Caramelized Onion Burgers

Caramelized onion burgers are juicy and flavorful, smothered with Swiss cheese and rich balsamic caramelized onions. You can whip them up on the grill or the stovetop!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Burger with Caramelized Onions, Caramelized Onion Burger Recipe, Caramelized Onion Burgers

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 666kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

Caramelized Onion:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 extremely large onion peeled and thinly sliced (about 5 cups sliced)
1/4 cup water slightly more or less as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Burgers:

1 1/4 pounds ground chuck
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Other:

4 good-quality buns split and toasted
4 ounces sliced Jarlsberg cheese or any Swiss cheese you like
2 cups fresh arugula

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Caramelized Onion:

Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion. Cook the onion until it is deep golden in color, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water when it starts to stick to the pan, or when it starts to get too dark. Adjust the heat down as necessary so the onion doesn’t burn. Once caramelized, stir in the salt and balsamic and cook about 1 mintue, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat.

For the Burgers:

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and use your hands to combine. Shape the meat into 4 patties.
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Grill the burgers for 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on your desired level of doneness (the USDA recommends cooking burgers to an internal temperature of 160F for food safety reasons). Top with the cheese and let it melt.
If you want to toast the buns, you can open them and grill until there are char marks (about 20 seconds).

To Serve:

Put the burgers on the bottom buns, top with caramelized onion, arugula, and the top buns. Serve.

Notes

To Make These Burgers on the Stovetop: No worries if you don’t have a grill, you can easily make these burgers on the stovetop! A heavy-bottomed skillet (such as cast-iron) works well, and you’ll want the pan pretty hot (about a medium-high heat level). For full directions, please see my recipe for Cast Iron Burgers.
Storage: Store leftover burgers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Once caramelized onion cools to room temperature, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Nutrition