Our recipe for the best-ever cheeseburger features juicy ground meat, soft homemade hamburger buns, and tangy homemade ketchup, all topped with the classic fixings. Complete the ultimate burger experience by pairing it with authentic pub-style fries!
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🥩 The Ingredients
Using top-notch yet affordable beef combined with homemade buns, ketchup, and fresh ingredients, this recipe delivers an unforgettable burst of flavor in every bite. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.
🧀 Substitutions and Variations
- Beef – We find that using freshly ground beef gives you the juiciest burger possible. Packaged ground beef is often mixed with many other types of beef, and not the freshest. We love the juicy combination of skirt steak and flat iron steak, but flap steak, top sirloin, and beef short rib meat are all excellent choices. No need to invest in an expensive cut of meat (ie, beef tenderloin). Grinding the beef will deliver very tender, juicy burgers.
- Seasonings – We find that adding salt and freshly ground pepper is all you need for the perfect burger. Wait until just before grilling to season. If you salt the burgers too far in advance, they will not be as juicy after being cooked.
- Buns – Homemade hamburger buns truly knock this burger out of the park. We also love going with our homemade pretzel buns, too! Of course, store-bought will work, but remember, you’re amazing for the best cheeseburger of all time!
- Toppings – Go with your favorite cheese. We love cheddar, Colby, smoked Gouda, and even bleu cheese. Add the cheese in the final moments of cooking. For the other toppings, go with the freshest produce you can find. And homemade ketchup, homemade mayonnaise, and Carolina-style mustard bring the burger to the next level!
See the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Expert Tip
Resist packing the burgers too tightly when you are forming them. You’ll want them compact enough so they don’t fall apart on the grill, but a loosely packed burger will have little air pockets where juices will collect, making for an extra-juicy burger. Using a digital kitchen scale to weigh your burgers ensures that each burger cooks evenly.
👩🏼🍳 How To Make the Best-Ever Cheeseburger
- Step 1: Cut the steaks into chunks and then grind with the widest die (⅜ to ¼-inch) or chop in a food processor.
- Step 2: Form about 5 ounces of meat into a ball, and then gently flatten into a disc. Season with salt just before grilling.
- Step 3: Grill over direct heat until an internal temperature of 160°F, and then add a slice of quality cheese.
- Step 4: Meanwhile, butter and toast the buns on the grill until lightly browned and toasty.
- Step 5: Smear the homemade ketchup onto the toasted bottom half of the bun.
- Step 6: Add your favorite toppings to the burgers and serve them at once!
🍽️ How to Serve
- The ketchup can be made several days in advance, and actually gets better with a couple of days of chilling. We recommend making the buns the same day you serve the burgers; however, they can be made 4 to 5 hours in advance. Don’t slice them until you are almost ready to toast them. The meat can be ground and formed into patties the night before. Don’t season them until just before grilling them.
- The burgers are perfect with traditional fixings, including sliced fresh tomatoes, pieces of torn green leaf lettuce (or chopped iceberg), thinly sliced red onions, your favorite burger-style pickles, and, of course, tangy ketchup and creamy mayonnaise.
- We love to serve these burgers with the classic sides, including best-ever potato salad, caprese pasta salad, diner-style coleslaw, and Southern baked beans.
Expert Tip
When serving a crowd, it’s best to cook the burgers to at least medium. You don’t want the inside of the burger to be too pink or red. A digital thermometer is crucial for making sure your burgers reach 155 to 160°F for the perfectly cooked patty.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
For juicy and flavorful burgers, choose ground beef with a fat content of around 80/20 (80% lean, 20% fat), which provides the perfect balance of moisture and taste. Our favorite cuts are a combination of any of the following: Flat iron, flap steak, skirt steak, top sirloin, and chuck.
Yes! Although the buns are best when they are freshly baked, they can be prepared a day in advance and stored in an airtight container, while homemade ketchup can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Classic toppings include crisp lettuce, ripe tomato slices, sliced onions, pickles, and your favorite cheese—cheddar or American cheese work great for that melty, savory finish.
🍔 Other Amazing Burger Recipes
Ready to make the best cheeseburger in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Best-Ever Cheeseburger
Video
Equipment
- Meat grinder Or ask your butcher or chop in a food processor
- Grill gas, charcoal, or electric
Ingredients
Do Ahead (Day Of or 1 Day Before Serving)
- 1 cup ketchup
- 6 hamburger buns
For the Cheeseburgers
- 1¼ lb skirt steak
- 1¼ lb flat iron steak See NOTES
- coarse sea salt and black pepper
- Cooking or grill spray
- hamburger buns
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 slices cheddar cheese or your favorite type of cheese
- ketchup
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes thinly sliced
- 2 cups green leaf lettuce cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
- hamburger pickles dill or bread and butter
Instructions
Do Ahead (up to 1 week)
- Prepare the ketchup and keep it stored in a jar or container with a lid in the fridge. If desired, let set out for 1 hour before serving.1 cup ketchup
Do Ahead (Morning of or Night Before)
- Make the hamburger buns. Let cool completely. If making them more than several hours before serving, store in an air-tight container. Cut them in half no more than an hour before toasting and/or warming to serve.6 hamburger buns
Make the Best-Ever Cheeseburgers
- Cut the meat into 1 to 2-inch pieces. Grind the meat on the widest die (⅜ to ¼-inch). Or, have your butcher grind it for you. Or, chop the meat in your food processor.1¼ lb skirt steak, 1¼ lb flat iron steak
- Form a ball of meat in your clean hands about 5 to 6 ounces (a little larger than a golf ball). Flatten the meat with the palm of your hand to form a patty. Don't press too hard; you don't want the meat to be too compact, yet firm enough to stay intact while on the grill. Season the patties on both sides with salt and pepper just before bringing them to the grill.coarse sea salt and black pepper
- Lightly oil the grates of your grill, then turn it to medium-high heat.Cooking or grill spray
- Slice the buns in half and butter the insides. Set aside.hamburger buns, ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Place the patties over direct heat, with the lid closed, and cook until internal temperature reaches 155 to 160°F for medium, flipping a time or two (See NOTES).
- Add the buns over direct heat and cook until lightly browned and toasty. Place on a platter.
- Meanwhile, add the cheese to the burgers, close the grill, and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the burgers to a platter.6 slices cheddar cheese
- Serve at once with desired condiments and fixings.ketchup, 2 medium ripe tomatoes, 2 cups green leaf lettuce, 1 medium red onion, hamburger pickles
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