Butter Burgers are amazingly delicious and our favorite burger recipe! These butter-soaked burgers are not for the health-conscious, but they are for anyone who enjoys REALLY GOOD FOOD. This Wisconsin Butter Burger recipe will have you drooling before you even bite into the juicy, cheesy, buttery goodness. And it wouldn’t be complete without a good dose of onion!
Butter Burger Recipe
Butter Burgers are an indulgent dream. A buttery burger topped with cheese and onions, made on the stove top for a delicious dinner.
I’m going to start off by saying a few obvious things: Butter Burgers are made with lots and lots of butter; they are incredibly flavorful and delicious; and they are not healthy.
The Wisconsin Butter Burger Recipe is everything you dream of when you’re on a diet, and it’s well worth the indulgence. Meat patties cooked in butter, onions cooked in butter, and buns slathered with more butter.
You can’t forget the cheese. These burgers are so juicy and flavorful, and you just have to give in to the butter!
These burgers are made on the stove top, so no need for a grill. They are seared to perfection in butter to give them a nice crispy edge. Make a few of these and serve them with crispy fries for a fun and tasty meal.
You won’t find a better burger recipe on the internet!
This Wisconsin Butter Burger recipe will have you drooling. So much butter and so much flavor. Don’t be afraid to indulge in this delicious burger!
Wisconsin Butter Burgers (History)
Butter Burgers are a Wisconsin classic. It should be no surprise that a state known for its dairy products would pile them on to a burger. Every part of this dish is cooked in butter, hence the name.
The meat and onions are cooked in butter, but you can’t skip adding it straight onto the bun too. There’s not point in resisting this indulgent burger; your taste buds will absolutely love you!
Serving Suggestions
We have so many favorite side dishes to are absolutely delicious with these butter burgers. Be sure to try with our Burger Sauce and Fry Sauce! YUM!
How to Make a Butter Burger Recipe
Butter burgers are made on the stove top, so no need for a grill. The best part is that everything is cooked in the same pan, so you don’t need to dirty up a bunch of dishes.
You want the flavor of the butter and onion still on the skillet as you cook the meat patties. It gets crispy and cooks in the flavor of the onions. YUM!
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Melt butter in a skillet and cook onions until tender, translucent, and starting to brown
- Divide beef into 4 equal size portions and work into patties, then refrigerate them for 15-30 minutes
- Spread 2 tablespoons of butter onto each bun
- Using the same skillet you used to cook the onions; cook beef patties for 3 minutes, then flip & cook 1 more minute
- Add a slice of cheese to each burger & cook until melted
- Lay the patties on the buns and top with onions
- Watch the video and See the recipe card for full details & instructions
What is in a butter burger?
This recipe is made up of a pan-seared buttery burger patty, a slice of cheese, onions cooked in butter, and a soft bun covered in butter. It’s true to its name with all the butter!
All the Burgers
Guide to Cooking Burgers at Home
See all of our favorite burger recipes plus tips and tricks for cooking the ultimate burger at home.
This Wisconsin Butter Burger recipe is beyond delicious, and perfect for lunch or dinner. Serve them up with crispy fries (and fry sauce) and just embrace the butter!
You won’t regret the enjoyment you get from eating this tasty burger recipe.
More Burger Recipes
We LOVE this Butter Burger Recipe, but we also have so many other favorites we hope you try!
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
Butter Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 4 hamburger buns toasted
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 slices American cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion, water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, until tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and remove lid. Continue to cook until onions are translucent and just beginning to brown, about 3 more minutes. Transfer onions to a plate, and divide into 4 equal portions; set onions aside until ready to use.
- Divide beef into 4 equal sized portions and gently shape each into a 4½x½-inch patty. Sprinkle both sides of the patties with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the patties 15-30 minutes.
- Spread each bun top with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.
- Heat oil in the same skillet used for the onions until the oil begins to smoke. Use a spatula to transfer the patties to the skillet and cook 3 minutes (without moving them). Flip the patties and cook 1 more minute. Place 1 cheese slice over each patty and continue to cook until cheese is melted, about 20-30 seconds more.
- Transfer patties to the bun bottoms and place ¼ of the sautéed onions on each patty. Top each with the buttered bun tops and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Nutrition Information
So the bun is just buttered and not toasted
Yes. You can toast if you like, though!
Seems like you stole this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Country without giving credit. The measurements and steps are nearly identical, but you increased the butter by 1tbsp and the oil by .5tsp…
I’m sorry to hear you feel that way. I did develop this recipe independently; however, there are only so many ways to make a butter burger!
What a classy response to such a rude assumption.
Fixing then right now. Do we not put buttered bun on griddle?
You can if you’d like to!
I hated cooking hamburgers before learning this method! Thank you I’m now a master hamburgeral
I’m so happy to hear that, Steven!
We had them for dinner last night, So good that my teenage kid wants them for lunch again today
I’m so glad they were a hit, Lala!
I am on a low-carb diet and plan to try this recipe as soon as possible the fat and butter and not really concerned, the carbs in the bun are for me. I plan to use a two low-carb chaffles for the bun and the little pockets in the chaffle will be good to spread the extra butter. I can’t wait!
Thanks for sharing, Florence!
I love this recipe so much. Took it a step further and fried the buns in the same pan for an ever more buttery treat. Great recipe!
What a great addition!
Very good burger EXCEPT 2 tbsp. per bun top is just too much.
Modify to your liking!
Split it between the top and the bottom and toast 👍🏼
I now make these every Friday night for dinner!
Sounds like a delicious tradition!
Actually, good butter is healthy. It’s the fake processed oils that are horribly unhealthy!
Finally someone gets it