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!
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 amazing burger recipes? Checkout our complete list of 15+ Burger Recipes!
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.
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!
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.
Bring a large skillet to a medium high heat and a 1/2 tablespoon of butter to melt.
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.
Continue this cooking process on medium direct heat for any remaining patties.
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!
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!
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Wisconsin Butter Burgers
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 3 burgers 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Wisconsin Butter Burger – a delicious butter burger recipe that is packed with flavor, cheese and all the toppings! Perfect any time of year!
Ingredients
Burgers:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter, divided
- 4 slices of American cheese
Toppings:
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 4 hamburger buns of your choice (regular or gluten-free)
- lettuce
- red onion, slices
- fresh tomato, slices
- burger sauce OR ketchup/mustard
Instructions
- Combine ground beef, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Divide into 4 equal-sized balls and then flatten each ball into thin patties.
- Press down in the center of each patty with your thumb.
- Bring a large cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat.
- Add a 1/2 tablespoon of butter and let melt.
- Add two patties to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes. Season the top of the patties with a little more kosher salt and pepper if you want (I usually do).
- Flip and cook until the center reaches your desired doneness (135-145 degrees F. for medium rare); add cheese for the last 2 minutes of cook time.
- Remove from skillet and let rest 5 minutes.
- Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and repeat with remaining patties.
- Build your burger: Add a little butter to the bottom and top bun. On the bottom bun add lettuce and one or two cheeseburgers followed by ketchup/mustard (or burger sauce), sliced onion and tomatoes. Place the bun tops on top of the burgers and enjoy!
Notes
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free simply use dairy-free cheese slices and use a plant-based butter.
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free simply choose a gluten-free burger bun option.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger
- Calories: 481
- Sugar: 10.2 g
- Sodium: 913.9 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.9 g
- Protein: 39.8 g
- Cholesterol: 107.9 mg
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