The Best Juicy Lucy Recipe
Published 5/5/2023
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Juicy Lucy recipe takes your classic hamburger and gives it an easy, cheesy makeover! Each burger patty is stuffed with melty American cheese so that every single bite is filled with oozy cheese and juicy, savory beef.
Gooey Cheese-Filled Burger
What happens when you stuff two juicy burger patties with a stack of cheese? Pure meaty, cheesy, ooey-gooey magic — that’s what!
Juicy Lucy burgers are a Minneapolis classic that started at Matt’s Bar & Grill when a customer asked for two hamburger patties with cheese in the middle. A genius? I’d say so!
Serve these delicious burgers with french fries, onion rings, or a fresh garden salad to make it a complete meal! There are so many unique and tasty ways to enjoy this cheese stuffed burger. So get creative and make it your own!
why you’ll love ’em!
- The melted cheese in the patty makes this burger ooey gooey delicious!
- It’s a quick and easy recipe that’ll be ready in just 30 minutes.
- Can satisfy any crowd on any occasion!
- You can easily customize this burger to your liking with various cheeses, toppings, and sides.
Made with 5 Simple Ingredients
- Ground beef: we used 85% lean ground beef for this recipe. Feel free to use any portion of beef you like!
- Salt & pepper: a little salt and black pepper is all you need to elevate the flavor of the beef.
- American cheese: American cheese is the perfect gooey cheese for this cheeseburger recipe.
- Hamburger buns: use your favorite kind of hamburger buns!
Yummy Cheese Swaps
There are so many ways to recreate this recipe. One of the best ways is by swapping out the cheese! Keep in mind some of these cheeses might not have the same melted effect as American cheese, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be delicious!
- Cheddar cheese
- Pepper jack cheese
- Molten cheese
- Blue cheese
- Mozzarella
- Gruyère
How to Make Juicy Lucy Burgers
PREPARE BURGER PATTIES
Place the ground beef on a large cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Break the beef into 8 equal balls. They should all be roughly the same size.
Using your palm, flatten each ball of meat to form patties that are ¼ inch thick. Set aside.
PREPARE CHEESE
Next, fold each slice of American cheese into fourths and stack them on top of each other. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE
Place one stack of cheese onto the center of each patty. Then, place one of the empty patties on top of each stack of cheese.
Using your thumb and pointer finger, press the edges of each patty together, encasing the cheese. Finally, cup it with your hands to form a fully closed burger.
COOK BURGERS
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Allow the pan to preheat for 1-2 minutes before adding the beef patties.
Transfer the hamburger patties onto the pan and let them cook for 4-5 minutes without moving them. Then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
SERVE + ENJOY
There you have it! Deliciously cheesy burgers that are melt-in-your-mouth good. Serve with your favorite hamburger buns and any toppings of your choice. Enjoy!
How to Toast Burger Buns
To toast the buns, spread ½ tablespoon of unsalted butter on the top and bottom of each bun.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and place the buns open side down and toast for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Tasty Topping Ideas
One of the best things about juicy lucy burgers is that you can customize them to your liking with a variety of toppings! Here are some of our favorite toppings ideas to give you some inspiration:
Classics
- Tomato slices
- Pickles
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Ketchup & mustard
- Mayonnaise
- Relish
- BBQ sauce
Fun & Unique
- Caramelized onion
- Bacon
- Mushrooms
- Peanut butter
- Jam
- Jalapeño
- Fried egg
- Coleslaw
- Avocado
- Ranch
- Thousand Island
Can I make Juicy Lucy burgers in advance?
You sure can! Just assemble your Juicy Lucy burgers and store them in the refrigerator up to 2 days ahead of when you plan to cook them.
Storage
Store any leftover Juicy Lucy burgers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
To reheat, cook your burger in the microwave or air fryer until warmed through.
Juicy Lucy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lbs. 85% ground beef
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Place the ground beef on a large cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Break the beef into 8 equal balls. They should all be roughly the same size. Using your palm, flatten each ball of meat to form patties ¼ inch thick. Set aside.
- Fold each slice of American cheese into fourths, stack them on top of each other, and set aside.
- To assemble the burgers, place one stack of cheese onto 4 burger patties. Then, place one of the empty patties on top of each stack of cheese. Using your thumb and pointer finger, press the edges of each patty together, encasing the cheese. Finally, cup it with your hands to form a fully closed burger.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Let preheat for 1-2 minutes to allow the pan to heat up. Transfer the burgers onto the pan and let them cook for 4-5 minutes without moving them. Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve with hamburger buns and other favorite toppings.
Tips & Notes
- To toast the buns, spread ½ tablespoon of unsalted butter on the top and bottom of each bun. Heat a skillet over medium heat and place the buns open side down and toast for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
- We used 85% ground beef, if you would like to sub 93% we recommend using 1-2 teaspoons of oil in the pan before you cook the burgers.
- We used American cheese, but you can use any favorite cheese in this recipe.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #cheeseknees, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
