Print

California Burgers with Homemade Burger Sauce

California burger with fries on a plate with a blue napkin next to it
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Burger night is one of my favorite nights! Especially when it’s these california burgers. The meat is seasoned simply, and we top the burgers with smashed avocado, cheddar cheese, mixed greens, pickled onion, tomatoes and a delicious homemade burger sauce!

  • Author: Becky Schmieg
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 burgers 1x
  • Category: main
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into rounds
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 4 cheddar cheese slices
  • mixed greens
  • tomato slices
  • 2 small avocados
  • 4 burger buns

Burger sauce

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/8 cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp pickles, small dice
  • 1 tbsp pickle juice
  • 1 tbsp agave nectar

Instructions

  1. Start by making the pickled onions. Place the sliced onions in a glass container or jar and add vinegar, water, 1 tsp salt and sugar. Shake well and set aside. 
  2. Make the burger sauce next. Place all ingredients in a glass container or a small bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Set aside. 
  3. Add ground beef to a mixing bowl with 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder. Use your hands to thoroughly mix the meat with the seasonings. Once it’s mixed well, flatten the mixture evenly in the bottom of a bowl. Score the meat into 4 sections with your fingertips. Use one section per patty. Shape patties flatter than you think they should be and larger than your buns because they will shrink. 
  4. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. 
  5. Place burgers in the skillet (you may need to do two batches), and cook to desired doneness. I usually do about 3 minutes per side. 
  6. Place cheddar slices on top of the patties towards the end of cooking. Then transfer to a plate. If the cheese isn’t fully melted, you can “tent” a piece of foil over the plate.
  7. Toast buns (if desired) under the broiler, cut side up under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or until toasted to your liking.
  8. Smash avocado: the easiest, dish-saving way is to cut the avos in half and smash the avocado right inside the skin using a fork.
  9. Here’s my order of assembly: bottom bun->sauce->patty->smashed avo->onions->tomatoes->greens->top bun (with sauce spread on it before topping)
  10. Enjoy! 

Find it online: https://www.figjar.com/california-burger-recipe-with-homemade-burger-sauce/