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This is the cheeseburger that you need to make when you want a real, classic, homemade cheeseburger! Think: diner style.
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I’m not totally proud of this, but I watched “The Menu” on Netflix this week and after the movie, I had to make my version of a good, classic cheeseburger.
What does a classic homemade cheeseburger have? Well, it has a few things:
- Zero frills - yeah save the frills for an overpriced, underwhelming restaurant burger. This one has classic, grocery store ingredients and it’s honestly better.
- Fatty, freshly ground beef - go to your butcher and ask for some freshly ground fatty beef. Or just buy a package of 80/20.
- American cheese - it tastes amazing and melts the best. Fancy cheese has its place, but not on this homemade burger.
- Homemade burger sauce - this is a delicious burger sauce, akin to Japanese Yum Yum sauce, just give it a try! It’s awesome!
- Classic toppings - everyone has their idea of what a classic topping is, it’s up to you how you load up your burger, but I like lettuce, tomato, and pickles.
- Potato buns - if you haven’t tried your burger with a potato bun, please give it a try! It’s sturdier than Brioche, but soft and still sturdy enough not to turn into mush while holding your burger, sauce and toppings!
Ingredients + substitutions
- House burger sauce - this is the burger sauce that I make whenever I make burgers at home. It’s easy and delicious, if you haven’t tried making your own burger sauce, definitely give it a try! You simply whisk together mayo, ketchup, melted butter, white sugar, mustard, rice vinegar, cumin, and smoked paprika.
- Fatty ground beef - I like to get freshly ground 80/20 beef. But just grabbing a package of fatty beef also works.
- Worcestershire sauce - sprinkle this on top of the smashed burger patty.
- Onion - a thinly sliced onion for adding to the burger patty before adding it to the pan. It adds flavor and moisture to the meat but you can certainly skip it if you want.
- Spices - after the burger is cooked but before adding the cheese, sprinkle the patties with kosher salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder.
- American cheese - this is the best cheese for burgers. You can swap it with whatever cheese you like (cheddar, gouda, etc.), but for classic burgers, American cheese melts the best and it’s just all around my favorite choice.
- Potato buns - these buns are soft but sturdy, making them the best choice for burgers (yes, even over a brioche bun). Of course you can use any buns you have/like!
- Optional toppings - lettuce, tomato and pickles. You can add whatever you like, these are my favorite toppings and we’re keeping things classic with classic toppings!
The process
Making these burgers are so easy to put together and they’re quick, too! Definitely quicker than DoorDash-ing one.
First put together the burger sauce, just whisk together the ingredients: mayo, ketchup, melted butter, granulated sugar, mustard (yellow mustard), cumin, and smoked paprika.
Next, heat up a large cast-iron pan or griddle to medium-high heat (375-400 degrees F). No need to spray or grease, the meat is fatty and you want it to get a good sear.
Now divide the ground beef into 4 equal quarters and roll them into a ball.
Cover with parchment or saran wrap and smash the burgers with a burger press (or use a large spatula).
Sprinkle each patty with worcestershire sauce and top with the sliced onions.
Now cook the burgers and season them with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Then top with cheese.
When the patties are done and the cheese is sufficiently melted, place them onto toasted potato buns and add lettuce, tomato, pickles and house burger sauce!
Tools for this recipe
Burger Press - getting an inexpensive, but trustworthy burger press makes the process of smashing your burgers (both in an out of the pan) easier. This is the one I have, and am using for this recipe.
Iron Braiser - this braiser is features in almost all of my recipes, I'm not joking when I say that I use it daily and it was worth the hefty price tag! If you've been considering this Staub braiser, this is your sign to go get it right here!
More recipes to try
If you loved this burger recipe, please try out some of my other recipes that I think you'll love:
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGER SAUCE
- ½ cup mayo
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
FOR THE CHEESEBURGERS
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef 80% fat
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 4 slices American Cheese
- 4 potato buns for serving toasted
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Pickles
Instructions
- First, put together the house burger sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisking together. Cover, and set the sauce aside.
- Preheat your cast iron pan or griddle to medium-high heat (375-400 degrees F). No need to grease it.
- Divide the ground beef into 4 equal quarters. Roll each quarter into a ball and cover with parchment paper or saran wrap. Then use a cast iron burger press to smash the patty flat. Repeat until you have 4 smashed patties.
- Sprinkle each patty with Worcestershire sauce and top with the sliced onions.
- Place the burgers into your pan or onto a griddle and cook until the meat is browned (or cooked to your liking). It shouldn’t take long, the patties should be rather thin and therefore will cook quickly. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Top each patty with a slice of cheese.
- When the patties are done and the cheese is sufficiently melted, place them onto toasted potato buns and add lettuce, tomato, pickles and house burger sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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Storage + leftovers
You can refrigerate these for 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Wrap the leftover burgers in foil and then seal them in an airtight bag or container.
To reheat (thaw in the fridge overnight if frozen) simply add a little oil or water to a pan, and heat them on low until they’re cooked throughout.
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