Updated 30 September 2026
A great burger needs surprisingly little: good beef mince, salt, a hot pan and a soft bun. This is our burger recipe for UK kitchens, written the way a butcher would make them at home. It shows you how to make beef burgers from minced beef without breadcrumbs or egg, how to cook them in a pan, under the grill or on the barbecue, and how to get the chips ready at the same time.
Quick answer: makes 4 x 150g burgers · prep 10 minutes · cook 8–10 minutes · 600g beef mince.
Ingredients
For the burgers:
- 600g beef mince (we like 1kg Dry Aged Smashed Burger Beef Mince for flavour, or Lean Beef Mince 400g for a leaner burger)
- 1 tsp fine salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
To serve:
- 4 brioche or soft white buns
- 4 slices of Cheddar or American cheese
- Lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion and gherkins
- Ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise
For the chips:
- 800g floury potatoes such as Maris Piper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil and a pinch of salt
Which beef mince makes the best burger?
Fat is flavour in a burger. Mince with a bit more fat stays juicy as it cooks, and it holds together without any binder. Our 1kg Dry Aged Smashed Burger Beef Mince (£12.99) is made for exactly this, and it is what we would pick for smash burgers too. If you would rather have a leaner burger, Lean Beef Mince 400g (£7.49) works well; just take care not to overcook it.
Keep the mince cold until the moment you shape it. Warm fat smears and the burgers turn dense.
How to make beef burgers from mince
- Start the chips. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7). Cut the potatoes into chips, rinse, dry well, toss in oil and salt, and roast on a tray for 35–40 minutes, turning once, until crisp.
- Divide the mince. Split the cold mince into four 150g balls. Handle it as little as you can.
- Shape the patties. Press each ball into a patty about 2cm thick and a little wider than your bun, because burgers shrink as they cook. Press a shallow dimple in the middle with your thumb so they stay flat.
- Season just before cooking. Salt both sides of the patties right before they go into the pan. Salting the mince earlier draws out moisture and makes the texture springy, like a sausage.
- Cook. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over a high heat, add a little oil and cook the burgers for 4–5 minutes, then flip them once and cook for another 4–5 minutes. Only flip once and never press down, or you squeeze out the juice.
- Add the cheese. Lay a slice on each burger for the last minute and cover the pan so it melts.
- Rest and build. Rest the burgers for two minutes while you toast the cut sides of the buns in the pan. Build with sauce, lettuce, burger, tomato, onion and gherkins.
Burgers are made from minced beef, so they need to be cooked all the way through. The Food Standards Agency advises cooking burgers until they are steaming hot throughout, with no pink meat in the middle and the juices running clear.
Grill and barbecue times
- Under the grill: heat the grill to high and cook 2cm burgers for 5–6 minutes a side, about 8cm from the heat.
- On the barbecue: wait until the coals are white-hot, or heat a gas barbecue to high. Cook for 4–5 minutes a side with the lid down, then move the burgers to the cooler side to finish if they are colouring too fast.
- Smash burgers: roll 80g balls, put them on a smoking-hot griddle, and flatten hard with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes, flip, add cheese, and cook for a minute more.
Shortcut: ready-made burgers
When you just want to cook, our Prime Beef Burgers 8x 4oz (£17.98) and Prime Steak Burger 4x 4oz (£8.99) go straight from the pack into the pan. Cook 4oz burgers for about 5–6 minutes a side over a medium-high heat. For a party, the 24x Prime Beef Burgers MEGA BBQ Pack (£53.94) does the job. See the full range in our beef burgers collection.
Tips for the best homemade burger
- Do not overwork the mince. Squeeze it too much and the burger turns tough.
- Make them wider than the bun. They shrink by about a fifth as they cook.
- Get the pan really hot. A dark crust is where the flavour is.
- Toast the bun. It stops the bun going soggy under the juices.
- Keep extras simple. Good beef needs little more than salt, cheese and something sharp such as gherkins or mustard.
Freezing burgers
Shape the patties, lay them on a tray lined with baking paper and freeze until firm, then bag them with a square of paper between each. They keep for up to three months. Defrost them in the fridge overnight and cook as above.
For more ideas for your barbecue, see our BBQ packs, or try our smash burgers with cheese.
Burger recipe FAQs
How do you make beef burgers from mince without egg?
You do not need egg or breadcrumbs. Use cold beef mince with a reasonable amount of fat, shape it gently into patties and salt the outside just before cooking. The fat and proteins in the mince hold it together.
How long do you cook homemade burgers in a pan?
Cook 2cm-thick, 150g burgers in a hot pan for 4–5 minutes on each side, flipping once, until they are cooked through with no pink in the middle and the juices run clear.
How much mince do I need per burger?
Allow 120–150g of raw mince per burger for a proper pub-sized burger, or 80–100g each if you are making double smash burgers.
Why do my burgers fall apart?
Usually because the mince is too lean or too warm, or the burger was flipped too early. Keep the mince cold, use a mince with a bit of fat, and let a crust form before you turn the burger.
When should I season a burger?
Salt the outside of the patty just before it goes into the pan. Salting the mince in advance draws out moisture and gives a dense, springy texture.