This Caramelized Onion Burger recipe is perfect if you’re craving a steakhouse burger. It’s quick and super easy to make, making it the best option for weeknight dinners!
The onions take the plain burger and make it something truly special.
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Why this Onion Burger Recipe is a Keeper
The onions on top of the burgers are juicy, flavorful and oh so good! The grilled onions transform a simple burger into a symphony of sweet and savory flavors.
- 30 Minute Meal: These burgers come together fast, making them perfect if you need to whip something up real quick.
- Easy Ingredients: All of these ingredients can be found easily in your local grocery store.
- Family Friendly: Everyone loves a juicy burger piled high with their favorite fixings.
- Adaptable: This recipe is super customizable, so make it to fit your family.
- Makes Great Leftovers: Store leftovers for another meal. They’re perfect for lunch the next day. The melty cheese and steamed buns make a wonderful meal the next day. Make a single patty or place several patties on the burger bun.
If you’re looking for more burger recipes, try these Pizza Burgers, Spicy Burger with Creamy Sriracha Sauce and Air Fryer Hamburger Patties.
What Are the Best Onions to Use for Onion Burgers?
Vidalia onions are the best onion for burgers and are what’s used in this recipe, however you can use your favorite, sweet onions. Sweet onions are what work best for this recipe.
Ingredient Notes for this Onion Burgers Recipe
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. You may even have these ingredients laying around your kitchen. The onions and beef are the star of the copycat recipe for the Sid’s diner classic.
- Ground Beef: Using fresh ground beef in this recipe will give you the best protein-packed hamburgers ever!
- Onions: Use yellow onions that have the pale yellow skin and the white-looking insides. These are what most burger joints use for their onion flavor burger features. Thinly slice.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Oklahoma Onion Burgers
- Different Ground Meat: Try this recipe using a ground sausage or a ground turkey.
- Cheese: Instead of gouda cheese, try it with cheddar cheese, slice of American cheese or provolone cheese.
Special Equipment Needed for Oklahoma Onion Burger
There’s a few different methods you could use to cook your burgers as well as tools that may help you.
- Grill: Heat grill to high and brush the burgers with the oil. Grill the burgers until golden brown with a slight char on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip the burgers and grill other side for 4 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness.
- Grill Pan: Heat a grill pan over high heat on top of the stove. Cook the best burgers as directed above.
- Hamburger Press: A burger smasher will really help to give you thin patties if you like smashed patties.
Smash Burger Pro Tip
When forming your patties, handle the ground beef as little as possible. Overworking it compresses the meat fibers, leading to a tough and dry burger.
How to Make Caramelized Onion for Burgers
This oklahoma-style onion burgers recipe comes together in just 3 simple steps. It produces a burger that’s juicy and delicious.
These are the basic steps for making Caramelized Onion Burgers. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Caramelize Onions for Burgers
Melt butter in a medium pan over low heat. Add onions and sugar and cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes. Until you draw out excess moisture and the onion vapors are released. Remove from heat using a spatula, cover and keep warm.
2. Form Burger Patties
Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce and Homemade Seasoned Salt. Mix by hand just until combined (be careful not to over mix).
Divide the meat and shape into six patties that are about 1 inch thick. Push a ½ inch indent into the center of each patty to prevent the patty from swelling into a dome and not fitting into the buns.
3. Cook on One Side, Flip the Patties and Assemble Burgers
Place patties on top of a hot griddle, carefully flip the burgers and cook until desired doneness and toast buns. Assemble the burger by placing the patty on the bottom bun, then the cheese and onions. Place the top bun on top of the burger. Add salt and pepper, burger sauce and other toppings if you’d like.
Oklahoma-Style Onion Burgers Recipe FAQs
Store leftover oklahoma onion burgers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure they’re wrapped well in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Reheat the burgers in the oven or toaster oven. To keep the flavor and moisture, cook at 375 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your burger.
The best beef to use for homemade hamburgers is a ground beef that’s 80% lean 20% fat!
It’s recommended that burgers should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. However, here’s a guide based on how done you like your burgers:
Well Done: 160°F-165°F, Medium Well: 150°F-155°F, Medium: 140°F-145°F, Medium Rare: 130°F-135°F, Rare: 120°F-125°F
Absolutely! Form a patty and freeze with parchment paper in between the patties.
Add the cheese to each patty about 1 minute before they’re done. Place the top bun on the cheese and you’re ready to serve.
The home of the onion burger is the Hamburger Inn in El Reno! The diner in Oklahoma created the original flying dutchman by putting half onions on top of a beef patty.
Expert Tips for Making This Burger Patty Recipe
- Add Toppings: Add a slice of cheese, lettuce, sliced onions, tomato, garlic or grilled mushrooms, relish, etc.
- Short Cut: Pre make the onions and have ready when you cook the burgers.
- Alternate Ingredient: Try with different cheese blends such as gruyere or pepperjack to add different flavors.
- Alternate Cooking Method: Grill pan, griddle, charcoal grill or cast iron skillet on the stove top.
- Dietary Tip: This recipe is great with Instant Pot Juicy Turkey Burgers too.
- Condiments: Try yellow mustard, ketchup or mayo on this patty melt with onion slices.
- Cast Iron Grease: Clean grease out of a hot cast iron skillet with a paper towel.
What to Serve with Fried Onion Burgers
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Caramelized Onion Burger
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Ingredients
- 3 Onions, halved and sliced
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Butter
- 1 ½ pounds Ground chuck, 80 percent lean
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoons Homemade Seasoned Salt
- 2 tablespoon Canola oil
- 6 slices Gouda cheese
- 6 Kaiser rolls, buttered and toasted in a skillet
Instructions
- In a medium pan, melt the butter over low heat.
- Add onions and sugar and cook until caramelized, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.
- Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce and Homemade Seasoned Salt. Mix by hand just until combined (be careful not to over mix).
- Shape into six patties that are about 1 inch thick. Push a ½ inch indent into the center of the patty to prevent the patty from swelling into a dome.
- Cook until desired doneness, toast rolls and then assemble the burgers with onions and other toppings.
Christina’s Notes
- Add Toppings: Add a slice of cheese, lettuce, sliced onions, tomato, garlic or grilled mushrooms, relish, etc.
- Short Cut: Pre make the onions and have ready when you cook the burgers.
- Alternate Ingredient: Try with different cheese blends such as gruyere or pepperjack to add different flavors.
- Alternate Cooking Method: Grill pan, griddle, charcoal grill or cast iron skillet on the stove top.
- Dietary Tip: This recipe is great with Instant Pot Juicy Turkey Burgers too.
- Condiments: Try yellow mustard, ketchup or mayo on this patty melt with onion slices.
- Cast Iron Grease: Clean grease out of a hot cast iron skillet with a paper towel.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Lovely presentation
Thanks
Excellent recipe
Thanks
Yum!! Add some bacon to that and it’d REALLY be tasty! Oh man do I love a bacon cheese burger!
I LOVE sautéd onions. Sometimes when I’m home alone for lunch I just slice up an onion and fry it up! I also do the same thing with mushrooms. If you want to try something really great, replace the white sugar for golden or brown sugar *drool*
I was drooling when I saw that on The Pioneer Woman too! I’d eat caramelized/sauteed/grilled onions on almost eveything if I could. Love love love!
I love caramelized onions too! Especially on burgers.