Double Smash Burgers

By Farideh Sadeghin

Updated July 23, 2025

Double Smash Burgers
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(500)
Comments
Read comments

Smashburgers get their name from just that: smashing the meat onto a griddle using a metal spatula or burger press, resulting in a thin burger with seriously charred edges. Use ground beef that has a 20 percent fat content, roll the meat into balls, then chill for at least 30 minutes before cooking to keep the fat solid. The result? Juicy burgers with brown, crisp edges. Unlike a typical burger that you might throw on the grill, thinner smashburgers cook best on a griddle or cast-iron skillet. Smear some mayonnaise on the insides of the buns before toasting them; the fat leftover from the mayo should be just enough to slick up the griddle to cook the burgers, but you can use a touch of oil in between batches as needed. Top your burger how you like: Finely shredded lettuce, homemade pickles and thinly sliced red onion are enough to make this fast food staple feel fancy. A simple combination of mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish and vinegar creates the perfect sauce, but fry sauce would also hit the spot.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1½pounds ground beef
  • ¾cup mayonnaise
  • ¼cup ketchup
  • 2tablespoons sweet relish
  • 1tablespoon yellow mustard
  • ½teaspoon white vinegar
  • 4hamburger buns
  • 2teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8slices Cheddar cheese
  • Pickle slices, shredded iceberg lettuce and thinly sliced red onion, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1131 calories; 90 grams fat; 29 grams saturated fat; 2 grams trans fat; 31 grams monounsaturated fat; 23 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 1185 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut eight (5-inch) square pieces of parchment paper and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Divide the ground beef into 8 equal balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (preferably for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight).

  3. Step 3

    In a medium bowl, mix together ½ cup mayonnaise with the ketchup, relish, mustard and vinegar. Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.

  4. Step 4

    Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high. Spread about 1½ teaspoons mayonnaise onto the insides of each of the buns and toast the insides of the buns until golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

  5. Step 5

    Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Add 2 of the balls of meat and place a square of parchment over each ball. Using a burger press or large metal spatula, smash the burgers directly onto the skillet until about ¼-inch thick. Remove and discard the pieces of parchment and season the burgers with salt and pepper.

  6. Step 6

    Cook the burgers, without pressing or fussing with them, until a nice crust has formed, about 2 minutes, then flip and season with more salt and pepper. Add a slice of cheese to the top of each burger and cook until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes more. Stack the burgers on top of one another and place inside a bun. Add the reserved sauce to the inside of the bun and top the burger with pickles, lettuce and red onion. Top with the top of the bun. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to form 4 burgers.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
500 user ratings
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Comments

K A Tate

You can get virtually the same effect under the broiler in the oven too and it's less messy. Smash the burgers, chill them till ready to cook, and put them under the broiler for 5 mins on a rack set in a foil lined pan. Cut the heat, add cheese, let it melt, eat. It's great, charred edges and all but I season the meat before I make the burgers. Makes all the difference, in my experience.

Llebles

No way 3oz takes 4 minutes to cook. MAYBE if the patties are 1/2” thick and 3” in diameter which is an odd size for burgers. I worked at McD when they flipped burgers, a 2oz frozen patty too 2 minutes and 12 seconds start to finish. I make them all the time. Either 2 or 3 oz…I make double cheeseburgers. My son likes more meat..so 2 3oz patties for him. With not frozen meat…it’s about 30-45 seconds and flip. Another 20-30 and they are done. Ready to flip when juice starts coming to the surface.

Stephan Ford

couple of suggestions. try using more than salt and pepper to season. i would suggest garlice powder and or onion powder. i recommend american yellow cheese as the best cheese for burgers. for the buns you can toast them but don't use mayonnaise. I suggest buttering the buns first with salted butter. you can use the salted butter to oil the griddle and skillet as well. do these steps as the added salt/seasoning from the butter and cheese bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.

vegetarians!

for any vegetarians scrolling through the comments — this works perfectly well with impossible meat! maybe cooks a bit faster … but this was so good

Mark H

Make sure to do all your prep before putting meat on the grill and be especially on your toes if you're making several smashburgers at once. They are done FAST!!

Bobert

If you're cooking these for two minutes on a side it's not a smash burger. I smash 'em. I mean really SMASH 'em VERY thin. Cook on first side for less than a minute, salt and pepper and scrape them off the grill to retain all that crispy maillard goodness and flip. Add cheese and in 30 seconds it's done. Make sure you use the best quality beef you can find and use a hot cast iron skillet.

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