How to Make Stuffed Burgers with a Burger Press or in a Skillet (2024)

Stuffed hamburgers are a fantastic upgrade from your standard burger fare. Better yet, they're much easier to make than they look. Use our Test Kitchen tips as a master recipe for how to make stuffed burgers with a burger press or in a skillet. Once you know how to stuff a burger, give some of our other great stuffed burger recipes a go. Choose from our tangy Mediterranean-inspired or spicy Mexican-inspired filling, or fill the patties with cheese or your creative fillings. You'll be making stuffed burgers for the family all the time after acing this burger technique.

6 Steps to Making Stuffed Burgers

Step 1: Make the Perfect Meat Mixture for Stuffed Hamburgers

Most stuffed burger recipes start with ground meat and a handful of seasonings. There's also usually an egg involved—this helps bind the meat, so the stuffed hamburgers don't fall apart during cooking. This basic recipe for stuffed hamburger patties serves four. To make the meat patties, start by mixing the following ingredients:

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Then add:

• 1¼ pounds lean ground beef or turkey.

Mix well, then set this mixture aside.

Step 2: Make the Filling for the Burgers

You can fill stuffed burgers with a variety of ingredients. The most simple option is to use shredded cheese for the filling. Some of our favorite cheeses for stuffed hamburgers include mozzarella, blue cheese, feta cheese, and cheddar. Use about 2 Tbsp. of cheese per burger.

You can add other ingredients to the filling, such as fresh or dried herbs, spices, chopped olives, green onions, chiles, bell peppers, or dried fruits. Use about 2 Tbsp. of filling per hamburger. Here are two terrific fillings for stuffed burgers to get your creative juices flowing:

Fiesta Filling for Stuffed Hamburgers: In a small bowl stir together ¼ cup shredded Mexican-style cheese blend, 2 Tbsp. finely chopped tomato, 2 Tbsp. finely chopped and seeded jalapeño pepper, 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro, and 2 Tbsp. thinly sliced green onions.

Greek Filling for Stuffed Hamburgers: In a small bowl stir together ¼ cup finely chopped, seeded tomato, 1 ounce crumbled feta cheese, 2 tsp. finely chopped onion, 2 tsp. finely chopped pitted ripe olives, ¼ tsp. red wine vinegar, ¼ tsp. olive oil; and ⅛ tsp. dried oregano. Cover; chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

Step 3: Right-Size the Meat for the Stuffed Burgers

One of the only challenges to making stuffed hamburgers is making each patty the right size. Follow these simple tips to achieve the perfect stuffed burger size:

• After mixing the meat mixture for your stuffed hamburger patties, place the mixture on a cutting board or work surface. Shape the meat mixture into a large, flat rectangle.
• Score the rectangle crosswise into four equal sections using a knife.
• Cut lengthwise down the middle, making eight equal-sized portions of meat.

Step 4: Shape the Patties for Stuffed Burgers

Now that you have eight equal-size squares use your hands to lightly but firmly press each portion into a 4-inch patty.

Step 5: Stuff the Burgers

Place 2 Tbsp. of the desired filling in the center of each of four of the patties, spreading filling to within ½ inch of edges (be sure to leave a border to allow room to seal the patties). Top with remaining patties, pressing edges together to seal.

Step 6: Cook and Serve the Stuffed Burgers

To make stuffed burgers on the stove, heat a grill pan or a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook for 7 minutes and turn burgers carefully using a wide spatula; cook for 5 to 8 minutes more or until burgers are done (make sure they reach 160°F for beef burgers or 165°F for turkey burgers). If desired, toast the hamburger buns.

Serve the stuffed hamburger patties in buns; add complementary toppings and condiments to the burgers if you wish. For example, try topping with additional shredded cheese, plus tomato slices, and slather some guacamole on the bottom bun for our fiesta-stuffed hamburgers.

Looking for more ideas for what to put in stuffed burgers? Check out these terrific stuffed burger recipes. Start your game night with mini stuffed sliders. Go tangy with some blue cheese. Add some veggies to the mix with our roasted pepper-stuffed burgers.

Making Stuffed Burgers Using a Burger Press

A stuffed burger press might be a worthy investment if you make stuffed burgers a lot. These gadgets make it easy to shape the burgers into just the right size and to seal the twin patties together; many of these tools even have a feature that presses an indentation into one of the patties to allow you to fill your stuffed hamburgers easily. Follow the manufacturer's directions for how to make stuffed burgers with a burger press.