These Smoked Gouda Beer Burgers are perfect for summer grilling! A simple ground beef burger patty stuffed with smoked gouda cheese, green onions, and your favorite beer.
This easy beer burger recipe is the perfect blend of classic and gourmet: it's an excellent, flavorful twist when you're craving new burger ideas, but there's minimal prep so you can have these homemade hamburger patties on the grill in no time!
We're loading these cheeseburgers with chunks of smoked gouda cheese, fresh green onions, and a splash of your favorite beer. Just a few minutes on the grill (or on the stovetop) makes the best, juicy burgers with a ton of flavor.
Serve these patties on toasted whole wheat burger buns with a side of crispy fries, grilled or roasted veggies (like our favorite parmesan roasted broccoli!), a cozy beer mac and cheese, or a big salad for a complete meal!
Riffs and Substitutions
This smoked gouda burger recipe is delicious as-is, but it's also easy to tweak and adjust for whatever you have on hand!
- Swap the cheese. Use sharp cheddar, monterey jack, or pepper jack in place of gouda.
- Tweak the burger patties. Use root beer or beef stock in place of beer. Swap the green onions for diced red or white onions if you like, and add minced or roasted garlic for extra flavor!
- Add your favorite toppings. We kept these gouda burgers simple with just some cheese, mustard, and arugula, but dress them up however you like! They're great with bacon, sliced onions or tomato, or grilled peppers. You can also add extra condiments: ketchup, mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce are all good here.
- Use a different protein. Make these patties with ground chicken or turkey instead of beef! This recipe is also good with plant-based meat substitutes like ground Beyond Burger or Impossible Burger.
A few gouda cheeseburger FAQs!
Make a small indent in the center of your burger patties before you throw them on the grill to prevent your burgers from shrinking and puffing up in the middle.
Yes! Line a baking sheet or large plate with a nonstick silicone baking mat or waxed paper. Lay your burger patties in a single layer, then freeze for 2-3 hours until patties have set. Transfer frozen patties to an airtight container (we love Stasher Bags for this!). Store in the freezer for up to 3 months; defrost overnight in the fridge when you're ready to use them.
Yes! Heat a heavy cast iron skillet or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Let the pan get nice and hot, and make sure your oven vent is on as burgers can smoke a bit on the stovetop. Add a thin layer of canola or vegetable oil to the pan if you like (use a pastry brush to brush oil over the grill pan) to prevent sticking, then cook!
Use whatever beer you like to drink! We like using something a little bit darker here - a dark IPA, bock, red ale, or even a stout or porter - for rich, deep flavor. But it's good with just about any type of beer!
Video: How To Make Smoked Gouda Beer Burgers
Smoked Gouda Beer Burgers
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 burgers 1x
- Category: Burgers
- Cuisine: American
Description
A delicious smoked gouda cheeseburger made with your favorite beer. Perfect for summer grilling!
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGERS:
- 8 ounces smoked gouda cheese
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 large green onions, sliced
- ⅓ cup beer
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
TO ASSEMBLE:
- 4 hamburger buns (we like brioche buns)
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- 1 packed cup fresh arugula (or whatever greens you have handy!)
Instructions
- Cut four slices off of the smoked gouda and set aside. You'll use these slices to top the burgers later.
- Cut remaining smoked gouda into small cubes (about ¼ inch across).
- Add cubed gouda, ground beef, sliced green onions, beer, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to a medium bowl. Use your hands or a sturdy spatula to mix everything together until well combined.
- Divide hamburger mixture into four sections and form each section into a patty.
Tip: Make the hamburger patties slightly larger in diameter than your hamburger buns (burgers will shrink as they cook) and make an indent in the center of the patties to stop them from puffing up in the middle. - Preheat your grill and place hamburger patties on the hottest part of it. Sear them on each side for 5-7 minutes (depending on how well done you like your burgers).
- When the burgers are a few minutes from done, top each patty (still on the grill!) with a slice of smoked gouda so the cheese has a chance to melt.
- Toast burger buns on the grill for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned.
- Assemble the burgers! Spread a spoonful of mustard across each bun, add your cooked burger patties, and top with a handful of arugula (or any other burger toppings you like!) Serve immediately.
Notes
Adjust your burger mixture if needed. If the patty mixture feels too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Too dry? Add an extra splash of beer. You want burgers to hold their shape without crumbling.
What beer should I use? Use any beer you like to drink! We like slightly darker beers here: bocks, red ales, dark IPAs, and stouts/porters lend great flavor. But this recipe is good with lighter beers, too!
No grill? Cook these burgers on a very hot cast iron skillet or grill pan on the stovetop. Add a light layer of canola or veggie oil to the pan to prevent sticking, and turn your oven fan on as burgers can be a little smokey indoors.
Add your favorite toppings. Add crispy bacon, grilled onions or peppers, lettuce, tomato slices, or sliced onion to these burgers. Ketchup, mayonnaise, and BBQ sauce are also good here.
Additions & Substitutions. Use ground turkey, ground chicken, or a ground plant-based meat substitute (like Beyond Burger or Impossible Burger) in place of the ground beef. Use sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese instead of gouda. Swap the green onions for diced red or white onions. Use root beer in place of beer if you like. Add minced garlic or roasted garlic to the burger mixture for extra flavor.
To freeze these burgers, lay patties on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container (we love Stasher Bags here!) and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to cook, defrost the burgers overnight in the fridge.
Serve these burgers with grilled veggies, salad, mac and cheese, Greek yogurt potato salad, or a corn and tomato pasta salad for a complete meal!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 711
- Sugar: 7.9 g
- Sodium: 999.7 mg
- Fat: 41.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.8 g
- Protein: 36.9 g
- Cholesterol: 145.5 mg
Keywords: BBQ, grilling, summer, barbecue
Rebecca Owens
Gouda burgers wee excellent and super easy to make. Would highly recommend if you like a little xtra in your burger
Summer Bourne
This is a great combo, Jessie. I am really into healthy, homemade burgers at the moment especially as they are so great for the campervan life and a good way to make the most of some mince. As there is only 2 of us in the van I find that a 450g pack of mince makes enough for burgers for one night and then I make the rest of the mixture into small meatballs for a pasta sauce the next day. The smoked cheese really gives your burgers a special something.
★★★★★
Jessie
Thank you so much, Summer! I'm happy you like the recipe!
Karly
Nothing better than beer and burgers... except for maybe beer in your burgers! 🙂 This looks SO darn good!
Jessie
Agreed! Thanks, Karly!
John Top
Been cooking these burgers for over a year every few months now. Brought in some leftovers to reheat at work and all of a sudden I've become grillmaster on the slow days. Thanks for sharing and through beer experimentation I have improved on many of my own recipes.
Jessie
I'm so happy you like the recipe, John! Thank you so much for letting me know!
JIM
Beer ? burgers??..SHUT-UP
Tori
This burger is awesome! Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe! We made them last weekend and the family has requests them again tonight!
Jessie
Thanks, Tori! I'm so glad you liked the burgers - thanks for letting me know how they turned out!
Christoph
Fantastic! This is a "must" for me very soon. Love your blog!
Jessie
Thank you!
Sean Hohensee
I will try my best to make most of these before the summer is out. And then i'll do it again all winter long!
Mama B
Oh that looks so good right now. I'm biding my time until we can start grilling again. It helps to not have snow covering the barbecue. Thanks for sharing. I'm pinning this for future eating.
Becky M.
How much of the beer flavor comes through? I'm not too big on beer, but I can handle a little... It sounds delicious though! (Especially the gouda, yum!)
Jessie
It depends on what kind of beer you use. You'll get a stronger beer flavor with a dark stout like Guinness, but if you're not a big beer fan I'd suggest a lighter pale ale or a lager. A lot of people who aren't big on beer dislike it because darker, richer beers have a strong, hoppy taste, but a pale ale or light lager won't be as hoppy. No matter what beer you use, the flavor in the finished burger will be subtle because there are so many other flavors on top of it - when you cook with beer, it enhances the other ingredients you're using rather than simply shining through alone. Hope that helps!
Becky M.
The hoppiness is exactly why I don't like it! I'm sure my husband would love the Guinness, but I'll have to convince him a lighter type is better. 🙂 Thanks, Jessie!
Karie Engels
Great post ~ love the photographs!!