Make These 20 Easy Hamburger Recipes Because, Let’s Face It, 90% of the Time What You Really Want Is a Burger

Sink your teeth into a delicious restaurant-style, hamburger recipe made from lean beef. Skip the prepackaged patties and take the extra time to craft up your own, and that little extra effort will be worth it.

To make cheeseburgers, about 1 minute before burgers are done, top with sliced cheese; continue cooking until cheese begins to melt.

This recipe works equally well on both gas and charcoal grills. For more great grilling tools, including the always excellent Lodge cast iron skillet, check out this roundup of Sunset favorites.

This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “Make These 20 Easy Hamburger Recipes Because, Let’s Face It, 90% of the Time What You Really Want Is a Burger.”

At Umami Burger restaurants across the U.S., these juicy, full-flavored, mildly spicy burgers are seasoned with Umami Dust and Umami Master Sauce. Soy sauce makes a good substitute! Whip these up when you’re looking for a classic burger with an added bite. The sauce, made of roasted green chiles and mayo, will become your go-to sandwich spread from here on out.

Earthy and rich, these fabulous burgers were created by Susan Herrmann Loomis, an American who runs the On Rue Tatin cooking school in Normandy. The recipe is adapted from one in her book, French Grill: 125 Refined & Rustic Recipes, a collection of recipes and tips perfect for us Western cooks, too.

Tyler Florence’s burgers are extra juicy and flavorful because they’re made with brisket, but chuck works too (don’t use extra-lean meat or the burgers will be dry). The toppings are what set this burger apart from your basic burger. With sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and horseradish mayo, this burger is bursting flavor with every bite.

These burgers are only quarter-pounders, but they look heftier because the meat is mixed with ground dried cherries (a powerful antioxidant) and a little bulgur. The seasonings and cheese take the cherries in a savory direction, keeping the burgers from being too sweet.

These lamb burgers are paired with a shredded potato pancake between its brioche bun, making fries unnecessary!

Arabic spices meet the Persian touch of pistachios in the kefta (skewered ground meat) at Mamnoon in Seattle, where the food combines the owners’ Syrian, Lebanese, and Persian heritage with chef Garrett Melkonian’s Armenian background. We opted for an easier version: burgers.

These juicy burgers are a nice alternative to hamburgers. Roasted piquillo peppers add a sweet, clean taste to the burgers, but you can use regular roasted red peppers instead. If you’re serving the burgers with the deep-fried french fries, undercook the burgers slightly and keep them warm in a low oven while you cook the fries for the second time.

Add Mediterranean flavor to your burgers by adding feta cheese, oregano, rosemary, and lemon zest into ground lamb. Then spread a kalamata olive paste onto the buns to add brightness and extra flavor.

Serve up a delicious lamb sandwich to your hungry crew this weekend. The unique blend of flavors makes this lamb sandwich recipe memorable, and indulgent!

Pile up your favorite veggie burger patties with lots of vegetables, homemade hummus and slaw, and tuck the works into lettuce “buns.” Use extra hummus as a dip for vegetables or as a sandwich spread.

Jeremy Wolf never makes these tofu burgers the same way twice, but he always seasons them with Dijon mustard and soy sauce. He serves them on toasted artisan-style bread with spinach leaves, sliced tomato, and more mustard.

Scared to try a veggie burger? This one will make you a believer. Packed with lentils and healthy veggies, we promise you will never even miss the meat.

The hearty portabella mushroom is reminiscent of a classic beef burger due to how it chars on the outside and stays moist on the inside. Add spices and herbs to the outside of the mushroom cap for added flavor, and for more convenience buy them pre-trimmed.

We’ve given the veggie burger a serious upgrade, with browned mushrooms, nuts, and spices in the shredded zucchini patties, and raw zucchini ribbons on top for freshness. Double or triple the recipe and stick the extras in the freezer for convenient future use!

Chiles spice up these burgers three ways: grilled and placed atop the patty, in the pepper jack cheese, and in the chipotle mayo. If you have access to fresh Hatch chiles from New Mexico, which are meaty and full-flavored, by all means use them, but feel free to substitute readily available Anaheims or use canned chiles.

Seafood bounty meets the Northwest’s growing artisanal pickle trend and a fresh herb salad in these burgers. You can find ready-made crabcakes at the deli section in most grocery stores and sometimes in the freezer case, or make your own. Salmon cakes also work well here.

Grilled sweet and salty Spam and pineapple and Maui onion make these pork burgers a standout. If you can’t find Hawaiian sandwich rolls, cut thick slices of Hawaiian sweet bread from a loaf. Serve with classic macaroni salad and any drink with an umbrella.

Follow the recipe to make your own kimchi, or take a shortcut and use the condiment ready-made from the store. Pair the burgers with a beer with balanced malt and hops like Saigon Export.

These burgers get a distinctive tang from giardiniera, an Italian mix of pickled vegetables. If you can’t find it at the store, chop up olives and pickles instead.

The best potato-frying technique we tried was this one, by the famous French chef Joël Robuchon. The low-heat method takes a little time, but will give you very crunchy fries.

If you’re more into chips than fries, these crispy chips made from Yukon gold potatoes will become your new favorite side for any burger or sandwich.

These pickles are super easy and can be enjoyed the next day and stored for up to a month. The simple brine can be used for any sturdy vegetable you can get your hands on.

With a medley of flavors reminiscent of Thousand Island dressing, this slaw is just as good on its own as it is smothering the classic Western burger.