Juicy Lucy Burger
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The Juicy Lucy burger from Minnesota is made with gooey, melted cheese stuffed inside a burger patty. This recipe is a copycat of the original Jucy Lucy from Matt’s bar in Minneapolis. It’s easy to make in 20 minutes with 5 ingredients, and is guaranteed to fulfill all of your cheesy comfort food cravings!
Table of contents
What if you put the cheese inside the burger, instead of outside? A thought that a customer of Matt’s bar in Minneapolis had right before the Juicy Lucy burger was invented. While I love a burger with cheese any which way it’s served, stuffing American cheese inside the burger is like a wonderfully cheesy explosion in your mouth!
For this recipe I took my perfectly seasoned ground beef patties and filled them with squares of American cheese, just like the original. I’ve also made this recipe with shredded cheddar cheese in the past, but there’s just something about the extreme melty-ness of American cheese that just takes these burgers over the top!
You can add your favorite burger toppings, but honestly, you don’t even need to! This burger can stand alone on a bun with a little drizzle of mustard, ketchup, or burger sauce, and nothing else.
You can grill the burger, cook it on a flattop, or cook it in a skillet on the stove. Either way, you’re going to fall in love with this juicy lucy burger recipe at first bite!
It’s perfect for 4th of July and summer BBQ’s, but also easy to make inside on the stove year round. It’s made in just 20 minutes, so it’s great for an easy weeknight meal that both kids and adults will love!
Ingredients
- Ground beef – I recommend a ground beef that’s 80/20, meaning 80% lean and 20% fat. This will give you the perfect amount of fat to make tender, juicy burgers.
- Worcestershire sauce – my secret ingredient for adding a wonderful umami flavor to the burger patties. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Hamburger seasoning – this easy blend of 5 spices, includes kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. It adds a great flavor to any burger recipe, and it’s easy to mix up in 5 minutes or less. Click the link for the recipe, mix up a big batch and store it in your pantry for anytime you want to make burgers!
- American cheese – this cheese is the most meltable, and the type of cheese used in the original juicy lucy burger. For this recipe you’ll use one and a half slices of American cheese, cut into quarters, stuffed right in the middle of each burger. If you prefer, you can also use shredded cheddar cheese, but if you do, I recommend shredding it at home yourself. It melts better than pre-shredded cheese purchased at the grocery store.
- Hamburger buns – I recommend brioche buns, as the buttery flavor is so delicious. But any burger bun will work.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Make the burger patties. Combine ground beef, burger seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Divide this mixture into four 6 ounce balls of beef. Take each ball of beef and make one larger patty and one smaller patty. Use your fingers to press a large well in the middle of the larger patty, and use your hands to flatten the smaller patties.
- Stuff the burgers. Cut each slice of cheese into 4 squares. Place 6 squares of cheese in the middle of the well of the larger burger patty. Place the smaller burger patty on top of the other burger patty topped with cheese. Crimp the edges of the hamburger patties together to tightly seal in the cheese. Repeat with the three remaining patties.
- Cook the burgers. Heat a flat top, grill, or skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 5-6 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Remove the burgers from the heat and let them rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. This will allow the juices in the burger to redistribute and it will give the cheese time to rest in the burger, so it doesn’t run out like molten lava when you cut into the burger.
- Serve the burgers. Brush vegetable oil on the inside of each of the buns and toast the hamburger buns on the flat top, grill, or in a skillet. Add your favorite condiments (if any) to the bottom bun, then top with the burgers and the top bun. Slice the burger in half through the middle and get ready for an explosion of cheesy goodness!
Optional toppings
- Lettuce – I like to use leaves of green leaf lettuce, but iceberg, butter lettuce, or romaine lettuce will also work.
- Tomatoes – any large juicy tomato will work for this recipe.
- Onions – thinly sliced raw onions are always a classic burger addition. For the most flavor, I recommend a sweet onion.
- Caramelized onions – I’m always a fan of adding caramelized onions to a burger. While caramelizing onions does take a little time, it’s super easy! You can make them ahead of time and store them in the fridge for up to one week, or the freezer for 3 months. Click the link above for my easy step-by-step guide to caramelizing onions.
- Pickles – if you like the tang of dill pickles, or the sweetness of bread and butter pickles, feel free to add slices to the burger. For extra credit, make homemade pickles to top these burgers!
- Burger sauce – I love adding this homemade sauce to these jucy lucy burgers. Simply combine mayo, ketchup, chopped pickles and dijon mustard in a small bowl. Click the link for the full recipe and ingredient amounts. Spread a little of this on the bottom bun before adding the other toppings for a delicious creamy, tangy addition to the burgers.
- Ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise – pick any of the classics to add to this burger instead of the burger sauce, if you’d like!
- Bacon – add a salty crunch to these burgers by using my oven-baked bacon recipe to cook up some crispy bacon and add it the burgers. If you really want to get fancy, try adding bacon jam to the burgers!
Recipe tips
- Be sure to crimp the edges of the burger patties tightly around the cheese in the middle. Otherwise, the cheese will melt out on the flat top or grill, instead of inside your juicy lucy burger.
- If using a skillet on the stove, I highly recommend a large cast iron skillet. This will give you the best crust on the burger. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use another heavy bottomed skillet, if available.
- To make keto and gluten free juicy lucy burgers, remove the bun and serve them in lettuce wraps. Each burger, without the bun, contains less than 1 carb.
- Always make sure the griddle, or grill, is hot before adding the burgers. Adding burgers (or any food for that matter) to a hot surface is important for cooking safety. It will also give you a beautiful sear on the outside, while perfectly melting the cheese on the inside. The best temp to grill stuffed burgers is between 350-400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Never flatten the burgers with a spatula after they’re on the grill, or flat top. This will likely break the sealed edge of the burger and will result in cheese flowing out the edges of the burger, instead of staying tucked perfectly inside the patties.
- A stuffed burger, like this juicy lucy, is going to be thicker than a traditional burger patty. Cooking this burger for 5-6 minutes per side over medium-high heat will result in a medium burger. If you’d like your burger medium-well, add 1 minute per side. If you’d like well-done burgers, cook them for 7-8 minutes per side.
- Always allow the burger to rest for at least 3-5 minutes before cutting into it. This will allow the cheese time to cool down, so it doesn’t rush out of the burger like a lava flow when you cut into it. This will also give you a juicier burger.
What to serve with the burgers
Whip up any of these delicious sides to pair with this scrumptious Juicy Lucy Burger!
More burger recipes
Don’t miss these other delicious burger recipes made on the grill, flat top, and air fryer!
Made this recipe and loved it? Be sure to leave a 5 star rating in the recipe card below! ↓
Juicy Lucy Burger
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef, 80/20
- 1 tablespoon hamburger seasoning, click link for the recipe
- ½ tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 6 slices American cheese, each cut into 4 squares
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, burger seasoning and worcestershire sauce in a large bowl.
- Divide this mixture into four 6 ounce balls of beef, then divide each ball of beef into one smaller patty, and one larger patty.
- Flatten the middle of the 4 larger patties to create a large well in the middle and fill each well with 6 squares of American cheese.
- Flatten out the smaller 4 patties and place them on top of the patties topped with the cheese. Crimp the edges of the hamburger patties together to form a tight seal around the cheese.
- Preheat a grill, flat top, or cast iron skillet, to medium-high heat, between 350-400°F.
- Place the burgers on the hot grill, or flat top, and cook for 5-6 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes.
- Remove the burgers and place them on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.
- Brush vegetable oil on the inside of each of the buns and toast the hamburger buns on the flat top, grill, or in a skillet, for 30-60 seconds.
- Add the toppings of your choice to the bottom buns, then place the burgers on top, and add the top bun.
Notes
- Be sure to crimp the edges of the burger patties tightly around the cheese in the middle. Otherwise, the cheese will melt out on the flat top or grill, instead of inside your juicy lucy burger.
- If using a skillet on the stove, I highly recommend a large cast iron skillet. This will give you the best crust on the burger. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use another heavy bottomed skillet, if available.
- To make keto and gluten free juicy lucy burgers, remove the bun and serve them in lettuce wraps. Each burger, without the bun, contains less than 1 carb.
- A stuffed burger, like this juicy lucy, is going to be thicker than a traditional burger patty. Cooking this burger for 5-6 minutes per side over medium-high heat will result in a medium burger. If you’d like your burger medium-well, add 1 minute per side. If you’d like well-done burgers, cook them for 7-8 minutes per side.
Nutrition Facts
This recipe was originally published on the blog in July 2019. It was updated in July 2024 to better reflect a traditional Juicy Lucy burger. If you’re looking for the original recipe, filled with shredded cheddar cheese, please leave a comment below and I’ll send it to you.
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