coleslaw
- Frozen fries cooked in the oven while you're prepping and making burgers
Instructions
- First prepare your toppings, including mixing the sauce ingredients together and have the buns and cheese slices at the ready. NOTE: you may also start preparing your optional sides. If making frozen fries, this is the perfect time to get them baking in the oven.
- Roll up your ground beef into 8 different balls, placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet and seasoning generously with salt.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over med-high heat, adding a little drizzle of olive oil. Spray your spatula or burger press with some cooking spray or grease with olive oil. Now you're ready to cook!
- Add a ball of beef, then smash immediately with an extra-wide stainless steel spatula (pressing down with a mallet) or burger press. Remove the press, then cook for 1 minute until a crust forms on the bottom. Flip, then season with a bit more salt and add cheese if desired. Cook another 30-60 seconds, then remove from heat and add to a plate. Repeat with remaining balls, except you will only add 2 more cheese slices to 2 more of the burgers.
- When burgers are done, add a bit of butter to the pan then add buns. Cook for 30-60 seconds until lightly toasted.
- Now assemble your burgers! Add patty with cheese to the bottom, followed by a plain patty. Top with pickle slices, tomato, red onion and lettuce, adding sauce to the top burger bun then placing on burger. Serve with desired side dishes and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Katie Didow says
This recipe was delicious!