Steakhouse Burgers
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Replicate your favorite steakhouse burgers at home — these are packed with flavor and reliably juicy, even when cooked to well-done.
Who doesn’t love a big, tender, and juicy steakhouse burger? Problem is, they’re difficult to replicate at home because most steakhouses blend different cuts of beef, like sirloin, chuck, and short ribs, to customize the flavor and fat content of their hamburgers. While it’s possible to grind your own meat or ask your butcher for a special blend, there’s an easier way. By combining ordinary supermarket ground beef with a panade — or mixture of bread and milk — and lots of seasoning, you can make steakhouse-style burgers in no time. This recipe has made me a star among my kids’ friends. My daughter’s friend Allie nicknamed them “Segal Burgers” — it stuck, and now we all call them that too.
What You’ll Need To Make Steakhouse Burgers
Step-by-Step instructions
Begin by making the panade. In a large bowl, mash 2 pieces of white sandwich bread (cut into small pieces) and 1/3 cup milk together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste.
Add 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of ketchup.
Stir until well combined.
Add 3 pounds of 85% lean ground beef and 3 finely sliced scallions (if using).
Mix everything together until just combined.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and shape into balls. Flatten each ball into a 3/4-inch-thick patty that’s about 4-1/2 inches across. (Keeping the burgers thick ensures a nice char on the outside without overcooking the inside.) To prevent the burgers from forming a domed shape on the grill, create a slight depression in the center of each patty.
Grill the burgers 2 to 4 minutes on the first side until nicely browned. Flip and cook on the second side a few minutes more, until desired doneness is reached. The panade in these burgers keeps the meat tender and juicy, even when overcooked, so these burgers are ideal for kids, the elderly, pregnant women, or anyone who just prefers their burgers well done.
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Steakhouse Burgers
Replicate your favorite steakhouse burgers at home — these are packed with flavor and reliably juicy, even when cooked to well-done.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 pounds 80 to 85% lean ground beef
- 3 scallions, white and green parts, very finely sliced (optional)
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high heat.
- In a large bowl, mash the bread and milk together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and mix well.
- Add the ground beef and scallions and break the meat up with your hands. Mix everything together until evenly combined. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form compact balls. Flatten the balls into ¾-inch patties about 4½ inches across. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.
- Oil the grilling grates. Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached. Before serving, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill if desired.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The uncooked burgers can be frozen for up to three months. (Freeze the burgers on a baking sheet or plate so their shape sets, then transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easy storage.) Defrost the burgers overnight in the refrigerator prior to serving and then cook as directed.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 burger
- Calories: 517
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Sugar: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Sodium: 567 mg
- Cholesterol: 116 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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WOW, a simply delicious burger! You may think that a recipe is not needed for a burger but you are mistaken. This makes a perfect burger!
I’m trying to up my homemade burger game so I tried this recipe. Jenn’s recipes have never failed to impress in the past, and this one is no exception. I used an 80/20 grind of burger and followed the instructions to the letter. I even made sure I didn’t compress the burgers too much when forming them. No problems with them falling apart, they were tender, juicy and flavourful. The burgers didn’t have a meatloaf texture, not sure why it didn’t work for others. I only had table salt so I erred on the side of caution and added less than half of the kosher salt amount. It was still great. I grilled until 160F (checked with my instant-read Thermapen) and let the carryover bring it up to 165F. Steaks I’ll do rare, but hamburger has too much surface area for bacteria to multiply.
Not sure why others had problems, this recipe and technique is a winner. Thanks Jenn!!
I’ve made these twice, both times they were amazing! I made them gluten free using Trader Joe’s brioche gluten free bread and GF Worcestershire sauce due to my son having Celiac disease.
Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written. I form them using a 1/3 cup measuring cup to make smaller burgers. Very high heat on the grill (650 degrees) and about 2-3 minutes per side.
Best burgers I have ever had!
This recipe is a win! The burgers came out so delicious. Thank you for such a foolproof and fantastic recipe.
Best homemade burger! perfect!!! Nice juicy and flavorful!!!
Ingredients for a kilo of ground beef, please.
Hi Diane, Math is not my strong suit so I can’t say for sure, but it sounds like you’ll need to cut the ingredients by about a quarter.
You can toggle the button at the top of the recipe for metric.
These are really VERY Good! VERY Tasty! I love that they don’t shrink in size! Thank you for sharing the trick of pressing them in the center so they stay the proper size! I will always make the recipe & happy I can freeze them before cooking! 😊 Colleen
Awesomeness! I didn’t have the Worcestershire sauce so I substituted with BBQ Sauce and threw some green olives in there. I used cashew milk since I don’t use diary and still fab outcome. This recipe is sooooooo yummy and yes, moist even if you like your burgers well done! Definitely recommend.
Oh and they were husband and 6 year old approved.
We’re on vacation in the mountains this week and I’ve been cooking a new dinner recipe every night. Made burger bowls last night using this recipe with a very lean ground beef (93% is what I had on hand) and the burgers stuck together and were moist and flavorful. Only bread around was some homemade sourdough but it worked just fine. Thank you, Jen, for making me a better home cook!
I’ve never made a panade for burgers before, and after reading your recipe I decided to try it for a made up recipe loosely based on a Juicy Lucy.
I put white pepper, paprika, bit of salt, a load of crushed garlic, crushed green chilli, coriander, a glug of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, a spoonful of Marmite (for unami) and a dash of olive oil into a panade made from wholemeal bread. Mixed it all up with some really good minced beef and shaped into burgers which I formed around thick slices of Cheddar cheese, and then put in the freezer for 30 minutes while getting the BBQ ready.
We have just had the best burgers we have ever eaten!
Thank you for the inspiration 😊
Didn’t have any ketchup so I used some homemade BBQ sauce. Also used hamburger buns instead of sliced bread since that’s all we had. Turned out delicious and SO juicy!!! Super easy to make. Will definitely add to the regular rotation.
We made these burgers tonight and we loved them, thank you for sharing
A good meatloaf type burger. Texture is very similar to a meatloaf when complete. Flavor is nice and subtle; not over-empowering. I set the grill temp to 385 and held together well. The only difficulty you will find is that a rare to medium rare burger is not going to hold with this recipe. Burgers were cooked to medium for slight firmness.
Omg these burgers are Yummo!!! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out juicy and very flavorful! And I’m gonna be honest I was a little nervous because the recipe called for milk and bread in hamburger recipe…. I was like ummm idk bout this … but I’m so glad I tried it! I’ve tried a few of your recipes and loved them all… again you didn’t disappoint! This is definitely a keeper!!!
I made sliders with this recipe and the kids engulfed this….too bad i didn’t have any to try! Making another batch tomorrow!!!! Love it!
An awesome, juicy burger!
Get the grill hot, follow the recipe, perfection!!
Cheers
Excellent recipe and a great base for different spice combinations. Family loved it and no complaints about texture. Using the panade is no different than how you make a good meatloaf. Might try using panko next time. My arthritis complained about the refined carbs in the white bread but it was worth it!
For those wary of the salt, be aware that kosher salt weighs less per volume than table salt – about half. So if you’re using table salt for this recipe, definitely cut the amount by half. I made this per the instructions and the saltiness was perfect for us.
Saw some people complaining about burgers falling apart. I noticed the mix was a little loose so I formed the balls and put them in the fridge for about an hour. Just before grilling, I flattened them and they came out great. Little or no shrink!
Hi Jenn and thank you so much : my burger patties have tremendously improved ever since I discovered your recipe, it’s just amazing, the family loves the burgers! Tender, juicy, full of taste
Great job👍🏼😊
Leila
These were so good, tasty, and juicy! definitely use this recipe if you want to make burgers. I’m going to be using this again!
These are delicious family pleasing burgers. Tender and yummy!
I found it essential to make the balls and then smush it down flat to make the burger. When I did not do it this way, the burger fell apart on the grill.
I don’t have any white sandwich bread. Could I just use a couple of the white burger buns?
Sure – enjoy!
No, just no.
Texture repellent.
Over the last 14 months, I must have made about ten different recipes from Jenn’s site, each time feeding a family of 6. (Me, wife, 14-year-old boy and girls 6/3/2). This recipe is great. As she states, the bite is tender, I cooked the burgers medium/well done using Costco beef (nothing special), and before I finished eating, I texted my brother the website; they were that good. I already make excellent burgers, but these have the steakhouse taste. I did 1.5x the recipe, as we did have a guest and I wanted leftovers.
Hi, Jenn. I love all your recipes, this one included. My question is about the salt. It does seem a bit too much and wonder if it is a typo or something else going on with the brand of ingredients that I’m using. I know you are an amazing chef and your burgers must be incredible. Other than the amount of salt it is perfect.
Hi, Glad you like the recipes! The amount of salt is correct in this, but if you find them too salty, you can definitely reduce it!
I totally do not understand what happened with the people who said their burgers fell apart. I have made these multiple times and that has never been an issue. I reduce the salt a little, but other than that, they are amazing and the only burgers I make. Wonderful recipe!!!
So good! I’ve never used the grill before so I was a little nervous about how they’d come out and if I’d cook them thoroughly enough. I used the longer amount of suggested cooking time (4 minutes on each side) and they came out perfectly. Juicy and packed with flavor!
Terrible burgers. Fell apart on the grill. This milk and bread combo is horrible. Wasted the meat. Keep Googling
I made this exactly as written except for 2 small changes. Who wants to buy a loaf of white bread just to use a couple of slices. I used half Italian bread crumbs and half plain. I also omited the salt except for a light sprinkle on one side of the burgers. There is plenty of salt between the beef, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and the bread crumbs that the extra is not needed. They came out very juicy and tasty with plenty of sodium. I say 5 stars as long as you cut down on the sodium. They would be too salty with it.
What would be the bread crumb equivalent for this recipe, assuming it’s appropriate to make that substitution?
Bread crumbs should work here. I’d guesstimate you’d need about 1/2 – 2/3 cup. Enjoy!
DELICIOUS!! This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. People who only eat one in my house ate two!! Thank you for this recipe. 🤩
Has anyone made these without milk? I love the original recipe but today I’m all out of milk lol
Hi Melissa, you can replace the milk with water here. Hope you enjoy!
I only have potato bread. Can I use that or will it make a huge difference from the white bread?
Hi Marissa, the potato bread will be fine — enjoy!
One of the best beef burger recipes out there! Thank you!!
Dang! These are perfection! A few negative reviews made me wonder but I followed the recipe exactly (except I used dehydrated onions) – I grilled them as recipe said on my Traeger. Best juiciest burger that’s ever come out of my kitchen. I served them on a pretzel bun. Perfect. Thank you!
Delicious!!! Moist and tasty!
I used about 1 cup panko with milk instead. But followed everything else to a T.
Best burger recipe we have ever tried. They were juicy and flavourful. The only thing we changed was that we used 2 pounds of medium ground beef rather than 1 1/2 pounds of lean because that is what we had.
We barbecued 4 and froze the remainder uncooked burgers for a later date. We topped the burgers with wild leeks (ramps). Great!!
A nice recipe for a juicy burger, held together well…Not what I would consider at all a tasty burger unfortunately though. I will give a few of your other recipes a try, maybe just too high of expectations based on the title.
Certainly weren’t juicy. Perhaps with regular ground the result would be different.
Hi Dan, I’m sorry you found them to be dry. Did you use 85% ground beef? Is there a chance you may have overcooked them?
In my case this recipe didn’t produce burgers, but rather a highly seasoned, crazy delicious mincemeat. I’m pretty sure that is my fault, because I only had about half the amount of beef the recipe called for – yet I didn’t reduce the other ingredients proportionally. I definitely plan to try it again – and to do the math next time! But even if it doesn’t work out as a burger – it’s still a recipe I will keep on hand, because it would make the most succulent filling for a wrap or rolled up pita bread! Still – I am crossing my fingers for burgers that actually hold their shape next time!
This is my go-to burger recipe! Thank you!
I reduced the salt, omit the green onions and used sweet Hawaiian buns! Delicious!!
Excellent recipe/method. The panade does the trick. No breadcrumbs or egg is a very good idea. I only had 94% beef so added grated frozen butter to the mix. That worked well. Was afraid we would taste the ketchup and worcestershire in the burger, but it wasn’t at all in your face. You would probably miss it if it wasn’t there, they enhanced the flavor. Thank you!
This recipe did not work. I did everything exactly and my burgers completely fell apart.
I made these and loved them. I substituted bar b q sauce for ketchup and added some Chipotle sauce for a kick. Awesome!
Amazing recipe. Topped with a grilled jalapeno and cheese.you nailed this one. Thank you
We really enjoyed these! We made them exactly as the recipe suggested and they were thick and juicy. Will definitely make again!
Amazing burgers, no falling apart, they cook fast, and they taste amazing!
We had a late Easter celebration this evening and made these juicy steak burgers! They are delicious and oh so filling! I couldn’t finish my burger! They were a hit with everything! Thank you for the nice recipe!
Made these and liked them, but haven’t thought about making them again till my son started to ask me – repeatedly – “Dad, when you going to make those hamburgers again you made last time?” They were on the hamburgery side of meatloaf, but we liked them that way.
I was hesitant trying this because of a review that said it tastes like meatloaf (I’ve actually made meatloaf burgers before because my step son and I always fought over the end pieces and making burgers allowed all of us to have end pieces 😉).
I’m really glad I tried them, and have made them 4x in the past two months!
Due to the panade the burgers don’t turn out too dense and they’re never dry even though my wife likes her meat very well done!
In the past I’ve worked at many food establishments and I’m never happy ordering a burger when I’m out at a restaurant because I can make them better at home, and now that’s an understatement! Previously my burgers were always ok, sometimes really good depending on which seasonings I used and if the meat was fresh or thawed. Now they’re delicious every single time and they never get dry while waiting for my wife’s to get well-done.
I definitely recommend this recipe and recommend making extra and freezing them for when you’re working late and don’t have time to prepare anything!
Made these today – so simple and quick and most importantly ….tasted delicious!! My 6 yr old said she felt like she was eating at a fancy restaurant and then gobbled it up !!