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.
Can these be made as is in the 3 qt. Mini? Or, should I halve the ingredients and do fewer burgers? Water?
Yes! Make the burgers as large as will fit in the pot. If you need to make them smaller, you will need to reduce the cook time by a few minutes.
Will definitely try as it seems to be healthier than frying. I’m Intermittent Fasting and have altered my eating style quite a bit tho I still do eat what I like but am more aware of what I like.
Can I use a combo of meats such as lean ground with some ground pork or even mixing in a few slices of diced bacon for flavor and juices?
I enjoy your recipes and reading all the comments by others.
Aloha from Hawaii 🌴🌺🏖
Yes, you can absolutely use a combo of meats!
When I told my husband I was going to make burgers in the insta pot he thought I was crazy. But he absolutely loved these. We will be doing this recipe again. Thank you.
Food science question: part of the (personal) joy of making burgers is the marinades that I put in my burgers to add a Korean touch to my otherwise American-style burgers. That sometimes involves either soy sauce, fermented Japanese salt plum (basically a stand in for adding sugar to things, also doubles as a meat tenderizer because acidity), and even fish sauce on occasion. In order for these to work properly, they need to be seared so that glutamization can happen, where the sugars in the sauces caramelize and chemically enhance the flavor of the beef. Does this still work when you’re steaming the burgers??
Not so much. You will get some from just the heat alone, but probably not enough. What you could do is a “reverse Sear” of the burgers. Pop them on a hot pan after pressure cooking and see it that gives you the desired results.
Thank you for this how-to, worked great for me and perfect for those hot summer days when I don’t want to heat up the kitchen with the toaster oven/oven. They came out great 🙂
Ok them are great burgers and can make them many different ways but now I want the potatoes pocket recipe
So I can do them with the burgers Please
Okay Ken, I will post the recipe very soon! I sorta forgot about it. Please check back!
First time cooking hamburgers in the instant pot- Theses turned out great! My only real complaint was that I only had heavy duty foil so I couldnt wrap them well, ha! Thank you for the recipe!
I made the number 2 mixture tonight using heavy duty foil… the burgers were done on the inside and cooked them for 15 minutes… made to eat for Tom since we will be out most of the day for the 4th of July… the outside almost looked a little pinkish but it looked done so hopefully I cooked them right lol… hope they taste as good as they smell. Thanks for the recipe
I love this recipe! Honestly, I stink frying burgers & we don’t own an outside grill because I’m disabled & can’t be out in the sun much. I have to admit I was very skeptical after looking at this recipe & my husband looked horrified when I told him about it because burgers are sacred to him. The first time I tried them I used preformed frozen patties & they were awful (the dog didn’t complain). The next time my husband got a huge 5+lb pack of ground beef & they turned out great! My husband asks for them all of the time. I just season mine with salt & pepper, but they come out so juicy & flavorful! I’m so happy you listed this super easy & cleaner way to make burgers! Thank you!
Hi Kathy! This is such a great review! I love that your hubby was horrified! Lol! So happy that this recipe works well for you, and that your hubby has recovered! 😀
Not too sure why I can not click on the stars to give you all 5! I’ve tried several of your recipes, & once again, you’ve nailed it!!! I don’t eat red meat so I not only made Hubs his burgers but also me a turkey burger. Used the same cooking time & it worked out just as well. He loved it & so did I!
HI Shawn! Thank you so much! It looks like the stars worked, but lots of people are having trouble seeing them after they click. I’m trying to figure it out! I’m so glad you liked the burger recipe.