• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Also The Crumbs Please

  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Cookbook
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Cookbook
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Dinner

Best Homemade Hamburger Patties

Last updated on February 21, 2022Originally published August 26, 2021Leave a CommentSabine

Jump to Recipe

Learn how to make homemade hamburger patties from scratch. It’s so easy, and it takes just a few minutes to enjoy restaurant-quality burgers at home. I'll share my tips and tricks with you so you can make hamburgers like a pro for BBQs and dinners. The secret to juicy burger patties is choosing the best ground beef and knowing when and how to season it. No more dry patties that are falling apart!

Half eaten hamburger on a cutting board

Enjoy them on toasted brioche buns, pretzel buns, or dinner rolls. If you love cheese, these patties are also delicious on cheeseburger and gourmet grilled cheese.

Jump to:
  • Best ground beef
  • Perfect weight
  • Perfect size
  • How to keep hamburgers from falling apart
  • How and when to season
  • How to freeze them
  • Best toppings for classic burgers
  • Photo tutorial
  • Related recipes
  • Recipe

Best ground beef

The best tasting hamburger meat for cooking on the grill or stovetop is ground chuck with a fat percentage of 20%. That means 80% lean meat and 20% fat. The higher fat content ensures that the burger meat patties are super juicy and full of flavor. If you choose leaner meat, such as ground sirloin or ground round, the patties tend to be dryer. Although a medium grind holds more moisture in, finely ground beef, as it is widely available in stores and butcher shops, is just fine. 

Do you love cooking with ground beef? Then my ground beef recipes post is for you (31 dinner recipes!).

Perfect weight

I love thin diner-style burger patties that range from 2oz / 57g (In-N-Out) to 3.3oz / 94g (Five Guys). After years of perfecting my patties, I found that 3.5oz / 99g is the perfect weight per patty for home cooking and grilling. I usually buy my meat from the butcher and buy enough meat to divide it into 3.5oz portions. For example, if I needed 6 patties, I would buy 21oz / 595g of meat.

If you don’t have a kitchen scale or prefer to buy a prepackaged pound (454g) of ground beef in the store, just divide by 5 to have 3.2oz / 91g meat patties or divide by 4 to have 4oz / 114g patties.

Perfect size

That beef patties shrink while cooking is a normal process as juices and fat render. However, you want your cooked patties to be about the same diameter as your burger buns. You can achieve that by simply shaping them about 1 inch (2.5cm) wider than the burger buns. Depending on the size of your burger buns, they should be about â…“ inch (0.8mm) thin. 

Assembled hamburger on a cutting board

How to keep hamburgers from falling apart

  • Don’t overwork the beef – It’s best not to knead the ground beef at all, just divide it into equal parts and shape it into thin patties.
  • Keep the meat cold – Prepare the patties and store them covered in the refrigerator until you use them. They will keep fresh for 1 day. 
  • Use wax paper – Shape the patties directly on 6-inch (15cm) wax paper. Not only is it great to have the paper between the patties so you can easily stack them without sticking, but it’s also great to transfer the burgers to the pan with the paper. 
  • Cook over high heat – The high heat seals the surface of the meat faster without losing too much of its juices. It creates a flavorful crust that holds the juicy patty together.
  • Don’t press down on the hamburgers with a spatula – Otherwise, they lose all their flavorful juices, making them dry and likely to stick. 
  • Cook with a stopwatch and watch for signs – For the beginning, I recommend cooking with a stopwatch to ensure that you don’t overcook the meat. With more experience, you can tell when it’s time to flip a patty. The cooking time for 3.5oz (99g) patties cooked in a grill pan over high heat is about 90 seconds on the first side. As soon as the edges start to turn grey and juices release on top of the patty, flip it. Cook on the second side for another 30 seconds to cook them perfectly to medium-well. Note: Cooking times may vary depending on how much the patties weigh, how you cook them and what equipment you use. I suggest cooking a test patty and going from there. Make a note of the time so that you can replicate the results.
  • Flip only once – If you turn them more than once, they will dry out and be easy to overcook.
Grilled patty on a toasted brioche bun

How and when to season

Salt and pepper the shaped beef patties on one side just before placing them (seasoned side down) in the pan or on the grill, and then season them on the second side just before you flip them. Do not work breadcrumbs, eggs, Worcester sauce, or spices into the beef, because then it is basically sausage or meatloaf, but no hamburger. Treat hamburgers like steaks (they are basically steaks). To make burgers, you don’t need anything except ground beef, salt, and pepper.

How to freeze them

After shaping, wrap them (with having the wax paper in-between, top, and the bottom of the patties) in plastic wrap twice and place in freezer bags or containers. They freeze well for up to 3 months. Let them thaw slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Then cook as directed.

Best toppings for classic burgers

If you like your burgers simple and classic, you will need the following toppings:

  • Lettuce
  • Raw Onion Rings (from large onions) or caramelized onions
  • Slices of Tomato (from large tomatoes)
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Pickles

I usually put my burgers together in this order: bun, ketchup, lettuce, hamburger, tomato, onion, cucumber, mustard, bun. If you are in the mood for a fancier burger with gourmet toppings such as guacamole, try my pretzel burger!

Photo tutorial

Divide the meat into equal portions and roughly shape into hockey pucks.

Ground chuck formed into a round shape

Place one meat portion on a plate layered with a piece of wax paper and press it into a thin patty.

Flat pressed beef patty on a plate

Repeat with the other portions.

Stack of meat patties with wax paper in-between

Season on one side with salt and pepper.

Seasoned burger patty on a plate

Cook for about 60-90 seconds, until you see that the edges start to turn grey and juices release on top. Season with salt and pepper and turn with a spatula. 

Half cooked hamburgers in a grill pan

Cook for another 20-40 seconds until browned. 

Cooked patties in a grill pan

Serve on toasted burger buns and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Half assembled hamburger and different toppings

Related recipes

To make the most epic restaurant-quality burgers at home, you need a special burger sauce or honey mustard sauce. You will also need a light and fluffy brioche burger bun.

By the way, hamburgers, air fryer burgers, and cheeseburgers go perfectly with chocolate milkshakes or vanilla milkshakes! And if you look for another staple to include in your lazy afternoons with friends and family, Maine Lobster Rolls or Connecticut Lobster Rolls are the way to go.

Recipe

Half eaten hamburger on a cutting board

Best Homemade Hamburgers (Beef Patties)

5 from 3 votes
Author Sabine Venier
Calories: 252kcal
Servings: 4 servings
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 2 minutes
Total 12 minutes
Print Pin Rate
Learn how to make homemade hamburger patties from scratch. It’s so easy, and it takes just a few minutes to enjoy restaurant-quality burgers at home. I'll share my tips and tricks with you so you can prepare hamburgers like a pro for BBQs and dinners. The secret to juicy burger patties is choosing the best ground beef and knowing when and how to season it. No more dry patties that are falling apart! Enjoy them on a toasted brioche bun.

Equipment

  • 6-inch (15cm) wax paper
  • Grill pan
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 14 oz* ground chuck (80% lean - 20% fat)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • vegetable oil for pan

Additional Ingredients

  • 4 burger buns
  • 4 tablespoon ketchup
  • 2 tablespoon mustard
  • 4 leaves of lettuce
  • 4 slices of raw onion
  • 4 slices of tomato
  • 8 slices of pickles

Instructions

  • Divide the meat into 3.5oz* portions and roughly shape into hockey pucks.
  • Place one meat portion on a plate layered with a piece of 6-inch (15cm) wax paper and press it into a thin patty that is about 1 inch (2.5cm) wider than the burger bun you use. It will be about â…“ inch (0.8cm) thin. Repeat with the other portions. Don’t overwork the meat. The edges don’t need to be smooth.
  • Heat a grill pan over high heat and lightly brush with oil. 
  • Season the top of the patties with salt and pepper. Pick up one patty with a piece of paper underneath and flip it over and into the hot pan (seasoned side down) and remove the paper. Repeat with the other patties.
  • Cook for about 60-90 seconds, until you see that the edges start to turn grey and juices release on top of the meat patties. Season with salt and pepper and turn with a spatula. Cook for another 20-40 seconds until browned. 
  • Serve on toasted burger buns and top with your favorite toppings. To make classic hamburgers use the ingredients listed in the ingredients list.

Notes

* After years of perfecting my patties, I found that 3.5oz / 99g is the perfect weight per patty for home cooking and grilling. I usually buy my meat from the butcher and buy enough meat to divide it into 3.5oz portions. For example, if I needed 6 patties, I would buy 21oz / 595g of meat. If you don’t have a kitchen scale or buy a prepackaged pound (454g) of ground beef in the store, just divide by 5 to have meat patties weighing 3.2oz / 91g or divide by 4 to have 4oz / 114g patties.

Video

You can find the video in the post above. If you don't see a video, please check your browser settings.

Nutrition

Calories: 252kcalProtein: 17gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 66mgPotassium: 268mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 2mg
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword burger patties, hamburger
Did you make this recipe?Leave a feedback and rate this recipe!
« Brioche Buns
The Best Burger Sauce: 6 Ingredient Recipe »

About Sabine

Sabine is a professional baker, cookbook author, and award-winning food photographer.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Portrait photo of Sabine Venier

Hi, my name is Sabine Venier! I’m a cookbook author and food blogger. Here on Also The Crumbs Please you will find my collection of treasured family recipes.

More about me →


Currently trending

  • Cooked patty on a burger bun with lettuce
    How to Cook Air Fryer Hamburgers (Fresh and Frozen)
  • tiramisu cake decorated with whipped cream and cocoa powder on a cake plate
    Tiramisu Cake Recipe
  • A slice of Black Forest cake on a dessert plate
    Black Forest Cake (Traditional German Recipe)
  • Baked muffins in paper liners on a white serving plate
    How to Make Air Fryer Muffins
  • Stack of oatmeal cookies next to glass of milk
    Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • a dozen filled Linzer cookies in a wooden basket with powdered sugar on top
    Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe)
  • Stack of chocolate cookies on bright background
    Chocolate Cookies made with Cocoa
  • A slice of sacher torte with whipped cream on a dessert plate
    Sacher Torte Recipe

Favorites

  • Raw pizza dough on a pizza peel
    Cold fermented Pizza Dough
  • Fettuccine pasta covered in Alfredo sauce in a large pan
    Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
  • A prepared cheeseburger on a serving board
    The Best Cheeseburger Recipe
  • Cut raspberry cake slices on a serving plate
    Easy Raspberry Cake Made From Scratch
  • Slices of blueberry bread on a white napkin
    Easy Blueberry Bread (fresh or frozen blueberries)
  • Burger sauce in a small bowl
    The Best Burger Sauce: 6 Ingredient Recipe

Footer


As seen on

collage of logos from brands which featured also the crumbs please

  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © 2023 Also The Crumbs Please

 

Loading Comments...