You know what makes me sad?
Unseasoned burgers.
There is SO much you can do to make a hamburger patty special, there is no reason to leave the poor little things plain. NO reason at all.
Hubby has dubbed these “the best burgers ever” and I often serve them for company with rave reviews.
Oftentimes, I just go through my spice cabinet and dump in whatever sounds good. So, feel free to substitute or add in any other spices or ingredients that appeal to you. There is no wrong way to make them!
The only problem is that when people ask what is in them, I end up rattling off a 15 item list and their eyes glaze over. So I hereby am naming them “Kitchen Sink Burgers” because they have everything in them but the kitchen sink. 😉
The BEST Homemade Hamburgers
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- 1 lb ground beef (preferably grass-fed)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs (make your own or where to buy)
- 1/2 tsp salt (I use this one)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder OR 1/4 tsp crushed chili peppers (if you like it a little spicey)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried parsley
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Place all ingredients in a large bowl (this is my favorite mixing bowl), and mix thoroughly (it works best to use your hands for this!).
Shape into patties and grill to your liking (we like to leave ours just a little pink in the center).
Top with a fresh bun and your choice of condiments (our current favorites are a slice of homemade cheese, onions, and tomatoes).
This recipe yields 4 decent-sized patties. But I often doubled (or quadruple!) it.
You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate them (for a day or two) or freeze them (will keep for at least several months in the freezer). If you do decide to freeze them, place a small square of wax paper in between each patty to prevent them from sticking together.
The BEST Homemade Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (I use this one.)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder OR 1/4 tsp crushed chili peppers
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in large bowl
- Shape into patties and grill
- Serve with a fresh bun and your choice of condiments (a slice of homemade cheese, onions, and tomatoes)
Notes
You can prepare patties ahead of time and refrigerate a day or two or freeze for months (Tip: when freezing, place small square of wax paper in between each patty to prevent sticking)
So, there you have it- you no longer have any excuse to serve bland burgers at your next BBQ!
Making homemade hamburgers is also a wonderful way to become better acquainted with the herbs and spices you may have hanging around in your cupboards.
Experiment to learn which seasonings your family most enjoys and which combinations work together best. Once you have that figured out, you can go crazy and use those flavors to make your cooking come to life.
These burgers are even better served between homemade hamburger buns!
Do you usually season your burgers? What are your favorite flavor combos?
Looks so yummy!
My husband swears by cumin – he uses it in EVERYTHING – so we often have cumin in our burgers. He used to go for liquid smoke, too, but I won’t buy it any more. Knowing him there’s probably paprika in it as well.
When I’m making the burgers, I’m a pretty plain-jane. Salt & pepper are usually about as much as I do. If I have some steak rub or grill seasoning around I may use that instead.
I love cumin, too! Though I have yet to put it in my burgers- just might have to try that, though!
This is the only way I make burgers since Jill first published this here. I make small snack bags of the seasonings (small jars would work well, too), mark them with a sharpie: “1# GB 1 egg 1/4c. parm” (in case I forget), & then I can quickly grab one, mix in the fresh ingredients & cook!
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Yum! Is that a homemade bun? I would love a great recipe for that!
It is! I found that recipe over at Heavenlyhomemakers.com. It’s the best homemade bun recipe I’ve found so far!
We always put Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb in our patties. It has garlic, onion, black pepper, parsley, fennel, basil, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, cumin, and a slew of other seasonings. I also sometimes add seasoning salt, pepper, and, recently, diced onions into the patties.
I’ve never thought of adding egg though – brilliant idea! I’ll have to try that.
Tip: The best way to keep the burgers REALLY juicy is to NOT smash them once they’re on the grill or skillet. Maybe 1 light smash. 😀
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be experimenting with the egg.
Yes, I’m always telling hubby, don’t smash the burgers!! 🙂 Your spice combo sounds delish!
We have a small homestead in a rural section of Nv and we use a spice blend I bought 5 years ago called , Ready for this? Road Kill Grill! Very Western Huh? But oh it is great on everything esp pork and beef also we harvest elk, deer and antelope where we live and it is delicious on all of these wild ones too!
How funny! Sounds yummy, though! 🙂
What all is in it haha?
Thank you, I’ve recently been looking for info about this subject for a while and yours is the greatest I’ve came upon till now. But, what concerning the bottom line? Are you certain in regards to the source?
I just fixed this this eve and My wife and I tried a sample of it and oh my goodness
It will make your tongue slap your brains out. Made it today and I want to add the homemade buns tomorrow .
I really like this site and the links, I was brought to it by surfing about goats ,and have gotten hooked on living off the land. Thanks once again
It is said that marinades with rosemary extract help eliminate some carcinogens in grilled or heated meat, but I just use and like the taste of fresh rosemary mixed into or on top of the ground beef or other meats.
Interesting Susie- I didn’t know that about rosemary.
Those burgers sound great. Last summer I came up with an idea for buns that would just finish these off. Spread butter on the buns then sprinkle garlic powder on the butter and re-spread it. Then toast them on the grill. Make sure to take your shoes off when eating these because your toes will want to curl.
Lol Matt- BRILLIANT idea!!
It’s Saturday 12:00 noon w/ three teanegers @ my backyard playing basketball ? n they are starving…so I decided to grill burgers ?.. this is my first time homemade burgers ? and I just followed your recipe…**++ wich looks ? n tasteful.. Just little substitute here n there…but lovely recipe n easy to do ? and what’s a coincidence I had all ingredients!!
I made these burgers today and I honestly think they were the best I’ve ever eaten, and so easy to make! My modifications were finely grated cheddar cheese as it’s all I had in the fridge and then I always let the mixture rest for about an hour to let all the flavours blend and it also lets the dry ingredients absorb some moisture and ‘bulk up’ a bit.
Well done Jill, this recipe is a cracker 🙂
Wahoo! I love comments like this! SO happy you enjoyed them Reinette!
Jill, I’ve just made some of this burger mince, but today’s batch is going to end up as meatballs and spaghetti. I don’t know if you’ve tried this yet, but it makes killer meatballs.
Oh YUM!
Exceptional burgers! It’s been my go to recipe for several years. Always delicious.
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Made these tonight and they were very good 🙂 Thanks!
You are very welcome! 🙂
A print option would be nice.
It’s in the works Beth!
I season with Famous Dave’s Steak & Burger or Lawry’s – sometimes adding Worchestershire Sauce, depends on my mood, but I LOVE to season! I have also started putting raw nickel sized pieces of bacon in the meat, it keeps it super juicy & I have YET to make a bad burger!
Oh yeah– bacon would be awesome in there!
Just made these using turkey burger and they were very tasty. I did cut the oregano down to half and forgot the bread crumbs and cooked in a skillet. Thanks for the recipe.
Sweet! Good to know that the recipe works for turkey too! 🙂
Jill…the only bun recipe I found over at Heavenly Homemakers was for a whole wheat bun, which is fine. Yours looks like a good ol’ white bun, though. Did you use a different recipe from that site that I’m not finding?
So good!!! The only burgers this family makes! Delish!
So glad you love them!
So nice to finally have a burger that’s not bland. My family loves this recipe!
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Our family LOVES this burger recipe! It’s been our go-to for years now. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Awesome recipe, Jill! Made these last night and they were wonderful!
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I’m thrilled to hear that! yay!
I know this has been around for some time but I just made these tonight. I’ve never made burgers before but I can not believe how easy they were!!!! And so good! Thank you so much for the recipe
Hy! This is Amazing, I will try this tonight with my sister. Can you suggest me some more recipe if you have time? Thanks for giving that content really appreciated!
Made these and they were fantastic. My son (27) even said if I make more that he would buy them off of me to have at home lol.
FWIW we used to spend $16 CA for 6 pre-made sirloin patties. With this recipe I made 18 for the same price and they were far better.
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That’s awesome! Glad you enjoyed them.