This recipe for Healthy Burgers is low-fat but still juicy and moist, using lean ground beef to make a classic beef hamburger to fit healthy diets while still moist and flavorful.
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Everybody "knows" you should have an 80/20 hamburger for great taste and moisture. That is 20% fat; in a ¼ lb burger, it is over a tablespoon of fat. Ground turkey is usually 93/7, but lean ground beef will be 90/10 to 96/4 for extra lean ground beef. So lean ground beef can easily have about the same or less fat and calories than ground turkey.
It isn't easy to cook beef burgers that are more than 85% lean without drying. And the leaner the beef, the more the dryness will occur since the fat prevents the dryness. But by adding a panade, the moisture can be retained for great taste and tenderness.
Don't miss these other burger recipes, like Grilling Burgers, Juicy Lucy Burger, Meatloaf Burger Patties, and Smokehouse Burgers. Or, for a change of pace, try Chicken or Turkey Burgers and Grilled Portobello Mushrooms.
🐄Ingredients
- Burger—Use 90 to 96% lean ground beef.
- Starch for panade—riped bread, panko bread crumbs, crushed cracker, crushed oats.
- Season—season to your taste. Salt and black pepper are enough but a seasoning mix like Montreal Steak Seasoning. Use my Seasoning mixture or other seasonings like paprika, onion, or garlic powder.
👨🍳How to Cook Healthy Burgers on the Grill or Stovetop
- Mix low-fat ground beef with the starch for the panade and seasoning. Mix by hand but don't over-mix.
- Form into ¼ to ⅓ pound burger patties about 3 ½ to 4-inch diameter with a slight "dimple" on one side.
- Cook over high heat on the grill or in a skillet with some oil over medium-high heat. Flip every 4-5 minutes until an internal temperature of 160°—about 10 minutes.
🌡️When are burgers done?
Ground beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160° for safety per the USDA. If the burger contains ground poultry, like chicken or turkey, the minimum safe internal temperature is 165°.
🥣What is a panade?
A panade is a mixture of starch with liquid mixed into ground meat to add moisture and tenderness when cooked. It can also be used to add flavors. A classic example is meatloaf.
Common starches are panko bread crumbs, bread, crushed crackers, or crushed oats. The liquid can be almost anything but commonly milk or other dairy products, broth, or water. In this recipe, we depend on the liquid already in the meat.
🍴Serving and storage of leftovers.
Serve on a whole wheat or other bun. Top with a slice of tomato, red onion, avocado, pickle slices, and lettuce. Add mustard, ketchup, or other condiments. Things like cheese and bacon may be added, but it defeats the low-fat theme.
Side dishes like a salad, convection oven French fries—fresh or frozen, coleslaw, or veggies.
❓FAQs
An indentation will prevent the burger from puffing up. Without this, you will almost burn the outside before the center is done.
The indentation in the center of a burger about one-third of the thickness of the pattie and the size of a quarter or a bit larger.
Sure, but ground chicken or turkey needs different handling, seasoning, and cooking temperature—see Ground Chicken or Turkey Burgers.
During cooking, water is forced out of the cells of the meat. The water will be reabsorbed back into the cells by giving the meat some time off the heat, increasing moisture and tenderness.
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Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat the grill on high, clean, and oil the grates. Or, for the stovetop, prepare a large pan, non-stick, or cast iron skillet preferred over medium-high heat with a light coat of oil.
Prepare the starch for the panade, like crushed oats, crushed crackers, bread, or panko bread crumbs.
Add 1 teaspoon Montreal Seasoning or another seasoning to the starch and mix well, then add the mixture to the burger and hand mix but don't over mix.
Form into ¼ to ⅓ pound burger patties about 3 ½ to 4-inch diameter, then depress the center of the patties about a third of the thickness about the diameter of a quarter.
Cook over high heat on the grill or in a skillet with some oil over medium-high heat. Flip every 4-5 minutes until an internal temperature of 160°—about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
📖 Recipe
Healthy Burgers—Juicy and Low-Fat
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef - 90-96% lean
- 2 tablespoons crushed oats, crushed crackers, bread, or panko bread crumbs
- seasoning of your choice - 1 teaspoon of Montreal seasoning suggested
- hamburger buns for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the grill on high, clean, and oil the grates. Or, for the stovetop, prepare a large pan, non-stick, or cast iron skillet preferred over medium-high heat with a light coat of oil.
- Prepare the starch for the panade, like crushed oats, crushed crackers, bread, or panko bread crumbs.
- Add 1 teaspoon Montreal Seasoning or another seasoning to the starch and mix well, then add the mixture to the burger and hand mix but don't over mix.
- Form into ¼ to ⅓ pound burger patties about 3 ½ to 4-inch diameter, then depress the center of the patties about a third of the thickness about the diameter of a quarter.
- Cook over high heat on the grill or in a skillet with some oil over medium-high heat. Flip every 4-5 minutes until an internal temperature of 160°—about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Use 90% to 96% ground beef. Ground chicken or turkey needs different handling, seasoning, and cooking temperature—see Ground Chicken or Turkey Burgers.
- Don’t forget to indent the center of the burger. This will prevent puffing of the burger, leading to burnt outside before the center is done.
- The minimum safe internal temperature is 160°.
- Nutrition is only for a ¼ pound burger.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published August 15, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Ellen says
Hi Dr Dan, Your website is super helpful. My family really enjoyed these burgers, the pan seared oven baked chicken breasts and the roasted red potatoes. Thank you!
Travis says
Is there much grease? I just got out of the hospital with instructions to eat low fat, no fried or greasy foods.
DrDan says
Hi Travis,
Since this uses 95% burger, there is 11 gm fat in an 8oz burger. That is a large burger. Go down to a normal 1/4 to 1/3 pound burger will decrease the fat proportionately. The "quarter-pounder" is only 5.5 gms. That is low fat especially relatively to a full fat burger with about 24.
There is very little fat to drain here. The oats act to retain moisture and probably most of the fat stays also. Not much of anything drains from these burgers.
Your doctor probably gave you an number of fat grams per day so you can work it in.
Also, my best no-fat recipe is Zero Fat Biscuits and check the Low-Fat category at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/category/low-fat/
Good luck with the diet.
Dan
Farzana Bilkes says
very useful, thanks