Fire Up The Grill For Our Favorite Burger Recipes

Wow at your next cookout with our best homemade beef patties, black bean burgers, salmon burgers, and more.

BBQ Chicken Burger
Photo: Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

Long day at the office? You will get fired up over these grilled burger recipes. These grilled burger recipes show you how to add zip to your burgers and jazz up your condiments. Transform ground beef, turkey, or chicken into a great-tasting dinner the whole family will love. These easy burger recipes, including the best turkey burger recipe ever, keep your food prep short and simple while serving up a meal everyone is bound to finish. Think outside the bun and grill a lamb burger, salmon burger, turkey burger, or black bean burger. With the addition of pimiento cheese, slaw, bacon, pickles, and bourbon, you will find many of these recipes have a decidedly Southern twist. While you are cooking outdoors, go ahead and serve dinner alfresco as well. Make every dinner feel like a celebration with these inventive and delicious burger recipes.

01 of 16

Lowcountry Juicy Lucy

Lowcountry Juicy Lucy
Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton

Pickled okra and homemade bacon jam top these sirloin burger patties that are stuffed with creamy pimiento cheese. After you taste the bacon jam, made with simmered onion, brown sugar, bourbon, and apple cider vinegar, you'll find an excuse to use it on every sandwich.

02 of 16

Creole Burger

Creole Burger
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Spice up your usual burger with Creole seasonings and a tangy, spicy sauce. Make a flavorful spread using mayonnaise, parsley, hot sauce, lemon juice, and Creole mustard. And to top it off, this recipe appropriately calls for slightly sweet, fluffy brioche buns.

03 of 16

Salmon Burgers With Creamy Tartar Sauce

Salmon Burgers with Creamy Tartar Sauce
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

The classic fish sandwich meets burger in this mashup that incorporates everything we love about both dishes. The salmon is blended with lemon, dill, tarragon, and capers, the same flavors that are repeated in the tartar sauce. Keep it authentic with a very soft, buttered bun.

04 of 16

Lamb Burgers With Feta and Dijonnaise

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Dijonnaise
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

This lamb burger is bursting with flavor, thanks to the Worcestershire, thyme, and mustard mixed in with the meat. With its bolder flavor, ground lamb pairs well with toppings like peppery arugula, crumbled feta, and red onion. We add a simple sauce made of mayonnaise, sour cream, and Dijon mustard.

05 of 16

Oklahoma Onion Burgers

Southern Living Oklahoma Onion Burgers ready to serve with a glass of coke beside

Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

Lot and lots of onions griddled with each beef patty are the true star of the show here. The secret to this smash-burger-style recipe is topping each off with a slice of classic American cheese and using the steam escaping off the meat in the skillet to soften the buns.

06 of 16

Black Bean Burgers with Comeback Sauce

Black Bean Burgers with Comeback Sauce
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Our secret to the juiciest black bean burgers? Slow-cooking the beans first with onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and spices. Then blending the mixture into a savory, spicy mixture and adding panko and grated onion for texture.

07 of 16

Cheeseburgers

Cheeseburger
Peter Frank Edwards

Classic cheeseburgers are a foolproof way to enjoy a grilled meal in the summer. This recipe uses both ground chuck and flank steak, along with a special sauce made with various condiments for a kick. It's the perfect ratio of meat, cheese, and toppings that makes for a delicious experience.

08 of 16

Turkey Cheeseburgers With Grilled Vidalia Onion Rings

Turkey Cheeseburgers with Grilled Vidalia Onion Rings
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Our secret to a juicy turkey burger is to mix in grated cold butter; once it melts into the poultry seasoning, it tastes similar to a roasted turkey. Charred Vidalia onion rings add sweet flavor to the recipe. Melted provolone, tomato, lettuce, pickles, and mayo add the final touches.

09 of 16

BBQ Chicken Burger

BBQ Chicken Burger
Photographer: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

These BBQ Chicken Burgers are anything but bland thanks to smoky chipotle and paprika mixed into the patties. A spoonful of barbecue sauce, zesty mustard, tangy pickles, and crunchy slaw make them out of this world. The easy slaw starts with a bag of mix from the grocery store. 

10 of 16

Bacon Cheeseburger

Homemade Onion Dip
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Smashed burgers are best for outdoor grilling, where they require less than five minutes of cooking. Use a griddle to press them down until thin with crispy edges. We like to sandwich these patties in a toasted bun, along with cheese, thick-sliced bacon, and pickles.

11 of 16

Black Bean Burgers With Avocado Slaw

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Slaw
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Vegetarians and meat lovers alike praise this summertime dish that's topped with creamy and crunchy slaw. This recipe bakes the canned black beans to both dehydrate them and make them more tender. These black bean burgers can be frozen and reheated for lunch or dinner.

12 of 16

New England Lobster Salad Burger

New England Lobster Salad Burger
Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Mary Claire Britton

Classic burger joint meets New England-style seafood shack in this recipe. Creamy lobster salad is piled high on top of a juicy burger for a true taste of summer. Pair this with a light, citrusy cold brew.

13 of 16

Cast-Iron Skillet Burgers

Cast-Iron Skillet Burger

You don't need to fire up the grill for this burger recipe that uses your trusty cast-iron skillet. Our testing editor praised the use of mustard and Worcestershire sauce to add depth to the ground beef. Even better, the caramelized onions are seared in the skillet with bacon grease.

14 of 16

Salmon Burger

Salmon Burger
Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Lighten up burger night with this salmon version that uses Asian-inspired ingredients like hoisin sauce and gochujang (similar to chile paste). The patties are cooked in a skillet until lightly browned. Top with mayonnaise, cabbage, pickled cucumber, onion, and radishes to complement the flavors.

15 of 16

Mississippi Slugburgers

Mississippi Slugburgers
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Originating during the Great Depression in North Mississippi, the slugburger came about when restaurant owners stretched scarce burger meat with filler, deep-fried them to crispy perfection, and sold them for a slug. In our version, we opt for crispy cornmeal and oatmeal mixed with ground chuck and pork. Pan fry and top with lots of onion, pickle chips, and mustard.

16 of 16

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Chicken burger, meet chicken sandwich. This healthier spin on a classic BBQ chicken sandwich hits the grill as an easy alternative to red meat. Top your patty with tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and a little extra tangy honey barbecue sauce in between two whole wheat hamburger buns.

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