Juicy Cheeseburgers
It’s not difficult to make Juicy Cheeseburgers at home, and often times they taste way better than at a take away store. It’s also super quick to make too. You can customize it to make it your own with your fave sauces, toppings, buns and cheeses. Pair it with some crispy smashed potatoes or classic fries and you’re onto a Friday night winner!
If you know me, or have taken some time to look at the recipes on offer on my blog, you know I love a good burger. From my quick and easy Healthy Grilled Chicken Burgers which I make weekly all the way to my Crispy Chicken Burgers if I’m feeling southern. A burger is meant to be easy to make, flavorful and customizable.
That’s what’s on offer with todays recipe. Quick, flavorful, classic beef cheeseburgers. I’m going to share all my tips and tricks and break down what I think makes a spectacular cheeseburger!
These are hands down the juiciest Cheeseburgers you’ll ever have!
Let’s talk about 4 things that are going to make your cheeseburgers to the next level!
1. Where’s the Beef?
Or rather, what type of beef should you be using for your burgers? Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Fat. The more fat, the juicier, but you don’t want to go overboard. A maximum of 15% is acceptable, anything higher and you’re swimming in fat when you’re cooking it. Personally, I go for a heart smart 5% beef mince. Fat also makes a difference to flavor too. If I’m feeling indulgent, I got for the 10% stuff.
Where should you buy your beef mince from? As a consumer, I stay away from supermarket meat and go straight to my butcher. The quality is always better, it’s ALWAYS fresher and it’s almost always cheaper too. Can you use supermarket beef mince? Yeah you can. But the better the quality, the better the flavor.
2. Let’s talk cheese!
Ok, I have a strong opinion on this because I bloody love cheese! I think you need to consider three things when it comes to burger cheese:
Color + Flavor + Cheese Pull Elasticity.
- CLASSIC OPTION – If you want a yellow looking, flavorful cheese with good string pull go for what’s labeled as ‘burger cheese’ at your supermarket.
- BEST OPTION – If you want something that is strong in flavor and cheese pull but don’t care about the classic yellow color, shred equal parts (1 cup / 100g) of cheddar cheese and low moisture Mozzarella cheese.
3. Buns For Days!
You can use anything you like! I actually prefer a Turkish Burger Bun over a brioche. But if I feel like I want something more classic looking and softer, I go for a brioche bun, about 4-inches in diameter. Anything bigger and your patties are super thin.
It’s really important to toast your buns to prevent burger juices and sauces making your burgers a soggy mess!
4. All the rest!
Lettuce – I love a thinly sliced cos lettuce. Rocket or spinach will also work great for these. Make sure you wash your lettuce well under running water and then dry it if you have a salad spinner, so your burgers aren’t a watery, soggy mess.
Sauce – I love a good Special Burger Sauce but mayo and BBQ sauce are close seconds in out house.
Pickles – I like my pickles sweet. I use bread and butter pickles.
Onion – go for red onion, thinly sliced, for the added sweetness!
Tomato – I don’t like tomato in my burgers but thinly sliced tomato is a great option for those who do!
Other Sauce Options
I love a good Special Burger Sauce, but this goes well with
- Ketchup
- Tomato Chutney
- Whole Egg Mayonnaise
- Honey Mustard Mayo
- BBQ Sauce
Ingredients You Need To Make Cheeseburgers
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
- Beef mince – use good quality beef mince from a butcher. It’s always better quality. I used heart smart beef because it has a lower fat content (5%), but anything with 10% fat content is acceptable. A lot more fat will come out as it’s cooking which is normal.
- Panko breadcrumbs – these are Japanese breadcrumbs. Regular breadcrumbs are acceptable.
- Egg – this helps bind the burger patties together. I used a large egg.
- Onion powder – helps add a little sweetness.
- Garlic powder – I prefer to use this instead of freshly minced garlic because it’s less potent in the peppery taste and has a sweeter flavor. But if you love a good garlic hit, use one garlic clove.
- Salt – I used fine salt
- Pepper – I like using white pepper, but black pepper will also work.
- Burger cheese – this is a special cheese that is strong in flavor but stretchy too. You can use regular cheddar/tasty cheese if you like or really any cheese you like.
- Brioche Buns – I was originally going to use large brioche buns but then the burger patties would have been quite thin. I ended up using regular sized ones that are sold in most supermarkets. Any type of bun will work though.
- Burger Sauce – I have an amazing recipe for that here!
- Lettuce – I used cos lettuce that I thinly sliced.
- Pickles – I used sliced bread and butter pickles. They’re sweet and tangy.
- Red onion – I thinly sliced mine.
How to make the JUICY Cheeseburgers!
- Add all of the burger patty ingredients to a large mixing bowl
- Use clean hands or a spoon to mix together. Do not overwork it otherwise your mince will feel a bit tough once cooked.
- Divide into 4 even sized portions, roll into a ball and flatten into a burger patty slightly larger than your burger bun.
- Cook in a frypan with a little oil for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
- When you turn them over, add the cheese slices and continue cooking until burger patties are cooked through (they should reach an internal temperature of 71C / 160F).
- Toast your burger buns under an oven grill until golden. This will prevent the burger ingredients from making your burger buns soggy.
Here’s how I like to layer my burgers, but it’s totally up to you what order you do yours in!
- Special Burger Sauce on the bottom bun.
- Onion and pickles
- Lettuce
- Burger Pattie with melted cheese
- More Special Burger Sauce
- Then the burger bun and you’re done!
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
- When shaping your beef patties – make them slightly larger than your burger buns. They’ll shrink a little as they cook and end up being the same size as your burger buns.
- When cooking your beef patties – make sure they reach an internal temperature of 71C / 160F. It shouldn’t look pink when you cut into it. It will take about 3-4 minutes on medium high heat on each side for them to cook through.
- Toast your burger buns until golden to make sure they don’t go soggy with all your burger ingredients.
- Buy your beef from a butcher! It’s always better quality and almost always cheaper than the… cr*p they sell at supermarkets.
- Make it your own! Use your favorite seasonings in the burger patty, use your favorite sauce and cheese!
- Add crispy bacon for an extra hit of smokiness!
- Rest burger patties for a couple minutes before assembling burgers. This will prevent the lettuce from wilting and the burgers are juicer if you wait!
Frequently Asked Questions about Cheeseburgers
How to store cheeseburgers
- Beef patties – you can make the beef patties, layer them in freezer bags and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking.
- Cooked burgers – wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cold burgers are just as delicious!
How do I know when the beef patties are cooked?
Easy! It usually takes these beef patties about 3-4 minutes on each side when cooked on medium high heat. But if you’re want to make absolutely sure they’re cooked all he way through, they shouldn’t be pink on the inside and a meat thermometer will read at least 71C / 160F.
Can I make these on a BBQ grill?
Absolutely! Make sure you oil your grill really well so the patties don’t stick. Cook on an open flame grill for an extra smokey BBQ flavor or on the flat grill portion of your BBQ.
Gave this a go? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
Want more burger recipes?
Grilled Chicken Burgers
Crispy Chicken Burgers
Honey Mustard Chicken Burgers
Greek Lamb Burgers
Crispy Smashed Baked Potatoes
Special Burger Sauce Recipe
Whole-Egg Mayonnaise
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
Juicy Cheeseburgers
Serves 4
Ingredients
Beef Patties
- 1 lbs / 500 g beef mince 80-90% lean, see notes
- 1/4 cup / 35 g panko breadcrumbs, (see notes)
- 1 / 53 g large egg
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Extras
- 4 burger cheese slices, 8 if you love it extra cheesy! (see notes)
- 4 brioche buns, toasted (see notes for alternatives)
- 1 batch Special Burger Sauce
- 4 Cos lettuce leaves, washed and dried and thinly sliced (see notes)
- 16 bread and butter, sweet pickle slices
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (no need for thick slices here)
Instructions
Before you start cooking
- Special Burger Sauce – If making your own special burger sauce at home (recipe here) make this first and set aside.
- Brioche Buns – toast your brioche buns until golden. This will prevent them from becoming soggy once you add the burgers and sauce. Plus it adds an extra crunch!
Beef Patties
- Begin preheating a large skillet on medium high heat.
- Add all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and use clean hands to mix until well combined. Separate into 4 evenly slices portions. Pat down into disc shapes slightly bigger than your brioche buns (they will shrink as they cook.
- Add a drizzle (about 1 tbsp) of olive oil on your hot frypan and place burger patties on. Don’t press down. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Turn over and add your cheese slices. Cook for a couple more minutes.
- For extra juicy burgers – Add 2-3 tbsp of water in your frypan a couple minutes before they’re done and cover with a lid to help the steam melt the cheese and make the burgers juicy.
- Rest burger patties for a couple minutes before assembling burgers. This will prevent the lettuce from wilting and the burgers are juicer if you wait!
To assemble
- Add some special sauce on the bottom half of your toasted brioche buns and spread around. Add the pickles, onion (tomato if using), then the lettuce, burger patty with melted cheese, more pickles and sauce before sandwiching with the top of the brioche buns.
Notes
• The size of your burger buns will determine how big the patties are. You want to make the beef patties slightly bigger than your burger buns as they will shrink as they cook and end up being the right size.
• You can use whatever bread you like. One of my favorite alternatives is Turkish rolls. I simply make my burger patties the same shape as the Turkish rolls (long) and I’ve got a long cheeseburger!
• Brioche Buns – toast your brioche buns until golden. This will prevent them from becoming soggy once you add the burgers and sauce. Plus it adds an extra crunch!
• To make these on a bbq follow the same instructions but add the cheese right after theyre cooked. It won’t be as melty, but will taste just as yum!
Nutrition
