Best Smashed Cheeseburger on a potato bun

A smashed classic cheeseburger on a potato bun is messy in the best way, with crispy edges, melty cheese, and that soft buttery bun that makes it feel like a real burger shop at home. ♡

Here’s the thing, the magic of a smashburger is not the seasoning or a secret sauce. It’s contact. You want the beef pressed hard onto a screaming hot surface so it sears fast and builds a crust. That crust is where all the flavor lives.

Keep it simple: good beef, salt, American cheese, potato buns, and a quick burger sauce if you feel like it. Let’s make it together.

Ingredients

Smashburgers

• 1 pound ground beef, 80/20

• fine sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 4 slices American cheese

• 4 potato buns

• 1 tablespoon butter (for toasting buns)

• 1 small onion, very thinly sliced (optional)

• dill pickle chips

• shredded iceberg lettuce (optional)

• sliced tomato (optional)

Simple Burger Sauce Optional

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon ketchup

• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickles or relish

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• pinch of black pepper

Tips

• Use 80/20 beef. Lean beef won’t crisp the same and can dry out.

• Make loose beef balls. Don’t pack them tight, it hurts the texture.

• Get the pan very hot. Cast iron or a flat top style pan is perfect.

• Smash once, hard, and don’t touch it. Let the crust form before you flip.

• Scrape under the patty when flipping. You want to keep every crispy bit.

Variations

• Oklahoma style: smash the patty into a pile of super thin onions so they cook into the beef.

• Double stack: two thin patties, one slice of cheese between them.

• Spicy: add pickled jalapeños or a little hot sauce in the burger sauce.

• Extra melty: cover the pan for 30 seconds after adding cheese.

• Bacon shop vibe: add crispy bacon and keep the rest simple.

FAQ

Best Smashed Cheeseburger

Classic smash cheeseburgers with crispy edges, melty American cheese, and toasted potato buns, ready fast and better than takeout.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 14

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Smashburgers
• 1 pound ground beef 80/20
• fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices American cheese
• 4 potato buns
• 1 tablespoon butter for toasting
• thin sliced onion optional
• dill pickle chips
• shredded lettuce and tomato optional
• Simple Burger Sauce Optional
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickles or relish
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of black pepper

Method

 

1. Make the sauce (optional). Stir all sauce ingredients together and chill while you cook.
2. Prep the beef. Divide beef into 4 loose balls, about 4 ounces each. Do not pack them tight.
3. Toast the buns. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast until golden. Set aside.
4. Heat the pan. Place a cast iron skillet or heavy pan over high heat until very hot. A drop of water should sizzle and vanish quickly.
5. Smash. Add a beef ball to the hot pan. Immediately smash firmly with a sturdy spatula until very thin. Season with salt and pepper. If using onions, add them on top right after smashing and press lightly so they stick.
6. Cook and flip. Cook 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until edges are deeply browned. Scrape under the patty and flip. Add a slice of cheese. Cook 45 to 60 seconds more. Cover the pan for 20 to 30 seconds if you want extra melt.
7. Build burgers. Add sauce to buns, then pickles, burger, and any extras like lettuce and tomato. Serve immediately.

Notes

If your spatula sticks, put a small square of parchment between the beef and spatula when smashing.

Smashburgers are best eaten right away while the edges are crisp.