The BEST Cast Iron Skillet Burgers (EASY RECIPE) (2024)

These simple and delicious homemade cast iron skillet burgers are a perfect weeknight meal - and you won't need your grill! These yummy burgers get a sear in the cast iron pan on the outside of the patty, locking in the juice and flavour. Then, they're finished in the oven to perfection and topped with all your favourite burger condiments!🍔

Making homemade burgers on cast iron has never been easier - or more delicious!

These easy hamburgers seared on the cast iron skillet and then finished in the oven get that crispy outside and keep the moisture inside.

Because, number of people who like dried out burgers: 0.

This really is the perfect homemade hamburger thanks to the cast iron skillet!

Dinner is served with these easy burgers in less than 30 minutes. Yes!

And if you love easy, gluten-free recipes made in a cast iron skillet, check out this recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Breast or and this recipe for Cast Iron Skillet Salmon. Both delicious and so easy to make!

📝Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these easy burgers in the cast iron skillet:

• 1 kg of lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoon paprika - this is what gives the burgers an almost "smoky" flavour
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For serving with these burgers, you'll need burger buns of course.

I like to pick up gluten-free buns from my local store. In a pinch, we've been known to have these homemade burgers on slices of bread🍞

And don't forget if you're making these tonight to get all your favourite condiments, too!

See recipe card for quantities and full details.

🔪Instructions

Making these homemade burgers with the cast iron skillet is so easy.

Here's what you'll do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine all spices into a large bowl and mix thoroughly into lean ground beef.
3. Form beef into a loose ball shape with your hands - about ⅓ cup of ground beef.
4. Place on a plate and press down into burger-shaped rounds.
5. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
6. While the burgers are in the fridge, heat up the cast iron pan to medium-high heat and add a little oil to coat.
7. Add the burgers to the hot pan, cooking undisturbed for about 3 minutes. Then, flip and cook for another 3 minutes.
8. Finish burgers in the oven for ~5 minutes. Serve with all the fixings.

See recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

🔄Substitutions

If you don't have ground beef, you can use ground turkey or even ground chicken!

But beware: because there's less fat in the ground turkey or ground chicken, you will need a less intense heat when searing in the cast iron and less time (if any) in the oven.

Be sure to adjust cooking time accordingly. (See point above about zero people liking dried out burgers🍔).

Also, check out this recipe for an Easy Gluten-Free Turkey Burger if you have ground turkey on hand.

💃Variations

The combination of spices in this cast iron burger recipe gives an almost smoky taste.

If you want to change up the seasoning, go for a spicy kick by adding red pepper flakes or some chili powder.

If you're adding cheese, add the cheese in the last minute or 2 of cooking so it has time to melt and get all ooey-gooey.

My kids like these homemade burgers on the cast iron grill pretty plain when it comes to toppings. Like ketchup and maybe cheese only.

Don't forget your favourite condiments!

Other burger toppings you might want to add include:

• Coleslaw, like this Simple Coleslaw Recipe (no mayo)
• Ketchup
• Lettuce - something crunchy like romaine or ice berg
• Mayonaise
• Mustard
• Pickles
• Pickled jalapeño peppers🥵
• Relish
• Sweet onion
• Tomato slices

🥣Equipment

Since this is a recipe for cast iron skillet hamburgers, you're gonna need one of those to make these!

But you could make one without the cast iron pan - if you have a pan that is oven safe, you could still sear the patties first as per the instructions and then place in the oven to finish cooking.

Because cast iron pans really hold the heat, you'll probably have to adjust the cooking time (ie, make it longer) for a different type of pan.

⏰Make Ahead Tip

You can totally prep things ahead of time for this recipe.

Prepped burger patties can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a few hours before you need them.

Sliced cheese, tomato slices, lettuce leaves, and onion slices can also be prepped, put on a serving tray and wrapped in plastic until serving.

🥡Storage and Freezing

Yes, you can freeze these burgers. You can freeze the patties after mixing in the spices or after cooking.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or use silicone burger molds. Freeze up to 3 months.

(If you want to freeze cooked skillet burgers, after cooking, let them cool before wrapping in plastic.)

To cook the burgers from frozen, take them out of the freezer the night before you want to cook them. Place them in the fridge so they thaw out safely (not the countertop.)

Cook thawed burger patties according to recipe instructions.

To re-heat a frozen, cooked burger, it's easiest to use the microwave. Heat on high for 20-30 second increments until you get it where you want it.

🙋‍♀️Why lean ground beef?

Well for one, this is a healthy food blog so you know I'm gonna make sure I've got you covered with an anti-greasy hamburger!🚫

That said, if you have medium ground beef, totally up to you and it works just fine.

Some people even like mixes - ground sirloin with pork or even ground beef with veal! Change it up to your hearts content. Just be sure to cook burgers to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F for safety.

✅Top Tips

1. Be sure to use an oil with a high smoke point (like canola oil). This will help make sure it can withstand the high heat once you put the cast iron pan in the oven. If you use an oil like olive oil, you're likely to have a smoky mess on your hands.
2. Here's a "pro tip": have you ever made homemade sliders and as you cook the smaller patties, they start to shrink and almost "curl up" and become more like little rounds of meat instead of patties? Here's how you prevent that from happening: After you get the patties on the cast iron skillet, using your thumb, make a slight indent in the centre of the patty. This will allow the burger to "grow into" this little divet while the burger cooks perfectly.
3. Be careful when moving the pan from the stovetop or burner to the oven. Depending on your pan and the heat+oil combo, little bits of the oil can jump up. Use those oven mitts and move carefully!
4. Don't skip fridge step if you have the extra 10 minutes: placing the burger patties in the fridge for 10 minutes before cooking lets the delicious spice-blend flavours to meld together. It also helps the burgers stay together in the pan while cooking.
5. Don't roll the burgers too tightly - you don't want a tough burger and it helps them cook better.
6. So much of the delicious flavour in these easy, homemade burgers is coming from that crispy outside they get from the searing. Thank you to the Maillard reaction for our delicious flavour outside, while keeping burgers moist on the inside😄 #science

🥘Is a cast iron skillet good for burgers?

Absolutely! In fact, cooking hamburgers on a cast iron skillet instead of a grill locks in more juices, a ton of flavour and it's so easy! Cast iron skillets distribute heat very evenly too so you don't have to worry about under-done or over-cooked burgers when you follow this recipe. In less than 30 minutes, you'll have a perfectly cooked burger when cooking on cast iron.

❓How do you cook a burger in a cast iron skillet?

Cooking a burger is a cast iron skillet is not only super easy to do, the results are simply delicious! Here's the high level steps: mix up your ground meat of choice with desired seasonings. Form mixed meat into loose patties and put on a plate. Store in the fridge for about 10 minutes. For your pan, heat your cast iron pan over medium-high heat and add some butter or canola oil to the pan. Let the pan heat up. Take the burgers out of the fridge and place one at a time onto the hot pan. Let them cook for about 3 minutes - don't touch them! Then flip and cook on the other side for 3 minutes. Cook to desired doneness, checking with an instant read meat thermometer.

🚫How do you keep burgers from sticking to cast iron?

The two most common reasons why burgers stick to cast iron pans is the pan isn't hot enough or there's not enough fat in the pan. Or both! To prevent burgers from sticking in the cast iron pan, be sure to heat your pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Wait till your pan and the oil has had a chance to heat up before you put your burger patties in the pan.

Another tip to prevent burgers from sticking is to let your burgers cook for at least 2 or 3 minutes, before flipping them. Getting that sear on the outside is so important!

🍽️What to serve with cast iron skillet burgers

Hamburgers like these easy cast iron skillet ones are perfect for - what else? Easy sides!

Here's a few side dishes that would go great with these yummy burgers:

• Summer Peach and Basil Salad with Feta
• Lemony Brown Rice, Broccoli and Feta Salad
• Summer Corn and Black Bean Salsa
• Easy Quinoa Salad with Feta
• Simple Coleslaw Recipe (no mayo)

And since it's summer, why not make this Cherry and Peach Crisp with Oat Crumble (Gluten-Free, Healthy) recipe for dessert! Your oven will be hot after the burgers come out anyways😉 You can prep this healthy dessert up and let it bake while you and the fam dig into homemade burgers. Life is good, my friend.

Hope you love these cast iron skillet burgers like we do! Please rate and comment if you try them - I love hearing from you❣️

~April

📖 Recipe