Breakfast Burger Recipe

Recipe by David Leite

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes for Success and Make-Ahead Tips

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

Camilla Maybee

I usually hesitate to make hyperbolic comments, but seriously, these breakfast burgers are absolutely amazing. The ratio of ground beef to spicy Italian sausage was spot on, making the patties rich and distinctly “breakfast-like” without being overly greasy. The combination of a runny fried egg, crispy bacon, and melty cheese creates an incredibly gooey, satisfying mess that’s simply irresistible.

The burger sauce, despite its simple ingredients, perfectly complements every element of this burger. I served these on delicious brioche buns, which proved to be an ideal vessel for holding all the wonderful components. I would happily serve these for a special brunch just as readily as for a casual backyard barbecue. Honestly, I wouldn’t change a single thing about this recipe.

Lori Widmeyer

“So incredibly good, you could build a food truck around this burger!” That was one of the enthusiastic comments I heard, amidst many “mmmmms” and smiles, when I served these delectable breakfast burgers. Best of all, they were surprisingly easy to prepare, and much of the prep work could be done in advance. I premixed the beef, sausage, and spices in the morning, then cooked the bacon in the oven, and whisked together the sauce. By dinnertime, all I had to do was form and cook the patties.

The burgers cooked exactly as directed, about 4 minutes per side. To achieve a perfectly melted cheese, I simply covered the pans with a lid for the last minute. I utilized two of my largest skillets, fitting three patties in each without overcrowding. While I was cooking the patties, my husband handled the eggs on our griddle, which was a huge help for assembly. If you’re working with a smaller kitchen or cooking alone, you might need to handle these steps sequentially. The only modification I made was using standard hamburger buns instead of brioche. The patty itself was wonderfully seasoned, and the overall combination was decadent and incredibly filling. This recipe is definitely one to remember for when my college-age sons and their hungry friends come to visit!

L. Mitchell

These breakfast burgers are truly an exercise in self-indulgence! How could you possibly go wrong with a juicy, umami-packed patty, blanketed under a layer of melted cheese, topped with a runny egg, and nestled on a bed of crisp bacon? The burger sauce introduces a subtle touch of acidity, while the fresh vegetables provide a contrasting crispness to this protein-rich feast. All in all, these burgers might just be the perfect hangover meal—just add a spicy Bloody Mary, and you’ll have all your bases covered.

Initially, I worried that two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce might be excessive, but it turned out to be just right, adding a wonderful depth of flavor without overpowering the other ingredients. When mixing the meats and seasonings, it’s crucial to use a light hand since there are no binders; you want to avoid compacting the mixture. I let the burger mixture rest for 30 minutes while I prepared the sauce, sliced the tomatoes and lettuce, and toasted the buns. The recommended cooking time of 4 minutes per side was perfect, yielding patties that were juicy and thoroughly cooked. These burgers demand a substantial bun, capable of supporting and soaking up all the wonderfully drippy elements. They are incredibly filling; I can’t imagine most people eating more than one, unless you’re catering to ravenous teenagers—in which case, all bets are off! However, they are so delicious you might just talk yourself into wanting more.

Irene Seales

Dinner for breakfast is always a fun idea, though these breakfast burgers are equally fantastic for brunch, “dunch” (dinner for lunch), or a late-night supper. If I were making this for six people, I’d definitely enlist a helper to handle the egg frying concurrently with the burger cooking, although one attentive cook could manage it solo.

This recipe scales down effortlessly, which is incredibly convenient for just two people. However, making the full batch of burger and sausage mixture provides a great payoff: you can prepare six burgers in advance, freezing two and saving two for the next day, all perfectly formed and ready to grill. The sauce also holds up well when prepared ahead of time, and with a minor adjustment, it transforms into a spectacular dipping sauce—especially if you’re serving sweet potato fries. I found the original sauce lacked a certain “punch,” tending to be a bit too mayonnaise-heavy. My quick fix was to stir in a tablespoon or two of chopped pickles. I used sweet bread and butter pickles, but dill would work beautifully, and for a true hangover-curing rush, a spoonful of relish would do the trick. This small addition elevated the sauce, making it almost as good as a high-end “burger bomb” sauce or something you’d find in an expensive restaurant burger.

The meat mixture is a detail worth thoughtful planning. Achieving exceptional flavor came from using grass-fed beef, coarsely ground, and truly excellent sausage (I’m fortunate to have a fantastic local butcher). The simple seasonings should be gently worked into the meat. I used a 3-inch ring on wax paper placed on my kitchen scale, portioning out 1/4 pound of the mixture, and then gently patting it out to a 4-inch-diameter patty after removing it from the ring and scale. For the first meal, I chilled these patties for an hour; for the second, overnight; and the last pair are now in the freezer, awaiting another delicious meal.

I opted for a really nice, sharp English Cheddar, and it didn’t melt as readily in the pan as I’d hoped. However, since I quickly fried my eggs just as I was removing the burgers, the residual heat from the egg helped soften the crumbly, tangy cheese. The bacon, cooked ahead and at room temperature during assembly, made each burger quite tall. Caution led me to serve the lettuce and tomato on the side, which was perfectly fine—this is absolutely going to be a knife-and-fork burger anyway!

Since I didn’t have iceberg lettuce on hand, half a handful of fresh mâche worked perfectly, alongside 3/8-inch slices of Roma tomatoes. I added a touch of the sauce to the toasted buns and passed extra sauce on the side, which we preferred after adding the chopped pickles. On day two, I prepared a slightly lighter, yet still decadent, version of the burger. I skipped the bun and used sliced Jarlsberg cheese and avocado instead of a fried egg. This was topped with crispy fried bacon, served over a more generous bed of mâche, with the sauce on the side. While not as dramatic as the full egg-topped burger, the patty truly shined. The cheese change taught me that a thinner slice melts better, though the fattier, more authentic Cheddar offered superior flavor. In a slightly more virtuous twist, I confessed that it was very practical to drain all but a smidgen of bacon fat and fry the burgers in that delicious rendered fat, and the many-hour refrigeration treatment made the patties less fragile and easier to handle.