Fried Pickle Cheese Burgers

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A juicy hamburger topped with Monterey Jack cheese, a delicious burger sauce, and plenty of tempura fried pickles.

A hamburger topped with fried onions and pickles, a side of potato wedges, and carrots.

It’s the end of the school year and I feel like there are a million things to do.  Dinner is one of those things that I’m having a hard time with.  While I’m finding things to make, I’m out of new ideas.

Whenever this happens I generally turn to a meal kit service for 3-4 weeks to help me get back on track.   This month I’m back with Hello Fresh.   I like the variety of meals they put together and that most can be made in around 30 minutes.

This week I chose to make a Fried Pickle Cheese Burger.   It’s funny that this is the burger I chose because I’m not a big fan of pickles.  My husband, on the other hand, loves pickles so I figured I could try the pickles on the burger and if I didn’t like them he could have them all.

I make a LOT of burgers.  My favorite are Burgers with Bourbon Bacon Burger Sauce.  For a burger with a little heat I go for Jalapeno Cheddar Stuffed Burgers.  When I want a classic these Smash Burgers can’t be beat.

Ingredients:

  • ground beef
  • ketchup
  • mayonnaise
  • pickles
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garlic powder
  • flour
  • egg
  • olive oil
  • Monterey Jack cheese
  • onion
  • hamburger buns

To Make the Sauce:   Combine the ketchup, mayonnaise, minced pickles, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl and mix well.

To Make the fried pickles and onions:  In a medium bowl combine the flour, egg, and cold water.  Mix to form a batter.   Season with salt and pepper.   Heat a small skillet over medium high heat.  Add in oil.  Dip the pickles in the batter and then put into the pan.  Cook for 2 minutes per side then remove.  Dip the onion rings into the same batter and into the pan with the oil.  Heat for 2 minutes per side.

A skillet with fried pickles in it.

To Make the Burgers:  Season the beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Divide the beef into 4 patties.   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the burgers and cook 4-6 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Top with cheese then cover and cook for 1 minute or until cheese has melted.

The first thing I did was make the burger sauce.   It has just a few ingredients and can be made and put in the refrigerator ahead of time.

Then I got working on my tempura batter.   I decided to try both pickles and onion rings for the top of my burger.  I like the crunch that these add and I wasn’t sure about the pickle so I figured this way I would have a crunchy vegetable on top of mine as well.

Frying up the pickles and onions made a bit of a mess but it’s definitely worth it.  The batter turns super crunchy and adds a nice texture to the burgers.

Pin Collage:  A plate with a burger topped with fried pickles, onions, and burger sauce with potato wedges and carrots, text title, a package of beef, a package of pickles, tempura batter, 2 buns, and 2 packages of seasonings.

Can I use burgers from the store?

Sure.  If you don’t want to make your own burger you can certainly use a frozen burger patty in this recipe.   You can also use the already formed burgers that you buy at the store and then form them yourself.  However, the burgers in this recipe are super basic so give them a try.

What type of ground beef is best for burgers?

You want to make sure that your beef has some fat in it so that the burgers stay juicy.  I personally prefer to use 85/15 ground beef for my burgers but I know that 80/20 is popular as well.  I would use anything with less fat because your burgers will just be dry and I wouldn’t use anything with more fat because then the burgers become greasy.

Can I use a different cheese?

Of course.  Use your favorite kind of cheese on these burgers.  I usually use American because it melts so well but you could use cheddar, pepper Jack, mozzarella, or even blue cheese.  I liked the Monterey Jack in this recipe because it didn’t overpower the sauce and fried pickles.

Do I have to make the pickles and onions?

No you don’t have to make both.  The original recipe calls for just the pickles but I wanted crispy onions on mine too. I would recommend that you make either the pickles or the onions but you don’t need to make both.

A burger topped with fried pickles and onions.

These burgers are super basic so if you have a burger recipe you love you can certainly make that in place of these.  I like how simple they are and I think that makes the toppings the star of this burger.

Putting it all together these burgers are pretty big.   The sauce goes on the bottom followed by the burger and cheese.   Then I piled on the onions and pickles and but that top bun on.

More Burger Recipes:

The sauce is nice and tangy and goes really well with the fried vegetables.  I was really worried about the pickles since I don’t love them to begin with but fried pickles?  Now this is a whole new ballgame!

I will say that I really enjoyed the fried pickles on my burger.   That added a crunch, a bit of saltiness, and a nice tangy flavor that works so well with the burger.  My husband was shocked that I ate them on top of my burger but I did and I liked it.

If you’ve tried my Fried Pickle Cheese Burgers or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

A plate with a burger topped with fried pickles, onions, and burger sauce with potato wedges and carrots.

Fried Pickle Cheese Burgers

Yield: serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

A juicy hamburger topped with Monterey Jack cheese, a delicious burger sauce, and plenty of tempura fried pickles.

Ingredients

For the burger sauce:

  • 3 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 Tablespoon pickles, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the fried pickles and onions:

  • 1 dill pickle, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1 small onion, cut into rings
  • 1/2 c. ice cold water
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 c. flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 c. vegetable oil

For the burgers:

  • 1 1/3 lb. ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 c. Monterey Cheese
  • 4 burger buns

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl combine the ketchup, mayonnaise, minced pickles, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl combine the ice cold water and egg. Whisk to combine. Add in the flour and mix until a thick batter forms. Add in salt and pepper.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium high heat. Once it is shimmering it is ready to use.
  4. Dip the pickles into the tempura batter and let the extra batter run off. Place in the pan and cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining pickle slices.
  5. Then dip the onion rings into the tempura batter and let the extra batter run off. Put the onions in the pan for 2 minutes per side. Remove to paper towel lined plate.
  6. Meanwhile, combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Divide into 4 burgers.
  7. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 4-6 minutes per side or until cooked through.
  8. Top each burger with cheese. Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute or until the cheese has melted.
  9. To make the burgers put the burger sauce on the bottom bun. Place the burgers on top of the bun. Top with as many pickles as onions as you'd like.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Hello Fresh

A plate with a burger topped with fried pickles, onions, and burger sauce with potato wedges and carrots.

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