The Best Smash Burger Recipe without a Blackstone
Warning, this recipe makes perfect smash burgers and is highly addicting! You may not want to eat a burger any other way after this! These flavorful burgers are my go to recipe and are packed with gooey cheese and crispy goodness. You will not want to put this burger down! The best part is you do not need a Blackstone grill to make them, just a flat cooking surface. So take your burger game to the next level this summer with these homemade smash burgers and make your family think you are eating at a restaurant. Let me show you how to make the best smash burgers you will ever have! Seriously. Full recipe card below.
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What is a Smashburger?
The basic smash burger was made famous by a Denver fast food chain called, you guessed it, Smashburger. If you have never enjoyed one, a smashed burger is a beef patty that is cooked over medium high heat on a flat top griddle and smashed down with a hamburger press. This creates a very thin patty with crispy edges. They are often made with caramelized onions and two burger patties.
Why I Love this Recipe
Homemade smash burgers are one of my favorite things to make on the weekends next to pizza of course. Saturday nights are for burgers and we make these almost every weekend! They are full of flavor and can be made as a single or a double. I usually take mine with a single burger patty while Barry likes his as a double. Just add your favorite toppings and you have a restaurant quality meal at home!
The Best Smash Burger Ingredients
These juicy burgers are full of flavor even though they use fairly basic ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge. Let me walk you through what I used in this easy recipe and why and where you can add or substitute.
Ground BeefĀ – You can use any version of ground beef you want but the more you lower the fat content, the drier your burger will be. I usually use 80/20 ground beef or bison for a leaner burger. Bison is actually a fairly healthy meat and makes a much juicer burger than 97/3 or ground turkey. You can use pre-made burger patties if you want but you will need to reshape them into burger balls. I personally think it’s easier to use ground meat though.
Brioche Buns – Trust me on this one, they are worth the splurge. When have you ever ordered a good burger at a restaurant that wasn’t served on a fancy bun? I rest my case. Skip the cheap buns and grab the brioche. They toast nicely and have a slightly sweeter taste. The best brioche buns are sold in the bakery section at the grocery store. A lot of the standard non-bakery brioche buns in the bread aisle have a very artificial taste in my opinion.
Cream CheeseĀ –Ā For a lot of you this might sound like an odd choice, but if you are a fellow Coloradan you have likely been to the Cherry Cricket and tried their cream cheese jalapeno burger. This is where I got the idea, and let me tell you, it’s genius! Cream cheese is excellent on burgers and is a great combo with jalapenos. You can skip it if you want, but I encourage you to try it at least once!
CheeseĀ – A burger without cheese is basically un-American, am I right? Each patty gets a slice of cheese in this recipe. Any kind of cheese will work, but I used Velveeta slices. I know some folks have strong feelings about Velveeta and I understand, but nothing melts quite the same as Velveeta’s cheesy goodness. Feel free to use American cheese, cheddar cheese, or even pepper jack cheese for a little spice.
Fresh JalapenosĀ – Jalapenos add a little heat to the burgers and go really well with the cream cheese. I never make mine without them. You can control the spice level by removing the seeds. If you do not like spice at all, you can omit them.
Pro tip: A jalapeƱo pepper with striations on the exterior or that is changing color from green to red or orange is spicier. This jalapeno was left on the vine longer and will have more heat.Ā
OnionĀ – I always use a white onion, but you can also use a red onion. Red onions are best raw while white onions are better cooked down. These will get cooked a bit but not caramelized so either one will work here.
Chipotle AioliĀ – I always add my favorite burger sauce, Kraft Chipotle Aioli. If you by chance have this on hand, it is the perfect spread for sandwiches like this! I have had a hard time finding it lately though. So if you don’t have it or can’t find it, make my copycat version here.
MustardĀ – This is also a very common ingredient on burgers. Usually I am not a big mustard fan, BUT this flavors the patties during the cooking process and adds a ton of flavor that is not overly mustardy. I think plain yellow mustard works best, but you can also use Dijon mustard as well.
Salt & PepperĀ – Like all dishes a little salt and pepper goes a long way. A few shakes of each flavors the meat.
Canola Oil – I always use a little bit of oil on the griddle before toasting the buns. You should use canola oil not olive oil or vegetable oil because canola oil has a higher smoking point and won’t make your food taste burnt. If you do not have canola oil you can also use margarine.
Cooking Options
The most common cooking method for smash burgers is a Blackstone or a flat top grill. If you want to enjoy your smash burgers on the grill but don’t want the additional cost of a new Blackstone griddle or simply don’t have room, the easiest way is to add a flattop grill insert like I have. It works just as good and can be removed when you want to grill traditional burgers or hot dogs on the grates.
You can also make smash burgers indoors on a griddle pan or in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. I have definitely done this before, but it tends to make the kitchen a bit smoky.
You will also need a heavy burger press to do the smashing. The first time I made these I used a solid metal spatula to smash them, but it doesn’t get the patties nearly as flat.
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The Best Smash Burger Recipe without a Blackstone
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-8 Burgers 1x
Description
Warning, this recipe is highly addicting and you may not want to eat a burger any other way after this! Full of flavor, gooey cheese, and crispy goodness, this burger is very hard to put down. The best part is you do not need a Blackstone grill to make them. So up your burger game this summer with these homemade smash burgers and make your family think you are eating out!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef or Bison
- 4 Brioche Buns
- 8 Velveeta Cheese Slices
- 4 tbsp Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup White Onion sliced
- 2 Jalapenos diced and seeds removed
- 4 tbsp Chipotle Aioli Spread
- 8 tsp Yellow Mustard
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Canola Oil
Instructions
- Turn on the grill and set all the burners to medium heat.
- While your grill heats up, take the ground beef and form balls of meat with your hands. Each ball should be about 2 oz. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Add a small amount of oil to the griddle and toast each of the flat sides of the hamburger bun for about 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. You can also use a little margarine for this.
- Once the buns are toasted, remove from the grill and add a tablespoon of cream cheese to the top half of the bun and a tablespoon of chipotle aioli to the bottom half.
- Add a handful of diced jalapenos to the side of the bun with the cream cheese. Set aside the assembled buns.
- Add the ground beef balls to the hot griddle and leave enough space between them for smashing. Using a burger press and a piece of parchment paper, smash each patty down.
- Add the sliced onions to the griddle in between the beef patties and let them cook down.
- Cook for about a minute and then squirt about a teaspoon of yellow mustard onto each patty then flip the burger over. This is what gives you a delicious crust along the edges.
- After another minute, add the slices of cheese to each patty and close the grill lid so the cheese gets melty. About a minute.
- While the burgers are still on the grill, stack two patties placing onions on top of the burger between each patty.
- Using a metal spatula remove the patties from the grill and place them onto the prepped buns.
Notes
This recipe is for double smash burgers. You can also make them as singles but you will need more buns. This will make 6-8 single smash burgers depending on how big you make your patties.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
You can watch my SMASH BURGER VIDEO HERE and see how I make them š
When to Make Smash Burgers
Summer is right around the corner and these smash burgers are prefect for backyard outdoor cooking! These are the best burgers for summer BBQs, game day, tailgating, or a Saturday night in. So fire up the grill and get ready to have the best burger ever!
Looking for more summer backyard BBQ ideas? Try my white sangria recipe with vodka, sweet and spicy homemade coleslaw, homemade guacamole with jalapenos, frozen air fryer sweet potato fries, or garlic parmesan French fries.
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