To make a delicious bacon burger, add ground bacon to the meat. It makes the burgers incredibly juicy and flavorful! You can go for a 50/50 ratio, but I prefer to add 4 ounces of bacon for each pound of ground beef.
For the ultimate burger, mix ground bacon into the meat. It makes for an incredibly flavorful and juicy burger. I started making this recipe after transitioning to a low-carb diet in 2011. With no bun, the burger became the star of the show, and I wanted it to be as flavorful and juicy as possible!
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
- Bacon: Use your favorite brand. You'll need 4 ounces, which is half a standard 8-ounce package.
- Ground beef: I like to use lean ground beef (85/15).
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Cut the bacon into pieces. Process the bacon in your food processor until it's finely ground. Combine the ground bacon, ground beef, and seasonings.
Form the mixture into four patties. Make a shallow dimple in the center of the burgers.
Cook the burgers over medium heat until cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
I made a bacon burger tonight with the full amounts of spices (but no red pepper flakes, as I don't like spicy). It was delicious! I'll be making my burgers this way whenever I have bacon on hand. Thanks for a wonderful burger recipe.
Vicki J.
Read more comments
I made a bacon burger tonight with the full amounts of spices (but no red pepper flakes, as I don't like spicy). It was delicious! I'll be making my burgers this way whenever I have bacon on hand. Thanks for a wonderful burger recipe.Recipe Tips
- You can go for a 50/50 ratio, mixing 8 ounces of ground beef with 8 ounces of ground bacon. But I like to keep things a bit less fatty and salty (though still delicious!) by mixing 4 ounces of bacon into a pound of ground beef.
- After cutting the bacon into pieces, it's helpful to freeze them briefly. This makes it easier for the food processor to chop them. They only need 15-20 minutes or so in the freezer.
- You can par-cook the bacon in the microwave to ensure it becomes fully cooked. In this method, there’s no need to chop and freeze it. Place the four bacon strips on two paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cover them with two more paper towels. Microwave for three minutes, allow to slightly cool, and then chop and mix the par-cooked bacon into the ground beef.
Recipe FAQs
There's no need for any type of filler (such as breadcrumbs) or binder (egg) in these burgers. Simply mix the ground beef and bacon, add the seasonings, shape into patties, and pan-fry.
I recommend against it. I find that leaner than 85/15 is too dry, even when adding bacon.
The dimple helps them retain their shape and helps prevent them from puffing too much while cooking. It's not foolproof, but it helps.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze these burgers for up to three months.
Serving Suggestions
A bacon burger makes the perfect low-carb meal - no bun needed. See the photos on this page? That's how I usually serve it, on a plate.
Toppings: You can top the burger with any of the following: Smoked cheddar cheese, a fried egg, bacon, avocado, and sautéed onions.
Bun options: If you prefer to avoid store-bought hamburger buns, good options include cloud bread or 90-second bread. You can also use a lettuce wrap. When I use a bun, I spread it with sriracha mayo.
Side dishes: These burgers pair well with fries. I often serve them with jicama fries or zucchini fries. Two other perfect sides for these burgers are homemade coleslaw and creamy cucumber salad.
Recipe Card
Juicy Bacon Burger
Video
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon
- 1 pound lean ground beef - 85/15
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsely
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into pieces and freeze the pieces for 20 minutes to make them easier to process.
- Process the bacon in a mini food processor on the "chop" setting until finely ground.
- Mix the ground bacon into the beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes.
- Form the mixture into four ¾-inch-thick patties. Use your thumb to make a shallow dimple in the middle of each burger. This helps them retain their shape.
- Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the burgers. If the skillet is well-seasoned, there's no need to add oil. Otherwise, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the burgers.
- Cook the burgers until cooked through, for about 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- You can par-cook the bacon in the microwave to ensure it becomes fully cooked. In this method, there’s no need to chop and freeze it. Place the four bacon strips on two paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cover them with two more paper towels. Microwave for three minutes, allow to slightly cool, and then chop and mix the par-cooked bacon into the ground beef.
- You can go for a 50/50 ratio, mixing 8 ounces of ground beef with 8 ounces of ground bacon. But I like to keep things slightly less fatty and salty (though still delicious!) by mixing 4 ounces of bacon into a pound of ground beef.
- The nutrition info is for the burgers only and does not include toppings.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze these burgers for up to three months.
Nutrition per Serving
Save this Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
We will also add you to our weekly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime. See healthyrecipesblogs.com/privacy/ to learn how we use your email.
Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Lisa says
I used 90/10 beef as that's what I had and it was delicious.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, Lisa!
Albert L J Hall says
I'd go easy on the salt myself, simply because bacon is already salty of course. By the way, I'd have no objection to use what we call "cooking bacon" - basically, the off-cuts from commercial slicers. It makes for very cheap burgers if I use 13% Ground beef.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Thanks for the feedback, Albert! Very interesting.
Vicki J. says
I broke this recipe down to make just one burger for myself. The spices sounded like a lot, so I cut their amounts in half. Grilled it outside today on my charcoal grill. Delicious! So good, I had it plain. Just the burger in a Hawaiian bun. Will definitely be making this again.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Vicki! Thank you for the feedback about the spices.
Vicki J. says
Okay, I made a bacon burger tonight with the full amounts of the spices (but no red pepper flakes, as I don't like spicy). It was delicious! I'll be making my burgers this way whenever I have bacon on hand. Thanks for a wonderful burger recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! Thanks for the update, Vicki!