The Best Juicy Burger | Julie Blanner

We are big fans of burger nights in this house and with good reason. Who doesn’t love a juicy burger on the grill, oven, or on the stovetop?

If you love burgers as much as my family, you’ve got to check out this fun burger bar set-up, juicy sliders, along with my best tips for making burgers in the oven. We also love these incredible bratwursts for an easy family dinner night!

A juicy burger with lettuce, cheese, and onions on a white plate.

Are we burger experts? Maybe not quite yet, but we’re definitely getting close! The love runs deep, and they will always be a favorite around here.

Today I’m giving you all my best research and tips for creating the juiciest burgers ever. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

You know I like to keep things simple. You can dig around all over the internet and find recipes for juicy burgers that include things like evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, butter and so much more!

I’m sure those things all work beautifully for creating a delicious burger. However, I just don’t think it’s necessary to work that hard in this situation – burgers are meant to be simple and delicious.

These burgers are so delicious, I keep the toppings simple. I use good-quality hamburger buns, lettuce, red onion, and whatever cheese we happen to have on hand—although you cannot go wrong with Cheddar or melty American cheese.

Ingredients

This recipe is beyond simple. Here’s what you’ll need!

Ground Chuck – 80/20 is ideal. Yes, it’s a high fat content, but you don’t eat burgers every day!
Egg Yolk – This helps add just a touch of extra moisture to your burgers and makes the patties easier to form.
Olive Oil – This is the ultimate key to trapping a little extra moisture into your burgers! You’ll be amazed at how this creates the best juicy finish.
Minced Garlic – Garlic adds a deliciously fragrant flavor to your meat mixture. It also blends beautifully with any other seasonings you might like to add.
Fresh Cracked Pepper – adds the perfect flavorful finish. Of course you can also add a crack of sea salt, but I don’t like to over-salt my burgers. *You’ll read more about this later on in this post. Also, keep in mind that most of the condiments that Americans like to add to burgers can also add a ton of salty flavors. No need to overdo it!
Butter – a pat of butter in your pan if you’re making these on the stove top is a delicious addition and helps brown the burger quickly, creating the perfect crust at high heat.

I like to give a lot of detail in my recipe posts to guide readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, feel free to click “jump to recipe” right under the title of this post and you’ll head straight there!

Tips From My Test Kitchen

Creating a juicy burger at home is so much easier than people think. Here’s a few of my favorite tips!

The less you handle the beef, the better. Stirring and mushing the beef as you mix will cause the proteins to break down, which makes your burgers less juicy and tender.
Don’t add salt to your beef mixture until you make them into patties. Salt dissolves water and protein out of beef which makes them cling to each other, eliminating that tender texture. You can get the flavor while maintaining tenderness by adding the sea salt to formed patties just before baking. *As noted, I didn’t add any salt to this burger recipe at all, with this in mind!
Loosely shape your patties! No need to tightly form them. Let the beef breathe a little and you’ll thank me later!
Add a thumbprint to your homemade burgers. Pressing a small, shallow cavity into the center of your burger patties helps them sear and cook evenly throughout.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes to lock juices in before throwing them onto the stove top pan or grill.
Heat your pan to high heat. This sears the exterior of the burger and creates a little crust, locking the juices inside! If you have one a cast iron skillet works best here.
You can add a little more oil to the pan, but it’s not necessary. The fat content from the ground chuck should prevent them from sticking.
Cover your burgers with a lid once you’ve added them to the pan. This not only prevents grease from flying, it helps seal in the juices.
Don’t push down with your spatula. It’s so tempting, but don’t do it! Lock those juices in!

The BIGGEST takeaway? The less you touch the burgers, the better!

What is the Best Cut of Meat for Burgers?

In my opinion, chuck steak is the best meat for creating a truly craveable burger. You don’t want it to be greasy and dripping everywhere, but you do want it to hold moisture and it needs to right fat content to do that.

80-85% is generally the best bet for your ground chuck for burgers. You can certainly go leaner to save yourself some calories, but it’s easier to accidentally dry out a leaner burger, regardless of cooking method.

What do you Season burgers with?

For this juicy burger recipe I wanted to keep things really simple, seasoning-wise. This allows a lot of flexibility for your own burger nights at home.

We love to mix it up and add a variety of seasonings to keep it fun and interesting. Need a few more ideas?

Cayenne pepper
Brown sugar
Onion powder or minced onion
Fresh minced garlic, garlic salt or garlic powder
Paprika
Fresh or dried herbs – think rosemary, oregano, chives

Looking for topping ideas for your juicy burgers? Don’t miss the best ideas for a burger bar and my All American Burger Guide – it’s chock full of tips for cheeses, toppings and condiments of all kinds!

What to Serve with Juicy Burgers

Here’s a few of my reader’s favorite side dishes that go perfectly with a delicious burger!

What do you think? Are you a fan of delicious juicy burgers at home? Learn how to make homemade Mayonnaise for a simple burger sauce—it’s so easy!

If you make this easy burger recipe, please come back and leave a comment and review. I’d love to hear from you!

In a medium mixing bowl, add ground beef, egg yolk, olive oil, minced garlic, and fresh cracked pepper. Gently combine.

16 ounces 80/20 ground beef, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Divide meat mixture into four parts and gently form four burger patties, creating a thumb print in the center. Place patties on a plate and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, on the stovetop, add butter to skillet over medium-high heat. Alternatively, heat to medium high heat (no butter required).

1 tablespoon salted butter
Add burger patties to pan (or grill) and sear 3-4 minutes covered. Do not press patties. Flip.
For medium rare burgers, sear on the opposite side for approximately 2-3 minutes. Medium should take an extra minute or so, for a total of 6-8 minutes.
During the last 30 seconds of cooking patties, add cheese to melt.

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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2025-01-25 14:00:00