Air frying burgers is easy and results in delicious and juicy hamburgers. Learn how to make fresh hamburger patties and cook gourmet burgers in an air fryer for a dinner the entire family will enjoy!
Making an air fryer burger is a quick and easy low effort dinner the entire family will love. In about 15 minutes you can have tasty hamburgers on the table!
Burgers are one of my favorite go to dinners when I need to make something that is fast and filling. I don’t have to plan or even think much, since there are no complicated steps.
And air fryer hamburgers taste delicious. They have a nice juicy texture since they aren’t overcooked but are still brown on the outside. Discover all of the secrets to making the juiciest hamburgers at home!
Why You Will Love Air Fryer Burgers
- You don’t need to stand over a hot grill flipping burgers.
- Customize the toppings for your family. Create a copycat In N Out burger for a gourmet experience or go with ketchup only for your picky eater.
- It is easy to melt a slice of cheese on top and turn your air fryer burger into the ultimate cheeseburger
- The grease drips down into the basket so the hamburgers don’t swim in grease like they would if cooked in a frying pan.
- You can enjoy cookout taste even if the weather is rainy, snowy or too hot to leave the house.
Key Ingredients
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
You can add fancy buns, cheese and lots of toppings, but hamburgers essentially need only a handful of ingredients, which is a large part of their universal appeal.
- Ground beef – Use 80/20 or 90/10 lean ground beef for your burgers. Patties made with 80/20 beef tend to stay together better during cooking as the fat helps bind them together. You can also buy pre-made patties at the grocery store.
- Seasoning – I like to use steak seasoning, usually Montreal steak seasoning or a Texas seasoning blend. You can also just go with salt, black pepper and maybe some onion or garlic powder.
- Buns – Hamburger buns, brioche buns or just use a lettuce wrap!
Key Tips for This Recipe
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Air fryer hamburgers can generate a lot of grease. Stick a piece or two of bread under the air fryer basket before you cook the burgers and it will soak up the grease, making clean up easier.
- Only flip the burgers once! Flipping them more just gets messy grease everywhere and doesn’t affect how they cook.
- Always use a thermometer to make sure the burgers have reached 165 degrees F internally.
How to Make Air Fryer Burgers
1. Make the Patties
It doesn’t take very long to make the patties, so start the air fryer preheating at 360 degrees F while you make them. Preheat it for about 3 minutes.
Take a pound of ground beef and divide it into three equal parts. This makes three burgers each around 5.5 ounces in size.
You can also divide it into four 4 ounce burgers or even two 8 ounce burgers. My family likes the larger patties, but choose what works best for you.
Once you have the meat divided pat it into flat and round hamburger patties about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick. You can buy a hamburger patty maker but I’ve never bothered.
Tip – Press your thumb down in the middle of the burger patty to make an indentation and keep the burgers from swelling up in the center as they cook.
It is best to handle the beef as little as possible. So don’t mix the spices into the beef before it is shaped, just divide it and pat it into circles.
2. Season the Hamburger Patties
Sprinkle some seasoning on the burgers, flip them over and sprinkle more on the other side. I use about 1 Tablespoon of seasoning per pound of meat.
I usually just use steak seasoning because it is designed for beef! But just salt and black pepper work fine for too. Keep it simple! For hamburgers I don’t like to mix in extras like onions or cheese. Turkey burgers need extras to be tastier but hamburgers really don’t.
3. Air Fry the Burgers
Put the burgers in the air fryer basket, being careful not to crowd them. My 5.8 quart Cosori air fryer fits about 1 pound worth of burgers, whether I make three of the 5 ounce or four of the 4 ounce ones.
How long to air fry the hamburgers depends quite a bit on how thick the burgers are. I cook mine at 360 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes cook time, flipping them once after 6 minutes.
Hamburgers should be cooked to 160 degrees F to ensure food safety. At that temperature they might be a little pink, but not much.
Check the internal temperature of the burgers with an instant read thermometer . When you test the burgers make sure you test the thickest part of the burger, which is usually, but not always, the center.
Don’t try to cook based just on time. A thermometer is not expensive and the peace of mind they give you is priceless. Food poisoning is not fun, so add extra cook time if needed. This is my favorite inexpensive meat thermometer, which you can buy on Amazon.
4. Make a Cheeseburger (optional)
If you want air fryer cheeseburger then it is easy to melt your cheese right on top of the hamburger. After the burger is fully cooked pull the basket out and put slices of cheese on top.
Then push the basket back into the air fryer and the residual heat will melt the cheese just a little bit, so it melts around the patty.
How to Serve
Serve your air fryer burger right away on your favorite type of bun with as many toppings or condiments as your family enjoys. Set up a DIY topping bar so everyone can add their own favorite toppings and sauces like ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise or fry sauce.
Just because you are serving air fryer hamburgers doesn’t mean that you need to have a boring meal. There are many ways to make your burgers a gourmet treat!
You can make some air fryer bacon and add some tasty cheese on top of the patty for a classic bacon cheeseburger. Spicy pepper jack cheese goes perfectly with bacon.
Or make a copycat In N Out Burger by using Thousand Island dressing and piling the burger high with tomato, lettuce, American cheese and onion.
Add some healthy veggies to your hamburger by using sprouts and avocados to make the burger even more delicious. This burger has mayonnaise, lettuce, avocado, Colby-Jack cheese and sprouts, all served on a whole grain bun.
Add some variety and you can serve burgers once a week without it seeming boring!
FAQ
Yes, you can air fry frozen patties, whether they are store bought or homemade. Cook frozen burgers at 370 degrees F for 15-17 minutes. Check the temperature and make sure they have reached 160 degrees internal temperature before serving. Learn more about cooking frozen hamburger patties.
While French fries go well with burgers, I don’t recommend cooking them in the same air fryer at the same time. It would just make the fries taste like burger grease.
Cook the fries in the air fryer first. Then put them on a tray in the oven at 250 degrees F to keep them warm while you make the burgers. Or if you have a double basket air fryer then put the burgers in one basket and the fries in another.
The most important factors in making homemade burgers that don’t fall apart is using 80/20 beef, not adding a bunch of extra ingredients and only flipping once.
Higher fat beef will stay together better. In addition the more you handle the beef and stir in things like cheese or onions the more likely the burger is to fall apart.
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Air Fryer Burgers
Ingredients
Burgers
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20 or lean ground beef (90/10)
Seasoning option 1
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt
- 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
- 1/4 Tablespoon onion powder
Seasoning option 2
- 1 Tablespoons steak seasoning
Ingredients for assembling burgers
- 3 hamburger buns or brioche buns
- 3 slices American cheese
- 1/2 tomato sliced
- 3 lettuce leaves
- 3 onion slices
- 3 slices bacon
- various condiments – ketchup mustard, mayonnaise, Thousand Island dressing, fry sauce or BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees F.
- Divide the meat into three sections and pat them into three patties. Make evenly sized burger patties so that they cook at the same rate.1 pound ground beef
- Sprinkle your desired seasoning over top of the patties, putting half on one side and then flipping them over and putting the rest on the other side.1/2 Tablespoon salt, 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper, 1/4 Tablespoon onion powder, 1 Tablespoons steak seasoning
- Put the burgers in the air fryer basket, making sure they don't overlap and there is room for the air to circulate.
- Cook at 360 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, flipping them over after 6 minutes.
- Check the burgers with an instant read thermometer, making sure they reach 160 degrees F internal temperature. If they aren't done cook them for an extra minute.
- If you want a cheeseburger when the burgers are done add a slice of cheese on top, while the burgers are still in the basket. Close the basket and the residual heat from the air fryer should melt the cheese nicely. To melt the cheese even more cook the burgers with the cheese at 360 degrees F for another minute.3 slices American cheese
- Assemble the burgers as desired using as many or as few toppings as you like.3 hamburger buns, 1/2 tomato, 3 lettuce leaves, 3 onion slices, 3 slices bacon, various condiments – ketchup
Notes
- You can also use 1 pound of ground beef to make four 4 ounce burgers or two 8 ounce burgers. Larger burgers will need more cooking time and smaller ones will need less.
- Air fryer hamburgers can generate a lot of grease. Stick a piece or two of bread under the air fryer basket before you cook the burgers and it will soak up the grease, making clean up easier.
- Only flip the burgers once! Flipping them more just gets messy grease everywhere and doesn't affect how they cook.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
what if I like mine medium rare
thank you for telling me how to cook frozen burgers