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Instant Pot Hamburgers are juicy and delicious. You can get juicy, tasty hamburgers with a pressure cooker. Instant Pot Burgers are very easy to make.
Originally published 4/18/2018
Instant Pot Hamburgers
So, what in the world made me think to cook a hamburger in my Instant Pot? I was craving my husband’s famous potato packets, and I was sad because it’s still too cold to break out the grill. Then I thought hey, I can make those in my Instant Pot!
If you are from Connecticut, this may not seem the least bit strange. But to many people, a steamed burger sounds just plain weird.
In some parts of the country, anywhere with a “White Castle” restaurant, steaming is just another way to make a juicy hamburger or cheeseburger.
You have to use a higher fat content to get that really juicy Instant Pot Hamburger (or any burger).
Instant Pot Hamburgers are pretty simple to make. Once you make your meat mixture, form the hamburger into patties, wrap them up, and cook them in the pressure cooker.
When making hamburgers in the Instant Pot, you can add any spices and flavorings you like to the meat mixture, including onion, garlic, Worcestershire, etc. Just make them your own!
Serve your hamburgers with some tasty Coleslaw or Sweet Potato Steak Fries.
Tips for making hamburgers in the Instant Pot
- When making the burger patties, the thicker the patty, the longer the cook time. So if you like a very round patty, it will need to cook a couple minutes longer than a thinner patty.
Likewise, if you like a very thin patty, you may need to reduce the cook time a little. - Making a thumb sized indent in the center of one side of the burger patty helps reduce puffing up as well as shrinkage.
- You can make a “Juice Lucy” style of patty by making the patty into 2 thin patties and placing a thick slice of cheese in between them. Yum!
I like to make up a big batch of InstaPot hamburger patties when the kids come to visit. I love how easy it is, and since the recipe can be doubled or tripled, I can feed the whole gang!
Stay tuned for Paul’s famous potato packets, they are simple, and so tasty!
Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
Instant Pot Barbecue Beef
Instant Pot Lasagna
Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
Instant Pot Hamburgers
Ingredients
Hamburger Meat Mixture #1
- 1 lb Ground Beef (I use 80% - 85% lean)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ cup Onion, finely chopped or grated (or 1 Tbsp dehydrated onion or 1/2 tsp onion Powder)
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (optional)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
Hamburger Meat Mixture #2
- 1 lb Ground Beef (I use 80% - 85% lean)
- 1 1 oz Packet of Onion Soup Mix (mix with the meat)
Fixings (use whatever you like!)
- 4 Hamburger Buns
- Cheese Slices
- Tomato Slices
- Lettuce
- Mayo
- Ketchup
- Mustard
Tools You'll Need
- 4 pieces Aluminum Foil or Parchment Squares
- 6 qt or 8 qt Pressure Cooker
- Trivet (metal rack for bottom of pot)
Instructions
- Add 1 ½ cups of water to the inner stainless liner of the 6 qt pressure cooker (Use 2 ½ cups for the 8 qt).
- Place the trivet in the pot also.
- Mix all of the hamburger meat mixture ingredients together in a bowl with the meat.If making Version #2, mix the soup packet with the ground meat.
- Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal (4 oz) patties, 3 (5 oz) patties, or 2 (8 oz patties). press your thumb into the center of each patty to make an indentation.
- Wrap patties in foil or parchment. The wrapping and cooking under pressure is what steams them.
- Stack the wrapped patties on the trivet in a staggered pattern. Then place the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button, or dial and then the +/- button or dial to select:12 minutes for 4 oz patties (7 minutes for a touch rare*)14 minutes for 5 oz patties (9 minutes for a touch rare*)16 minutes for 8 oz patties (11 minutes for a touch rare*)Cook times may vary based on the thickness of the patties and how many are cooked at one time.High pressure.
- When the cook cycle is finished, let the pot sit for 7 minutes before releasing the pressure. Release the pressure/steam (that means turn the steam release knob to the Venting position right after cooking is finished).Or, if you do a Quick Release, let the burgers rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Carefully remove the patties from the pot using tongs. Then unwrap them on a plate to catch the drippings, and make up your hamburger with all of your favorite fixin's!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Sandy! How many have you been able to fit in a 6QT pot, assuming 4-5 ounce burgers?
I can’t remember. Maybe 8? It’s been a while since I had to cook for so many!
Can you grill these over a super hot flame to get a nice sear on the outside while retaining the moisture on the inside?
HI Justin, I’ve never tried that. I either grill or steam. Let me know if you try it!
You can saute in the Instant Pot. Saute one side uncovered for 1-2 minutes on high. Flip, add cheese, saute for 1-2 minutes.
Are these actually browned on the outside?
No, they are a steamed burger.
I used turkey patties, they were delicious, very moist, even the leftover one was still moist the next day.
Hi Judy, I’m glad you liked this recipe/method of cooking burgers! Turkey burgers are a favorite of mine. Thank you for your review!
Did you adjust the time for turkey burgers? How long would you cook 4 patties?
The range of time for cooking burgers ranges from 10 minutes to 1 hr. Confusing
Dee the cook times are from 10 minutes to about 14 minutes, depending on the size of the patty. I don’t know where you saw an hour. I’m sorry if I somehow gave confusing instructions, but I don’t know where the hour is. It takes a few minutes for the pot to come to pressure, but you do a quick release, so that’s pretty fast.
I have made these twice now. Love them! This time I made the packets the day ahead so there is less fuss when company is over. Potato salad made (check), hamburgers made (check),! All I have to do on Canada Day is put together a green salad and fixings and cook the burgers in the fabulous Instant Pot!! Easy, peasy! Top it off with Strawberry shortcake and we have a meal to be grateful for. Thanks for your recipe!
Wow Heather! You will really be able to enjoy the day since you are so organized! I hope you all have a wonderful Canada Day! Thank you for your review!
My pressure cooker is an Elite brand, it doesn’t have a stainless steel trivet, only a very sm stainless steel rack, that wouldn’t hold much, I’m not sure what it’s even for. Any ideas on how I could do the burgers then?
Just stack the burger packets on the rack you have. You just want to keep them above the water.
Idea on the time adjustment for frozen turkey patties?
I would try one at 10 minutes as a test and adjust from there.
I made these and they were awesome! I did meat mixture #1 but reduced the salt a little. Really good! Thanks for the recipe, Sandy!
Nice! Thank you for your review!
hello, love this idea. If you want cheese on them must you add it after cooking? Thank you.
I think after cooking is better. If you want to add it before cooking, slice it thick.