California Burger
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Sink your teeth into a flavorful California Burger made with a perfectly seasoned burger patty, white cheddar cheese, avocado and bacon jam! With 95% of avocados in the US grown in California, you truly can’t have a California burger without plenty of creamy avocado. Pair it with melty cheese and salty bacon to create a burger recipe you’ll come back to over and over again!
Table of contents
I’ve now lived in California for over 20 years and there’s just something synonymous with California and avocados. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit avocado farms in Southern California, and been the recipient of many avocados from the tree in my neighbors back yard.
To say I’m a big fan of avocados would be an understatement! I basically put them on everything I can, burgers included.
The original “California burger” simply contained lettuce, tomato and onion. These vegetable crops grew in California and the rest of the country didn’t always have access to these fresh vegetables. Now, you find lettuce, tomato and onion on just about every burger in the country, but what makes it “California” now is the addition of avocado.
Fortunately, you can now find avocados year-round across the country, so you can make this California burger recipe, no matter where you are!
The other ingredient added to these burgers that makes them unique and irresistibly delicious is bacon jam! This sweet and salty spread pairs perfectly with the seasoned burger patties, fresh veggies and avocado. This avocado burger recipe is one you’ll want to come back to over and over again!
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!
- Hamburger seasoning – this easy blend of 5 spices, includes 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!
- Worcestershire sauce – my secret ingredient for adding a wonderful umami flavor to burger patties. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Cheddar cheese – I like to use white cheddar cheese for these burgers, but you could also use slices of American cheese, Swiss cheese, or pepper jack cheese, for a kick of spice.
- Hamburger buns – I recommend brioche buns, as the buttery flavor is so delicious. But any burger bun will work.
- Avocados – you’ll want two ripe avocados for this recipe. To tell if an avocado is ripe, give it a gentle squeeze, if it’s just slightly soft, it’s ripe and ready for these burgers. If the avocado is still hard as a rock, it’s not ripe yet and will need a couple of days on the counter to ripen. If you’re having trouble finding ripe avocados, you can also now buy packaged mashed avocado in the refrigerator section on the produce aisle at most grocery stores. Just make sure it’s only avocado, and not guacamole.
- Lettuce – I like to use leaves of butter lettuce for these burgers, but iceberg, leaf lettuce, or romaine lettuce will also work.
- Tomatoes – any large juicy tomato will work for this recipe.
- Bacon jam – click the link for my homemade recipe. It can be made up to a week in advance of preparing these burgers and it’s SO GOOD! You can also purchase bacon jam online, or in some specialty food stores. I also have some alternative condiment options listed below if you don’t want to use the bacon jam.
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.
- Form the burger patties. Combine ground beef, hamburger seasoning and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Divide the mixture into four burger patties, about ½ inch thick.
- Grill the burger patties. Preheat an outdoor grill, or grill pan on the stove, over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the burger patties and cook for 5 minutes per side.
- Top with cheese. During the last minute of cooking time, top the burger patties with a slice of cheese. Once the cheese has melted, remove the burgers from the grill and set them aside. Do not immediately put the burgers on buns, instead allow them to rest for 5 minutes on a separate plate or cutting board before assembling the burgers. This will let the juices redistribute throughout the burger and will prevent the buns from getting soggy.
- Assemble the burgers. Toast the buns on the grill, or in a skillet, then add bacon jam to the bottom buns and smashed avocado to the top buns. Place the burgers on top of the bacon jam, add a lettuce leaf and sliced tomato, then top with the bun with smashed avocado.
Optional toppings
This California burger is delicious as written. But if you want to switch up the bacon jam for caramelized onions and burger sauce, that would also be delicious and an ode to another California burger favorite, the In-N-Out burger!
Check out all of the optional variations, toppings and condiments below, and make the burger your own, just don’t leave out the avocado!
- Caramelized onions – one of my all-time favorite burger toppings. 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.
- Burger sauce – this is the other topping I like to add to burgers. I use this sauce on my Animal Style Burger recipe and now basically any other burger I make! Simply combine ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickles and 2 teaspoons dijon mustard in a small bowl. Spread a little of this on the bottom bun, instead of the bacon jam, for a delicious creamy, tangy addition to the burgers.
- Ketchup, mustard or mayo – pick any of the classics to add to this burger instead of the bacon jam, if you’d like!
- 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.
- Spinach – replace the lettuce leaves with fresh spinach leaves.
- Raw onions – since the bacon jam has caramelized onions in it, I left the fresh, raw onion slices off of this burger. But if you don’t want to take the time to make the bacon jam or caramelized onions, you can add raw sliced onions instead. You could also add quick pickled onions for even more flavor!
- Bacon – instead of bacon jam, you can simple add slices of cooked bacon to these burgers. Use my oven-baked bacon recipe to cook up some crispy bacon and add it the burgers.
Recipe tips
- Do not immediately place the burgers on the buns when removing them from the grill! This is a common mistake people make when preparing burgers, and one that I did for years. By placing the toasted buns and grilled burgers on separate plates, you allow the juices to redistribute throughout the burgers and not just soak right into the buns. I recommend waiting 5 minutes before assembling the burgers. Just like you rest a steak, resting burgers makes them more juicy and flavorful! And this process prevents your buns from getting soggy, so it’s a win-win!
- Cooking a one inch thick burger for 4-5 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 6-7 minutes per side.
- Always make sure your grill is hot before adding the burgers. Adding burgers (or any food for that matter) to a hot grill is important for cooking safety. It will also give you a beautiful sear on the outside, while keeping the burgers super juicy on the inside. Burgers should be cooked over medium-high heat, between 350-400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Never flatten the burgers with a spatula while they’re on the grill. This will release all of the juicy flavor in the middle of the burger, creating a hamburger that’s less flavorful and juicy.
- This recipe can be made on the stove. No grill? No problem! Simply cook the burgers on a grill pan, cast iron skillet, or the heaviest skillet you have available. Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat and cook for the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side. Add the sliced cheese on top during the last 1-2 minutes of cook time.
What to serve with the burgers
There are dozens of options when it comes to scrumptious sides to pair with these burgers. Fries are always a great choice, but potato salad, grilled veggies or baked beans are always delicious options as well!
Try pairing these California burgers with any of these side dish recipes.
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Truffle Fries – pictured with the burgers in this post.
- BBQ Baked Beans
- Red White and Blue Cheese Potato Salad
- Grilled Zucchini
- Animal Style Fries
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Cheesy Grilled Potatoes
- Grilled Brussels Sprouts
- Bacon Tomato Avocado Pasta Salad
- Cauliflower Salad with Avocado Dressing
More burger recipes
Don’t miss these other delicious burger recipes, and be sure to check out my Top 10 Grilling Tips to become the master of your grill!
California Burger
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, 80/20
- 1 tablespoon hamburger seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or soy sauce
- 4 slices white cheddar cheese
- 4 brioche buns
- 2 avocados, sliced in half, pit removed, and smashed
- 4 leaves butter lettuce
- 4 large tomato slices
- ½ cup bacon jam, click link for the recipe
Instructions
- Combine the ground beef, hamburger seasoning and worcestershire sauce in a large bowl.
- Form the mixture into 4 burger patties, about ½ inch thick.
- Preheat an outdoor grill, or grill pan on the stove, over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the burger patties and cook for 5 minutes per side.
- During the last minute of cooking time, top each of the patties with a slice of cheese.
- Remove the burgers from the grill and allow them to rest on a cutting board.
- Place the buns on the grill, or in the hot skillet, and toast.
- Remove the buns from the grill, spoon bacon jam on the bottom buns and mashed avocado on the top buns. Place the burgers on top of the bacon jam, add a lettuce leaf and sliced tomato, then top with the bun with smashed avocado.
Notes
- You can replace the bacon jam with burger sauce and caramelized onions. You can also simply replace it with ketchup, mayo or mustard, and add raw onions or pickles, if you’d like.
- This recipe can be made on the stove. No grill? No problem! Simply cook the burgers on a grill pan, cast iron skillet, or the heaviest skillet you have available. Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat and cook for the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side. Add the sliced cheese on top during the last 1-2 minutes of cook time.
- Do not immediately place the burgers on the buns when removing them from the grill! This is a common mistake people make when preparing burgers, and one that I did for years. By placing the toasted buns and grilled burgers on separate plates, you allow the juices to redistribute throughout the burgers and not just soak right into the buns. I recommend waiting 5 minutes before assembling the burgers. Just like you rest a steak, resting burgers makes them more juicy and flavorful! And this process prevents your buns from getting soggy, so it’s a win-win!
- Cooking a one inch thick burger for 4-5 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 6-7 minutes per side.
- Always make sure your grill is hot before adding the burgers. Adding burgers (or any food for that matter) to a hot grill is important for cooking safety. It will also give you a beautiful sear on the outside, while keeping the burgers super juicy on the inside. Burgers should be cooked over medium-high heat, between 350-400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Never flatten the burgers with a spatula while they’re on the grill. This will release all of the juicy flavor in the middle of the burger, creating a hamburger that’s less flavorful and juicy.
Nutrition Facts
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