Pizza Burgers combine two of everyone’s favorite foods into one tantalizing twist. With cheese and pepperoni piled onto a juicy hamburger patty, this recipe shows you really can have it all.
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Why this Pizza Burger Recipe is a Keeper
Pizza and burgers are great on their own, but what if they were combined into one delicious recipe you can make at home? This great old school lunch favorite consists of seasoned ground beef patties topped with melted cheese and pepperoni slices, into a perfect combo loved by children everywhere – and adults as well! Here are just a few reasons why you’ll love these pizza-inspired cheeseburgers:
- 25 Minute Meal: Have these delicious pizza hamburgers ready in just 25 minutes.
- Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Family Friendly: Not sure what to have for your next family dinner? This easy recipe is sure to please pizza and burger fans alike, and also works as a great birthday party food!
If youāre looking for more burger recipes, try these: Rodeo Burger, Steakhouse Burger, and Jack Daniels Burger.
Which Ground Beef Makes the Best Burger?
70/30 ground beef is a popular choice for burgers, as it contains enough lean meat for a rich texture, but enough fat for a juicy, flavorful burger. If you want to take your burgers to the next level, ask your local butcher for recommendations if possible.
Ingredient Notes for Easy Pizza Burgers
- Ground Beef: Use any variety of ground meat that you want for these juicy burgers. Lean ground beef with 30% fat is recommended. If using frozen patties, you may have to thaw them first.
- Italian Seasoning: Try using our recipe.
- Fresh Mozzarella Cheese: Top the burgers with slices of mozzarella.
- Pepperoni Slices: Want a pepperoni pizza burger? A few slices will do just the trick.
- Pizza Sauce: Easily make homemade pizza sauce, using tomato paste and seasonings. Extra sauce can be used later whenever you want.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for this Pizza Burgers Recipe
- Sausage: Top the burgers with Italian sausage crumbles in addition to the pepperoni. You can also use meatballs, but don’t add luncheon meats, like bologna. If you use hot dogs, the texture probably won’t be very good.
- Low Fat Cheese: For a healthier alternative, try using a low fat cheese.
- Different Cheese: Instead of mozzarella, you can use provolone cheese instead.
Special Equipment Needed to Grill Pizza Hamburgers
- Grill: Grill the burger patties to your preferred level of doneness. If you don’t have a grill, you can make burgers in the skillet instead. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat and add the patties, flipping them after about 3 minutes until they’re completely cooked.
- Meat Thermometer: To check the temperature of the meat mixture and to keep the meat at your preferred level of doneness, a meat thermometer is recommended.
Pizza Burger Recipe Fun Fact
Pizza burgers were invented in 1953 by Paul M. De Angelis and Russel Hugh McGrorty for their restaurant, Pizza-Burger.
How to Make Pizza Burgers with Sauce on Top
These are the basic steps for making pepperoni pizza burgers. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Prepare the Patties
First, preheat your grill to medium heat. In a large or medium bowl, add the ground beef, garlic, parsley, and 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Stir the ground beef mixture with your hands to combine ground beef with spices. Form beef into 4 burger patties, shaping them so they aren’t much larger than the buns. Then, place patties on the grill.
2. Add Toppings to Burgers and Cook
Grill the patties for about 5 minutes per side or until they reach the desired level of doneness. Flip with a spatula. Add pepperoni and a slice of mozzarella cheese on top, and allow the cheese to melt.
3. Make the Garlic Butter and Toast Hamburger Buns
In a small mixing bowl, add the butter and garlic powder. Mix together. Next brush the inside of the buns with the melted butter and transfer to the broiler to begin toasting the buns. Broil the buns with the butter side up for 2 minutes. Remove buns and rub the toasted sides with a clove of garlic on a sheet of wax paper.
4. Assemble Burgers and Add Marinara Sauce
Add about one tablespoon of tomato sauce to the bottom bun. Then, place the burger on top of the slice of cheese and pepperoni. Add pizza sauce to the other bun and then place on top of the burger. Repeat until all burgers are assembled.
FAQs for the Best Pizza Burgers
Yes; you can make the burgers open faced. Just leave off the top bun.
Feel free to add your favorite pizza toppings to a basic pizza burger, including sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, meat, etc.
To store, refrigerate the burgers in an airtight container or wrap them in foil. They should be good for up to 3 days. Reheat by adding a bit of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and warming up on the stove for 1-2 minutes.
Expert Tips for Making Pizza Burger Patties
- Keto Buns: For a keto-friendly twist, swap out traditional burger buns with lettuce wraps or portabella mushroom caps.
- Low-Sugar Sauce: Elevate the health factor by opting for a low-sugar or sugar-free pizza sauce. Look for sauces that use natural sweeteners or alternatives to sugar.
- Dairy-Free Cheese: To cater to dairy-free diets, choose dairy-free cheese alternatives that melt well, like almond-based mozzarella or cashew-based cheddar for the pizza burgers.
- Spice: For a spicy kick, add some red pepper flakes or jalapeno.
- Sliders: To make saucy sliders, just make these burgers into small patties with mini buns. For cheese melts, replace the buns with English muffins.
What to Serve with Pizza Burgers
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Pizza Burgers
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Ingredients
Burgers
- 1 ā pounds Ground beef
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- Ā¼ cup Fresh Parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons All Purpose Seasoning
- 4 slices Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- 16 slices Pepperoni
- Ā½ cup Pizza sauce
Garlic Buns
- 4 Brioche rolls
- 2 tablespoons Butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
- 1 clove Garlic, sliced in half longways
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, minced garlic, parsley, Italian Seasoning and House seasoning blend.
- Use your hands to mix beef mixture until fully combined.
- Form beef mixture into 4 patties.
- Grill patties for 3-5 minutes on each side or until burgers reach desired doneness.
- Place 4 slices of pepperoni and 1 slice of mozzarella cheese on each patty.
- Allow burgers to rest on top rack of grill or on a plate covered with foil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts.
- Meanwhile, combine melted butter and garlic powder in a small bowl.
- Brush garlic butter mixture on the insides of the brioche buns.
- Place butter side up on a baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes or until buns are toasted. Do not walk away from the broiler.
- Remove buns from the broiler and rub the toasted sides the cut side of the garlic clove.
- To assemble burgers, place 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce on the bottom burger bun.
- Top with the burger.
- Spoon another tablespoon of pizza sauce on the top bun and place on top of burger.
- Repeat for remaining burgers.
- Serve immediately.
Christina’s Notes
- Keto Buns:Ā For a keto-friendly twist, swap out traditional burger buns with lettuce wraps or portabella mushroom caps.
- Low-Sugar Sauce:Ā Elevate the health factor by opting for a low-sugar or sugar-free pizza sauce. Look for sauces that use natural sweeteners or alternatives to sugar.
- Dairy-Free Cheese:Ā To cater to dairy-free diets, choose dairy-free cheese alternatives that melt well, like almond-based mozzarella or cashew-based cheddar for the pizza burgers.
- Spice: For a spicy kick, add some red pepper flakes or jalapeno.
- Sliders: To make saucy sliders, just make these burgers into small patties with mini buns. For cheese melts, replace the buns with English muffins.
- 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.
My two favorite thingsā¦ together!!
when my family makes these we put the cheese inside the burger and make 2 very flat patties of burger. Been making them that way for years. Toast the bun in the frying pan in the juices left over after frying the burgers. Also, we mix Cheddar/Jack cheese (chopped or sliced) together with the softned mozzarella, and use either homemade or canned pizza sauce (not the same as spaghetti sauce – I buy my pizza sauce from walmart groceries. Also, if you like it, you can mix spiced sausage with the hamburger in the patties. My family detests sausage so when I tried that it did not go over well at all. Now we depend mostly on the italian spices and the various cheeses smashed into the middle of 2 patties of meat. Hope that makes sense to everyone!
What a great recipe! My kids are already begging for more.
Just can’t wait to try this recipe, thank you for sharing!