Quick Cast Iron Skillet Cheeseburgers

Cast iron skillet cheeseburgers, or smash burgers, are quick and easy. Made with simple ingredients and ready in just 15 minutes they are incredibly juicy and full of flavour. A perfect way to get dinner to the table quickly and a meal the whole family will love.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• What to serve with skillet cheeseburgers
• FAQS
• Recipe

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I love a good cheeseburger. And while we love to fire up the grill and cook burgers outside, it can take a while for the grill to heat up, especially if you are using charcoal.

Sometimes we just need dinner quickly and don’t have the extra time to wait for the grill to do its thing.

That is why we love the cast-iron skillet cheeseburger. It is sometimes called the smash burger due to the process of placing the meatball on the skillet and smashing it flat.

Not only are skillet burgers super fast to make, but the burger patties stay incredibly juicy. You will need a good stack of paper towels while you eat these.

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make cheeseburgers at home on the cast iron skillet. Most of the ingredients you use will depend on how you like to top your burgers.

The ingredients you want to start with are:

• Lean ground beef – I find anything from 80-85% lean is a good place to start. The bit of fat helps add flavour, but there isn’t so much fat that the burgers will be swimming in it as they cook. However, you can use anything you have on-hand.
• Salt & Pepper – The only seasonings you need are salt and pepper. I like to sprinkle both sides of the patty liberally. However, you can use some granulated garlic if you like, seasoning salt, or even barbecue seasoning if you prefer.
• Cheese – Use your favourite here. I often use the inexpensive amercian cheese slices on my cheeseburger. It’s not the type of cheese I recommend often, they melt easily and are handy to keep in the refrigerator. You can use anything you like; swiss, cheddar, gouda, and Monterey Jack all work well.
• Hamburger buns – Again, just use your favourite. Choose something that has a bit of chew and can hold up to the juicy burger. You can select fancy brioche rolls, or simple kaiser style rolls, the choice is yours.

You will also want something to top your burgers. Do you like to keep it simple, or do you like to load them up? Some suggestions are:

• Shredded lettuce
• Sliced tomato
• Sliced or sautéed onions
• Sautéed mushrooms
• Burger sauce
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Relish

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

The best part about skillet cheeseburgers is that they are quick and require minimal cookware.

You will need a good, heavy cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet a heavy bottom non-stick skillet will do.

• Place the skillet on the stove on medium-high heat (a 12 inch skillet is perfect for 4 burgers)
• Form the beef into 4 large meatballs.
• As soon as the skillet is hot, drop the meat balls into the skillet leaving plenty of room around them.
• Now smash the meatballs flat with a spatula. The flatter you smash them, the quicker they cook.
• After smashing the patties, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Pro-Tip – Make sure the skillet is sizzling hot before you add the burgers. Not only will this help get a nice sear, but it will help ensure the burgers don’t stick to the pan.

• Allow to cook for about 4 minutes, then flip the patties and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.
• Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the cheese and place a lid on the pan.
• Cook for 1-2 minutes longer, until cheese is melted and then serve.

What to serve with skillet cheeseburgers

There are so many great options to serve with cheeseburgers.

If I’m in a real hurry, I might just toss some frozen french fries in the air fryer as they only take about 15 minutes to cook.

Other frequent choices are a simple Caesar salad or garden salad.

If you are looking for a more substantial side, some great choices to try are:
Bacon parmesan pasta salad
Roasted rosemary potatoes
Air fryer tater tots
Corn and Black bean salsa with some tortilla chips (this salsa also tastes great on top of burgers!)

Of course, there is also nothing wrong with eating these cheeseburgers all on their own, especially if you’ve loaded them up with toppings. Don’t forget the homemade burger sauce!

FAQS

More Quick Meals

Recipe

This post was originally published in 2019. It has been updated for content and user experience.

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