The Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger might be the *best* smash burger you can make at home. Griddled onions, juicy beef, and melty American cheese—the beauty of this burger is in its pure simplicity.
Yes, this burger is just *four* ingredients. But every one of them plays into each other: thinly sliced onions smashed right into the patty, with a single slice of melty American cheese sitting between a steamed Martin's potato bun.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Ground Beef — I'm using an 80/20 blend and a single, 3.5 ounce ball of beef.
- Sweet Onion — I'm slicing the onion *really* thin with a mandoline so they crisp up quickly.
- American Cheese — The perfect cheese for a smash burger, it's melty and gooey and perfect with the Oklahoma burger.
- Burger Bun — I love using Martin's Potato Buns for my smash burgers. They're soft, slightly sweet, and soak up all the juices from the meat.
- Salt — A little seasoning to bring everything together.
HOW TO MAKE OKLAHOMA FRIED ONION BURGERS
@grillfrenzy Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger #grilling #bbq #smashburger #burger #cooking ♬ original sound - Mike Futia
1. Prep the Ingredients
Start by preparing the onions and meat. Slice the onion very, very thin—as thin as you can get it. I used a mandoline for mine. With the burger meat, form it into a 3.5-ounce ball, loosely formed (don't overwork the meat too much).
2. Cook the Burger
Heat up your griddle and place the beef ball down. Immediately add a big heaping pile of the sliced onions on top. Then, use a burger press or spatula to smash the beef and onions together down against the pan, forming a thin patty. Try to press the burger down as thin as possible to get a really nice crispy crust. Then season with salt. Let the beef and onions cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes. The goal here is to get the onions to lightly caramelize and the meat to develop a nice crust.
3. Flip & Cheese
Flip the patty over, so the onions are now on the bottom. Immediately add the American cheese. Now, we're going to steam the bun. Place the top bun directly over the cheese, and the bottom bun over the top bun. Allow everything to cook together for a minute or two, until the cheese is melty and the burger is cooked through.
4. Assemble & Serve
Scrape the onions and burger off the griddle and place them on the bottom bun. Add the top bun and serve hot off the griddle.
OTHER BURGER RECIPES
Check out some of my other burger recipes: Patty Melt, Smoked Burgers, Copycat Shake Shack Burger, Copycat In-N-Out Double-Double, Classic Smash Burger.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Thin Onion Slices. The thinner the onion slices, the better they caramelize and meld with the burger patty. If you have a mandoline, use it. If not, use a very sharp knife to slice them as thin as you possibly can.
- Bun Choice. Martin’s Potato Rolls are my go-to, but any soft, sturdy bun works well.
- No Smash Spatula? Use a small cast-iron skillet or any flat surface to press down the patty. Smash the patty as thin as you can so it develops a nice crust.
Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz ground beef 80/20 blend
- 1 sweet onion thinly sliced
- 1 slice American cheese
- 1 hamburger bun
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Slice the onion paper-thin and form the beef into a loose ball.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and grease lightly if needed.
- Place the beef ball on the griddle and top with onions.
- Smash the beef and onions together into a thin patty and season with salt.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and top with cheese.
- Steam the bun over the melting cheese, then assemble the burger.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- Thin Onion Slices. The thinner the onion slices, the better they caramelize and meld with the burger patty. If you have a mandoline, use it. If not, use a very sharp knife to slice them as thin as you possibly can.
- Bun Choice. Martin’s Potato Rolls are my go-to, but any soft, sturdy bun works well.
- No Smash Spatula? Use a small cast-iron skillet or any flat surface to press down the patty. Smash the patty as thin as you can so it develops a nice crust.
