Different Types of Burgers to Enjoy This Summer and Throughout the Year

The prospect of cookouts and other outdoor gatherings often emerges as the warmer days start to arrive. Although the summer in particular can be a peak time for making different types of burgers, the preparation and enjoyment of this favorite food isn’t limited to a single season. To bring a little more variety to your burger game, you may be curious about the following topics:

● Common types of burgers

● Various burgers styles to try

● Tips for making craft burgers

● Different kinds of burgers available at the Freddy’s near you

Keep reading to learn more about the different types and styles of hamburgers, ways to create craft burgers, and tasty burger offerings available on the Freddy’s menu.

Types of Burgers

Especially with a classic dish like the burger, sticking to the same recipe, style or preparation often contributes to the comfort factor typically associated with this meal choice. However, if you want to refresh your menu or expand your offerings, here are five types of burgers to consider making this summer or any other time of year.

Beef Burgers

If you regularly make burgers at home, grabbing that package of ground beef with your preferred lean-to-fat ratio may be almost automatic when you go to the store. However, you might also consider experimenting with different ratios, premium beef cuts as often used in steakburger mixtures or a particular type of beef, such as Wagyu or Angus.

Turkey Burgers

As with beef burger patties, turkey burger patties usually feature ground turkey combined with various seasonings. For those who may begin the countdown to cooler weather or favorite fall flavors, embrace the spirit of those times by choosing a cranberry cheddar to melt onto this burger or use the spinach and artichoke dip that you always bring to family festivities as a creamy sauce. For individuals who aren’t fans of turkey, ground pork and ground chicken can also be used to make burger patties.

Seafood Burgers

Although many different types of fish grill up quickly and deliciously, many of these same options also work for making burgers, such as cod, tuna, and salmon. Shellfish can also be used for this purpose. For a little inspiration, Parade provides a list of over 25 recipes for different kinds of seafood burgers!

Veggie Burgers

Black beans and garbanzo beans frequently appear in recipes for this type of burger. Like beef burgers, veggie burgers can be quite hearty and work well with a variety of burger toppings. For a bean-based burger that is designed to hold up to grilling, you may be interested in a recipe like this one from Minimalist Baker. Other plant-based ingredients commonly used in veggie burgers include vegetables like beets and sweet potatoes, as well as various grains, nuts and mushrooms.

Types of Burger Styles to Try

Different kinds of burgers are often classified by the main ingredient in the patty, such as beef. Other aspects of their preparation can also be used to characterize burgers, such as the cooking method, the dominant flavor or the prominence of specialty toppings. The combination of these elements can also be reflective of how burgers are often served in a particular region. Below, find four ideas that you may want to try this year.

Grilled Burgers

Whether you plan to cook burgers outside for the first time or are an experienced grillmaster, these tips for grilling hamburgers may be helpful in your pursuit of burger excellence. In this guide, you’ll find a range of suggestions from how to achieve deliciously juicy patties to those secret ingredients that may just take the flavor or texture of your burger to the next level. You may also be interested in trying out this recommendation from Epicurious, which invites cooks to use a cast iron skillet on the grill instead of putting burgers directly on the grates.

Smash Burger

While grilling burgers imparts smoky flavor and potentially delivers those eye-catching marks often associated with this cooking method, you’ll want to use a flatter cooking surface such as a griddle for smash burgers. This type of burger often begins with a loosely formed ball of ground beef which is then smashed thinly with a metal spatula or a burger press, as explained at Natasha’s Kitchen. Smash burgers typically cook very quickly because they are so thin and are designed to achieve tasty, crispy edges. In choosing the ground beef for this burger, opting for a higher fat ratio (such as 80/20) is often recommended to help keep the inside juicy!

Stuffed Burger

In this burger style, what’s inside of the patty often matters even more than what’s stacked on top of it. As discussed in this recipe from The Kitchn, one example of a stuffed burger (also a popular regional burger style) is the Juicy Lucy. This particular type of burger features a burger patty that’s stuffed with cheese! For other ideas on how to impress yourself and your guests with stuffed burgers, you may want to explore this collection of recipes from Allrecipes.

Double or Triple

Burgers can also be defined simply by the number of patties that they include. Whether for extra indulgence or even more flavor, creating a burger with two or even three patties may result in an experience unlike you’ve ever had before. Thinner burger patties such as the steakburgers at Freddy’s work well for these types of burgers.

Tips for Making Craft Burgers

With craft burgers, the quality of the selected ingredients and the thoughtful approach to burger preparation are essential. While the components of craft burgers may offer a certain degree of luxury like gourmet burgers often do, the components of craft burgers may not be expensive or particularly rare or unusual. Instead, they stand out due to the care taken in making them. For example, creating a Wagyu beef burger for the patties as done by celebrated chefs or veggie burgers that incorporate locally-grown seasonal vegetables demonstrate two of many different ways for developing burger components that are designed to enhance the diner experience. Here are a few suggestions to consider if you plan to develop your own craft burgers:

1. Think about the burger bun, not just the patty. Instead of opting for your usual bag of plain buns, choose or bake the burger bun with a taste and texture that adds to the experience of your overall burger. For a burger patty that is rich, earthy and hearty, provide a little tasty contrast to it with a slightly sweet bun such as a brioche bun or a Hawaiian bun. A pretzel bun offers a combination of sweet and salty and a sturdy platform for one patty or more, stuffed patty preparations or multiple toppings. For craft burgers, sourcing buns from local bakeries or making your own, such as the pretzel buns in this recipe shared at King Arthur Baking Company, reflects extra effort in support of the freshness and flavor of your burger.

2. Try making your own condiments. Aside from the patties and buns, specialty sauces made on site can also distinguish craft burgers on restaurant menus. Therefore, creating your own condiments at home offers another opportunity to enhance your homemade burgers. Remember: the component doesn’t have to be novel to make an impact. Simply making it from scratch helps make it feel extra special and potentially be more potent in flavor! If you are looking for inspiration, consider building the burger based on your choice of sauce (like Freddy's Famous Fry Sauce®), as Serious Eats highlights.

3. Carefully curate your flavor combinations. For cookouts with many guests, hosts often present a wide selection of familiar condiments and toppings that work well for DIY burger construction. Either in addition to or in place of this approach (especially at smaller gatherings where you know each person’s preferences well), why not feature a craft burger? Then, you have more control over the burger design and how each component works together to create an incredible burger. For example, instead of your usual selection of lettuce for the burgers, provide a similarly refreshing but more flavorful choice, such as a zesty cabbage slaw or peppery arugula, to better correspond with your patty or other burger components.

Different Kinds of Burgers to Try at the Freddy’s Near You

At your local Freddy’s, you’ll find many different types of steakburgers to try, including special limited-time only creations like the BBQ Brisket Steakburger. As with our regular menu, our catering menu similarly features several different kinds of burgers in our individual lunches, as well as options such as the Deluxe Burger Bar that offers a build-your-own burger experience for approximately 10 diners. Keep reading to find out more about the burgers available at Freddy’s and, perhaps, some inspiration for your own homemade burgers!

Triple Steakburger

In addition to the crispy edges and juicy middle of our steakburger patties, these thinner patties also work well for stacking. Consequently, Freddy’s guests can dive into a Triple Steakburger with toppings of their choice, as well as single or double patty preparations. Whether you go for a menu item with one, two or three patties, you also have the option to enjoy your chosen steakburger as part of a combo meal!

Grilled Cheese Steakburger

This former limited-time only selection, now a regular option on our menu, combines our savory steakburgers with the craveable comfort of grilled cheese. In designing the Grilled Cheese Steakburger, we swapped the usual toasted bun for buttery Texas toast and familiar condiments for a special savory tomato spread. For National Cheese Day in June or the simple joy of these two dishes combined into one mouthwatering creation, don’t miss the opportunity to dive into this unique burger!

Pretzel Bacon BBQ Steakburger

A recurring limited-time only menu item, the Pretzel Bacon BBQ Steakburger includes burger components that are similar to other steakburgers, such as delicious steakburger patties with melted American cheese and crispy bacon, but then levels up with a few others. For example, the Fat Tire Beer Cheese adds yet another layer of richness and creaminess to this burger which provides a tasty contrast to the sweetness and smokiness of the bourbon BBQ sauce. The choice of a pretzel bun further reinforces the decadent balance between savory and sweet in this steakburger.

Jalapeño Pepper Jack Double

Maximizing flavor matters, so we not only carefully choose the ingredients to include in our more unique steakburgers but also utilize our own specialty seasoning and sauces to make them shine! While guests can select any of our three different sauces to customize their burger orders, the Jalapeño Pepper Jack Double specifically features Freddy’s Spicy Jalapeño Fry Sauce®. This sauce brings both a tangy and spicy element to this steakburger, which also includes two patties, pepper jack cheese, and fire-roasted jalapeños.

Veggie Burger

Celebrated by HuffPost as a favorite veggie option, Freddy’s Veggie Burger is a black bean-based burger. Like many of our other steakburgers, it can be served on a toasted bun or as a lettuce wrap. Tomato and onion slices, as well as crispy lettuce, provide a freshness, while Thousand Island and American cheese bring creamy and melty goodness to our approach to this type of burger.

Patty Melt

While the patty melt may be associated with California, as shared at Chowhound, this type of burger, like many other regional burger styles, quickly crossed state lines to restaurants across the country and beyond. At hundreds of Freddy’s locations across dozens of states, experience one of the most popular regional burger styles when you order Freddy’s Original Patty Melt, which includes two steakburgers, Swiss cheese, and grilled onions on toasted rye bread.

At Freddy’s, we offer more than 10 different burgers for your enjoyment in addition to our selection of chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, and hot dogs. Place your order today or buy a gift card, so you can give someone you care about the opportunity to experience the many different kinds of burgers, frozen custard treats and more at Freddy’s!