Best Smash Burger Recipe

5 from 3 votes

This restaurant-style smash burger recipe includes the most amazing creamy burger sauce, my favorite topping ideas, and of course, how to make those iconic crispy-thin patties easily on the stovetop!

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: burgers

Author: Grace Vallo

Equipment

Burger smasher/press (or heavy, flat spatula)

Ingredients

Smash Burgers

1 pound 80/20 ground beef cold
4 brioche burger buns or other type of burger bun
3 tablespoons flavorless oil like avocado or canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Burger Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dill relish or sweet relish
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Suggested Toppings

4 slices sharp cheddar or American cheese
4 large green leaf lettuce leaves or other crispy lettuce
1 large tomato sliced
1 small sweet onion sliced
16 dill pickle chips slices

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉ (if adding cheese). Make the burger sauce by mixing together all of the ingredients (mayo, relish, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper). Set aside.
Form 4, equal-sized, loosely packed round balls of ground beef (about ¼ pound each).
Oil a burger press/smasher. Preheat a large skillet or flat-top griddle over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil, spreading around the pan.
Add in 2 balls of beef. Immediately use the greased smasher to press down the beef into ¼ inch thick patties. Press down hard to achieve those thin patties, watching your hands and arms for hot oil spatters! Gently slide the smasher off the patty or use another spatula to help guide the meat off to prevent sticking.
Let sear for 1-2 minutes, undisturbed, until deep golden and crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
Use a sharp spatula to flip to the other side, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the patties. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until cooked through.
Place patties on a baking sheet, add cheese, and melt in oven for 1-3 minutes. Repeat steps 3-7 for other 2 patties!
Toast buns if you’d like, add a spoonful of burger sauce on the bottom buns, then the cheesy patties, 4 pickle chips each, onions, tomato, lettuce, more burger sauce to taste, and the top buns. Dig in right away!

Video

Notes

Regular 80/20 beef is, by far, the best beef for smash burgers. The fat caramelizes and is unbeatable! No other kind can beat it!
I prefer less ripe, less juicy tomatoes that don’t run onto the burger.
For more topping ideas, see my blog post above.
I highly recommend buying a burger smasher/press. They help make the best even, thin smash burgers! I bought mine on Amazon. If you’d prefer not to, you can use a heavy-bottomed, flat metal spatula.

Nutrition