This Spicy Burger turns up the heat on your ordinary hamburger. With pepper jack cheese, spices, and a creamy hot sauce, this burger is sure to make your summer sizzle.
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Why this Spicy Burger Recipe is a Keeper
- Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients for this sriracha burgers recipe can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Party Pleaser: These burgers are perfect for cookouts, barbecues, and get-togethers.
- Adaptable: Modify the burgers to your tastes and dietary needs with your favorite toppings, ingredient substitutes, and more.
If you’re looking for more great hamburger recipes, try these: Jack Daniels Burgers, Pizza Burgers, and Easy Mexican Burgers.
Is Sriracha Sauce Hot?
Sriracha is a spicy Southeast Asian sauce that contains chilis, pickled garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Unlike Tabasco, a popular American hot sauce, sriracha has a thick texture, like ketchup.
Ingredient Notes for this Burger Recipe
- Ground Beef: These spicy sriracha burgers are made primarily of ground beef. However, you can also use ground turkey for a somewhat healthier option.
- Sriracha Sauce: This spicy sauce is the star of this burger recipe. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, it may be available at Asian supermarkets or international food stores.
- Pepper Jack: Pepper jack is a spicy cheese with bits of jalapeno inside. For a milder burger, you can use cheddar cheese or American cheese instead.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Sweet and Spicy Bacon Burgers
- Barbecue Sauce and Red Pepper Jelly: Feel free to use a different hot sauce or red pepper jelly if you don’t want to use sriracha. You can add BBQ sauce or Worcestershire sauce instead as alternatives to sriracha sauce to reduce the heat, or add red pepper flakes for even more spicy deliciousness.
- Buns: Of course, the top of the burger needs a bun, but there are many options to choose from. Aside from basic potato buns, there are brioche buns, pretzel buns, whole wheat buns, and more.
Special Equipment Needed Sriracha Burgers
- Grill: Make these burgers on the grill. You can use wood, charcoal, or gas.
Pro Tip
Mix sriracha into the burger patty itself. This will distribute the sriracha flavor throughout the burger and create a more even heat experience. Add a teaspoon or two of sriracha to your ground beef along with your usual burger seasonings. Be mindful not to overdo it, as sriracha can burn easily.
How to Make Hamburgers with Spicy Burger Sauce
This juicy burger recipe is both spicy and scrumptious. With a toasted bun, onions on the top of a nice thick beef burger, melty pepper jack cheese, and a peppery sriracha sauce for a bit of heat, it’s the perfect dinner when you want a new twist on an old classic. Cook the burger to medium-rare, or your preferred level of doneness.
These are the basic steps for making spicy hamburgers. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Grill Burgers
Preheat a cast iron pan on medium heat with 1 tsp of oil and then begin preparing the meat, or preheat the grill to medium high heat. In a medium bowl or large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, egg, seasonings, and milk. You can wear gloves and use your hands to mix.
Once combined, press the burger meat together and make a large ball. Then, slice into 4 quarters and shape each one into a 4” diameter patty (or to size of your buns) on a sheet of parchment paper. Cook burgers in the hot pan or on the grill for 5 minutes on each side.
2. Prepare Vegetables and Spicy Sauce for Burgers
As the ground beef patties cook on medium-high heat, wash and prep your vegetables. Slice the tomato and onions. Make the sauce by combining sriracha and mayo in a small bowl. You can add more sriracha to make it spicier.
3. Assemble Cheeseburgers
Check the patties and flip after 5 minutes. Once your burgers are no longer pink, add a cheese slice on top. Now is the time to make your buns crispy, if you desire. You can put them in the toaster if they fit, or toast in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until the top half of the bun is slightly brown. Once everything is cooked, assemble your sriracha mayo burgers. Serve immediately as is or with a side of French fries or chips. Enjoy!
Sriracha Burger FAQs
Store the sauce in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator. Wrap burgers in foil or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Heat the burgers up in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Either one works. You can cook the burgers outside on the grill, or indoors using a grill pan.
Leftover sauce can be used on burgers, sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce for fries.
Expert Tips for Spicy Sriracha Mayo Burgers
- Seasoning: Try different seasoning blends on these burgers, such as our Burger Seasoning Blend, Homemade Fajita Seasoning, or Homemade Taco Seasoning. Other spices you can add to the hamburger patties include chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and a dash of kosher salt and pepper.
- Air Fryer: Cook the burgers in the air fryer for a quick dinner.
- Dietary consideration tip: Fat free mayo, Avocado mayo, or dairy free mayo can be used for this recipe.
- Cajun Burger Toppings: For more toppings, add bacon, grilled onions, relish, horseradish, etc. to the bottom half of the bun. This recipe works well with spicy peppers, like jalapeños and habanero.
- Sear: Sear the burgers for 1-2 minutes to make them extra crispy.
What to Serve with Spicy Burgers with Sriracha Sauce
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Spicy Burger with Creamy Sriracha Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- ¼ cup Breadcrumbs
- 3-5 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- Burger Toppings:
- 4 Buns
- 4 Lettuce Leaves
- 2-3 Tomatoes, sliced
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 4 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
- Sauce:
- ¼ cup Mayo
- 1-2 tablespoon Sriracha, depending on preferred spice
Instructions
- Heat a skillet on medium heat with 1 tsp of oil and then begin preparing the meat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, egg, seasonings, and milk. You can wear gloves and use your hands to mix.
- Once combined, press it together and make a large ball. Then slice into 4 quarters and shape each one into a 4” diameter patty (or to size of your buns).
- Place patties on skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side. (I didn’t want to overcrowd my pan so cooked two at a time.)
- As the patties cook, wash and prep your vegetables. Slice the tomato and onions.
- To make the sauce, combine sriracha and mayo in a small bowl. You can add more sriracha to make it spicier.
- Check the patties and flip it if it has been 5 minutes. Then add a cheese slice on top.
- Now is the time to heat your buns, if you desire. You can put it in the toaster if it fits or toast in the oven for 3-5 minutes.
- Once everything is cooked, assemble your sriracha mayo burgers.
- Serve as is or with a side of french fries or chips. Enjoy!
Christina’s Notes
- Seasoning: Try different seasoning blends on these burgers, such as our Burger Seasoning Blend, Homemade Fajita Seasoning, or Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Air Fryer: Cook the burgers in the air fryer for a quick dinner.
- Dietary consideration tip: Fat free mayo, Avocado mayo, or dairy free mayo can be used for this recipe.
- Toppings: For more toppings, add bacon, onions, jalapenos, etc.
- 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.
We made these burgers tonight and they were SO GOOD!