16 Classic Burger Recipes to Take on Before Summer Really Ends

A collection of our tastiest, most beloved burgers.

Updated September 09, 2024

Wagyu burgers on a bun with ketchup, tomato and lettuce. — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Over the years, we here at Serious Eats have published quite a few hamburger recipes, as well as explainers on all sorts of burger-related subjects, from how to create your own premium beef blend to a guide on toppings and a handy collection of general burger-making tips. Below, we've assembled our favorite hamburger recipes, including a series of upgraded fast food copy-cat recipes developed by Kenji. Whether you're after a thin, crispy smash burger or an extra-thick medium-rare patty, we have a recipe for you.

Classic Smashed Burgers
Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian
These classic smashed cheeseburgers offer maximum juiciness and a deep brown, beefy crust.
Classic Smashed Burgers
Wisconsin Butter Burgers
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Wisconsin butter burgers range from event-worthy to everyday. The butter burger that gets food writers excited and keeps cardiologists up at night is the house specialty at Solly’s in Milwaukee, where a four-ounce sirloin patty comes topped with stewed onions and a generous layer (a tablespoon or two) of soft, spreadable Badger State gold. This is that burger.
Wisconsin Butter Burgers
The Ultimate Smash Cheeseburger
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
For this upgrade on our classic smash burger, Kenji tweaked the recipe to produce twice the amount of crisp, browned crust. By cooking two 2-ounce patties instead of one 4-ounce patty, we get double the amount of crust, while a slice of cheese in between the patties keeps things moist.
The Ultimate Smash Cheeseburger
Oklahoma-Style Onion Burgers
Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian
An Oklahoma classic, these burgers are made with a similar method to that of a classic North Jersey-style slider, but with way more onions, which help the thin patties of beef cook up extra juicy and flavorful.
Oklahoma-Style Onion Burgers
Continue to 5 of 15 below
Homemade Burger King Whopper-Style Cheeseburgers
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
This Whopper-style recipe improves the flame-grilled classic with better ingredients, better layering, and a better patty cooking technique: griddling thin patties through mostly from one side gives maximum crust development and browning while still leaving it nice and juicy.
Homemade Burger King Whopper-Style Cheeseburgers
In-N-Out's Double-Double, Animal Style
Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian
Make your own version of In-N-Out's Double-Double Animal Style burger with caramelized onions, two patties, American cheese, pickles, mustard, and special sauce.
In-N-Out's Double-Double, Animal Style
The Fake Shack (or the Shack Burger at Home)
Serious Eats / Andrew Janjigian
We've got everything you need to make your own Shack Burger at home, including a homemade version of Shack Sauce.
The Fake Shack (or the Shack Burger at Home)
A Better Big Mac
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Our deluxe take on the Big Mac starts with the great original concept and adds patties made from ground short rib, a touch of Marmite to the special sauce, and several incremental improvements to the bun, toppings, and the cooking process.
A Better Big Mac
Continue to 9 of 15 below
The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburgers
Serious Eats / J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
This burger is for the bacon-obsessed. Beef patties are griddled in bacon fat, then dressed with bacon-infused special sauce, smothered with onions fried in bacon fat, and topped with a crisp bacon weave.
The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburgers
Sous Vide Burgers
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
For larger burgers, sous vide cooking is a wonderful method of ensuring that your burger comes out with an unparalleled level of juiciness every single time.
Sous Vide Burgers
Thick and Juicy Burgers
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
If you're after a nice and thick burger and don't want to break out an immersion circulator, the oven is your friend. Here, large patties are slowly baked in a low oven to a perfect medium rare and then seared in a skillet to finish.
Thick and Juicy Burgers
Grilled Korean-Style Bulgogi Burgers With Kimchi Mayo and Pickled Daikon
Serious Eats / Emily and Matt Clifton
When we want the flavors of Korean bulgogi and the grilling method of a burger, there's an easy solution: combine them. The spicy kimchi mayo really ties this sandwich together.
Grilled Korean-Style Bulgogi Burgers With Kimchi Mayo and Pickled Daikon
Continue to 13 of 15 below
Teriyaki Burgers
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
To ensure a nicely browned crust and avoid burning the sauce, burger patties are grilled first and then repeatedly painted with teriyaki sauce toward the end of cooking. More teriyaki sauce is added during assembly, along with mayo and shredded cabbage.
Teriyaki Burgers
Cemita Burger With Refried Beans, Chipotle Mayo, Avocado, and Oaxacan Cheese
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
For this mash-up of the iconic Mexican sandwich, Daniel nests burger patties on a sesame bun with traditional cemita accoutrements, including frijoles refritos, queso Oaxaca, and deliciously pungent pápalo.
Cemita Burger With Refried Beans, Chipotle Mayo, and Avocado
Wagyu Burgers
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Ground wagyu is often not all it's cracked up to be, but even if you get the real deal, does it make a worthy hamburger? We attempt to answer this question, whilst offering a recipe and general tips on cooking wagyu patties.
Wagyu Burgers

Burgers

16 Classic Burger Recipes to Take on Before Summer Really Ends

More Serious Eats Recipes