Healthy Burgers

This healthy burger recipe is the best of both worlds- juicy hamburgers that have all the flavor, minus all the excess fat and calories. I love how quickly they cook.

Looking for more healthy dinner recipes? Try healthy meatloaf, air fryer salmon, baked chicken leg quarters, and Mediterranean bowls.

Burgers and healthy are two words that are not often paired together. As someone who loves burgers and could eat them every day, I had to come up with a solution. Enter- my healthy ground beef burgers. None of the high-fat ground beef but all of the flavor!

Why I love this recipe 

• Wholesome. 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. 
• Perfect texture. Lean ground beef is infamous for being a little dry but I use a secret ingredient (okay, it’s olive oil) in the batter to keep them juicy and tender.
• Freezable. You can make a big batch of these burgers and freeze the patties for later use. 

Ingredients needed

• Ground beef. Both lean and extra lean ground beef work. It all comes down to what is available for you. My butcher typically stocks extra lean ground beef which works a treat.
• Kosher salt and black pepper. To taste.
• Garlic. Freshly minced. If you don’t have any on hand, use garlic powder but only as a last resort!
• American mustard. Adds pleasant tanginess and mild spiciness to the burgers. I purposely avoided the more flavorful ones like Dijon as it can be quite overpowering.
• 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. I recommend olive oil or safflower oil.
• To assemble. Buns, slices of cheese, pickles, and salad vegetables. I ALWAYS add my homemade Big Mac sauce, which makes it taste like a restaurant-worthy burger.

How to make healthy burgers

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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. Add oil to a grill pan, skillet, or charcoal grill. Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side. 

Step 4- Assemble. 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. 

Recipe tips and variations

• Check the internal temperature. My #1 tip when cooking any kind of meat. Using a meat thermometer to check when the meat is done guarantees perfectly cooked burgers. Aim for the burgers to be 165F (or 160F + 5 minutes resting time).
• Chill the patties. If you’ve got some time, I recommend chilling your prepped burger patties for 30 minutes or so. This allows the flavors to melt which just adds that extra something.
• Use other ground meat. Ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork are all fantastic substitutes. You can also use ground venison for an even leaner burger (like my venison burgers).
• Add more veggies to your burger, including sliced avocado, mushroom, red onion,

Storage instructions

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

To store: Leftover burger patties can be stored in an airtight container and in the fridge 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. 

More delicious burgers to try

• Ground chicken burgers
• Lamb burgers
• Air fryer turkey burgers
• Air fryer hamburgers
• Wagyu burgers
• Bison burgers

Originally published November 2022, updated and republished March 2024