Five Guys Copycat Burger Recipe That Beats Takeout Night

Do you want a good Five Guys burger but don’t want to pay Five Guys prices? The secret to a really good Five Guys burger isn’t even much of a secret at all. You can whip up a passable imitation of Five Guys’ signature sauce using condiments you probably already have in your refrigerator door, or in your spice cupboard if you haven’t opened it yet.

Making the burger patties is also really simple. It’s basically making a smashburger the correct way. So you could make Five Guys’ burger at home and even top it the way you like it.

Why This Recipe for Five Guys Copycat Burgers?

Well, first, it’s super easy. You don’t even need to spend a lot of time fretting about whether the ground beef is ready to go. (In fact, it’s best if you don’t spend a lot of time fussing with the beef. I like my humor drier than my burgers, and overhandling ground beef is the fastest way to dry it out.)

Second, no one needs to know how you like your burger. Get it wrapped in lettuce instead of using a bun. Assemble it with extra pickles, no onions, or some mushrooms, bacon, and a slice of grilled pineapple on top. There’s no judgment here.

Necessary Tools for Five Guys Copycat Burgers

Making a burger isn’t difficult, right? It does help to have the right tools and equipment on hand. Luckily, you probably already have most of what you need in your kitchen. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Skillet or grill. If a “full-sized” outdoor grill isn’t an option, an indoor grill is usually a good alternative. A good cast-iron skillet will also work.
• Flat metal turner
• Small mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Mixing spoons
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons

Key Ingredient Roles

Looks pretty straightforward, right? Let’s take a closer look at these ingredients.

Ground Beef

1 pound ground chuck

1 pound ground sirloin

The ground beef forms the base of your burger. For ground chuck, I like to aim for an 80% lean and 20% fat mix. Ground sirloin is usually about 90% lean (10% fat), but this isn’t insurmountable if you use care when handling the burger. Handling beef too much can dry it out.

Sesame Seed Buns

8 sesame seed buns

The buns are mostly meant to give you something to hold the burger with. (It won’t surprise me if you still need napkins, though.)

American Cheese Slices

8 American cheese slices

Five Guys uses American cheese (and American is also one of my favorites for topping a burger with). Of course, it pays to be finicky about brand. I think Sargento has the best American cheese.

Iceberg Lettuce, Shredded

Iceberg lettuce to taste

Lettuce is a classic burger topping that you can include in a “topping bar” if you prefer to let your family top their own burgers.

Tomato Slices

8 tomato slices

I like to use beefsteak tomatoes for the wide, thick slices that don’t seem too skimpy for a burger like this.

Fun fact: Beefsteak is an “heirloom” variety of tomato that is commonly grown in backyard vegetable gardens! If you’d like to try growing them, it’s easy to get some seeds.

Salt and Pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

I like to keep things simple when seasoning burgers. Usually, a little salt and pepper will do the trick.

Ketchup

1/2 cup ketchup

Now, let’s start in on what we’ll need for Five Guys’ special sauce. Ketchup is a favorite on burgers (and fries, of course!) for a flavor that is actually pretty complicated for a condiment. Its flavor is often described as “sweet and sour.” Proper ketchup also has a strong umami flavor note that doesn’t get overwhelmed by sweetness.

Mayonnaise

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Mayonnaise brings a smooth texture and a “creamy,” slightly tangy flavor to the sauce.

Mustard

2 tablespoons mustard

Here, you have some options depending on how strong you like your mustard. You could go for the relatively “safe” mild tang of yellow mustard. Dijon mustard features a sharper tang that comes from the interaction between slightly stronger-flavored brown and black mustard seeds and wine or vinegar. Honey mustard adds a bit of sweetness to the tang.

Relish

2 tablespoons relish

Most varieties of relish have a tangy, acidic flavor that comes from their vinegar content. Sweet relish has a sweet-tangy flavor, while dill relish has a sour-savory flavor. So it’s up to you which relish to use for this sauce.

Clarified Butter

2 tablespoons clarified butter

Clarified butter is basically butter that’s had the milk solids removed. This gives it a richer, more concentrated flavor, so you do have to be careful how much you use in a recipe if you don’t want to overwhelm your dish with butter flavor. It is great for making dips and sauces with, though!

Chef Jean-Pierre Demonstrates How to Make Clarified Butter

The video below shows the process of making clarified butter.

Your Favorite Burger Toppings

Onions (raw, grilled, caramelized, or “French fried”), grilled mushrooms, bacon slices, bell peppers, pickles, jalapeno peppers, grilled or caramelized pineapple slices, etc., etc.

Mix and match however you like with the toppings! The important thing is to get what you like on a burger, Five Guys or not. You could set up a whole “topping bar” for a burger night with family or friends!

Producing the Perfect Five Guys Burger: A Step-By-Step Guide

Now let’s jump right into making the burgers! It’s easier than it looks; you really just have to keep an eye on everything while they’re cooking.

Step One: Make the Sauce

Mix the ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, and clarified butter in a small mixing bowl until evenly mixed. Place in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld together while you make everything else.

Step Two: Mix Meats

Mix the ground chuck and ground sirloin in a medium bowl until just combined. Do not overmix, as it can dry out the meat.

Step Three: Make Balls of Meat

Form the ground beef mix into eight evenly sized balls, again being careful not to overhandle the meat, which can dry it out. They don’t have to be perfectly shaped spheres. They just need to be packed tightly enough that they don’t fall apart.

Step Four: Toast Buns

Toast the buns in the skillet first. First, split the bun down the middle. (Use a bread knife to cut the buns in half if they aren’t cut already. If you don’t have a bread knife, a serrated knife should work.)

Place the skillet on a stovetop burner. If you have a little extra clarified butter, you can optionally brush it on the cut sides of the buns. Then, put the buns, cut side down, in the skillet and toast them over medium heat. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn up. I like to aim for a “light” to “medium” golden brown when I toast buns.

When the buns are done toasting, transfer them to a plate and cover with some aluminum foil or a lid to keep anything from falling into them.

Step Five: Cook Ground Beef Patties

Place the ground beef patties in the skillet and promptly use the metal turner to smash the burgers flat. (If a burger joint calls them “smashburgers,” they probably smash the balls of meat into patties at the restaurant.)

Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the patties to season them. I like to add just enough to really bring out the meat flavor without overwhelming it.

Cook at medium to medium-high heat, or use your grill. Flip the patties after a slight crust forms on the bottom. What I like to do is cover them with a lid for a bit of a steaming effect. (Closing the lid on your grill works too.) The food safety experts at USDA recommend cooking burgers to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius), since the bacterial risks for ground beef differ from those for steak.

Step Six: Melt Cheese on Top

When the burgers are almost done, melt the cheese on top. I like to cover it with a lid to speed up melting.

Step Seven: Construct the Burger

You can get your family involved to construct their own burgers if you like! First, place the “bottom half” of the toasted bun on a plate. Spread a little of the Five Guys sauce on this half (or as much as you like, though you may have to whip together some extra).

Place the burger on top of this half. Top with lettuce, tomato, and preferred toppings. Then top that with the bun’s top half.

Step Eight: Eat Burgers While Still Hot!

I like to eat my burger while it’s still hot. Yes, I do sometimes have fries as a side! These copycat Five Guys Cajun fries make it a delicious meal.

Substitutions and Variations for This Five Guys Burger Recipe

Want to try something different? The cool part is that you can customize this burger to your liking!

Ground bison meat makes a tasty substitute for ground beef.

You can try any type of cheese slices you like! Cheddar feels like a more “upscale” alternative to American cheese to me. Velveeta slices are melty and tasty. You can also try pepper jack for a spicier cheese. My sister has a brand of vegan cheese slices that she likes.

Going gluten-free, or just don’t want sesame seed buns? I sometimes slightly modify a recipe for gluten-free potato buns to make potato hamburger buns that go well with these burgers. If you are going low-carb, you can do without the bun and wrap your burger in one or two romaine lettuce leaves.

As mentioned before, you can use any toppings you like! Although I don’t think there’s much that beats a beefsteak tomato straight out of the garden, you can leave it off or use sliced cherry tomatoes if you like. Some people use spinach or romaine lettuce instead of iceberg lettuce.

FAQ for This Five Guys Burger Recipe

Looks fairly straightforward, doesn’t it? We do sometimes get questions about this burger recipe! I did my best to answer the most commonly asked questions here.

If you think of one we haven’t answered yet, feel free to ask in the comments section, and we’ll answer as soon as possible.

Why is it a big deal not to overhandle the beef?

While forming the ground beef mix into balls, you may have noticed that you got a little grease on your hands! Every time you mix, shape, or flatten it with the spatula, you’re losing a little of the grease from the ground beef. This dries the beef out. If you overdo it, you risk winding up with dry burgers.

Why are my burger patties falling apart?

This happens most often if there isn’t enough fat in the ground beef or if the patties are packed too loosely. I like to aim for an 80/20 mix in the ground beef when possible. Once they’re in the skillet or on the grill, I like to let one side cook until a slight crust forms before flipping it to reduce the risk of it falling apart.

Why didn’t my patties get that crispy smash burger crust?

One possibility is that they weren’t smashed into a patty soon enough after being placed in the skillet. Letting them cook for long enough on each side also helps them form the crust.

Why is the cheese not melting properly?

Cheese slices need two things to melt properly: time and heat. Cheese melts best when it goes on right after the flip, while the second side is still hot. American cheese works best for that classic Five Guys-style melt. You can also cover the pan for 20 to 30 seconds to trap heat and help the cheese melt faster.

How can I keep the buns from getting soggy?

The best thing to do is toast them, then eat them right away after assembling the burger. You could also try putting a lettuce leaf under the burger when you assemble it to help keep the meat’s juices from soaking into the bun.

Did You Like This Recipe?

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