We started playing around with this recipe for homemade smash burgers during the pandemic. A late night binge of Jon Favreau and chef Roy Choi’s show The Chef Show led to the purchase of a flat top and from there, an obsession was born. Five years later, it’s safe to say that this smash burger recipe is PERFECT. Tried and true! You may have seen us share this recipe over on Instagram, and today we’ve finally got it all laid out for you. The top to bottom, step-by-step to making crisp-edged, saucy (and yes, the sauce is KEY) burgers any time you want.
These burgers have become a vacation essential for our annual family visit to the San Juan Islands, and if we're lucky enough to have caught crab while we’re out there, we often add a bonus pile on top of the burger. More is more! Speaking of more, if you’ve got time, whip up some Homemade French Fries, and extra Burger Sauce to serve on the side. And if it’s a classic burger you crave, don’t miss our super classic Cheese Burger recipe.
Ingredients
Scroll down for the full recipe with measurements below.
- Ground beef: Make it 80/20 so the burgers are nice and juicy, despite the smashing.
- Sweet onion: Some of the onion will be cooked on the grill, and some will go directly into the burger sauce, so be sure you choose a sweet onion.
- Yellow mustard: No fancy subs, please! Regular old yellow mustard is exactly the flavor your want on your smash burger. It’s aggressively tangy, and it stands up to the sweet ketchup and rich mayo.
- Mayonnaise: The “secret” to any secret sauce is lots of mayo (ours included).
- Ketchup: Regular Heinz ketchup is usually what we reach for, and it’s worth noting that ketchup flavor profiles can vary quite a lot brand to brand. It’s OK to try a different one, but sometimes we’ve been surprised by how assertively spiced some brands can be. A generic brand, or Heinz brand is probably the safest bet for this recipe, since we are going for really classic burger flavors.
- Toppings: American cheese (nothing beats that almost-plastic-y American cheese melt factor), crisp Iceberg lettuce, and the juiciest tomato you can find.
How To Make The Best Smash Burgers
- Roll out the burger patties. We don’t mix anything into the beef, just grab about ¼ pound of ground beef per person, roll it into a ball and that’s it.
- Sauté some onion to use on top of the burgers and set them aside.
- Cut yourself some squares of parchment paper. P.S. All three of these first steps could be done a few hours ahead of time, if you’re cooking these up for a big group.
- Make the burger sauce by stirring together mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, and onion.
- Place your ground beef balls on the hot flat top or skillet. Use the parchment paper to help you flatten the beef into ultra- thin patties. This is the smash part of the smash burgers! And yes, your kids will want to help. If they’re old enough, let ‘em!
- Flip the burgers.
- Top them with cheese. Once the cheese has melted…
- Tuck in! Be sure to serve up some classic sides with these, too. We love Potato Salad, Broccoli Salad, or even just a really crispy Classic Slaw.
Variations + Tips
- Close-watchers may have noticed that we sometimes drizzle yellow mustard on the smash burger patties before we flip them! Yellow mustard adds a lot of salty tangy flavor to the patty, so mustard lovers should try this for sure.
- Top the burgers with even more goodies! Crab meat (as we mentioned above) is admittedly pretty extra which is why it is delicious. But any additional burger topping you love would work well. We love the addition of sliced pickles, Sautéed Mushrooms, or even smashed avocado.
- Make it vegetarian. You can definitely use a vegetarian ‘meat’ for the smash burger patty. Both Impossible and Beyond sell packages of ground “beef” that you can treat essentially how you’d treat real ground beef. Roll the patties, smash them, top them with the burger sauce and cheese, and you’ll barely know the difference!
To Serve On The Side
Find More Summer Inspiration
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!
