The number one complaint I hear about using home-made hamburger patties is that they fall apart on the grill. I’ve solved that problem with a couple extra ingredients and some resting time in the fridge!
My rule of thumb for helping burgers stick together on the grill:
- Add 1 egg per pound of meat
- Add 1/4 cup bread crumbs per pound of meat
- Let patties rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before grilling
If you’re not working with a perfectly round number when it comes to pounds of meat, just round down to number of eggs. We still want the beef to be the star of the burger and nor be overwhelmed by egg or bread crumb.
The rest of the ingredients I use in this recipe are purely there for flavor, not the structural integrity of the patty. Once the patties are formed, I just let them sit in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before throwing them on the grill. It’ll help the patties stick together better if they’re cold when they hit the grill vs when they’re at room temperature.
If you want to freeze your patties, I recommend laying them out flat on a cookie sheet thats lined with wax paper or a silicon baking sheet like the photo below, and then putting them in the freezer. Once the patties have frozen all the way through, likely 6-8 hours, you can stack them with wax or parchment paper in between them in an air tight container. (This could be Tupperware or a freezer bag.)
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Passive Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
patties
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- 2 lbs ground hamburger (I used 80/20) $6.56
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten $0.14
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese $0.28
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs $0.24
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce $0.12
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce $0.08
- 1 tbsp minced garlic $0.06
- 1 tsp onion powder $0.19
- 1 tsp salt $0.01
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper $0.03
Ingredients
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- Combine all of the ingredients together into a large bowl and thoroughly combine with your hands. (Make sure the mixture is basically homogenous without over-mixing.)
- Roll the meat into balls that are about 1/3 lb. (or about the size of a tennis ball). Then squish the meat down extremely flat between your palms and even out the edges to be about a circle. If you were to put the raw meat on your hamburger bun now, it should stick out about a half to a full inch all around the bun. The patties will shrink as they cook to fit on your bun.
- As you form each patty, stack them on top of each other with a square of parchment paper in between to keep them from sticking together. Once they've all been formed, wash your hands, cover the plate they're on in plastic wrap, and let them rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
- After the patties have spent some time in the fridge, you can pull them out and throw them on the grill or cook them in a frying pan on your stove over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Follow the instructions above for forming the meatballs, but instead of stacking the patties, lay them out on a cookie sheet that's lined with wax paper or a silicon baking sheet.
- Put the sheet of patties in the freezer and let them stay there until they're frozen through (usually about 6-8 hours). After they're frozen through you can stack them in an air tight container (Tupperware or freezer bag) with parchment or wax paper in between each patty. Make sure you label your container with an expiration date for six months out.
- You can cook your patties straight out of the freezer or let them thaw them over 24 hours in your fridge. I've found it's just easier and more convenient to pull them straight out of the freezer and slap them on the grill. It'll take a couple extra minutes of cooking, but way less preparation. Make sure your patties are cooked to 160 degrees F to reduce the risk of food borne illness.
Serving size: 1 patty
Servings: 8
Price for recipe: $7.71
Price per serving: $0.96
Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 227
Carbs: 4.6 g
Protein: 26.8
Fats: 10.5 g
Sodium: 563.5 mg
Fiber: 0.2 g
Sugar: 0.6 g
