The ultimate summer cookout staple, hamburgers were first introduced to the American public in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Fast forward 120 years, and what started as a simple patty-on-bun combo has become a cultural phenomenon, available stuffed, smashed, stacked, and topped with every ingredient under the sun. But behind every great burger you’ll find the same essential ingredients and fundamental techniques.
Vegetarian versions aside, the most important element of any burger is the meat. A high-quality butcher shop burger blend (typically a mix of brisket, chuck, and ribeye) with a lean to fat ratio of 80/20 delivers the ideal balance of meaty flavor and juiciness. “Always use fresh ground beef,” says George Motz, burger historian, and chef/owner of Hamburger America in NYC. Freshly ground meat — ideally ground the same day you’ll cook it — has a loose texture that, when shaped into patties using a gentle hand, will result in supple, melt-in-your-mouth burgers. Purchasing beef that has been pressed into a tube or mashed into a mound is a sure way to end up with tough patties.
Timely seasoning is also key. Cookbook author J. Kenji López-Alt discovered that mixing salt into the patties denatures the proteins, which results in a dense and bouncy, sausage-like texture. Seasoning only the exterior of the patties, and seasoning just before they hit the heat, gives you a tender, juicy patty.
Heat is your final factor: the thinner the patty, the hotter the grill should be. Smash Burgers cook quickly and need a smoking hot surface to form their crisped, scraggly edges, while thick Tavern Burgers require a moderate heat to nail the perfect medium-rare center. Some purists believe that a burger must be cooked on the grill, but we found a cast iron griddle or skillet, which provides the surface area to encourage caramelization while also trapping the drippings and preventing flare-ups, yielded better-tasting burgers. (Pro tip: The pool of residual drippings on the griddle are liquid gold, superb for toasting buns or sautéing vegetables).
Here are some of our favorite burger recipes, from cheddar-stuffed burgers to Hatch Chile Smash Burgers. Swap out the protein in your patties with flavor-packed Italian sausage in these Italian-Sausage Burgers with Garlicky Spinach, with juicy seafood in these shrimp burgers, or load up the toppings with these Japanese-Style Chili Burgers and the Urdaburger. We have enough recipes to keep every burger night unique.
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Urdaburger
Smoky, melty "pimentón" cheese, crispy jamón serrano, and a savory-sweet aioli top beef patties in this towering tapas-inspired burger from Urdaneta, a popular tapas spot in Portland, Oregon.
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Next-Level Turkey Burgers with Lemon Aioli
The secret to chef Dan Kluger's super-moist turkey burgers? A quick brown sugar brine. Add a sofrito of onion, garlic, and jalapeño and top with a zingy lemon aioli and sweet barbecue sauce, and you've got a next-level turkey burger.
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Ultimate Veggie Burgers
These veggie burgers from Food & Wine's Kelsey Jane Youngman hit every satisfying, savory note with a hearty mix of pearl barley, chickpeas, mushrooms, and crispy panko.
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Hatch Chile Smash Burgers
This spicy, crispy, cheesy, swoon-inducing smash burger will have you going back for seconds thanks to the cheese and salsa that melt into a queso-like moment and take this burger to the next level. Our Hatch Chile Salsa replaces the acidity of ketchup with just enough heat to keep things interesting.
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Japanese-Style Chili Burgers with Yuzu Mayo
This burger is a two-hander, topped with Japanese-spiced chili, tomatoes, and shredded iceberg lettuce.
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Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Veggie Burgers
Your quest for the perfect veggie burger is over. Mashed rajma (curried kidney beans) or canned beans get an umami burst with the addition of grated Parmesan and a melty slice of sharp cheddar cheese — and don't skimp on the piles of toppings. They make this already wonderful burger even more special.
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Tavern Burgers with Drunken Mushrooms
We love these thick, pub-style burgers, topped with sautéed mushrooms, whitecheddar cheese, and a smear of garlicky mayonnaise, served alongside a frosty beer. Keep the patties chilled, and season them just before they hit the grill for the most tender texture and juiciest bite.
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Crispy Comté Frico Cheeseburgers
Salty, buttery, and slightly sharp, Comté cheese crisps similarly to Parmesan, adding an irresistibly crunchy frico layer to these cheeseburgers.
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Cheddar-Stuffed Burgers with Pickled Slaw and Fried Shallots
Chef Kyle Bailey makes these cheese-stuffed "Juicy Lucy" burgers with a custom blend of ground rib eye steak and pork fatback, and serves them on homemade herb-butter rolls. This streamlined version for the home cook calls for ground beef chuck and store-bought brioche buns.
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Jalapeño-Onion Smash Burgers
Caramelized onions and jalapeños take these double-stacked smash burgers to the next level. Inspired by Oklahoma onion burgers, this recipe calls for paper-thin slices of onion to be pressed directly into the flattened patties, which sandwich meltyAmerican cheese. Jalapeños add just the right amount of heat, while a classic burger sauce of mayo, ketchup, Worcestershire, and spices balances every bite with a sweet, umami-forward flavor.
Jalapeño-Onion Smash Burgers
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Caprese Burgers
The delicious flavors of a caprese salad — basil, tomato, and mozzarella — are captured in these juicy burgers.
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Juicy Lucy
Juicy beef, gooey cheese, tangy pickles, and silky caramelized onions come together for an unforgettable burger. Before you ask, extra-melty American cheese is a must for this iconic burger from Minneapolis, which is easier to make than you might think.
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F&W's Ultimate Burger
Meat expert Pat LaFrieda of LaFrieda Meat Purveyors worked with us to create the most delicious homemade burger blend, combining five cuts of meat into the juiciest, beefiest and most consistently delicious burger you'll ever have.
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Bacon-and-Kimchi Burgers
Chef Wesley Genovart makes this over-the-top, Shake Shack–inspired burger with two thin stacked patties, thick-cut bacon, kimchi, and a spicy homemade sauce.
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Cheddar BLT Burgers with Tarragon Russian Dressing
Chef Laurent Tourondel brushes burgers with butter while they're on the grill. The natural sugars caramelize, making the meat on these BLT burgers extra-delicious.
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Ginger-Sesame Pork Burgers with Slaw
Former F&W senior associate recipe developer Melissa Rubel Jacobson adds scallions, fresh ginger, garlic, and sesame oil to ground pork to make juicy burgers. They're ready in just 25 minutes.
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Nacho Burgers
These next-level burgers from Bobby Flay are topped with gooey cheese, salsa, and tortilla chips. Pair them with a bold, berry-rich Zinfandel.
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Umami Burgers with Port and Stilton
For this burger, resist the urge to pile on classic toppings like lettuce, tomato, and ketchup. "The port is your condiment," Adam Fleischman says. The wine is reduced and drizzled on top of Stilton-topped burgers for flavor-packed results.
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Lamb Burgers with Onion Soup Aioli
Instead of putting caramelized onions on these tasty lamb burgers, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple whisks onion soup mix into mayonnaise for a very playful and delicious spread.
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Shrimp Burgers
This hearty shrimp burger is a nod to the classic New Orleans po'boy, but without the hassle of pulling out the deep fryer. The trick here is putting half the shrimp into a food processor to use as a binder for the burger, meaning that the patty has more shrimp flavor.
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Chicken Burgers
Flavored with scallions, parsley, basil, and lemon zest, these chicken burgers are delicious enough to stand alone, but for a fuller meal, serve them with coconut rice and a green salad, or on brioche with harissa-honey mayo.
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Cheddar-and-Onion Smashed Burgers
Inspired by the sliders at White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey, Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman creates beef patties by flattening balls of ground meat on the griddle.
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Avocado Burgers with Chile and Queso Fresco
This terrific burger is sprinkled with a spice mix halfway through grilling. Garnishes of crema and avocado add rich creaminess.
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Smoked Gouda and Bacon Burgers with Barbecue Sauce
This smoky patty melt features smoked Gouda cheese, hot sauce-spiked onions, and sweet homemade barbecue sauce.
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Italian-Sausage Burgers with Garlicky Spinach
Using sausage in burgers is a smart shortcut, because the meat is already seasoned. Here, former Food & Wine editor Grace Parisi makes her burgers with sweet or hot Italian sausages, tops them with provolone cheese, and serves them on ciabatta rolls with garlicky spinach and sun-dried-tomato pesto.
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