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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The BEST burger we’ve ever had, let alone made. Saving this one!!
Jenn, Want to make these for friend to repay act of kindness thus want to get measurements correct. I have 2lbs beef, can you give me the correct amount
of ingredient measurements. Also, thoughts on using steak sauce instead of ketchup and maybe adding a little horseradish.
Sincere thanks for your time.
Rochelle
Hi Rochelle, Math is not my strength, but you’ll need to cut the ingredients by 1/3. And I think both the steak sauce and horseradish will work here. Hope your friend enjoys! 🙂
Jenn I am excited to try your recipe. I am making 18 burgers. Should I just stick to the recipe and extrapolate.
Yep 🙂
Will these patties freeze well when raw?
Yup!
Very Very good burger. My husband cooked them on the Traeger and they were so AWESOME
Mine fell apart when pan frying. I used seasoned breadcrumbs instead of sliced bread. I might add an egg next time to help it bind. All in all, it tasted really good. I’m rating it at 3 stars because it crumbled apart. Otherwise it would have gotten a 5/5.
The breadcrumbs and not the bread-milk mixture is why the meat didn’t bind together and adding an egg makes it more like a meatloaf. If followed AS WRITTEN, the recipe is FANTASTIC.
It crumbled because you didn’t follow the recipe as written. It isn’t fair to rate a recipe poorly because you chose not to follow it. If you try it again following the directions, you’ll find that it holds together nicely.
Dear Cordelia,
Normally I would agree, except for the fact that there are about a dozen other reviews, including this one, where they also state the burgers fell apart. We followed the recipe to the letter. They were still delicious and juicy, just crumbly and delicate on the grill. We will try with less milk next time. Rare is a web recipe that does not need some tweaking.
LR
@ L Rogers and Jacinta Barroso
Maybe you made the patties too thin? You will have to make sure to put them together really well So there are no cracks (not overworking them). I have a bowl with the right circumference. I make a ball and gently push the bowl on the meat until it flattens to that size using my other hand to press the sides in do they don’t crack. Hope that made sense.
Foolproof and easy to make. Our go to burger recipe.
Made these yummy burgers for the first time and this recipe is my new “go to” burger recipe. Super simple but very tasty. No problem at all with the burgers binding and believe me my husband who was grilling would have let me know! I’ve made other more complicated burger recipes but this I my view was better and easier. I did substitute scallions for very finely minced onion but will try scallions next time.
This turned out so good!!! I don’t have a grill so made it in my oven at 350F , 18min one side and ~2 min on the other . Incredibly juicy and flavorful . Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
These were excellent. They were a little overcooked. Generally I like my burgers medium rare but they ended up well done. Even being well done, they were moist and delicious. My son thought they tasted a little like meat loaf. I thought they were fine. This is the best burger recipe.
Simply delicious. So glad we tried these
I just made this recipe for dinner tonight and oh my goodness these were so delicious and filling! I substituted the scallions for yellow onion personally, but this recipe stands! Absolutely amazing. I will use this again!
Best burger I’ve ever made at home… wow.
Hi
This recipe looks great! Can I substitute the milk for plant based milk instead? Such as almond milk?
Thanks
Sure – enjoy!
These burgers are absolute bobby dazzlers. Best I have ever made as good as the fancy burger places .
Thanks Steve C
Melbourne aust
Ok, don’t judge me but i’ve made these burgers 3 times in the last 2 weeks and today will be number 4! I can’t believe how incredibly easy this recipe is and I’m so thrilled that the patty is actually juicy AF!
I made my own In-N-Out spread to go on it, along with it grilled onions and bacon (mmmm!). My boyfriend and family and extra pleased! Thanks for sharing 🙂
P.S. Does wheat bread work in place of white? I’m out of wonder bread ;(
Hi Edith, Any bread will work. Glad you enjoyed!
Thank you!