Smash Burger Recipe

These smash burgers have crisp, lacy edges, juicy centers, and melted cheese tucked into soft toasted buns. They taste like a diner-style burger and come together easily at home on the stovetop in about 25 minutes.

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time	Total Time
4 Burgers	10 Minutes	15 Minutes	25 Minutes

I like this smash burger recipe because it gives you the best part of a tavern-style burger at home. The beef browns quickly, the cheese melts into the patty, and the buns are toasted and ready for the kind of bistro burger you are craving.

Quick Look

► What It Is: A thin skillet cheeseburger with crisp browned edges, a juicy center, and a soft toasted bun.

► Why You’ll Love It: Smash burgers cook quickly and need only a few basic ingredients. The crisp crust gives them more flavor than a thick burger cooked in a pan.

► How It Comes Together: Form loose beef balls, season the outside, smash them on a hot dry pan, scrape, flip, add cheese, and serve.

► Best Beef: Fresh 80/20 ground chuck gives the burger enough fat for browning and flavor.

► Difficulty: Easy.

Before You Start Cooking

Have Everything Ready: Toast the buns, add condiments, and set out toppings before the beef goes into the pan. The patties finish too fast to stop and prep later.

Don’t Overwork the Beef: Shape the beef into balls without kneading or packing them tightly. A loose beef ball develops a better texture and retains small pockets of juice and rendered fat.

Season The Outside Only: Salt tightens the meat when mixed through the beef. For this style, season the outside right before cooking so the burger stays tender.

Use The Right Tool: A stiff metal spatula, a grill press, or a small heavy can works best for smashing. A flexible spatula bends too much and will not press the edges thin enough.

Use Parchment For Smashing: A small square of parchment keeps the beef from sticking to the spatula while you press.

Ingredient Highlights

Ground Chuck: Use 80/20 beef for the best mix of fat and lean meat. Leaner beef dries out faster and does not brown as well.

Soft Hamburger Buns: These are the traditional bun for smash burgers. Toasting them gives them structure to hold up to the burger, cheese and toppings.

Cheese: American cheese melts quickly and gives the smoothest finish. Cheddar works too. If using cheddar, make sure they are thin slices. You may need to briefly cover the pan to melt the cheddar faster.

Toppings: Keep them simple. Pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayonnaise all work perfectly. BBQ sauce can be served with the burger too, if desired.

How To Make Smash Burgers

1. Toast the Buns and Prep Toppings: Toast the buns first. Get your cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and condiments ready to go.
2. Shape The Beef: Divide the beef and shape into four loose balls.
3. Season The Outside: Sprinkle the beef balls with kosher salt right before cooking.
4. Heat The Pan: Heat a cast iron skillet, carbon steel pan, stainless skillet, or flat griddle until hot.
5. Smash The Patties: Place the beef in the pan, cover each ball with a square of parchment, and use a spatula or burger press to press the balls flat until the patty is thin and wider than the bun.
6. Brown the First Side: Don’t touch the patties until the edges brown and the top begins to lose its raw red color.
7. Scrape And Flip: Slide a stiff spatula under the crust, scraping close to the pan so the browned edge stays attached.
8. Add Cheese: Add cheese immediately after flipping. Cook until the cheese is melted.
9. Serve Immediately: Move the patty to the prepared bun. Top with your choice of toppings and condiments.

When To Smash, Flip, And Pull The Burgers

Smash the beef as soon as it hits the pan. Press once, press hard, and focus on thinning the edges. Do not keep pressing after the patty starts cooking, or you will push out juices.

Flip when the edges look browned and crisp, and the top has changed from raw red to pale pink-gray in spots.

Add the cheese and pull the burger as soon as the cheese melts. Thin patties finish quickly, so waiting too long makes them dry.

Best Pan Or Surface For Smash Burgers

The best surface for smash burgers holds strong heat and lets you scrape under the browned crust cleanly.

Pan Or Surface	Best Use
Cast Iron Skillet	Best for deep browning, crisp edges, and a strong diner-style crust.
Carbon Steel Pan	Best for fast browning with slightly easier handling than cast iron.
Stainless Steel Skillet	Best when you want good browning and have a stiff spatula for scraping.
Flat Griddle	Best for cooking several burgers at once with even contact across the surface.
Nonstick Skillet	Best only as a backup. It does not build the same crust because the beef will not grip the pan as well.

How To Make Double Smash Burgers

For double smash burgers, divide the same amount of beef into eight smaller balls instead of four larger ones. Cook two thin patties per burger, add cheese after flipping, then stack the patties on the bun.

This version gives you more crisp edges and more melted cheese in each burger. It also works well when you want a thinner diner-style burger instead of one thicker patty.

Top Tips

• Do not mix seasoning into the beef. Season the outside so the burger stays loose and tender.
• Do not oil the pan. A dry hot surface helps the beef grip the pan and form a better crust.
• Smash wider than the bun. The patty shrinks as it cooks.
• Use a scraping motion when flipping. Lifting straight up leaves the crust behind.
• Cook the first side longer than the second side. The first side builds the crust.
• Serve as soon as the burger comes off the pan. The edges soften as the burger sits.

Variations

Bacon Smash Burger: Add crisp cooked bacon on top after the cheese melts.

Spicy Smash Burger: Add jalapeños, pepper jack, and a little hot sauce.

Onion Smash Burger: Press thin sliced onions into the beef right after smashing, then scrape and flip so the onions brown against the pan.

Seasonings: Use a homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning for that classic steak flavor.

Serving Ideas

Serve smash burgers with fries, potato chips and party dips, onion rings, coleslaw, cucumber salad, potato salad, or a cucumber tomato salad. For a cookout-style meal, add refrigerator pickles and cold sides, such as this refreshing Mexican corn in a cup, that balances the rich beef and cheese.

Make Ahead and Storing

Smash burgers taste best right after cooking. You can form the beef balls ahead of time and refrigerate them in an airtight container until you are ready to cook.

You can prepare your toppings, such as slicing tomatoes and onions, and tearing lettuce, ahead of time. Store buns and toppings separately from the beef.

Condiments should be within arm’s reach and ready to serve when the burgers are done.

If You Liked This Recipe, You May Also Enjoy

• Smash Burger Tacos
• Ground Beef Recipes
• Grilling and Smoker Recipes for Cookouts