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Smash cheeseburger on a white plate: a browned beef patty with melted yellow cheese, sliced pickles and burger sauce under a golden-brown bun

Gluten-Free Smash Burger (Cheeseburger)

These gluten-free smash burgers are double burgers with thin, browned beef patties, pickles and burger sauce on a toasted bun, with or without cheddar. You press each ball of ground beef flat in a very hot pan, which gives the patties crisp, browned edges.
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Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 5 double burgers
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 571
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1000 g ground beef (beef mince) about 2.2 lb. Fat content is not specified; the nutrition estimate assumes 14 g fat per 100 g. Check the label
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt 7.5 ml, part of the seasoning mix. Check the label
  • 1 tsp black pepper 5 ml, part of the seasoning mix. Check the label
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder 2.5 ml, part of the seasoning mix. Check the label
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder 2.5 ml, part of the seasoning mix. Check the label
  • 1/2 tsp paprika optional, 2.5 ml, part of the seasoning mix. Check the label
  • 5 Schär gluten-free burger buns one per double burger, so 5 buns. A pack holds 4 buns, so you need 2 packs. Read the label on your pack. Any burger bun clearly labeled gluten-free works
  • 5 to 10 slices cheddar optional. 5 slices if half of the patties get cheese, 10 slices if every patty gets a slice. Check the label
  • pickles, sliced to taste. Choose gluten-free pickles and check the label (ours were gluten-free)
  • onion as you like (sliced or diced)
  • lettuce or tomato slices as you like
  • ketchup and burger sauce to taste. Brand is your choice: pick gluten-free versions and check the label (ours were gluten-free)
  • mustard to taste. Pick a gluten-free mustard and check the label (ours was gluten-free)
  • butter, for toasting the buns a little; to taste. Check the label

Method
 

  1. Portion the beef. Divide the 1000 g ground beef into 10 portions of 100 g (3.5 oz) each. Roll each one loosely into a ball and do not knead the meat firmly. Wash your hands after handling raw meat (general guidance). You will season each patty with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and the optional paprika after smashing it.
  2. Toast the buns. Halve the buns. Melt a little butter in a pan and toast the buns cut side down until golden brown. Wipe the pan clean before you cook the patties in it.
  3. Heat the pan. Heat a non-stick pan until it is very hot. Do not add any fat. Do not leave an empty non-stick pan on high heat for long; follow the manufacturer's heat limit.
  4. Smash the patties. Put a beef ball in the hot pan, press it flat with a sturdy burger smasher or a stable spatula, as thin as you can, and season it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and the optional paprika. The seasoning amounts in the ingredient list are for all 10 patties together, so use about one tenth per patty. Ten patties need several batches; fit as many in the pan as you can without crowding (we cooked 3 at a time).
    Three smashed beef patties browning in a non-stick frying pan on the stove, no added fat visible
  5. Cook. Cook the patties for about 3 minutes, turn them once, and cook the second side for about 3 minutes. Do not turn them more than once.
    Five cooked thin smash burger patties with browned edges on a white plate, without cheese
  6. Add the cheese. If you use cheddar, lay a slice on each patty you want with cheese and cook for about 2 more minutes, until the cheese has melted. Cook patties without cheese until cooked through. The beef must be cooked through; ground beef should not stay raw in the middle.
    Five cooked smash burger patties on a white plate, each covered with a slice of melted cheddar
  7. Build the burgers. Add the toppings as you like. As pictured: bottom bun, patty with cheddar, a second patty with cheddar, pickles, burger sauce under the top bun. Onion, ketchup, mustard, lettuce or tomato slices are optional.
    Smash cheeseburger on a white plate: a browned beef patty with melted yellow cheese, sliced pickles and burger sauce under a golden-brown bun

Notes

Gluten-free: this recipe is made for a gluten-free kitchen, but it is not certified. We used Schär gluten-free burger buns, ketchup, burger sauce, mustard and pickles that were gluten-free; for the sauces and pickles the brand is your choice, so pick gluten-free versions. Check the label of every packaged ingredient, including the buns, ground beef, butter, salt, pepper, cheddar and spices: read the full ingredient list for wheat, rye, barley, oats and malt vinegar. We have not confirmed the gluten-free status of the cheddar and the spices. Use a clean pan, spatula and board to avoid cross-contact.
With or without cheese: cheese is optional. For burgers without cheese, simply skip the slice; everything else stays the same. If half of the patties get cheese you need 5 slices of cheddar (that is how we made it); if every patty gets cheese, you need 10 slices.
Buns: Schär gluten-free burger buns come 4 to a pack, so 5 buns means 2 packs. Read the label on your pack.
Yield: 1000 g ground beef makes 10 patties of 100 g, which is 5 double burgers (2 patties each). You can also serve them as 10 single burgers.
Smash tips: the pan must be very hot, press the patties as thin as possible, and turn them only once.
Pan: do not heat an empty non-stick pan on high for long, and stay within the manufacturer's heat limit.
Cooked through: ground beef must be cooked through. As general food-safety guidance (not from the original recipe), a thermometer should read 71 C (160 F) in the middle of the patty.
Nutrition values are an estimate calculated from the ingredient list, not a lab analysis. They count only the beef and 10 cheddar slices per batch (every patty with cheese). The buns, butter, sauces, mustard, pickles and toppings are not included.