Air Fryer Hamburger Patties (Fresh or Frozen)

Air fryer hamburger patties are a great way to get that burger fix without heating up your kitchen. You can cook fresh hamburger patties using just three ingredients or frozen hamburger patties in the air fryer using this method.

While you are at it, why not try The Best Burger Sauce on your patty! Keep reading, and I'll show you how to make air-fried burgers in the comfort of your own home.

Jump to:

• Video Instructions
• Try These Juicy Hamburgers
• Why You Will Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Air Fryer Hamburger Patties Thawed
• Expert Tips
• What Can You Serve With This?
• Recipe FAQs
• Recipe

Video Instructions

Try These Juicy Hamburgers

I love how these come out juicy every time, especially when you get the cook time right.

You still get that classic beef burger texture, just without the hassle of standing over a hot stove or grill.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Easy: Air fryer burgers are the perfect weeknight meal for aspiring home cooks with little cooking experience or busy people.
• Quick: Air frying hamburgers saves you on the cook time! You can cook the patties and the buns with only one appliance.
• Convenient: The air fryer helps you cook burgers to perfection without making your kitchen greasy and dirty! No need to heat up your kitchen and use multiple pans and dishes. The air fryer is easy to use and clean.
• Tasty: Burgers cook up juicy, flavorful, and perfect every time! You can cook both fresh and frozen patties with this air fryer hamburger recipe. 

Ingredients

• Oil: You will need just a bit to brush or spray on the air fryer basket to keep your burgers from sticking. Use any neutral cooking oil that's great for high-heat cooking.
• Hamburger patties: It's your choice to use fresh or frozen hamburger patties. The only thing that changes slightly is the cooking time.
• Cheese: An optional ingredient, but if you're a cheeseburger fan like me, you can choose your favorite cheese for burgers. Classic American, cheddar cheese, pepper jack, Swiss cheese, and Provolone are just a few favorites!
• Burger buns: Use your favorite hamburger buns! You can even make homemade brioche buns, air fryer hamburger buns, or pretzel buns.
• Burger toppings: The sky is the limit, so it's up to you, but tomato, lettuce, onions, garlic, pickles, ketchup, bbq sauce, bacon, and mayo are a few popular options. Try our fresh burger sauce or try this honey mustard sauce for more unique flavors.

How to Make Air Fryer Hamburger Patties Thawed

Here's a look at the main steps for cooking burgers in the air fryer. Keep in mind that the instructions are the same whether you use fresh or frozen burgers. The ONLY thing that will change is how long you cook the burgers.

1. Arrange the patties in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook to your preferred doneness, flipping halfway through. You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature; 160 degrees f (71°C) means it is done.

PRO TIP: For best results, preheat the air fryer and lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil to avoid sticking. If your air fryer doesn't have a preheat setting, allow it to run for five minutes before adding the burgers.

2. If you're planning to make cheeseburgers, just place a slice of cheese on top of each patty at the last minute.

PRO TIP: If your air fryer has a tendency to blow the cheese off the patties, cook the patties first, turn the air fryer off, add the cheese, and let it melt for 1 minute.

3. Remove the patties from the air fryer and toast the burger buns for 1 minute until hot and crispy. I love my burgers with fluffy brioche buns, potato buns, or pretzel buns. Since all air fryer models work differently, you need to figure out whether the cut side should be facing up or down for them to be toasted.

Expert Tips

• Variable Cooking Time. The thickness, size, ingredients, and air fryer model you have may influence the time it takes to cook your burgers. Note that you may need to adjust the cooking time and temperature. I suggest cooking a test patty and from there adjusting the time and temperature to suit your needs. Mine were tested in an Instant Vortex Plus.
• Don't Crowd Your Burgers. Make sure the burgers don't overlap and that they have enough space to cook without touching. This ensures that the heat can circulate and the patties cook through evenly.
• Air Fryer Settings. No matter what settings your air fryer has, the only two things that really matter are time and temperature. You can disregard the different pre-settings such as air frying, grilling, roasting, or baking, and simply set the cooking time and temperature for your desired doneness.
• Small Burgers. You can shape smaller patties to serve on dinner rolls instead of burger buns. Just note that you will likely need to shorten the cooking time for small patties.

What Can You Serve With This?

There's no right or wrong way to eat a burger! Here are a few ideas for some inspiration when it comes to what toppings and sides to add to air fryer burgers.

• Add a Tasty Sauce: For the classic cheeseburger, I recommend my burger sauce, which tastes just like the special sauce from In-N-Out. For pretzel burgers, I recommend my honey mustard sauce.
• Sweet Onions: And if you are a burger eater, you know that caramelized onions transform any burger into something special.
• Spicy: Add some sliced jalapeno peppers or pepper jack cheese for a bit of heat!
• Fries
• Salad
• Coleslaw
• Onion rings
• Pickles

Recipe FAQs

Recipe