Classic Cheeseburger Recipe
Published June 11, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Make this All-American Classic cheeseburger that’s cooked to perfection and served with American cheese, onions, pickles, bacon, and ketchup. You will love how easy this is to make and how tasty this is.
This is just a great dish to serve up at backyard get-togethers or BBQs with friends. If you’re looking for a few side dishes to serve this with, then try my Cucumber Salad or Potato Salad.
Cheeseburger
A cheeseburger consists of a cooked patty of ground beef that is served in between two hamburger buns with cheese. There are many varieties of ingredients and seasonings you can add to both the ground beef and the cheeseburger itself. This may be one of the most customizable meals out there.
There are two different stories on where the hamburger came from, the first being founded and created in 1904 at the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Expedition. The second is that it was created in Hamburg, Germany, where a German Chef took beef tartare and decided to cook it, thus creating a hamburger. Either way, it’s delicious and one of the most consumed foods in the world.
Ingredients
- Beef – I like to use a good 80/20 beef-to-fat ratio. A fattier beef will help the burger keep its shape and provide more flavor.
- Cheese – American cheese is my favorite, but almost any cheese will work.
- Buns – There are many options, but I prefer a potato bun or brioche.
- Vegetables – This is subjective, but my favorites are tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and pickles.
- Sauces – You can keep it as simple as you want, but my favorites are mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, or dijonnaise.
- Toppings – Any additional toppings, such as fried onions, bacon, avocado, etc., are good to use.
- Seasonings – I only use coarse salt and ground pepper.
How to Make a Classic Cheeseburger
Generously season 1 side of the burger patties and place right on the flat top, griddle, or pan over medium-high heat and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until it is browned and cooked through, or until a desired internal temperature is achieved.
Once you flip over the burger, immediately add on the cheese so that it melts.
Add some mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup to the toasted brioche bottom bun and then layer on a leaf of lettuce, cheeseburger patty, tomatoes, onion, 2 bacon strips, pickles, and the top toasted brioche bun.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten as soon as they are done cooking. You can keep the beef patty with cheese warm for up to 15 minutes in the oven on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper at 165°.
How to Store: Cover and keep the cheeseburgers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can freeze these if they do not yet have cheese covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating. It is best to store the cheeseburger patty separately from the buns, sauces, and toppings.
How to Reheat: Add the cheeseburgers to a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and heat in the oven at 350° for 4 to 6 minutes or until warm.
Chef Notes + Tips
- I prefer to use Roma or 5×6 tomatoes.
- The best lettuce to use is red or green leaf lettuce or iceberg.
- This recipe can use red, white, sweet, or yellow onions.
- Good cheeses to use are blue, cheddar, Swiss, smoked gouda, or mozzarella.
More Beef Recipes
Video
Classic Cheeseburger Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meat:
- 2 pounds of 80/20 ground beef made into 3-4 ounce patties
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
For the Toppings:
- 10 slices American cheese
- mayonnaise
- mustard
- ketchup
- 1 head of trimmed green leaf lettuce
- 2 thinly sliced tomatoes
- 1 peeled and thinly sliced red onion
- 12 strips of crisp-cooked bacon
- 30 round pickle slices
- 5 toasted brioche hamburger buns
Instructions
- Preheat a griddle to medium-high heat, about 350°.
- generously season 1 side of the burger patties and place right on the flat top, griddle, or pan over medium-high heat and cook for 3 minutes per side or until it is browned and cooked through, or until a desired internal temperature is achieved.
- Once you flip over the burger, immediately add on the cheese so that it melts.
- These ingredients are subjective, but here is how I do it: Add some mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup to the toasted brioche bottom bun and then layer on a leaf of lettuce, cheeseburger patty, tomatoes, onion, 2 bacon strips, pickles, and the top toasted brioche bun.
- Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients and serve.
Perfect cheeseburger 😋
Absolutely Delicious. The only way to make a Burger…
so good!!
Haven’t made it yet but looks delicious almost as delicious as your daughter. She’s a keeper and so poised. Good job dad (and mom).
This hamburger looks so delicious. I’m at work right now and so hungry. We use the same ingredients so I guess I’m doing it right. Maybe this is what’s for dinner tonight.
I somtimes put a fried egg on top but not all the time. Great idea Chef. Thank you ….
Billy, what an adorable video, your daughter is precious! Happy Father’s Day!
Judy Riter
The Classic Cheeseburger recipe is the best!
so good!!
Absolutely the best burger I’ve had in a long while! Family loved them, and all wanted the recipe. Of course I passed the recipe along.
Excellent!