Biting into a nice juicy cheeseburger piled high with melty cheese and your favorite toppings and the best burger sauce is not something you need to order takeout for again! The best cheeseburger recipe requires ground beef, simple seasoning, and BBQ sauce for added sweet and smoky flavors, then it’s grilled to perfection!
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Thick, Juicy, and Sizzling!
This steakhouse-style cheeseburger recipe is exactly the kind of cheeseburger you want to sink your teeth into this summer. Sure, a juicy steak is nice, and hot dogs are fun, but you can’t get much better than a perfectly cooked cheeseburger with a killer secret sauce!
The patties are thick enough to withstand the heat of the grill to get the beautiful char marks on the outside while it stays nice and juicy on the inside.
This is the hamburger recipe you want to keep around for all your summer cookouts, pool parties, and any time you need a grilling recipe. Then, when the weather cools down, turn them into baked hamburgers to enjoy a cheeseburger year around!
Serve them a side of french fries or potato salad to enjoy the results of the best cheeseburger recipe you’ll ever need!
Best Cheeseburger Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Ground beef: I use 80/20 lean ground beef. Just enough fat for flavor and moisture.
- BBQ Sauce: There are plenty of options for store-bought BBQ sauce, but I have a great homemade BBQ sauce that comes together in minutes. You can also use a steak sauce if preferred.
- Seasoning: Garlic powder, salt, and pepper. You can play around with the seasonings, of course. Or use a combination blend of hamburger seasoning.
- Sliced cheese: American cheese is a classic choice. It melts evenly and quickly and makes a cheeseburger a cheeseburger!
- Burger buns: I love to use toasted buttery brioche buns when I don’t have time to make homemade hamburger buns.
- Special sauce: This hamburger sauce is a combination of mayo, ketchup, vinegar, seasoning salt, and dill pickle relish. I have a separate post for this sauce which provides some tips and other ways to use it.
Variations
There are so many ways to get creative with a grilled cheeseburger! Double up the patties to make a double cheeseburger, or add a couple of slices of crispy bacon on top to make it a bacon cheeseburger.
Swap the American cheese for Swiss, muenster, provolone, or cheddar. Up the herbs and spices with some onion powder, or red pepper flakes for heat. Worcestershire sauce can add a lovely umami flavor. You can also use ketchup instead of BBQ sauce for flavor and binding! For smaller sized burgers, try these cheeseburger sliders!
How to Make a Great Cheeseburger
- Season the ground beef. In a medium bowl, add the ground beef, BBQ sauce, and seasoning. Use your hands (wear gloves if you want to avoid the mess) to mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
- Form the burger patties. Grab enough ground beef mixture to form a patty 4 3/4” thick. Make a well in the center of it by making an indent with your thumb. This is to prevent the burgers from bulging.
- Grill them. Place the patties on a preheated 375℉ grill and cook them for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway. Top with cheese slices and cover the grill until the cheese melts.
- Assemble cheeseburgers. Use a spatula or tongs to transfer each cheeseburger on top of the bottom buns. Top with the secret sauce and your favorite toppings then top with the top bun. Enjoy!
Best Toppings
- Bacon
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Sliced red onion
- Crispy fried onions
- Pickles
- Caramelized onions
Expert Tips
The best cheeseburger recipe doesn’t require much effort at all! It’s made with simple ingredients, but certain tips and tricks can make things even easier for you.
- Make sure the grill is clean, oiled, and hot. You never want to add meat to a cold grill. It’s also a good idea to bring the patties to room temperature before cooking, in case you’ve had them in the fridge.
- Use a large spatula to flip the patties. Using a smaller one may not hold it securely and it may break.
- Don’t flip too early. Make sure to leave the burger patties alone for the first 4-5 minutes.
- Toast the buns. For crispy buns, butter each half and place them on the grill open side down for 1 minute.
Recipe FAQs
The best cheeseburger recipe starts with a flavorful hamburger and this one needs nothing more than traditional ground chuck. It’s got the right amount of beefy flavor. Ground sirloin is another option, but it’s usually got a higher price tag.
Since everyone likes their cheeseburger done differently, from medium to well done, it’s usually a safe bet that they’re done as long as you cook them for a minimum of 4 minutes per side.
You can also use a meat thermometer to test. The internal temperature should read 160℉.
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Once you have formed the patties into their burger shapes, arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Freeze them until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Keep them frozen for up to 3 months, then thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Cook, bake, or grill as directed.
Best Sides
You can never go wrong with the classic pairing of the best cheeseburger recipe with homemade French fries. For something a little different you could choose to make baked sweet potato fries, grilled sweet potatoes, or roasted sweet potatoes instead.
A quick and easy vegetable side dish can be anything from easy green beans to a simple chopped salad.
For your cookout needs, you could serve your burgers with a side of macaroni salad, a 7-layer salad, watermelon feta salad, or a loaded baked potato salad.
If you want something refreshing and fruity, a side of grilled pineapple or rainbow honey lime fruit salad are great options!
Looking for more grilling recipes? Fire up the grill this summer for grilled chicken, carne asada or grilled vegetables, too!
More Burger Recipes
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Cheeseburger Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Special Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2-3 Tablespoons ketchup
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- Pinch seasoned salt (I use Lawry's)
- 1-2 Tablespoons dill pickle relish , optional
Cheeseburgers
- 1 ½ pounds (80/20) ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce , or steak sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 hamburger buns (I prefer brioche buns)
- Butter for toasting , optional
Optional toppings: Bacon, Lettuce leaves, Tomato slices, Sliced red onion, Pickles
Instructions
Special Sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, ketchup, vinegar, seasoned salt, and relish, if using, until well combined.
Cheeseburgers
- Preheat the grill to medium high (375℉).
- In a medium bowl, using your hands, mix the ground beef, BBQ sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper just until combined. Shape into 4 3/4-inch thick patties. Using your thumb, make a well in the center of the patties to prevent bulging.
- Place patties on the grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes, or until juices run clear. Top with cheese slices. Cover the grill and cook until cheese has melted. You can also butter the buns and put on the grill the last minute of cooking to toast, if desired.
- Place cheeseburgers on buns and top with secret sauce and your favorite toppings to serve.
Notes
- Make sure to use 80/20 ground beef. The fat helps bind the meat together.
- Instead of BBQ sauce, you can use ketchup. The sauce really adds an extra boost of flavor, while helping bind the meat together so the patties don’t fall apart while cooking.
- Make sure to use 80/20 ground beef. The fat helps bind the meat together.
- For even more flavor, mix some hamburger seasoning in with the meat before forming into patties.
- Use a large spatula when flipping, and don’t flip until the patties have cooked 4 to 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 30 Minute Meals, 4th of July, American, Beef, Dinner, Grilling, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
It is one of the juiciest burger recipes that I’ve tried! This recipe was a huge hit with my family! This is going to make our burger weekends more exciting!
This might have been one of the best burgers I’ve ever tried. It was seriously soooo flavorful – adding that little bit of bbq sauce was brilliant!
Everyone at my house enjoyed this burger!! It is so good!