Steakhouse Burgers
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
What sorcery is this?! I’ve been making homemade bbq burgers my entire adult life at least a few times a month – once a week during the summer months. They’ve been once of my “specialties” for years. But I’ve never had a burger turn out like this. I’m not sure how, but these burgers are just more barbecuey. They seem to take on more of that amazing grilled flavour and marry it perfectly with the simple flavours of the seasoning and beef. Plus, they were insanely tender and juicy. RIP my old burger recipe. There’s a new kid in town.
made these burgers for family cookout! everybody loved them! 5 stars
These are the best, juiciest, most flavorful burgers I’ve made. And maybe ever eaten. Thanks for the tips! I have a question though: how best to adapt this to indoor cooking. I don’t have a grill pan. Could you use the broiler? Or would you have to pan-fry? Thanks!
Hi Jessica, Glad you like the burgers! You can broil them; just place them on a broiler pan or rack so the juices can drip down.) Cook time should be about the same.
We recently purchased a 1/4 cow and have several packs of grass-fed ground beef. Our very young daughters weren’t crazy about the “all natural” taste of the burgers we made with grass fed beef. (ESP the 3yo) I’m looking for recipes that would help tame the slight game flavor the ground beef has—is this one you would use for grass-fed beef or is there another that you would recommend? Any tips are greatly appreciated. 🙂
Because there are some flavorful additions to the beef in this recipe, I think it would be a good one to try. Please LMK if it gets the thumbs up from your daughters! 🙂
Made this for Father’s Day and it was a huge success. Everyone wants the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! I wish you had a “Share” button as well as a “Print” button!
So glad you liked the burgers! If you’d like to share a recipe, there are a few options under the recipe title at the top of the page (you can share to Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter or email it). 🙂
Or you can do it the old-fashioned and best way. Copy the URL and share it wherever you want.
The salt in this made it hard to eat and now a few hours after dinner I feel sick. I will not make this again.
Dana, did you use kosher salt or table salt? Because if you used table salt, you would use less salt than the 2-1/2 teaspoons called for in the recipe. The ratio I’ve seen is for every teaspoon of kosher, you would use 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of table salt.
Sounds like someone used a Tablespoon instead of a teaspoon of salt. I’ve done it, and so have many of the greats!
I can’t believe how good these burgers are. My husband just loved them and kept asking “ are you sure you didn’t use ground steak for these ?” Nope…. Just used regular lean ground beef.
I love your recipes. I realized about a month ago that so many of my book marked recipes are from you. So now I am on your mailing list. I really enjoy your newsletters. Keep them coming and thank you!
💗
So flavorful and juicy!
We broiled the burgers about 10 inches from the broiler, for 11 mins on one side, turned over, and then 9 mins on the other side. Next time we’ll do closer to the broiler and cook for less time.
My go to recipe for burgers and meatballs !
I was sad to see this recipe go from 5 stars to 4.5 over a salt mistake. This recipe is beyond fantastic and use it everytime I make burgers.
Thank you for this amazing recipe Jenn !!
This is absolutely the best hamburger we have ever had. Not only a napkin needed but two napkins, so juicy. We grilled it two nights ago and going to grill again tonight. Definitely 5 plus stars.
Dear Jen, love all your recipes, always a huge success, thank you for sharing.
These burgers look absolutely fabulous, and I know they will be, by the comments left by your loyal admirers.
My question, is could I also make meatballs and just cook them in the oven on a rack?
I will definitely make the burgers but wanted to try them as meatballs, as well.
Thank you and keep on cookin, 😘
So glad you like the recipes, Bonnie! Yes, I think this will work as meatballs. Hope you enjoy!