Healthy Burgers

This healthy burger recipe is the best of both worlds- juicy hamburgers that have all the flavor, minus all the calories! Ready in minutes and perfect for dinner!

If you’ve made our chicken burgers or air fryer burgers before, you’ll love these healthy burgers. They have all the best parts of any good hamburger, minus the excess oil, additives, and calories! 

Why you’ll love this recipe 

• Guilt-free. Unlike fast-food burgers that make you feel lethargic and sluggish, these healthy ones provide you with energy and make you feel good about yourself and your diet. 
• Quick. From prep to plate, these burgers take less than 10 minutes to cook. 
• Customizable. You can always customize the patty ingredients and burger toppings to achieve the flavor and texture that you like. 
• Freezable. You can make a big batch of these healthy burgers and freeze the patties for later use. 

What we love about this burger recipe is just how delicious they are. They are juicy, tender, and taste even better than a Takeout burger (especially with some homemade big mac sauce!).

Ingredients needed

This burger recipe calls for standard hamburger ingredients and some pantry staple spices. Here is what you’ll need: 

• Ground beef. Both lean and extra lean ground beef work. The addition of the oil will keep them just as juicy as if you used 80/20 or higher fat cuts of beef.  
• Garlic. Freshly minced. 
• American mustard. Adds pleasant tanginess and mild spiciness to the burgers. 
• Worcestershire sauce. A small amount of Worcestershire sauce will make the patty mixture taste savory and more flavorful. 
• Oil. You will need neutral-flavored oil for frying the patties as well as adding a small amount of it into the meat mixture to keep them juicy. 
• To assemble. Buns, cheese, pickles, and salad vegetables. 
• Big Mac sauce. Add homemade Big Mac sauce as a finishing touch for the ultimate homemade burgers that taste like takeaway. 

How to make healthy burgers

This recipe is very simple and has less than two minutes of hands-on time. Honestly, the frying pan takes care of all the hard work! 

Step 1- Prepare the patty mixture

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, minced garlic, American mustard, Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of oil, and salt. 

Step 2- Shape the patties

Wet your hands and get to shaping the patties. You should be able to form eight thin patties out of this mixture. 

Step 3- Cook the hamburgers

Preheat oil in a non-stick pan. Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side. 

Step 4- Assemble the burgers 

Prepare all the toppings and start assembling the burgers. You can assemble your burger in any order you like. Here’s my favorite way of doing it–the bun, the sauce, lettuce, the patty, cheese, pickles, onion rings, more sauce, and the top bun. 

Tips to make the best recipe

• Do not over-cook the patties as they could dry it. Instead, cook them until they reach an internal temperature of 165F and let them rest for 5 minutes, covered, before serving. 
• To cut down on the carbs, use lettuce instead of burger buns. 
• Add more veggies to your burger, including cucumber, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms. 

Storing and freezing instructions

I don’t recommend storing/freezing the prepared burgers, however, the patties can be!

• To store: Leftover burger patties can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to five days. 
• To freeze: Place the cooked and cooled burgers in a shallow container and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. 
• Reheating: Either microwave the burgers for 20-30 seconds or reheat them in a non-stick pan until hot. 

Healthy sides for burgers 

If you are making a healthy burger, you might as well serve it with a healthy side. Here are some healthy side dishes for burgers. 

• Green goddess salad
• Baked potatoes
• Baked sweet potatoes
• Air fryer fries
• Coleslaw

Frequently asked questions