This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Did 5 hamburgers at the same time, I thought they were 4oz eac. but went done, they were like 8oz. They came out very good and fully cooked. My family enjoy them. Will do again. Pass my test. Thank you,that’s one more receipt for my IP.
When wrapping the burgers in foil is it loose wrapping or a little tight wrapping?
Not necessarily tight, but sealed as well as you can.
Made these burgers tonight with heavy duty foil; added 3 minutes to the 15 minute cooking time, and they were perfect!!! Added kraft singles to the patties after cooking, and had a pot of chili ready…best chili cheese burgers ever!! Awesome recipe!! Thank you!
That sounds great, Lauren! Thank you!
I have preformed patties, would the cook time be the same for 4?
I think it will be close. I would test 2 and see if they are to your liking at the time in the recipe.
Thanks!
How much water do I need for the 3 quart mini?
3/4 cup to 1 cup is what I use.
I would like to try these but I only have heavy Dudy aluminum foil. Do you know what will happen if I use this?
Hi Ryan, I would go ahead and try it by adding 2 minutes to the cook time. Allow yourself time in case you need to put them back in for more time.
I tried these burgers tonight. I had 16 oz of beef, that were separated into three patties. One might assume that each patty was 5.3 oz. I cooked them for 12 min, did QR, and let them rest for 5 min. They were raw, raw, raw on the inside!
It sounds like I need to scale up my time. Do you think jumping up to 15 min is best (we only have three meat eaters in our family, so this will be a common scenario for us) or is there something else that could have gone wrong?
Hi Ella, maybe they were pretty thick? That would be a case for a longer cook time. The thinner the burger patty, the shorter the cook time. You could try 15 minutes with that size burger and see if it works out better for you. Make a thumb indentation in the center of each patty so they don’t puff up and shrink. Also 1 1/2 cup of water in the 6 qt pot, 2 1/2 in the 8 qt, and use high pressure. Please let me know if this works for you. Many others have had success, so I want to help you have a great outcome as well!
I came across your recipe yesterday and made these last night. Used recipe number 1 and made 8 ounce patties since ground chuck tends to shrink. I have to say, this is one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. My husband got home and I asked if he wanted a burger. “You cooked burgers?” he asked then replied, “I don’t smell burgers.” I h ad kept them in the Instant Pot to keep them nice and warm for him. After he had supper, I was told this is the way we need to cook our burgers from now on. They were the juiciest burgers we’ve ever had. Thanks for sharing!
How long did you keep them warm in your IP? I suppose I could keep them warm for an hour or so, right? It won’t hurt them?
WINNER WINNER HAMBURGER DINNER!
My husband is PICKY.
I have been wanting to try making a burger in the Instant pot especially since our BBQ is broken.
Tried a different recipe last night that called for cooking the Frozen patty for 30 minutes. It came out like a Hockey Puck.
Decided to find another recipe and found yours.
Thank you so much for having the cooking times for the different size patties.
Hubby took a bite of the Burger (and he was not thrilled iwth the idea of it being cooked in the Insant Pot) and I got a big THUMBS UP and happy food eating sounds.
Thank you thank you thank you
I wanted to leave a 5 star rating but it wont let me click on the stars.
Woo Hoo! Hi Werra! It looks like the stars worked, thank you so much! I am so thrilled that your hubby liked these burgers! I appreciate your nice review! 😀
These were great! I have to admit I was a bit skeptical but they were actually quite good! Thanks! Now I don’t have to get grease spatters in the winter when cooking hamburgers
That’s great! Thank you for the review!