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Home Recipes by Type Sandwiches, Burgers & Wraps
AF Air Fryer 30 30 Minutes or Less GF Gluten-Free DF Dairy-Free FF Freezer Friendly

Air Fryer Burgers

5
/5
20 mins
4 Comments
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 03/14/2022Updated: 10/10/2022

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Burger, text overlay reads "air fryer burgers."
Burger, text overlay reads "air fryer burgers."
Burger, text overlay reads "air fryer burgers, so good!"
Burger, text overlay reads "air fryer hamburgers, so good!"

Looking for an easy way to make burgers especially when it isn’t grilling season? Try air fryer burgers! You may be surprised at how well they turn out.

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Juicy on the inside with a nice “crust” on the outside, and perfectly seasoned, an air fryer burger is just what a burger should be.

How long it takes: just 10 minutes in the air fryer
Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, air fryer,
Servings: 4 burgers

Close up of thick, juicy air fryer hamburger on a sesame seed bun.
Table of Contents
open
  • 1 Recipe Overview
  • 2 About these Burgers
  • 3 What you’ll need
  • 4 Buying an Air Fryer
  • 5 How to make Burgers in An Air Fryer
  • 6 FAQs
  • 7 Make It Your Own
  • 8 Make Ahead Ideas
  • 9 Storage & Reheating Suggestions
  • 10 Leftover Love
  • 11 More Burger Ideas
  • 12 Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Burgers

We all love a perfectly grilled burger on a big bun with all the fixings, right? The problem is that it isn’t always grilling season. Here in Michigan, grilling is pretty much out of the question for at least five months of the year unless you’re a hearty soul who doesn’t mind standing in the snow while you grill.

We don’t really care for pan-fried burgers. They just aren’t the same. We pretty much give up burgers during the cold winter months and consider them summer fare or a restaurant treat. It’s something you resign yourself to.

However, once again our friend the air fryer has come to the rescue! I really love this kitchen appliance. It’s amazing how well an air fryer hamburger turns out. They are juicy on the inside with just the right “crust” on the outside. It may revolutionize your winter menu!

I don’t know why I would be surprised. We use our air fryer for so much of our cooking now, from homemade French fries to salmon to zucchini chips to baked potatoes. Why not hamburgers? It’s quick and easy. Clean-up is a snap.

About these Burgers

These burgers are seasoned before they are cooked. The seasonings are mixed right into the meat so the flavor isn’t only on the outside of the burger. That’s one of the reasons they’re so tasty.

Many of you may have your own ideas about how to season burgers. Feel free to make it your own. This is just a guideline to get you started.

Burger on a sesame seed bun with pickles, tomato, onion, and lettuce.

Keep reading for the how-to’s or skip on down to the printable recipe card. It has complete instructions and nutrition information.

What you’ll need

  • Lean Ground Beef: We tested this recipe with lean ground beef (85/15) and extra lean ground beef (92/8). There was no discernible difference in taste between the two, so choose what you like best.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Mixing this sauce into the ground beef adds lots of flavor. It’s made from vinegar, molasses, anchovies, garlic, tamarind extract, chili pepper extract, sugar, salt and additional undisclosed items. Some brands are gluten-free but always read the label if that’s a concern.
  • Garlic Powder: Be sure to use garlic powder and not garlic salt. If you only have garlic salt, don’t add any extra salt. If you prefer, add a clove of minced or pressed garlic instead.
  • Onion Powder: Same here, don’t confuse onion powder and onion salt.
  • Salt and Pepper: Add salt and pepper to taste!
Ingredients needed to make air fryer hamburgers.
air fryer product image

Buying an Air Fryer

Don’t have an air fryer yet? There are lots to choose from and it can be difficult to decide which one to buy.  This is the air fryer we have for my family of 4. I’ve tried three and I love this one!

Buy on Amazon

How to make Burgers in An Air Fryer

It’s pretty easy. Add the ground beef to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Burger ingredients not yet mixed.

Mix everything together. Try not to go crazy here. Just lightly blend the mixture together. Your fingers are the best tool for this.

Ingredients being mixed by hand.

Okay, now that you have hamburger all over your hands, divide the meat into four even portions and make the patties. They should be about a half inch thick.

Burger being formed by hand.

Make a small indentation in the centers with your thumb or a spoon. That helps the burgers get done more evenly.

Spoon pressing an indentation in the center of raw burger.

Place the burgers on the grate in your air fryer. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water. Do I sound like your mother? Sorry.

Raw burgers in an air fryer.

Set your air fryer to “Air Fry” or 380ºF. After 7 minutes, open the air fryer and flip the burgers. Continue cooking for three to five minutes. Check the burgers for doneness.

Burgers being flipped.

For a well-done hamburger, the internal temperature should be 160ºF according to the USDA. There won’t be any pink in the center. The burger will continue to cook a bit after you take it out so if the internal temperature is 150ºF or above, it should be okay.

If you like cheeseburgers, immediately add a thin slice of cheese to each burger. Put them back into the air fryer for a minute or less. The residual heat will melt the cheese quickly.

Burger with cheese.

Serve the burgers on warm toasted buns with the toppings you like. Burgers go great with creamy potato salad or coleslaw. We really like broccoli salad or baked beans, too.

FAQs

Do you need to preheat an air fryer?

Air fryers heat up so quickly! I find that there’s not much need to preheat it.

Are burgers healthier in an air fryer?

Air fryer burgers are healthier than fried burgers because the excess grease drips through the grates and is discarded.
Air fryer burgers may be healthier than grilled burgers, too. Grilled burgers can have carcinogens caused by the interaction between the fat and the high temperatures. Some types of charcoals may contain harmful substances as well. For more information, check out what Healthline has to say.

Make It Your Own

  • Like I mentioned above, seasoning the hamburger is a great way to personalize your burgers. Add chili powder, Italian seasoning, ketchup, or whatever you like. Stir in dry onion soup mix. Increase the garlic or omit it. If you’re more of a purist, stick to salt and pepper.
  • Buns: A good quality bun can make all the difference. Butter the bun and toast it briefly for a really great burger. You can toast them in the air fryer if you like.
  • Add cheese! Most any type of cheese goes well on a burger. Simply add a slice to the cooked burger and put it back into the air fryer to melt it.
  • Toppings: Be creative with toppings. Add homemade guacamole, Thousand Island dressing, or fry sauce (it’s like the secret sauce on a Big Mac). Dress up your burgers with caramelized onions and blue cheese. Make it a bacon and cheddar burger with BBQ sauce.
  • Not a fan of beef? Keep reading for recipes for turkey burgers and black bean burgers, too.
Overhead view of open faced burger.

Make Ahead Ideas

It’s easy to make the burger patties ahead of time and refrigerate them up to a day in advance. Put the pre-made hamburger patties on a plate and wrap them with plastic wrap. You’ll be able to have dinner on the table in no time.

The burger patties can be frozen, too, for up 3 months. Store them in a freezer-safe container or bag with waxed paper in between layers. Frozen patties can go right from the freezer to the air fryer but they will take a bit longer to cook.

Storage & Reheating Suggestions

Leftover cooked hamburger patties will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days or in the freezer for up to four months as long as they are wrapped securely. For best results, frozen cooked patties should be thawed in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

To reheat, put the patties into the air fryer for a few minutes until heated through. They can be warmed up in a skillet or in the microwave, too. Don’t overheat them because they may get too dry.

Leftover Love

If you happen to have a few leftover cooked burgers that you don’t know what to do with, crumble or chop them up and add them to chili, spaghetti sauce, or sloppy Joe mix.

Burger with air fryer in background.

More Burger Ideas

Black Bean Burgers

Taco Turkey Burger Recipe – with video

The Best Easy Turkey Burgers

Pizza Burgers (turkey burgers)

Browse All Sandwiches

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Burgers

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Looking for an easy way to make burgers especially when it isn't grilling season? Try air fryer burgers! You may be surprised at how well they turn out.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and onion powder until well mixed but not overmixed (your hands work great for this!).
  • Form beef mixture into 4 even patties (about 1/2-inch thick), and make a slight indentation in the middle of each burger.
  • Place in air fryer basket and set temperature to 380ºF. Cook for 7 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. When fully cooked, internal temperature of burgers should be 160ºF for a well done burger (see note). Burgers will continue to cook after they are removed from the air fryer so if they are 150ºF to 155ºF, you can take them out. Don't overcook the burgers or they'll get too dry.
  • If desired, add a slice of cheese when burgers have finished cooking, return to air fryer and let the residual heat melt the cheese (should take a minute or less).

Notes

  • We tested the recipe with both 85% lean and 92% lean ground beef and found them to be very similar. Choose what you like best! Nutrition information is based on 85% lean ground beef.
  • Use a quick read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your burgers in the thickest middle part of the patty. Air fryers vary and cooking time also varies depending on the thickness of the hamburger patties, so checking the internal temperature of the hamburgers is the best way to ensure they’re cooked perfectly.
  • For frozen patties, increase cooking time. Cook for 9 minutes, flip, and continue to cook for 6-9 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160ºF.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1burger, Calories: 249kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 77mg, Sodium: 408mg, Potassium: 376mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 4IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 3mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
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  1. denise says

    March 14, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    I might have to try this.

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      March 16, 2022 at 12:13 pm

      I hope you do! Let me know what you think!

      Reply
  2. Tia says

    March 14, 2022 at 12:31 pm

    5 stars
    We loved the recipe! I could not believe how fast they cooked and how juicy they were! This is on our weeknight meal rotation! Thanks for such a fabulous recipe!

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      March 16, 2022 at 12:14 pm

      So glad you liked them! I love how easy they are too!

      Reply

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