Regular ground beef can sometimes make a lacklustre homemade hamburger. You can take your burgers to the next juicy, char broiled level by just tweaking a few things.

(That's a DIY Charcuterie board ↑ you can learn how to make. )
To make some super-delicious homemade burgers you need a little more than just a mess of ground beef. For starters you can grind your own beef with a blade or cross rib roast. I show you how to do it, if you're interested, right here.
If you have pasture raised, dry aged beef with beautiful yellow fat in it you don't need to add anything other than a bit of seasoning to it.
But most of us are just buying regular ground beef at the grocery store which needs a bit of help.
With a few ingredients you probably already have around the kitchen you can make a great, big, juicy hamburger tonight! You have imported Asian truffle foam rooted by a one-eyed panda bear, right? (canned is fine)
Just kidding.
Read on for the recipe!
Table of Contents
Homemade Hamburger Recipe
1. Add one egg (yolk only) to 1 lb of the highest fat content ground beef you can find. (fat = flavour)
2. Add finely diced onion.

TIP: Do all your mixing gently. You want to work the meat as little as possible.
3. A blast of ketchup.

4. In goes a glob of Dijon mustard.

5. Squirt in a splash of Worcestershire sauce and gently mix.

6. Add in ¼ cup of breadcrumbs (just enough to help with binding) and a generous dose of salt and pepper.

7. Gently form into patties. DON'T squash them. Gently form them. Squashing is for bugs, not hamburgers.

Update: For everyone in apoplectic fits over adding ¼ of a cup of dry bread crumbs and the egg yolks this does not make it meatloaf. It does not. It really is still a hamburger. The tiny amounts of these two things act as a binder which are important. They keep hamburgers from falling apart on the grill.
How to Make the Patties?
The number 1 rule for making hamburger patties is to be GENTLE with them. You don't want to mush, smash or press them hard. They need to be pressed enough to stay together but you want to keep the integrity of the meat.
Form the meat into a bit of a ball and then press it between the palms of your hands until it's a disk shape. Put that disk on the countertop and continue to gently press and prod it until it's the right shape and size.
Would you like to save this stuff?
Just before dropping them into the pan or grill press your thumb into the centre of the burger and press it about halfway down. This helps it cook evenly.
How Big Should the Burger be?
A good rule of thumb is to make your patty ¾" - 1" thick, and wider than the bun. Anything thinner will run the risk of being dried out and anything bigger and they're easy to undercook.
You Put Egg in Them?
You bet I do. Egg acts as a binder helping to stick the hamburger together so it doesn't fall apart on the grill.
If you can't use egg to keep your burgers together another trick you can use is to refrigerate the patties, allowing them to set up, before cooking.
Making Sure it's Juicy
I've already given you one tip for ensuring you have a burger that drips down your chin and makes your eyes roll into the back of your head. By making it 1" thick. More tips for a juicy burger include:
- Pressing an indent into the centre of it before you cook. This will pop up as the burger cooks, and get you a more evenly cooked hamburger.
- Use regular or lean ground beef - never extra lean.
- Unless the person eating it is very young, very old or pregnant you can cook your burger until it has an internal temperature of 145.
How to Cook
Cast Iron
I almost exclusively cook meat in a cast iron pan. That includes hamburgers. Yes, even before using a grill, I will use my cast iron pan.
Cast iron heats up evenly and beautifully, is non stick, but can still get a good crusty sear on meat. The heat you set your pan to will depend on your stove, but I tend to heat it up quickly on high and then turn it down to medium/low once the burger hits the pan.
Oven
If you only have an oven (a toaster oven in a dorm for instance) you can cook these in there as well. Slip a cookie sheet into the oven and set it to 450 F (230 C). Once it's heated up slide your patties onto the hot cookie sheet and bake for approximately 5 minutes per side. When you flip the burger, flip it onto a part of the baking sheet that hasn't had burger on it yet - this will get you a better sear on the second side.

How to Make Homemade Hamburgers!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup finely very finely diced red onion. (you want it so small that once it cooks it disappears)
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon dijon
- 2 shakes Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs just enough to aid in binding
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients gently. You don't want to mush and mash it.
- Form into 4 equally sized patties. (You can definitely stretch it and get 5 out of this recipe)
- Grill outdoors or cook in cast iron pan until done to your liking. About 4 minutes each side.
- Top with your favourite toppings!
Nutrition
Questions & Answers
- Isn't this really a meatloaf recipe? Um, no. It isn't. But I can see the confusion. Just make them. Trust me on this.
- What are the best hamburger buns? I used to be on a sesame seed bun kick, but now I only use brioche buns. I'm obsessed with them!
- What if I want a homemade fermented, New York style, Jewish deli pickle to go with my burger? No problem. Just click here for my classic fermented dill pickle recipe, based on fermenting God, Sandor Katz's pickles.
- Should you put lettuce on hamburgers? According to the late Anthony Bourdain? No. He has a point. If you don't eat the burger immediately the lettuce gets soft, warm and wilty.
- Can these be frozen? Of course! Just mix the ingredients, shape them into burgers and freeze them individually on wax paper. Once they're frozen you can stack them and store them.
Tune in next week for the next big debate: What's better for you? Frozen or homemade ice cubes.
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Isn't meatloaf just an oversized burger anyway? - Trying this recipe tonight, hope they're still as tasty in 2016.
LOL. I'm sure they will be. ~ karen!
My meatloaf recipe used as burgers. Easier to make as burgers when short on time. Great idea!
I have a question..when you say "2 shakes Worcestershire sauce" how much are you using the sauce?
Hi jk. When I say two shakes I literally mean two shakes. Just hold the bottle over the mixture and shake it once, then shake it twice. Two squirts. You can't really go wrong. Even if you added half or double the amount I normally do you'd still be fine. :) ~ karen!
Great! Minus the ketchup; add ritz crumbs instead of bread crumbs though.
I also have to correct people who are wrong...
Omg this was sooooo yummy! I ran out of bread crumbs and used stove top stuffing mix in its place and it was delicious!!!! Thanks so much for the recipe!!!!
Made it last night. Fantastic!! Topped the burger with gorgonzola and grilled red onions!
How do you mix all the ingredients into all the meat without "over mixing" the meat?
Hi Carla - I'm just careful not to smash everything together. You can use your hands to mix, keeping your fingers apart and sort of tossing things together. ~ karen!
No mention of how much ground beef is used in this recipe
Hi Karen and everyone!
I have been making hamburger patties for years and this is the way I was taught to make them.My aunt owned a restaurant here in BC Canada and that's the way we do it!
Aw that sucks, I'm sorry. Hope it will be up and running soon! Do you have the ingredients/quantity for these burgers listed anywhere?
THe very bottom of the post has a "click here for printable recipe". Just click there. Or here .. https://sites.google.com/site/theartofdoingstuffrecipes/homemade-hamburgers ~ karen
Hey! I made and LOVED these burgers so I had this saved and now the pics won't show up! I don't know why but it makes me sad :( would you be willing to type it out for me and send it? I'm trying to make these again today for my boyfriends birthday
I know Amanda. I’m sorry. It’s an issue that has to do with the way my photos are delivered to my site basically. I’m hoping and praying it will be resolved in the next few days. Trust me … I’m more sad face about it than you are, lol. ~ karen!
My thoughts are🤔meatloaf on a bun.
Do me a favour. Try it. And then see what you think. ~ karen!
These burgers sound great! What is your recipe for meatloaf?
Just asking......
Same recipe
These posts are hilarious! I just made these- hamburgers- meat loafers- hunk of love for my Hubba Hubba- it will be great to read through these with him and see what he has to say- I think he will be quite impressed :)
Thanks Stacy - Enjoy your meatballs! ~ karen
How much ground beef did you use :(
One pound Rob. ~ karen!
I actually made these for a BBQ last night at my house, I did not try them as I don't eat meat but everyone kept going on & on on how amazing they were & what was the recipe. Lol, thank you very much for this post. I love your writing too, "Prof blogger" lol
Thanks Leslye! Glad you liked em. Or more specifically, glad the meat eaters liked em! If you don't eat meat, you should try some of my soups. The Fire Broth soup (without the italian sausage for you) and the Carrot Soup are a couple of favourites. Now I must get back to blogging. Professionally of course. ~ karen
Seriously people MEATLOAF PATTIES UGH! NOOOOOOOO GREAT HAMBURGERS that is MY WAY of saying ENJOY. :)
My Mom used to fix this very recipe with the addition of about a 1/2 cup minced green bell pepper for the amount of beef you used. Try it if you want to jazz up your already delicious burgers in a fry pan this winter.
I got this recipe from my Mom as well...:) I do add some 🌶 for a little heat, but otherwise it’s the same and delicious!
No, I'm sorry, this is totally a mini meatloaf. It's not just the egg and bread crumbs. It's the worcestersire sauce, onions, ketchup and mustard.
Make it and taste it. It's not. The proportions are completely different than meatloaf. ~ karen!
How many pounds of ground beef do you do? and how many patties does this make? so excited to try this recipe for our father's day grillin' party tomorrow!
Hi Stefanie! I can't believe I didn't put the amount of beef, LOL. Uch. Around 1 1/4 lbs of beef makes 4 - 6 burgers depending on how big you make them. ~ karen!
Thanks so much! made them tonight and they were fabulous! everyone loved them!
Yay! That makes me so happy! I'm glad they worked out for your Father's Day dinner. :) ~ karen
Question: where did you find that seriously adorable salt and pepper shaker? I was actually distracted from the glorious food porn you were displaying by it's cuteness!
Becca - Got it as a present from the fella for Christmas. HE got it at a local kitchen store. I just checked ... no markings or name on it. Sorry. :( ~ karen
Try Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs...