Five Guys Grilled Cheese Burger Recipe from Scratch

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Combining two of the best comfort foods, burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches, this simple recipe using just 8 basic ingredients is the perfect burger for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. No need to spend the money on expensive take out burgers when I can teach you how to make this copycat Five Guys grilled cheese burger from home using only one pan and 4 simple steps.

This grilled cheese sandwich burger recipe is a great quick and easy weeknight dinner meal that the kids will also enjoy. It is also a great meal to make when hosting guests for a summer barbecue on July 4th, Labor Day or Memorial Day weekend. This classic burger recipe can also be a great burger to enjoy on game day while watching your favorite team on football Sunday.

This was inspired by my French Onion Burger recipe on this site, and pairs well with this Burger Sauce recipe.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
How to Store a Grilled Cheese Burger
Top Tip
FAQ
Related
Pairing
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Ingredients

To make the burgers, use 80/20 fat to meat ratio ground beef. The burger patties will be seasoned with salt and pepper. American cheese is used as the cheese layers. Tomato and lettuce are optional but add a little extra texture and flavor so it is suggested to add them. Hamburger buns are used as the bread layer. Another optional addition is a classic burger sauce, it pairs really well with the flavors of this burger.

ground beef
salt and black pepper
iceberg lettuce
tomato
American cheese
hamburger buns
burger sauce

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Step 1: Form the burger patties with your hands. Patties should be about 1 inch thick and a little wider than the size of the buns. Add a small dimple in the middle of the patty.

Step 2: Season the patties with salt and pepper. On medium-high heat cook the burgers in a pan or on the grill. Flip after 3-4 minutes. Cook another 3-4 minutes until burger reaches desired internal temperature. Remove burger from the heat.

Step 3: Add olive oil to a pan. Place bottom burger bun in the pan with the inside of the bun facing down. Top with slice of cheese. Add lettuce and tomato on top of the cheese. Place burger bun on top. Add one more slice of cheese on top of the burger and then place the top burger bun on top of the burger with the inside of the burger bun facing out.

serve grilled cheese burger immediately or save for later

Step 4: Cook on medium heat about 3 minutes or until bottom bun is golden brown. Add a drizzle of olive oil on the top bun and flip the entire burger. Cook about 3 minutes until top bun is golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve immediately with burger sauce.

Hint: a hack to flip the burger is to pick up the entire burger with spatula, pick the frying pan up and put it over the top of the burger and then flip the burger and pan at the same time to place back on the heat. It is very difficult to flip an entire assembled burger but this hack can help you avoid your burger falling apart and also help avoid burning your fingers.

Substitutions

Lettuce - instead of ice berg lettuce, you can use romaine lettuce or omit the lettuce completely
Bun - use gluten free buns instead of white bread buns to make this gluten free
Vegetarian - the ground beef hamburger can be replaced with a plant-based burger to make this vegetarian

Variations

French Onion Soup Burger - add onions and mix the burger with french onion soup mix for a twist on this burger
Mushroom Swiss Burger - add cooked mushrooms and replace American cheese with Swiss cheese
Kid friendly - add crushed potato chips for a little extra crisp and flavor

See this Mushroom Swiss burger recipe on my website!

Equipment

To make this recipe on the stove, you will need a frying pan and spatula. A medium bowl is needed to hold the ground beef while forming the burgers. You will also need a sharp knife and cutting board to slice the tomato.

If cooking the burger on the grill, a gas grill or charcoal grill is needed as well as a grill spatula.

How to Store a Grilled Cheese Burger

Store the burger topping ingredients (lettuce, tomato) separately from the burger patties in an airtight container or resealable storage bag in the fridge. Good for 3-5 days. Store the leftover burger buns in an airtight container or resealable bag on the counter. Good for about 3-5 days or until stale.

These ingredients do stand up well to freezing when frozen in separate containers for up to 2 months. The burger buns can be stored up to 3 months.

Top Tip

To make a smash burger for this recipe, form the ground beef into a ball and smash into the pan using a burger press until thin. If doing a smashed burger, I do suggest doing double burger patties in one burger just because the burger patty does get very thin.

FAQ

What is the purpose of adding a dimple in the middle of the burger patty?

Adding a dimple in the middle of the burger patty helps prevent the burger from shrinking. This is because the dimple helps allow the burger meat to expand evenly while cooking and counteracts the natural tendency for the edges to shrink.

What goes well with this burger?

This burger pairs well with sides like french fries, onion rings or any side dish you would imagine at a barbecue such as bacon mac and cheese.

Can I use bread slices instead of burger buns?

Yes, a slice of bread can be used to replace burger buns. Make sure to still toast each side of bread when cooking the burger. This will tend to resemble more of a patty melt than a burger though if you choose to go this route.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with grilled cheese burgers:

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