This Ultimate Cheeseburger is packed with a tender, juicy beef patty, melted cheese, caramelised onions, pickled jalapenos and a secret burger sauce, all housed between two buttered Brioche buns. The beefiness paired with the sweetness of the buns and the sharp tangy pickled jalapenos is insanely satisfying.
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The Ultimate Cheeseburger
This is the Ultimate Cheeseburger of your dreams guys! There isn't better comfort food than this. And whether to serve at a family dinner, please your guests at a party or for your next Summer grilling cookout this burger will surely wow everyone.
You might wonder what makes this the Ultimate Cheeseburger? The loaded, flavour-packed components! This ground meat patty is seasoned pretty well. If you are a salt and pepper person, consider yourself forewarned because I am all about big and bold flavours. You can cook the patty on a grill or a stovetop!
This succulent patty paired with a piquant burger sauce and finished off with spicy bits of pickled jalapeno makes this homemade gourmet burger wholesome. Each bite is so scrumptious that you’ll forget your favourite fast food joint!
And not to mention, these burgers are so easy to whip up at home. My tips and tricks below will ensure you end up with a perfect cheeseburger every time.
For a scrumptious meal, serve this Ultimate Cheeseburger with my crispy Masala Fries or Greek-Style Potato Wedges.
And if you are in no mood for a beef burger, create my extremely moreish KFC-inspired Zinger Burger or crispy Chicken Caesar Sandwich.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground Meat - You can use beef or veal. Ideally 80% beef with 20% fat gives the juiciest hamburger patties. For my home cooking, I prefer to use ground veal. This ultimate cheeseburger recipe will work with both lean or fattier mince. But of course, the former will give less juicy results.
- Pickled Jalapeno - They add so much intense flavour. I highly recommend adding these. If spice is not your thing at all, use pickle relish or gherkins instead.
- Seasoning - Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt imparts the greatest flavour, so keep that handy while making these cheeseburgers. Apart from that you’ll need Italian seasoning or any dried mixed herbs, onion powder, garlic powder and crushed red pepper.
- Onion - Use thickly sliced yellow onion.
- Cheese Slices - Processed cheese like American melts the best. You can also use Swiss cheese or sharp Cheddar.
- Cooking Oil - To cook the patties.
- Unsalted Butter - for extra flavour.
- Worcestershire Sauce - adds a deep, smoky flavour.
- Lettuce - A burger is incomplete without crunchy lettuce. I used Green Leaf.
- Tomato - slices for assembly.
- Burger Sauce - For this you’ll require mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, Dijon or yellow mustard, Sriracha or any hot sauce and smoked paprika.
- Buns - I like the sweetness of Brioche buns paired with this savoury patty. Feel free to use any other bun of your choice. Soft buns are better than artisan breads when it comes to a classic cheeseburger. I used buns of an approximately 8 cm (3") diameter.
How To Make The Ultimate Cheeseburger
Step #1 - Mix the patty ingredients together and divide into equal-sized balls. Flatten each ball into a circle which is wider than your bun and around 1 ¼ cm (½“) thick.
Step #2 - On medium high heat, pan-fry the patties for 2-4 minutes on each side. In the same pan, saute the onions with a pinch of salt and pepper till they are slightly charred. Top with cheese slices and cover to melt.
Step #3 - Mix together the sauce ingredients mentioned in the recipe card below and toast your buttered Brioche buns till golden. Keep aside.
Step #4 - Slather some burger sauce on the bottom bun. Top with lettuce, patty, tomato slices, caramelised onions, pickled jalapenos and some more of that delicious sauce. Close the bun and enjoy warm!
Beef patties cook best on a skillet or cast iron but you can also make them in a non-stick pan. Alternatively, you can also grill these burgers.
Expert Tips For The BEST Cheeseburger
- For perfectly juicy ultimate cheeseburgers use 80% ground beef with 20% fat.
- If you are using lean ground beef or veal, add an egg in the mince mixture. It will help keep the patties moist and intact.
- Adjust the size of the patty to the size of your bun. I used around 140g (5oz) mince per patty for my 8cm (3") wide buns.
- Form the patty 2 ½cm (1”) wider than your bun because it will shrink while cooking.
- Make an indent in the centre of the beef patty to limit its shrinking. It will still shrink but not a lot.
- Don’t over cook the meat, the pan should be hot before adding the patties then cook them on medium-high heat for 2-4 mins each side, depending on how rare or well done you like your beef.
- Only flip the patty ONCE. It will keep the meat from drying out and falling apart plus giving the best browning.
Variations
- You can season the patty however you want it. Use a pre-made spice mix or even salt and pepper will work if you like simpler flavours.
- Customise the toppings of this Ultimate Cheeseburger by switching up the cheese, adding crispy fried onions and playing with the variety of pickles.
- Swap up my homemade burger sauce with good ol’ BBQ sauce or only mayo and mustard.
FAQs
Yes, place the ground meat patties on a tray lined with parchment paper. Freeze till the patties are firm then transfer them to a ziplock bag and freeze for upto 2 months.
Burger and fries are a match made in heaven! So serve it with a heaping side of my crispy Masala Fries or Greek-style Potato Wedges.
Cheeseburgers are always rich in calories. This recipe of one cheeseburger has approximately 770 kCal and honestly it is all worth it. But you can always control how much calories you want by using lean meat, low-carb hamburger bun, reducing the amount of mayo or skipping butter.
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Did you try this and love it? Please rate the recipe or leave a review in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
The Ultimate Cheeseburger with Pickled Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil for frying
- 2 yellow onions thickly sliced in circles
- 15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter
- a pinch salt & pepper for sprinkling
Patty
- 500-600 g (1.1-1.3 lb) ground beef see note 1
- 1 tsp or to taste salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder optional
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Burger Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon mustard sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
For Assembly
- 4 buns see note 2
- 4 cheese slices sharp Cheddar or processed cheese
- lettuce leaves
- pickled jalapeno
- tomato thinly sliced circles
Instructions
- Mix all patty ingredients together. I made balls measuring around 140g (5oz) each for my 8 cm (3") wide buns Put a ball on a small square of butter paper. Put another square of butter paper on top. Press with a heavy pot to form a patty. Or spread with your fingers. The patty should be 2½ cm (1") wider than your bun and of around 1¼ cm (½") thickness.
- Heat oil in a pan. On medium high heat put the patties. Add the sliced onion in the same pan in the empty spaces, they will absorb all the juicy flavours. Crackle some salt and pepper on onions.
- Fry the patties for 2-4 mins (depending on how 'done' you like your beef) then flip. Turn over the onions too. Add the butter. Cook the other side for 2-4 mins too. Take the onions out as soon as they are slightly charred and keep aside. Don't burn.
- Put a cheese slice on each patty when they are 90% cooked. Turn off heat and cover pan to melt the cheese.
- Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Wipe the pan with a kitchen paper towel, melt some unsalted butter and toast the buns until golden.
- To assemble, start with the bottom bun, slather 1-2 teaspoon of burger sauce, place lettuce, put 2-3 tomato slices, place the patty, spread the caramelised onions, crackle a dash of sea salt and black pepper, add pickled jalapenos according to your taste and drizzle 1-2 tablespoon of burger sauce before placing the top part of the bun.
- Enjoy this cheeseburger warm with fries!
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Notes
- For the juiciest burgers use 80% ground beef with 20% fat. However, you can still make this recipe with lean beef or veal. Add an egg in the patty mixture to retain some moisture then.
- Don't overcrowd the pan while cooking the patties. Ideally cook two at a time with one sliced onion around it.
- I used Brioche buns since their sweet flavours gels wells with this savoury burger. You can opt for any kind of soft buns.
- If you are using bigger sized buns adjust the size of your beef otherwise you will end up with an insufficient patty for your burger.
- Customise the toppings of this Ultimate Cheeseburger by switching up the cheese, adding crispy fried onions and playing with the variety of pickles.
- Swap up my homemade burger sauce with good ol’ BBQ sauce or only mayo and mustard.
Nutrition
PIN IT FOR LATER
This post was originally published on March 18, 2019 and has been updated with new pictures and recipe. Below is the old picture:
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