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–+ servings
A homemade smash burger with some fries in front of it.
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5 from 1 vote

Ultimate Smash Burger Recipe

Here's the Ultimate Smash Burger Recipe! This restaurant-quality burger is delicious and easy to make. Serve with your fave sides & toppings.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 445kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

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!

Notes

Nutritional info does not include optional side dishes.
Smash the beef ball as soon as you put it in the pan.
Serve the burgers in lettuce wraps for a low-carb option.
Make sure you use lean ground beef or regular ground beef for this recipe, not extra-lean ground beef.
Serve them with frozen fries, animal fries, sweet potato fries, potato salad or tater tots.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 731mg | Potassium: 768mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1006IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 237mg | Iron: 5mg