Learn all about how to make the juiciest burgers ever! You’ll find tips for creating a deliciously juicy burger at home, well seasoned and cooked perfectly every time.
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 stove top?
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!
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!
Juicy Burger Recipe
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.
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!
How do you make burgers juicy? The Best Tips!
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 patties. 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!
- 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 Burgers
Here’s a few of my reader favorite side dishes that go perfectly with a deliciously juicy burger!
- Truffle Fries
- Crispy Brussels
- Healthy Sweet Potato Fries
- Homemade Potato Salad
- Cabbage Salad
- Loaded Smashed Red Potatoes
- Easy Homemade Onion Rings Dipped In Beer Batter
What do you think? Are you a fan of delicious juicy burgers at home? Learn how to make homemade Mayonnaise for a burger topping right here – 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!
Juicy Burgers
Ingredients
- 16 ounces 80/20 ground beef
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper fresh cracked
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
Instructions
- 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.
Julie’s 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.
- Do not add salt to beef mixture. Salt dissolves water and protein from beef which makes them cling to each other and eliminates tender texture. If you want a hint of salt, add to formed patties AFTER you begin to cook to maintain tenderness.
- Loosely shape patties. Do not form them tightly, allowing beef space to “breathe”.
- Refrigerate patties. Chilling beef patties locks juices in before cooking.
- Heat pan (or grill) to high heat. This sears the exterior of the burger and creates a little crust, locking the juices inside!
- Cover burgers.
- Do not press patties. Pressing on patties releases the juices and dries burgers out.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Your notes say to cover patties but this is not stated in the directions. Do you cover while cooking or do you mean to cover them after they are cooked?
Hi! You can find the info in step 4 of the instructions and also in the “Tips” section. Cover your burgers with a lid once youโve added them to the pan.
Best burger I’ve made!!! A definite keeper! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Lisa! I hope you try more of my easy recipes!
Question: Why not use a whole egg. What is the advantage of just using the yolk in this recipe. Thanks in advance.
Delicious!
Moist.
Thank you! So glad you loved them!
Hi Julie!! I just wanted to THANK YOU for sharing this wonderful and tasty recipe. I had made burgers in the past but they were always dry. Your recipe was so easy to follow and the burgers were a huge hit at home. One of my kids has Food Aversion, which is an eating disorder in which they only have very few safe foods and sometimes is confused with being a picky eater. It makes it hard to add foods to their diet and nutrients but she was able to eat the entire burger!
She is now asking me to make these for her frequently and I am able to put a whole egg in her burger for protein without her tasting it. This burger is the juiciest and most flavorful burger we’ve eaten at home. I love that it’s healthy with no preservatives and it’s so quick to cook.
I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes! ๐
THANK YOU!!!! You will never know how you’ve helped our family!! <3
Hi Lilly! Thank you SO much! That brings me so much joy! If you want to mix it up a little for the rest of you, you can find some fun variations in gourmet burger, burger bar or make sliders in the oven. Again, I truly appreciate you taking the time to rate…it means so much to me!