Best Smash Burger Recipe

on Apr 23, 2024

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Finally, a juicy homemade burger that rivals even the best hometown joint! These smash burgers are riddled with flavor and are unfathomably easy to make.

A hand holding a delicious homemade smash burger wrapped in parchment.

What is a Smash Burger?

A smash burger is exactly what it sounds like! You place a ball of ground beef onto a hot pan or griddle and smash it into a thin, savory patty. This process of cooking the meat seals in flavor and yields a deliciously unbeatable burger.

I’ve been trying to nail the at-home burger for a long time and this smash burger recipe is the result! The process feels almost too simple, but trust me – it yields a flavorful, juicy, perfect burger that your entire family is going to DEVOUR!

A smash burger cut in half with the cross section on display.

Best Smash Burger Recipe Ingredients

Burger Sauce

Mayonnaise – Use whatever type you’d like!
Ketchup
Yellow mustard – If you’re feeling fancy, you can switch this out for dijon mustard.
White vinegar
Seasoned salt – You can buy this in the spice aisle of any grocery store.

Burgers

Ground beef – It is best if you cook the meat straight from the fridge while it is still nice and cold.
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Toppings

Burger buns – You can use whatever type of bun you’d like. We usually serve this on a plain bun, but brioche or pretzel buns would be a fun twist.
Sliced cheese, if desired
Lettuce – We typically do shredded lettuce, but feel free use full leaf.
Tomato slices
Onion slices – Add these raw or grill them up.
Pickle chips
Any other desired toppings

Smash Burger Seasoning

This burger uses a mix of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Super simple, but so flavorful!

A homemade burger with all the toppings plated ready to eat.

How to Make Smash Burgers

First, in a small bowl whisk together the ingredients to make the sauce. Remove about 1/4 of the sauce and place in a separate bowl and set aside.
Cover the remaining sauce and refrigerate until needed.
Take the ground beef and separate the meat into 8 equal sections. If you want thinner, double patties, split each section into two.
Roll each portion of ground beef into a ball.*
Preheat your griddle or pan to 400° F.
Once hot, quickly place a ball of ground beef onto the hot surface, cover with a square of parchment paper and use the back of a spatula to smash the burger until very thin.
Remove the parchment paper, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and then spread approx 1/2 tsp of the set aside burger sauce onto the meat.
Repeat with more burger patties as desired and as your griddle or pan has room.
Cook the patty for approx 3-4 minutes on the first side, and then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 160° F.
If making thinner, double patties, I like to sandwich my cheese in between the two patties. Once the patties are cooked through, add the cheese on top of one patty and place the other on top of the cheese and set aside while putting together the buns.
Repeat until all patties have been cooked. Discard the remaining burger sauce that was used with the uncooked meat.

Assembling your Smash Burgers

To prep the buns, on the still hot griddle, toast the buns until golden brown.
Once the buns are toasted, spread some of the reserved burger sauce from the fridge onto the bottom bun and add some pickle chips directly onto the sauce.
Top the sauce with shredded lettuce, tomato slices and onion slices (and any other toppings you’d like).
Place the burger patties on top of the veggies and then finish off with the top bun.
Enjoy!

*You can roll the ground beef into balls and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days before making the burgers. Just keep the ground beef in either a sealed container or zip top bag.

How Long to Cook Smash Burgers?

You want to cook your burgers until the internal temperature is 160° F. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your patty, but I typically cook the first side for 3-4 minutes and the second side for 2-3 minutes.

Close up of a juicy smash burger made from home.

How to Assemble Smash Burgers

Here’s the best way I’ve found to assemble the perfect homemade smash burger:

Toast the buns
Once the buns are toasted, spread some of the burger sauce onto the bottom bun & top with pickle chips.
Onto the sauce and pickles, add shredded lettuce, tomato slices, onion slices and any other toppings you desire.
Finally, place the burger patties on top of the veggies and then add the top bun.

FAQs for How to Make a Smash Burger

What makes it a smash burger?

The name for this burger comes from the process used to cook them! To a skillet we add a ball of ground beef and top it with a piece of parchment. Immediately after, we smash the ball through the parchment until the burger patty is flat – thus smash burger.

What cheese is best for smash burgers?

I would recommend using sliced cheese, not shredded! You can use whatever type of cheese you’d like – I typically opt for cheddar, swiss, or pepper jack.