Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers (Easy and Flavorful)

Name: Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 large onion, cut in half (pole to pole) and thinly sliced; Kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound (16 ounces) 93% lean ground beef (See Tip 1); 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 4 slices sharp Cheddar cheese or American cheese (See Tip 2); 4 hamburger buns, lightly buttered and toasted; Toppings of your choice (See Tip 3)

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Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers are incredibly easy to make and insanely delicious. The key to making these mouth-watering and flavorful burgers featured in Cooks Country is to smash thinly sliced onions into the ground beef before cooking. The result is golden caramelized onions embedded in a perfectly cooked burger!

Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need

This delicious recipe uses simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

Onion: You can't have a fried onion burger without onions. I like to use sweet onions, but white onions and yellow onions will also work.

Burger: Ground beef, sliced cheddar cheese and hamburger buns. I like to use my homemade hamburger buns which are amazing. However, use whatever hamburger buns you like.

Flavorings: The flavorings are simple - Kosher salt and black pepper.

Fats: Even though the ground beef contains fats, this recipe uses a combination of unsalted butter and vegetable oil for the cooking.

Prepping the Onions

The most time-consuming part of making these burgers was prepping the onions to remove as much moisture as possible. The reason for doing this is that the onions won't begin to brown until the moisture has evaporated.

I started by cutting the onion in half, pole to pole, and slicing it into ⅛-inch slices. Then, I combined the sliced onions with some Kosher salt and placed them in a wire mesh strainer set over a bowl.

Thinly sliced onions in wire mesh strainer.

After about 30 minutes, I dumped the onions into a clean dish towel and squeezed them dry. I was amazed at the amount of liquid that came out.

Here's How I Made The Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers

I started by dividing the onions into four separate piles on a rimmed baking sheet. Next, to form the beef, I used my hands to form four tightly packed 4-ounce balls and placed the balls on top of the separate mounds of onions.

Ground beef balls on top of sliced onions.

Next, I used my hand to flatten the ground beef into the onions, ensuring that the onions stuck to the beef. Finally, I sprinkled the patties with some salt and pepper.

I melted the butter with the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Then, I carefully slipped a spatula under each burger and transferred it to the skillet, onion side down.

I cooked the burgers for about 10 minutes until the onions were golden brown and began to crisp around the edges.

Next, I increased the heat to high. I carefully flipped the burgers and cooked them on high for several minutes until they were nicely browned.

Meanwhile, I lightly buttered and toasted the hamburger buns and placed the sliced cheese on each bottom bun. When the burgers were done, I placed them on the cheese, onion side up. Our topping of choice was just mayonnaise, but you could put whatever you wanted on the burgers.

Our topping of choice was just mayonnaise, but you could put whatever you wanted on the burgers.

The Oklahoma Fried Onion Burgers were incredible. I served them with homemade coleslaw, crispy French fries, and a chilled Chardonnay. Yum!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as a Shake Shack smash burgers?

The Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger is similar to the smash burgers made famous by Shake Shack, but different in several respects. First, it's not smashed as thin as the Shake Shack burger. Second, I used a non-stick skillet. For a smash burger, an ungreased stainless steel or cast iron pan works best. Finally, I "smashed" onions into the ground beef as the patty cooked over a lower temperature than would be used for a smashed burger.

What's the best fat content ground beef to use in this recipe?

This recipe is very forgiving regarding the fat content of the ground beef. Although I used 93% lean ground beef, I could have used up down to 80% ground beef.

What's the best way to thinly slice the onions?

One of the keys to this delicious recipe is onions that are very thinly sliced. Although you can slice the onions with a knife, a mandoline tends to work best.

Is it really necessary to salt the onions ahead of time?

If you want crispy, caramelized onions that cook quickly, you should not omit the salting step. Onions contain a fair amount of liquid and will not brown properly until the liquid is evaporated.

Can american cheese be substituted for cheddar cheese in this recipe.

Feel free to substitute american cheese for the slice of cheese used in this recipe.

Can ground turkey be substituted for ground beef?

You can substitute ground turkey in this recipe. Both ground beef and ground turkey produce flavorful burgers.

Other Delicious Burger Recipes

If you're looking for other unique burger recipes, check out the following:

Portabella Mushroom Burgers

Tasty Meatless Burgers

Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burgers

Amazing Turkey Burgers

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