Smashburgers get their name from exactly what you’d think: the meat gets smashed onto a hot griddle, resulting in thin patties with seriously charred, crispy edges and a deeply savory crust. These double smash burgers stack two of those patties together with melted cheddar, a tangy homemade sauce, and classic burger toppings, all in a toasted bun. It’s a genuinely fast-food-worthy burger you can make at home, better than the drive-through and not much more effort. The key techniques, chilling the meat, smashing it thin, and not fussing with it while it cooks, are what give these burgers their signature crust and juicy interior.
The magic of a smashburger is the contrast between the deeply charred, crispy exterior and the juicy interior, something you get by smashing the meat thin right on the hot cooking surface rather than forming a thick patty. Using beef with a good amount of fat and chilling the meatballs before cooking keeps the fat solid longer, which helps the burgers hold together as they smash and cook. Stacking two thin patties with melted cheese and a tangy, mayo-based sauce turns this into a genuinely special burger, one that tastes like a fast-food classic taken up several notches.
Why this works
A few key techniques are what give these burgers their signature texture and flavor, and they’re worth understanding.
Using beef with enough fat and chilling it first is essential. Ground beef with about 20 percent fat content gives the burgers rich flavor and helps them stay juicy even after cooking hot and fast. Rolling the meat into balls and chilling them for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight) keeps the fat solid, which helps the patties hold together as they’re smashed and gives a better final texture.
Smashing the meat thin is what creates the signature crust. Pressing each ball of meat down hard on a hot griddle or cast-iron skillet, using a burger press or sturdy metal spatula, spreads it out thin and maximizes contact with the hot surface. This is what creates that deeply browned, crispy, almost lacy edge that smashburgers are known for, something a thicker, grilled patty just can’t replicate.
Not fussing with the burgers while they cook lets the crust develop. Once the meat is smashed, leaving it alone to cook undisturbed (rather than pressing or moving it around) for a couple of minutes lets a proper crust form before flipping. Constantly moving or pressing the patty interferes with that browning process.
And the mayo on the buns does double duty. Smearing mayonnaise on the inside of the buns before toasting them gives the buns a golden, flavorful crust, and the fat left behind is often enough to slick up the griddle for the next batch of burgers, with just a touch of oil added as needed in between.
What goes in
The ingredient list builds the burgers, the sauce, and the toppings.
You’ll need ground beef (20% fat), mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet relish, yellow mustard, white vinegar, hamburger buns, vegetable oil, salt and pepper, cheddar cheese, and for serving, pickle slices, shredded iceberg lettuce, and thinly sliced red onion.
A few notes. Use ground beef with about 20% fat, leaner beef won’t give you the same juicy result. Chill the shaped meatballs for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight, this step matters more than it might seem. The sauce (mayo, ketchup, relish, mustard, and vinegar) is a simple, tangy classic, though a fry sauce would work well too. And cheddar is classic here, but feel free to swap in your favorite melting cheese.
How to make them
Cut eight 5-inch square pieces of parchment paper and set aside.
Divide the ground beef into 8 equal balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use, preferably at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
In a medium bowl, mix ½ cup of the mayonnaise with the ketchup, relish, mustard, and vinegar. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to use.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Spread about 1½ teaspoons of mayonnaise onto the insides of each bun and toast until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Add 2 of the meatballs and place a square of parchment over each. Using a burger press or a large metal spatula, smash the burgers directly onto the skillet until about ¼-inch thick. Remove and discard the parchment, and season the burgers with salt and pepper.
Cook the burgers, without pressing or fussing with them, until a nice crust forms, about 2 minutes. Flip and season with more salt and pepper. Add a slice of cheese to each burger and cook until melted, about 2 more minutes.
Stack the two burgers on top of each other and place inside a bun. Add the reserved sauce to the inside of the bun, then top the burger with pickles, lettuce, and red onion. Close with the top bun.
Repeat with the remaining meat and ingredients to make 4 double burgers.
Tips, serving, and storing
A few things help. Chill the meat balls fully before cooking, this genuinely improves the texture. Don’t press or fuss with the burgers while they cook, let them sit undisturbed to build a proper crust. Smash them thin and evenly for the most surface contact with the hot skillet. And season both sides of the patties, since a thin burger needs seasoning on every surface.
A couple more. Work in batches (2 patties at a time) so your skillet stays hot and you have room to smash properly. And keep a little extra oil on hand for the skillet between batches, even with the mayo from the buns, you may need a touch more.
These burgers are a complete meal on their own, perfect with fries, chips, or a simple salad on the side. Serve them hot, right off the griddle, while the cheese is still melty and the buns are crisp. They’re great for a backyard cookout, a Friday night dinner, or anytime you’re craving a genuinely great burger.
For storing, these are really best enjoyed fresh and hot off the griddle. If you have extra cooked patties, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days and reheat in a hot skillet (not the microwave, which will make them rubbery). The sauce keeps well refrigerated for about a week, so it’s easy to make extra ahead of time.
This makes 4 double burgers. Juicy, crispy-edged, and topped with a tangy sauce and classic fixings, these double smash burgers bring a genuine fast-food favorite home, and once you master the smash technique, you’ll want to make burgers this way every time.
WP Tasty (Tasty Recipes Premium) field values
- Category: Main Course (Burger)
- Method: Griddle (Stovetop)
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: (leave blank. Contains beef, dairy (cheese, mayo), and wheat (buns), so it isn’t vegetarian or gluten-free. Use gluten-free buns to make it gluten-free; Halal with halal beef.)
- Keywords: smash burgers, double smash burger recipe, homemade smashburger, cheeseburger recipe, griddle burgers
- Serving Size: 1 double burger (recipe serves 4)
- Calories: (leave blank. No nutrition data was provided in the source. Generate values with Nutrifox before publishing rather than estimating.)
- Equipment: Large cast-iron skillet or griddle, burger press or metal spatula, parchment paper
Double Smash Burgers
Equipment
- Large cast-iron skillet or griddle
- Burger press or metal spatula
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 20% fat content
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise divided: for buns and sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup for the sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet relish for the sauce
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard for the sauce
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar for the sauce
- 4 hamburger buns
- 2 tsp vegetable oil plus more as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 slices cheddar cheese
- pickle slices, shredded iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced red onion for serving
Instructions
- Prep: Cut eight 5-inch square pieces of parchment paper and set aside.
- Shape and Chill: Divide the ground beef into 8 equal balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Make the Sauce: In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise with the ketchup, relish, mustard, and vinegar. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Toast the Buns: Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise on the insides of each bun and toast until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Smash the Burgers: Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Add 2 of the meatballs and place a square of parchment over each. Using a burger press or large metal spatula, smash directly onto the skillet until about 1/4-inch thick. Remove and discard the parchment, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook: Cook without pressing or fussing, until a nice crust forms, about 2 minutes. Flip and season with more salt and pepper. Add a slice of cheese to each and cook until melted, about 2 more minutes.
- Assemble: Stack two burgers together and place in a bun. Add the reserved sauce to the bun and top with pickles, lettuce, and red onion. Close with the top bun. Repeat with remaining meat to make 4 double burgers.
