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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I made this with ground round beef, Panko bread crumbs – instead of sliced bread, thinly sliced then chopped scallions sautéed in butter until translucent – instead of scallions, and then pan fried the burgers in peanut oil at medium high. I wasn’t careful about measuring the ingredients so I probably added more of the spicy ingredients than the recipe called for. We like our burgers well done. This was the juiciest hamburger I’ve ever eaten and they were not greasy. It was so good. I made too much and turned the remainder in to a meatloaf. It tasted so savory. The first bite reminded me of slow cooked beef stew. We will make burgers this way in the future.
Awesome recipe! Just wondering if I can use ground Turkey in place of beef. If, so what do you recommend for a brand and what changes if any to the recipe?
Nick
Glad you liked them! You can use turkey here, but have you tried my grilled turkey burgers or skillet turkey burgers? They’re both delicious and easier to pull together than these!
Juicy even when cooked to well done! I used whole wheat bread since it was all we had & worked great.
What a Yummilicous Burger!!! I bought fresh 80/20 ground beef this morning and wanted to find a burger recipe to try. This recipe was so delicious!! I substituted garlic powder for the fresh garlic because I forgot it while mixing in the meat and also used multi-grain bread since that was all I had. I grilled the burger on the BBQ and it turned out so juicy and tender (medium rare). Next time I will make the burger patty more “firm” so it will not be so delicate when flipping on the grill. Can’t wait to use this recipe with guests!
Oh no. I had my doubts about mixing in milky bread, like are these meatloaf Pattie’s? Or burgers? They neither taste like good meatloaf nor a good burger. I had to feed them to the dogs, they’ll eat anything.
I think that may say more about your cooking skills than anything. These burgers are the bomb.
I wholeheartedly agree! These are the best burgers I’ve ever made. My family loves them! And as much as my dogs would likely love them too, they’re too good to give to the dogs!
Made these tonight, as is, scaled down to 1.3 lbs for 3 people. Used Panko instead of bread slices. Onion burger buns—so good. Stovetop on buttered cast iron skillet 3.5 mins each side, med high. Incredible taste. My husband and 18 yr old son thought they were delicious. Thanks again for another great recipe.
Made these burgers today! My family loved them! Very juicy!
Juicy melt in your mouth burgers! Tastiest most delicious burgers I’ve ever made. Thank you Jennifer for making my family happy. My 30 yr old son says nothing is as good as ‘my burgers’ (your recipe haha!)
One TIP: Keep the ground beef in the fridge COLD til the last minute. I made mistake of leaving ground beef out and burgers fell apart when I assembled, my fault. LOVE THESE BURGERS!! yum… <3
These burgers are truly the best!! They have become my husbands favorite! All I can say is MAKE THESE!!
These were very good but I felt they were a little too large. I still have four in the freezer but will probably remake into 6 patties. Delicious. Cooked on our Pellet stove.