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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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 😊