Published on 05/26/22

This Wisconsin Butter Burger recipe is a delicious and juicy burger option that is perfect any time of the year! Made in a cast iron skillet with a little extra butter in the pan + a nice buttered hamburger bun makes this an unforgettable dinner option that the whole family is going to love!

Two butter burgers on a bun with cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato.

The Best Butter Burger Recipe

Born and raised in Wisconsin, I know a good Butter Burger when I see (or taste) it! And this hit the mark on this wisconsin tradition! Made with high-quality ground beef and that little bit of extra butter – these are going to be a family favorite recipe. You can easily cook up some of these burger patties for an easy weeknight dinner option. Place out a variety of toppings to create a burger bar where everyone can create their favorite combination!

Looking for More Burger Recipes?

If you love burgers as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Smashed Burger Tacos or Smashed Mushroom Swiss Burger!

Why This Recipe Works

High-quality meat: whenever you are cooking a burger and the meat is the obvious star of the show, you gotta use the highest quality meat possible!
Butter: of course this is called a Butter Burger so we gotta go a little extra with the butter (duh) – but staying true to the classic Culver’s Butter Burger, we are not going crazy. A little extra butter in the skillet and on the bun and you are good to go!
Double it: we are making a thinner beef patty here so feel free to double it, if you want!

What Will You Need

high-quality, fresh ground beef: whether you are getting some ground beef from your local grocery store or butcher shop, we highly recommend picking a high-quality option.
kosher salt + ground black pepper: we like to keep our seasoning simple and let that amazing ground beef flavor shine through.
butter: a little butter in the pan and on the bun!
cheese: you gotta go for thick slices of that Wisconsin cheese here!
hamburger buns of your choice: make this gluten-free or use a regular hamburger bun – whatever works best for you.
Toppings: lettuce, sliced red onion, sliced fresh tomato, burger sauce OR ketchup/mustard.

Why Is It Called A Butter Burger

Let’s go straight to the source! Per the Culver’s website (a fast food chain), the reason they are called Butter Burgers “not because they’ve been cooked, marinated, dunked, fried or drizzled with butter but because we lightly butter the crown of the bun for an extra touch of goodness.” (Source: Culver’s website) We took it a step further and did put just a small pad of butter into our skillet to add a little bit of extra buttery goodness and we, of course, buttered the bun!

How To Make Wisconsin Butter Burgers

The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather all of the ingredients and combine the meat with salt and pepper in a large bowl.

A bowl of ground beef, a bowl of salt and pepper and a package of Country Natural Beef Ground Beef.

For a little extra flavor, you could also use your favorite store-bought burger seasoning or make a homemade burger seasoning (in a small bowl), if you prefer!

A bowl with ground beef inside with burger seasoning.

Now separate out the meat into 3-4 large balls. Press each ball of meat into thinner equal-sized patties – not too thick. Put these on a plate and then make a thumb indent in the top of the patty.

A plate with 3 burger patties seasoned with salt and pepper.

Bring a large skillet to a medium high heat and a 1/2 tablespoon of butter to melt.

A large cast iron skillet with melted butter inside.

Place burgers in the hot skillet to cook for about 3-4 minutes per side or until the center has reached your desired doneness (This is a great chart to determine the internal temp you want). Pro tip: use a meat thermometer to determine the internal temperature.

Two burger patties inside the cast iron skillet.

Continue this cooking process on medium direct heat for any remaining patties.

A close up of two patties cooking in a cast iron skillet.

Then add a slice of cheese to each patty, if using, for the last 2 minutes of cook time.

Finally, build your flavorful burger any way you want on a butter-toasted bun!

Two butter burgers on a bottom bun with onion and tomato.

Best Way To Serve A Butter Burger

The options are endless! We love to give each side of our toasted buns a little brush of butter. Plus, adding ALL our favorite toppings, like tomato, red onion, lettuce, burger sauce or ketchup and mustard to make the perfect burger. Additional toppings that would be delicious are avocado, pickles, or caramelized onions. And if you are looking for a side dish, you should definitely make some grilled potato wedges, onion rings, creamy coleslaw, cheese curds, grilled vegetables, or a side salad!

A double butter burger cheeseburger on a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion.

Close up of a double butter burger cheeseburger on a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion.

Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!

Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and TikTok account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!