Steakhouse Burgers
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No need to go out—these homemade steakhouse burgers are tender, juicy, and full of flavor thanks to a few simple tricks. Easy enough for a weeknight, good enough for company.
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—with garlic and scallions, this steakhouse-style burger recipe comes together in no time.
When my kids were little, this recipe made me a star among their friends. My daughter’s friend Allie nicknamed them “Segal Burgers,” and the name stuck. No matter how old everyone gets, they still ask for them! You can dress them up with condiments like ketchup, mustard, spicy relish, or mayonnaise, add a slice of cheese, or pile on bread and butter pickles, pickled red onions or caramelized onions—but they’ve got so much flavor on their own, you barely need anything at all.
“Best burgers ever! I served them on buns with cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, and butter pickles, but I seriously believe they don’t need any dressing up—they’re that good.”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Steakhouse Burger Recipe
- White Sandwich Bread & Milk: These two come together to form a simple panade—a soft paste that keeps the burgers juicy and tender. Use soft white bread with the crusts removed so it blends right in.
- Ground Beef: Stick with 80 to 85% lean for burgers that are juicy, flavorful, and hold together nicely.
- Garlic & Scallions: Add a fresh, aromatic boost that takes the flavor up a notch.
- Worcestershire Sauce & Ketchup: Bring in that classic steakhouse vibe with a hit of umami, a little sweetness, and just the right amount of tang.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: Keep it simple—these basic seasoning bring out the best in the beef.
- Hamburger Buns: Go for soft but sturdy, and toast them if you like a little crunch to contrast the juicy patties.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step instructions
Step 1: Make the panade. In a large bowl, mash the torn-up sandwich bread and milk with a fork until you get a chunky paste.
Step 2: Add seasoning. Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire, and ketchup until everything’s mixed together. Adding the seasonings to the panade first ensures they distribute evenly throughout the meat later without overmixing the beef itself.
Step 3: Mix in the beef. Add the ground beef and scallions (if using). Use your hands to mix just until combined—don’t overdo it. Mixing too much can compress the meat and make the burgers dense. Gently folding the mixture with your hands keeps the texture light.
Step 4: Shape the patties. Divide the mixture into 8 portions and roll into balls. Flatten into ¾-inch-thick patties about 4½ inches wide. (Keeping the burgers thick ensures a nice char on the outside without overcooking the inside.) Use a light touch when shaping the patties—packing them too tightly can make them tough. Press a little dent in the center of each one so they don’t puff up while grilling.
At this point, the uncooked burgers can be refrigerated for 24 hours or frozen for up to 3 months. Just pop them into the fridge to thaw overnight prior to cooking.
Step 5: Grill the burgers. Grill the patties for 2 to 4 minutes on the first side, until nicely browned. (Avoid pressing down on the burgers while they cook—it squeezes out juices and can dry them out.) Flip and cook a few minutes more, until they’re done to your liking. (The panade keeps them tender and juicy—even if you prefer your burgers well done—so they’re great for kids, grandparents, or anyone who’s not into pink centers.)
Pro Tip: While I never bother, you can use an instant-read thermometer to determine the doneness of your burgers. You’re aiming for 130–135°F for medium-rare, 140–145°F for medium, and 160°F for well done.
More Burger Recipes You May Like
Steakhouse Burgers
These steakhouse-style burgers are juicy, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned—sure to become your new go-to burger recipe.
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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This is the worst patty I have made, falls apart better than ground beef in a pasta sauce..Where is the binding (an egg or two)…the people that rated this have never made it..neither has the blogger….Burger..NO…pasta sauce YES
no need to be rude, Bill
Hello from Egypt
Been looking for a juicy burger recipe for ages..glad I finally found it
You obviously did something wrong. I’ve made these patties several times. They always hold their shape and are absolutely delicious!
Did you overmix the burgers? I’ve never had this problem and have made them plenty of times. And I’m sure these have been made before… there’s photo evidence and 350+ reviews. Burger? Yes! Pasta sauce? If you’d like.😉
Hey Bill, I had the same problem and I followed this recipe to the T. I have no idea what happened but my burgers turned out to be suited for pasta or other “ground beef” recipes.
If you overmix then they are going to be tough….sooo again…not sure what we did lol
Crumbled and did not stay together at all.
Also, I hope I don’t receive any emails since I had to give my email address to post a comment.
Y’all know y’all can make adjustments, right? If you’re having trouble with crumbling then use a binder. Problem solved!
Made this recipe for the first time last night! Yum! I am a novice grill chef is why I had to google a recipe and I can tell you they turned out perfect with tons of flavor!
Not sure what you did wrong but for someone who is a disaster in the kitchen my wife asked me to keep this recipe!
Awesome burgers, next time I’ll try half the salt as it was too much.
Just made these yesterday for a cookout at our house for my sons and 30 friends before they all head back to college. Many of them commented on the juicy burgers! I prepped 40 burgers 2 days ahead and kept them in the fridge layered with parchment paper in 13 x 9 covered dishes. In order to get the seasonings and panade just right, I made the recipe in 4 batches (rather than quadrupling the recipe and mixing 12 lbs. of beef together at once.) I did not add the optional scallions. This recipe allowed us to safely grill the burgers to well done without drying them out! Thank you, Jenn! I will always use this recipe for burgers from now on.
Hi Jenn,
I recently discovered your recipes online and I have become a huge fan—so much so that I have just ordered your cookbook! I made the steakhouse burgers tonight and they were delicious. However as I grilled them they came apart just a little, a few cracks here and there. I was wondering whether I didn’t flatten the patties tightly enough, or maybe I massaged the meat mixture a little too much before making the patties? Any ideas?
Glad you’re enjoying the recipes and thanks so much for purchasing the cookbook! Sorry to hear the burgers fell apart — as you mentioned, it could be that you didn’t form them firmly enough into patties. Also, did you grease the grill grates? If they stick to the grates, that can cause them to get crumbly.
These were amazing! So juicy and delicious
I used a beef, veal and pork mixture (equals parts) and wholewheat bread. All else was as per your recipe…was actually making the burgers for tomorrow night supper but could not resist (after reading all the favorable comments !!) making one for myself to try. OMG did not disappoint and like everyone else this will now become my go-to burger recipe. Thank you for sharing
Made these again last night. Love these! As we are also trying to eat more meatless meals, would love it Jenn, if you came up with a veggie burger recipe! Thanks for all the wonderful meals.
Glad you like these Romi! I will add veggie burgers to my list of recipes to potentially develop. Thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
If I don’t have a grill to cook my burgers, would a cast iron pan be the next best thing? Can’t wait to make my burgers. Glad I came across your site!
Thank you.
Cindy
Yep, cast iron will work nicely. 😊
use a grilling cast iron pan, since I got one I do not use the gaz BBQ any more.
Every recipe I’ve made from Jen has been fantastic and wins rave reviews from my family. I love that they are fresh and delicious but also fairly easy. Thank you for sharing all of these recipes! The steakhouse burgers were fantastic as was the sweet corn salad with basil.
Hi Jen
What kind of condiments would you suggest serving with this?
Hi Tana, they have tons of flavor on their own, but I’d suggest whatever usual condiments you’d use on your burgers (i.e., ketchup, mustard, onions, lettuce, etc.) Hope you enjoy!
Tried this with American style Kobe and it is just to die for. Probably the best burger ever cooked on my smoker. Literally no chewing required……Many thanks