50 Creative Ways to Elevate Your Everyday Burger

• Put An Egg In It
• Wrap It Up In Bacon And Stuff With Guacamole
• Throw Some Teriyaki On It
• Spike It With Beer, Australian-Style
• Splurge On The Cheese
• Turn It Into Finger Food
• Top It With Caprese Salad
• Switch Out The Sesame Bun For Sourdough
• Make A Big Fat Greek Burger
• Make A Patty Melt
• Put A Southern Twist On It
• Spice Things Up With Chorizo
• Add Some Korean Zing
• Make It Sweet And Spicy
• French It Up
• Make A Jucy Lucy
• Fire It Up With Ghost Peppers
• Keep It Classy
• Infuse It With Red Wine
• Put A Hawaiian Twist On It
• Make It Brunch-Worthy
• Stuff It With Jalapeno Poppers
• Grill Your Veggies
• Give It A Tex-Mex Makeover
• Make Your Own Sauce
• Rub Your Burger With Coffee
• Make a Burger-Which
• Top With Pumpkin Spice
• Give It Vietnamese Flavors
• Make A CopyCat In-N-Out Burger
• Bake It
• Make a Pizza Burger Hybrid
• Experiment With Your Buns
• Sneak Some Tapenade In Your Patty
• Give It A Dose Of Umami
• Give It Some South American Flair
• Go Cajun
• Top With Pickled Veggies
• Keep It Fresh
• Mini-Size ‘Em
• Get Creative With It
• Crunch It Up
• Make A Frisky, Whiskey Burger
• Try Buffalo Instead Of Beef
• Use Not One, Not Two, But Three Different Meats
• Add Some Meaty Mushrooms To Your Meat
• Thai Things Up
• Stuff It With Mac & Cheese
• Go Bunless
• Give It A French Touch

Put An Egg In It

Yes, you read that right. We’re not talking about topping your burger with a fried egg. That’s old news. It’s time to start cooking your egg in the center of the patty, so you can enjoy oozing yolk and a soft egg-white center in every bite. Get the recipe here.

Wrap It Up In Bacon And Stuff With Guacamole

What better way to take the humble hamburger to another level than wrapping it in crispy bacon strips and stuffing it with fresh guacamole that oozes out in every bite? Get the recipe here.

Throw Some Teriyaki On It

Slathering your burger in Teriyaki sauce will take it from boring to lip-smacking good in an instant! This recipe combines the popular Asian stir-fry sauce with other yummy condiments: mayonnaise, garlic, strong Roquefort cheese or creamy Brie, Japanese cucumbers and scallions.

Spike It With Beer, Australian-Style

Australians are known for their good-natured rowdiness. So why not make a rowdy burger in the style of the land down under? This recipe infuses your regular ol’ meat patty with beer, then tops it with bacon, caramelized pineapple, cheese, onion rings, tomatoes, beetroot and an egg cooked sunny-side up.

Splurge On The Cheese

When you want to take a break from processed American cheese slices (although they have excellent melting properties), go for a crumbly goat cheese instead. And while you’re at it, slather some pesto on the buns. The tangy combination will really take your everyday burger up a notch. Get the recipe here.

Turn It Into Finger Food

You don’t always have to go the traditional route to get that delicious hamburger flavor you love. Opt instead for these incredible bacon cheeseburger bombs, made with a can of Pillsbury biscuits stuffed with ground beef and cheese. Serve with sliced gherkins as a tangy garnish. Get the recipe here.

Top It With Caprese Salad

Can’t decide between a burger or a salad? This recipe for a Caprese Burger is the perfect compromise. Stacked up high with artichoke pesto sauce, red wine-spiked beef patties, romaine lettuce, fresh tomato, fresh basil and balsamic glaze, you get the best of both worlds in one yummy meal!

Switch Out The Sesame Bun For Sourdough

Be a real burger rebel, and try switching out the bun for thick slices of fresh toasted sourdough bread. This recipe is kind of like a patty melt but made with unctuous brie cheese and garnished with cooked green onions.

Make A Big Fat Greek Burger

For a refreshing change from the classic American formula, try adding Mediterranean flavors to your burger with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, feta, arugula and homemade Tzatziki sauce. Get the recipe here.

Make A Patty Melt

If you don’t feel like making a big fancy gourmet burger, turn to the patty melt. Buttery beef patties sandwiched with melted cheese and caramelized onions between buttered slices of rye bread—it doesn’t get much simpler than that, and the flavor is utterly satisfying. Get the recipe here.

Put A Southern Twist On It

Sometimes all you need to do for inspiration is look to different regional specialties. Fried green tomatoes are a distinctly southern food that add an interesting crunch and sweetness to plain hamburgers, and they’re super easy to make (just gotta get your hands on some). Try this tasty recipe.

Spice Things Up With Chorizo

If you like your burgers spicy, adding in a bit of fresh chorizo to the patty mixture adds instant zing and extra flavor. This recipe does just that and throws in some shredded Cheddar for good measure. With such a meaty, juicy base, you only need the classic garnishes to complement it.

Add Some Korean Zing

Dress up your seasoned  burger patty in a sticky, sweet, spicy Korean BBQ sauce and top it off with homemade kimchi slaw on a buttery brioche bun for an Asian-style burger that will knock your socks off. Get the recipe here.

Make It Sweet And Spicy

Though most commonly consumed as a savory food, bacon is just as delicious when it’s candied. This mouthwatering recipe takes it up a notch by first coating the bacon in Sriracha and then brown sugar. Used as a burger topping with Sriracha BBQ sauce and brie cheese, it’ll tickle all your senses in delicious ways.

French It Up

French Onion Soup is phenomenal topping inspiration for a meaty burger. Caramelized onions, sliced gruyère and a mustardy-mayo spread are all you need to get the key flavor components of the classic French soup. Get the rich and delicious recipe here.

Make A Jucy Lucy

Cheese makes everything taste better, especially burgers. But instead of the same old drill of melting the cheese on top of your burger, we strongly suggest stuffing your burger with cheese instead. That’s also known as a “Jucy Lucy,” claimed to be a Minnesota invention. Get the recipe here.

Fire It Up With Ghost Peppers

If the kick of chorizo isn’t enough to satisfy your spice cravings, then it’s time to take things to the next level. This fiery recipe incorporates the infamous ghost pepper into a mustard-aioli sauce that gets slathered onto an equally spicy pork burger (made with more peppers). This one is definitely not for the faint of heat, so make sure you’re up to the challenge of eating it.

Keep It Classy

Classy burgers are ever-popular right now, with gourmet ingredients being piled up onto juicy beef patties the world over. Try this one, topped with bourbon caramelized onions, creamy goat cheese, and sweet fig jam. Classy, understated and delicious! Get the recipe here.

Infuse It With Red Wine

Red wine is great for drinking, but it also makes one heck of a flavoring ingredient, especially in your burger. Best choose a full-bodied red to make these burgers with caramelized onions and shitaki mushrooms on top, so you can be sure the meat provides a richly flavored base. Get the recipe here.

Put A Hawaiian Twist On It

For an Aloha-worthy burger experience, grill pineapple rings, then pile them onto a Swiss-cheese smothered beef burger, and serve with a spicy homemade Sriracha mayonnaise. The only other thing you’ll need is a breezy cocktail to wash it all down. Get the recipe here.

Make It Brunch-Worthy

Who says you can’t have burgers for brunch? And once you brunch-ify your burger like this, you might never go back. Two juicy beef burger patties are stacked on a toasted English muffin with cheese, smoky bacon, a runny egg, avocado and all the usual condiments. It’s really what brunch dreams are made of. Get the recipe here.

Stuff It With Jalapeno Poppers

Jalapeno poppers are delicious enough on their own, but stuff them into the middle of your burger patty before cooking, and a spicy, cheesy surprise awaits. Get the recipe here.

Grill Your Veggies

Grilling your veggie garnishes is a great way to add some charred flavor to your burger and also soften the sharpness of certain ingredients, such as onions. This recipe shows you how to do it easy peasy!

Give It A Tex-Mex Makeover

No need to buy a store-bought spice packet if you’ve got a well-stocked spice cabinet at home. Throw together a quick taco rub to flavor your burger, and you’ll have a fiesta-worthy meal with practically no effort. Get the recipe here.

Make Your Own Sauce

Making your own condiments is so easy and totally worth the unbeatable flavor outcome they provide. Try this recipe for smoky beer burgers with Gouda and homemade mustard-horseradish aioli.

Rub Your Burger With Coffee

Bet you never considered this one before. Adding a spiced coffee rub to your burgers lends a deep, rich flavor, as it gets encrusted on the meat. It might not give you a caffeine kick, but it will certainly awaken your taste buds, so give this super tasty recipe a try.

Make a Burger-Which

We know how it is—sometimes you’re so hungry you could eat a horse. For a burger that goes above and beyond your hunger, try this one, topped with a reuben sandwich (minus the rye bread). As long as you keep your patty reasonably thin, it’s the perfect accompaniment to thinly sliced pastrami, Canadian bacon, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. Get the recipe here.

Top With Pumpkin Spice

Now, pumpkin spice fiends can take their obsession a step further with this legendary recipe. It calls for topping your burger with pumpkin spice aioli and maple bacon. What are you waiting for?

Give It Vietnamese Flavors

Banh mi is a popular Vietnamese street food, served in a baguette with plenty of fresh, sliced pickled veggies, some kind of meat (often pork) and sometimes spicy garnishes. So why not transfer these crisp, yummy toppings to a plain hamburger for some irresistible Vietnamese flair? Get the recipe here.

Make A CopyCat In-N-Out Burger

How great would it be if you could have In-N-Out’s Double-Double Animal-style burger any time you wanted? Thanks to this spot-on copycat recipe, you can! Don’t be afraid to imitate your fast food burger faves at home.

Bake It

For those times when you’re feeling super lazy but still want to enjoy the taste of an awesome burger, turn to your trusty oven. Place your patties on the wire rack, roast ’em up for 15 minutes, and use a thermometer to check for the desired doneness. Don’t forget to add cheese! Get the recipe here.

Make a Pizza Burger Hybrid

For a fun Italian-style take on the classic burger, replace ground beef with Italian sausage, and build it up with traditional pizza toppings, such as Mozzarella, green peppers and onions and prepared spaghetti sauce. Get the recipe here.

Experiment With Your Buns

Pretzel buns are the perfect bed for a juicy burger, thanks to their chewy, sturdy yet puffy texture. They absorb sauces and condiments well without turning into a soggy mess, and when used in hearty recipes like this German-style mushroom, ham and Swiss burger, they prove there is no better match.

Sneak Some Tapenade In Your Patty

Most recipes use sauces and spreads on top of the burger, but this one calls for mixing up your ground chuck with some black olive tapenade. It’s a quick and efficient way of spreading some tangy flavor throughout your burger patty, without having to load up on the toppings. Get the recipe here.

Give It A Dose Of Umami

You probably won’t be able to describe this umami burger because that’s what umami is—indescribable. It’s that elusive “fifth taste” that leans toward the savory and renders any food irresistible. This recipe incorporates chili peppers, tamari, pepperjack cheese and your burger on a Hawaiian burger roll slathered with garlic mayonnaise.

Give It Some South American Flair

Chimichurri is a popular South American condiment, often used in Argentinian or Uruguayan cuisine. Used as a burger topping, it immediately adds a delicious fresh and flavorful dimension to an otherwise banal meat patty. Get the recipe here.

Go Cajun

There’s nothing like a hit of Cajun flavor to pep up your burger game. This tantalizing recipe uses a sauce rather than the usual spice rub to shake things up.

Top With Pickled Veggies

This Korean-inspired burger is topped with vibrant pickled radishes and red onions for a refreshing touch of acidity and crunchy texture. Try it the next time you’re tired of your regular pickles, tomatoes and onions. Get the recipe here.

Keep It Fresh

Fruit is a wonderfully sweet and healthy addition to your regular burger toppings. Try incorporating diced mango with the savory flavors of tomatoes, onions and cilantro and the sweet, creaminess of avocado for a dynamite combination. Get the recipe here.

Mini-Size ‘Em

These mini burgers are easy to make and adorable serving alternatives to regular hamburgers when you’ve got plenty of mouths to feed or want to please your kids. Get our full step-by-step recipe here.

Get Creative With It

Sometimes you just have to be adventurous with your burgers, and it isn’t always easy. Fried ramen noodles in place of your beloved fluffy bun? The crunchy exterior is pleasantly surprising, but we’ll let you be the judge with this recipe.

Crunch It Up

Nothing adds crunch to a burger like a pile of crispy onion strings. You don’t need to buy the store-bought kind either. This easy recipe has them ready in less than 30 minutes, burger included!

Make A Frisky, Whiskey Burger

Give your burgers a bold upgrade with a sticky, tangy whiskey sauce that gets poured on at the end. It’s got both sweet and savory elements, such as ketchup, soy sauce, honey, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, in addition to the whiskey of course. This recipe combines that deliciousness with beer cheese sauce and crispy onions for a wow-worthy, made-for-adults burger.

Try Buffalo Instead Of Beef

If you’ve never tried bison (also known as buffalo), now is the time. It’s like really lean beef but leaner, and that means it also cooks up more quickly. It also has slightly more protein with less fat and calories.  Perfect for the burger-lover who’s trying watch his or her figure! Try this delicious homemade bison burger to get your fix.

Use Not One, Not Two, But Three Different Meats

Ok ok, we know we said always use ground chuck for the juiciest, most flavorful burgers, but if you’re a real meat-lover, try this tri-meaty concoction made with ground beef chuck, ground boneless beef short rib and ground bacon. You can even chop them all up in your food processor, if you don’t have a grinding apparatus. Get the recipe here.

Add Some Meaty Mushrooms To Your Meat

This one’s for mushroom fanatics. It’s made with hand-packed beef patties enhanced with the addition of dried mushroom powder and topped with meaty shiitake mushrooms to boot. Get the recipe here.

Thai Things Up

Add exotic flavors to your burger for a refreshing Asian-American mashup with this simple yet tasty recipe. It’s made with a ground beef patty, combined with soy sauce, lemongrass paste and basil that gets topped with a quick sweet chili aioli and cool pineapple salsa. Perfect for satisfying your burger cravings in a unique way.

Stuff It With Mac & Cheese

Don’t be deterred by this seemingly outrageous creation. It might be a monster of a burger, but somehow the cheesy macaroni complements the ground beef burger in a surprisingly delicious way. Get the recipe here.

Go Bunless

Can’t have the carbs? Go bun-less then. This simple and healthy recipe for lettuce-wrapped burgers proves that less is more, and you can even go back for seconds without the guilt. It also means you can focus more on the meat, whose flavor sometimes gets muffled when your bun takes up half of the meal.

Give It A French Touch

The French, who are renowned for their fine cooking skills, are actually major fans of American-style burgers. But they still like to use high-quality, refined ingredients in their dishes. Try this bistro-style burger made with sauteed mushrooms, arugula and dijon aioli any time you need a sophisticated upgrade. Get the recipe here.

Hungry for more? Here are 50 secrets to the best burgers.