Beyond Ketchup and Mustard: Creative Burger Toppings and Flavor Swaps

Burger toppings like lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and condiments like ketchup and mustard continue to endure as diner favorites for steakburgers and many other types of burgers. However, these familiar additions are not the only tasty possibilities for flavorful combinations and maybe even some more unique burger creations.

● Alternatives to and variations on popular burger toppings

● Tips for combining burger toppings

● Tasty burger combinations featuring some of the recommended swaps

Below, learn more about other burger toppings to consider, tips for topping selection and burgers featuring tasty topping combinations on the Freddy’s menu.

Flavorful Swaps for Familiar Burger Toppings and Condiments

To utilize seasonal ingredients, explore new flavors and textural combinations or find a quick fix for that empty mayonnaise container, you may be interested in possible swaps for your usual burger toppings and condiments. Below, you’ll find different ways to prepare the listed item or recommendations for complete substitutions and why they might be worth trying. Plus, you’ll also discover a few ways to incorporate yet another popular burger topping, crispy bacon, in combination with some of the selections below.

Ketchup

As emphasized in the guide to ketchup substitutes at Tasting Table, similarly flavorful swaps may already be available in your refrigerator or possible to make with what you have on hand. Choices like salsa and marinara sauce may easily come to mind. By choosing one of these options, you may also adjust other burger toppings. From fried mozzarella or pepper jack cheese to fresh basil or avocado slices, other topping swaps may be inspired by your choice of ketchup substitute. Alternatively, even just one ketchup alternative alone may be enough to enhance the flavor profile of the entire burger, as with the savory tomato spread on the Grilled Cheese Steakburger at Freddy’s.

Yellow Mustard

For some burger enthusiasts, there is only one choice of mustard to pair with a burger: yellow mustard. With its vibrant color and acidic tang, it provides a welcome contrast to the rich, earthiness of many burgers. Swapping in another type of mustard can further expand the flavor spectrum this condiment offers. For example, some mustards feature honey and maple, which shift the tartness toward the sweeter side. Mustards can also offer heat, greater creaminess or even some texture, as in whole grain mustard.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise offers a cool, creamy layer to a burger. One common swap is aioli, which provides a similar creaminess but a more notable, typically garlic-forward flavor. Alternatively, bacon fans might appreciate a bacon mayonnaise recipe like this one from The Kitchn, which incorporates both crispy bacon and the fat produced by cooking it. Specialty burger sauces are yet another way to incorporate a layer of rich, creamy deliciousness to your burger. Instead of deciding between mustard vs. mayo (or any other condiment) on a burger, these familiar favorites are often combined into a single craveable condiment. For steakburgers and as a dipping sauce, Freddy’s Famous Fry Sauces® are creamy, tasty sauces available in three varieties, including smoky and spicy.

Beyond mayonnaise and its variations, you can achieve similarly rich, decadent layers in other ways. For example, instead of using eggs in mayonnaise, you can fry them and serve them on top of a burger. As noted at America’s Test Kitchen, adding an egg is one way to elevate the burger as a whole. A runny yolk adds a saucy element, while the egg also adds a unique visual and textural layer. Not an egg fan? Try sliced avocado or guacamole as a luscious, almost buttery burger topping.

Pickles

Crunchy and tangy or slightly sweet, pickled cucumber slices are often served on top of burgers. This type of pickle, however, isn’t the only one that can make a flavorful impact. Options like carrots, radishes, jalapeños and onions also bring a refreshing crispness and their own unique flavor when pickled. Another pickle variation is fried pickles, which offers a different approach to the usual crunchiness and acidity.

Relish

As with pickle slices, cucumbers are often the star of green relish, which is frequently featured on burgers. However, you can make many other types of produce into a relish. From burger classics like tomatoes and onions to other fruits and vegetables such as cranberries, peaches and corn, the possibilities for this condiment are vast and may even be a way to infuse global flavors into any dish, as noted at Taste of Home. Additionally, as evident in the relish recipe collection from Food & Wine, certain relishes can also serve a vehicle for bringing some spicy heat to a burger, such as the included recipe with habanero peppers and pineapple.

Green Lettuce

Green lettuces like iceberg and romaine are often considered some of the best lettuces for burgers. Red lettuces, peppery arugula and tender spinach are some alternatives to these toppings. Marinated kale, tangy cabbage slaw and sautéed chard are other delicious swaps for green lettuce. For a condiment that brings herbaceousness as well as garlic flavor and perhaps some nuttiness, pesto can be made with basil, arugula or even pea tendrils. In addition to a spectrum of flavors depending on the ingredients used in its preparation, it also brings vibrant color and a unique textural component to a burger. This Allrecipes pesto recipe uses both spinach and basil.

Sliced Red Tomato

Some of the same ketchup swaps, like salsa, can also deliver a similarly fresh, sweet-and-tart flavor, as is typical of tomato slices. Grilling tomatoes is another variation on raw tomato slices, which can provide layers of smokiness to this burger topping. Another option is fried tomatoes, which add tomato flavor and a crunchy texture.

Beyond different tomato preparations, consider swapping the usual red tomato on a burger for other tomato varieties. This guide from The Spruce Eats reviews tomatoes in assorted colors and the flavors you can expect from each one.

Raw Onion Rings

While raw rings and discs of white onion are popular for burgers or DIY burger bars, they are not the only type of onion out there, as Epicurious explores. From the more familiar red onion to the wild and delicate ramp, you can use a variety of onions and prepare them in many ways.

Many varieties can be grilled, caramelized, fried and pickled. You can also incorporate onions into various condiments. For example, if you are already a fan of the sweetness and more complex onion flavor achieved through caramelizing them, not to mention the crispy bacon on your burger, then you might enjoy a condiment like bacon jam, one recipe for which is available at Simply Recipes.

American Cheese

Since it melts well, American cheese is often credited as one of the best cheeses for burgers. However, as discussed at Food & Wine, it is certainly not the only cheese with this quality. It is also not the most flavorful cheese. In addition to the range of many other cheese possibilities like pepper jack, Gouda or brie, cheese spreads like the Fat Tire Beer Cheese used in Freddy’s Pretzel Bacon BBQ Steakburger and cheese sauces are other options. As shared at Saveur, pimento cheese is another example of a cheese spread often used to top burgers.

Tips for Combining Burger Toppings

To build a tasty burger, think not only about what each topping offers but also how the choices work together. For both flavor and texture, embracing variety helps, as Serious Eats explains. As one illustration, you might include a topping that is crunchy like a fried green tomato or a pickled component, as well as one that may be gooey like cheese. Similarly, combine a topping that is on the sweeter side like caramelized onions with something tart or peppery, such as arugula. Another important consideration is how to ensure each bite of burger includes the benefits of all the toppings. For example, too many loose or wet toppings may just fall off of the burger. Instead, consider how toppings and other components can be selected and arranged to stay intact.

Freddy’s Tastiest Burger Topping Combinations

The Freddy’s menu is filled with delicious steakburgers. Many of our steakburgers showcase why certain combinations of toppings and condiments have become such classics. However, several of our current and limited-time features also highlight how even a single swap can elevate the burger experience. Below, find out more about four tasty burger topping combinations to try at Freddy’s.

1. Caramelized Onions + Smoky Sauce

With two steakburger patties, melted sharp cheddar cheese and crispy Applewood bacon, the Smoky Bacon Cheddar Stack includes savory, creamy and salty elements. Caramelized onions add extra sweetness to this warm, comforting combination, echoed in the choice of a butter-toasted King’s Hawaiian Bun. Like the complex flavor of this onion preparation, Freddy’s Famous Smoky Fry Sauce® adds another layer of creaminess and depth to this bold burger combination.

2. Pepper Jack Cheese + Fire-Roasted Jalapeños

While some burger topping combinations balance freshness, creaminess, and acidity, others focus on a single goal to amp up the spice level. The Jalapeño Pepper Jack Double uses pepper jack cheese and fire-roasted jalapeños, along with Freddy’s Spicy Jalapeño Fry Sauce®, to achieve this. However, each spicy topping does offer its own unique characteristics to the burger experience, such as the meltiness of the cheese, the creaminess of the sauce and the slightly charred yet tender peppers.

3. Garlic Aioli + Prime Rib

Crispy bacon and mayonnaise frequently appear on steakburgers, as well as chicken club sandwiches. Although the Prime Rib Steakburger doesn’t transform the bacon itself into another form, it does illustrate the potential of other meat and burger patty pairings. Instead of the crunchy texture and saltiness of bacon pieces, the thin-sliced prime rib stacked on this steakburger complements the smoky and savory flavors of the burger patties, grilled onions and the sautéed portobello mushrooms. Then, instead of the somewhat mild coolness of creamy mayonnaise, the garlic aioli offers a bolder flavor that can stand up to the many other rich flavors in this burger.

4. Customized Combinations

In addition to the current menu selections and limited-time offerings that include some less familiar burger toppings, guests can also create their own customized burger topping combinations. From condiments like a tomato spread, honey mustard and Thousand Island to toppings like sauerkraut and chili, some of the suggested swaps as well as the classic burger choices are available.

When making gourmet burgers at home or ordering steakburgers from Freddy’s, burger toppings contribute significantly to the experience. To save your favorite steakburgers and any customizations that you prefer, be sure to download the Freddy’s app today (on Google Play or the App Store)! If you’ve already joined Freddy’s Rewards, you can also track the points you earn with every order in the app and easily see when you have enough points for a FREE reward!