Perfect Hamburger Patty Recipe

Everyone needs a delicious classic hamburger patty recipe in their repertoire. A really good hamburger patty recipe will yield moist juicy classic hamburgers that can be eaten on its own and still taste delicious. These hamburger patties are just that. You can cook these hamburgers on the grill, on the stovetop, or in the air fryer and they come out juicy and delicious every time.

Of all the recipes I have tried at home (and I have made many) this burger patty is my absolute favorite hamburger patty recipe! There are no binders and it is 100 percent pure ground beef. The perfect hamburger.

This homemade hamburger patty recipe makes four ½-pound hamburgers and is made with a blend of 80/20 ground beef. You can make these hamburgers on the grill, on the stovetop, or even in the air fryer. We also love cooking up these hamburgers on our Blackstone griddle!

I have tried it with all of these methods and it works perfectly!

What You Will Need

• 2 pounds of ground beef (80/20 blend). You want to make sure you are using ground beef with a higher fat content, preferably one that has 20 percent fat in it. This ensures that the hamburgers are juicy and full of flavor. You could also use an 85/15 blend if you prefer. I find the 80/20 blend of ground beef makes the best hamburgers. This blend just gives so much flavor.
• Seasoning blend: kosher salt, onion powder, and sweet paprika. This blend is my tried and true hamburger blend and it really tastes amazing and to me, makes the perfect burger! If you want to add even more flavor you can try adding garlic powder, a mesquite seasoning or blackened seasoning to the burgers before cooking.

How To Make Homemade Burger Patties

Divide ground beef: Add the ground beef to a large bowl then divide it into 4 sections. Here you want to make sure that you divide your ground beef evenly into 4 balls. This will ensure that there is the same amount of ground beef in each hamburger patty and they all cook at the same time. I like to add them to a large plate or baking sheet so it is easy to carry them over to the grill.

Shape Hamburger patties: After you have rolled out your ground beef evenly, you form them into hamburger patties. To do this, you gently press down each patty until they are the desired thickness.

For this burger patty recipe, the thickness is about ¾ of an inch. You can smooth out any rough edges that form as well so when the hamburgers cook they will be uniform in shape.

Make Indentation into the Hamburger patties: Once your hamburger patties are formed you want to make a small well (indentation) on the top of your hamburgers. This will ensure that the hamburgers do not bloat and turn round like a hockey puck when they are cooking.

If you have had problems with your hamburgers doing this when you've cooked them, this will fix that! The well will disappear after cooking 🙂

Seasoning your homemade hamburgers: Here is where you add your hamburger seasoning. Make sure to add the seasoning right before cooking the hamburgers.

You do not want the salt interacting with the hamburger patty for too long. See the dry brining your meat section below for why this is and different ways to season meat.

• Cooking the burgers: Depending on the cooking method you are using, these burger patties are quick to cook. They will take between 4-6 minutes on medium- medium high heat to cook. I prefer cooking my burgers on the grill. (or grill pan). We have instructions for grilling, stovetop cooking, or air fryer cooking in the recipe card below. Once they are done cooking, you can add a slice of cheese to each patty and lightly cover with aluminum foil to melt the cheese. Adding the cheese is the last step.

Recipe Faqs

Top Recipe Tips

• Do not overmix the burger patties: Overmixing the burger patties can toughen the hamburgers.
• Make the patties all the same size: Making sure the hamburger patties are all the same size will ensure even cooking. If you are not good at eyeballing this, use a kitchen scale and weigh the patties while you are making them.
• Remember burgers shrink when cooking! When cooking burgers, it is important to remember they will shrink when cooking. Keep this in mind when you are thinking about what size patties to go with those hamburger buns. I like to make the patties a little bigger than the bun to account for this.
• For the juiciest homemade hamburgers- make sure to use a ground beef blend of 80/20 ground beef (which means 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat). The second thing that makes a juicy burger is not overcooking the burger. Cooking a hamburger beyond a temperature of medium (which is a solid warm pink center) will begin to dry out the burger.
• Add cheese at the end of cooking- If you are adding cheese to your hamburgers, add them when the burgers are done cooking and tent them with aluminum foil to allow the cheese to melt while the burgers rest.

Toppings!

Classic Toppings to add would be red onion, lettuce, tomato, and even some Worcestershire sauce.

If I have time, I also like to make a quick homemade basil lemon mayonnaise, creamy sriracha, simple gochujang mayo, simple brown sugar BBQ sauce, creamy cilantro sauce, or poblano sauce for a really flavorful burger and to really elevate your burger game.

Best Buns For Hamburgers

Once you have gone through all the steps to make the perfect hamburger patty, you may be wondering what the best buns are for hamburgers. Here are some ideas:

• Brioche Buns: This has become more popular recently and a great choice if you are looking for that classic soft hamburger bun for your burgers.
• Potato buns: The potato rolls are strong and sturdy hamburger buns and can hold up to a big juicy burger without getting too mushy.
• Old-fashioned hamburger buns: This is the classic American hamburger bun made from regular wheat flour and you can never go wrong with it.
• Thick sliced bread: I know, technically this is not a bun but many people do love adding their burgers to thickly sliced toasted bread.

For the best results with whatever you choose, it is always nice to toast up the bread before adding the hamburgers to them. When I am grilling, I like to toast the hamburger buns on the grill AFTER I take the hamburgers off the grill to rest.

That rest time for the hamburgers is 5 minutes which is enough time to grill up the buns.