Smashburger Recipe

Here’s a simply ‘smashing’ Smash Burger Recipe that is perfect for the incoming summer season. What is a smash burger you ask? It’s a delicious ground beef patty pressed and simmered on a cast iron pan placed in between two soft buns, garnished with all your favorite toppings. Trust me, this is one of the best and juiciest burgers you’ll ever have. 

Sometimes, those giant traditional burger patties, while delicious, are not the easiest to cook or manage. Plus, the fun part of this recipe is to press down on those patties and watch them simmer to perfection. 

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Ground Beef: You’ll want to use ground beef that’s 80% beef and 20% fat. Ground chuck is also an option.

Hamburger Buns: I like to toast my buns, but you don’t have to. Regular buns work just fine but you could use potato buns or brioche buns as well if you’re feeling fancy! 

Seasonings: This recipe calls for garlic powder, onion powder and seasoning salt. You can increase or decrease any of these to suit your tastes.

Cheese Slices: A slice of american cheese is usually my go to, but cheddar or swiss are good options too. 

Optional Toppings: Sliced red onion, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, dill pickles, burger sauce, kosher salt, your favorite cheese slice, etc. whatever you can name, you can top it with! 

How To Make Smash Burgers

Let’s discuss the steps you’ll take to make the best smash burgers. If you want to skip my discussion, tips, information and answers to frequently asked questions, just scroll to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe.

1. Divide the ground beef into 8 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into a ball. You want to try and handle the meat as little as possible. Place the burger balls onto a plate or cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. This helps the meat stick together better before it goes on the hot grill. In the meantime, you can prepare pieces of parchment paper to use while smashing the burgers.

2. Next, you may choose to toast the burger buns. First, butter them generously, then either place them cut side down on a grill or frying pan and cook over medium heat until they are toasted and golden brown. You could also place the buttered bun cut side up on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, or until toasted.

3. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat, then place one of the balls of meat into the pan.

4. Place a piece of parchment paper over the ball and use a spatula to hold it flat on the ball and press down hard on the spatula (or with a burger press) to create a thin patty.

5. Once you remove the parchment paper, sprinkle on a little seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste. Keep adding and pressing the burger balls but don’t crowd the pan, You will probably need to do a couple of batches. If you crowd the patties the burgers will start to steam instead of grill. 

6. Cook the patties for 2-4 minutes or until charred and brown on bottom. You’ll know the patties are ready to flip when the juices begin pooling on top. Don’t move, poke, or flatten the patties while they are cooking; the only time you will move them is when you flip them.

Flip them over, but make sure you scrape up the browned bits from the pan, and allow them to cook for another 2-4 minutes until you get those great crispy edges, or until your desired doneness. A 160 degree internal temperature is usually a good indicator the burger patties are done. 

Add a slice of cheese to every patty as you remove the burgers from the grill so the cheese melts over the hot burgers. Place burgers on the buns and add optional garnishes to the top of each patty. Enjoy your delicious burger.

Recipe Tips and Advice

Storage: Your leftover burger patties can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months. 

Supplies: Parchment paper is helpful for cleanliness, and making sure your utensils don’t stick to the burger meat. A firm spatula or meat press is great for the “smashing” aspect of this recipe, and of course a large cast iron skillet to really sear that ground beef. 

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, a regular frying pan works just fine. Just make sure it gets hot enough, and not to crowd the pan. A griddle or Blackstone works as well. 

Seasoning Salt: While you might be used to adding the seasoning salt to your hamburger meat prior to cooking, I find that with this smash burger recipe, the less you handle these burgers, the better .

Recipe FAQs

What To Serve With Smash Burgers

This smash burger recipe pairs perfectly with some crispy and salty Air Fryer Potato Wedges. But, if you’re feeling something sweeter to balance it out, you may like these Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, or maybe something in the middle like Air Fryer Corn on the Cob! Here are some other delicious side dishes with smashburgers.

• Air Fryer Tater Tots
• Rotini Pasta Salad
• Crockpot Baked Beans
• Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad
• KFC Coleslaw Recipe
• Easy Mac and Cheese
• Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
• Cucumber Salad