The Best Smash Burger Recipe

You can easily make a delicious, juicy, restaurant-style Smash Burger recipe at home! These thin, crispy burgers are served two to a bun, covered in melty American Cheese, and with all of your favorite hamburger toppings.

Wondering what is so special about a Smash Burger? I’ll tell you – It’s all about the cooking method!

Smash burgers are cooked by pressing the ground meat onto a hot griddle or skillet to create lacy, thin burgers that are perfectly cooked. These burger patties are crisp and caramelized on the outside while still being tender and juicy. Yum!

Unlike traditional burgers, these grill up super quickly, in less than 5 minutes.

You can make this recipe in a skillet on the stovetop, or on an outdoor blackstone flat top grill if you have one.

I have more easy burger recipes for you to try! Juicy Lucy Burgers are another restaurant style dish with two patties formed around tons of melty cheese.

For a non-beef option, check out my turkey burgers, ground chicken burgers, or vegan bhaji burgers too.

Easy Smash Burger Recipe Highlights

1. Fast and Easy – Because these burgers are so thin, they will cook up with a crisp crust in just a few minutes. Seriously, you only need 2 minutes per side to make the best smash burgers!
2. Classic Flavors – My smash burger spice blend is not really anything out of the ordinary. A mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder is the perfect thing to enhance the meat’s juicy flavor.
3. Ready for Toppings – Add your favorite toppings to your burgers. Tomato, lettuce, and onion are classic, but you can definitely get more creative if you like.

Smash Burger Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these fabulous smash burgers at home:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Ground Beef: You’ll need about a pound and a half to make four servings of this recipe. The method works best with 80/20 ground beef.
• Seasonings: Salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
• Cheese: American cheese slices will remind you of burgers you’ve had at the best homestyle diners.

How To Make Recipe

1. Mix the Seasonings: Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl.
2. Make Meat Balls: Divide the ground beef into 8 equal portions that weigh about 3 ounces each. Season the tops of the balls lightly with the seasoning blend.
3. Heat the Grill or Griddle: Preheat your flat-top grill or pan and lightly coat it with oil.
4. Press: Add the ground beef balls, cover with parchment paper, and use a heavy weight to press them into thin patties.

5. Season: After you’ve smashed the burgers, season them again to taste.
6. Cook: Let the burgers cook on the griddle for 2 minutes, then flip them over.
7. Add Cheese: As soon as you flip the burgers, add a slice of cheese. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Recipe Tips

• Smash Once: You should smash smash burgers only once and do it as soon as you put the meat on the griddle. After that, leave the patties alone for a few minutes so that they can brown and caramelize.
• Smash Burger Seasoning: You can adjust the seasoning mix to suit your preferences. You can also use your favorite pre-mixed seasoning blends, like Montreal steak seasoning or just some garlic salt.
• Press Thin: It may seem strange to press the burger patties as thin as you need to for this recipe, but it’s important! You should almost be able to see through the burgers in some spots, and the edges should be especially thin.
• Tools Needed: You can press the burgers using a large metal spatula and some upper body strength, but for really even, thin burgers, I like to use a burger press or a bacon press to add weight to the spatula.

Storing Tips

It will be ideal to enjoy smashburgers while they are hot from the griddle, but if you have leftovers patties, place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

What to Put on A Smash Burger

The recipe below will give you all the details for cooking the smash burger patties, but the toppings are up to you!

Roll: A regular hamburger bun is fine, but to really elevate this meal, try smash burgers on brioche buns, pretzel buns, or use them to make a patty melt sandwich on rye bread.

Cheese: American cheese is the classic smash burger add-on, but you can use any kind of melty cheese, such as cheddar (not sharp), Monterey Jack, or provolone.

Smash Burger Sauce: Ketchup and mustard are standard, Mayonnaise adds extra creaminess, or you can mix up a tasty sauce like my copycat Chick Fil A Sauce or Big Mac Sauce to add even more flavor.

Toppings: Try any combination of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, onions, dill pickles, or relish. You might even want to add sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, or crispy bacon!

What To Serve With Smash Burgers

You already know what the perfect side dish for hamburgers is? It’s French Fries!

Make my classic homemade french fries, oven-baked fries, or air fryer sweet potato fries to serve with these cheesy burgers.

And don’t forget the french fry dipping sauce!

For a lighter option, you can also serve your Smash Burgers with a simple tossed green salad or creamy broccoli slaw.

Recipe FAQs

How to get crispy smash burgers

The key to crispy smash burgers is all in the recipe below! Be sure to press the meat into a very thin layer, and to cook the burgers quickly, on high heat.

Avoid moving them around so that they caramelize on the pan.

Can you make smash burgers on a regular pan?

Yes! I’m making these burgers outside on a flat-top grill, but you can just as easily cook this smash burger recipe in a large cast iron skillet indoors.

Keep in mind that because we’re cooking them at a high heat, they will create some smoke, so be sure to open a window first if you’re making burgers on the stove!

Another good option is to put your cast iron pan on your outdoor grill. Let it preheat for a while until it’s sizzling hot, and then cook the smash burgers that way.

Can you make smash burgers with lean ground beef or with ground turkey?

You can use this smash burger recipe to make burgers with any type of ground meat, but you may find that using a lower-fat beef or turkey doesn’t give you quite the same juicy, crispy texture.

These burgers were made famous by the Smash Burger restaurant, but you can make them just as delicious at your own home! Be sure to Pin this recipe so more people can enjoy these crispy, juicy smash burgers, too.