Ainsley Harriott’s Smashed Burger Recipe

Ainsley Harriott’s Smashed Burger is a bold, unapologetic homage to the classic American double cheeseburger—crispy-edged beef patties, melted cheese, tangy burger sauce, and crunchy pickles, all stacked in a toasted seeded bun. The secret is smashing the cold beef balls hard onto a screaming-hot pan to create that irresistible, deeply caramelised crust that no regular burger can match.

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Ainsley Harriott Smashed Burger Ingredients

For the Burgers

• 800g good quality beef (chuck) steak mince (18–20% fat)
• 8 slices of burger cheese

For the Burger Sauce

• 6 tbsp mayonnaise, plus extra for the buns
• 1 tbsp very finely diced gherkin, plus 1 tsp pickling juice from the jar
• 2 tsp yellow American mustard
• 2 tsp ketchup
• ½ tsp garlic powder/granules
• ¼ tsp sweet smoked paprika
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

• 4 seeded burger buns
• Iceberg lettuce, shredded
• ¼ white onion, finely diced
• 1–2 dill pickles/gherkins, sliced

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How to Make Ainsley Harriott’s Smashed Burger

1. Portion and chill the meat: Divide the mince into 8 equal portions and use your hands to loosely form each one into a ball—do not overwork the meat. Cover and chill in the fridge for 20–30 minutes. Cold meat is essential for a proper smash crust.
2. Make the burger sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, finely diced gherkin, pickling juice, yellow mustard, ketchup, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and add a pinch of sugar if you prefer a slightly sweeter sauce. Set aside.
3. Toast the buns: Brush the cut sides of the burger buns with a little mayonnaise and place them cut-side down on a cast-iron griddle or heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Toast until golden, then remove and set aside.
4. Smash the burgers: Wipe the pan clean and reheat over the highest heat possible. When the pan is very hot, place 2–3 beef balls in the pan, spacing them as far apart as possible. Working in batches, immediately cover each ball with a square of baking paper and press down hard and fast using the base of a small saucepan, a masher, or a metal meat press to smash them into thin patties.
5. Cook and season: Remove the baking paper and season the patties generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until the edges are deeply browned and the crust has formed. Flip using a spatula, scraping up every bit of the caramelised crust from the pan. Season again and immediately lay a slice of burger cheese on each patty. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes until the cheese has melted.
6. Build and serve: Spread burger sauce generously over both cut sides of each bun. Place a little shredded lettuce on the base, then stack two patties per burger, cheese side up. Top with more shredded lettuce, finely diced white onion, and a few slices of dill pickle. Close the bun and serve immediately.

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Recipe Tips

Use chuck mince with 18–20% fat—this is non-negotiable: Lean mince dries out when smashed thin and loses all its flavour. The fat in chuck mince renders into the patty during the high-heat cook, basting the meat from the inside and creating a juicy, flavorful burger. Do not use extra-lean mince for smash burgers.

Cold meat = better crust: Chilling the beef balls before cooking is not optional. Cold meat holds its shape for the crucial first second of contact with the pan, allowing the smash to work correctly. Warm meat spreads unevenly and steams rather than sears.

The pan must be screaming hot: a smash burger lives and dies by the Maillard reaction—the chemical browning that happens between meat proteins and the hot metal surface. If the pan is not hot enough, you will steam the meat instead of searing it, and you will lose the entire point of the technique.

Work in batches—never crowd the pan: Overcrowding drops the temperature of the pan dramatically. Fry 2–3 balls at a time, maximum, and let the pan recover its heat between batches.

Scrape, don’t lift: When flipping, use a thin, rigid metal spatula and scrape—do not lift—the patty off the surface. The caramelised crust will try to stick; scraping it clean off the pan is where all the flavour lives.

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💡 Make It Your Own—Creative Twists

Make it a BBQ Jerk Smash Burger—Add ½ teaspoon of Ainsley’s jerk seasoning directly into the beef mince before forming the balls, and swap the regular burger sauce for a mixture of mayonnaise, a teaspoon of gochujang, and a squeeze of lime. It gives the burger a Caribbean twist that works brilliantly with the smash technique.

Go for a mushroom & Swiss version—replace the burger cheese with Emmental or Gruyère, and pile sautéed garlic mushrooms on top of the melted cheese before building. The earthy, creamy mushrooms cut through the rich beef beautifully and make this feel like a proper pub-style smash burger.

Add a fried egg—Fry an egg in the same hot pan immediately after cooking the last batch of patties. The rendered beef fat left in the pan gives the egg a rich, savoury base. Lay it on top of the cheese for an indulgent brunch-style smash burger.

Make it spicy—add a thin layer of sriracha or hot pepper sauce directly onto the patty before placing the cheese. The heat of the cheese traps the sauce against the meat and infuses the whole bite with a slow, building heat.

Use brioche buns for a richer finish—swap the seeded buns for brioche burger buns and toast them in butter rather than mayonnaise. The slightly sweet, enriched dough contrasts with the salty, savoury patties in a way that feels genuinely indulgent without being over the top.

• Ainsley Harriott Jerk Chicken Recipe
• Ainsley Harriott Caribbean Fish Curry with Spinach and Coconut Recipe
• Ainsley Harriott Carnival Rum Punch Chicken Wings Recipe
• Ainsley Harriott Banoffee Pie Recipe
• Ainsley Harriott-Inspired Tamarind Glazed Chicken Thighs

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What To Serve With Ainsley Harriott’s Smashed Burger

Thick Vanilla Milkshake: Ainsley himself recommends serving this burger with a thick vanilla milkshake—the cold, sweet creaminess is the perfect contrast to the salty, crispy patties. It is the full American diner experience at home.

Skin-On Fries: Cut floury potatoes into thick chips, toss in oil and sea salt, and bake or fry until golden. The skin adds texture, and the starchy potato soaks up any burger sauce that escapes.

Classic Coleslaw: A tangy, crunchy coleslaw made with white cabbage, carrot, and a light vinegar dressing cuts through the richness of the cheese and sauce and keeps every bite feeling fresh.

Pickled Jalapeños: A small jar of sliced pickled jalapeños on the table lets everyone dial up the heat to their preference—they add both acidity and fire that work brilliantly with smash burgers.

Sweetcorn on the Cob: Brush corn with butter and a pinch of smoked paprika and griddle alongside the burgers. It is simple, sweet, and charred in all the right places.

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How to Store Ainsley Harriott’s Smashed Burger

Best served immediately: Smash burgers are at their absolute peak the moment they come off the pan. The thin patties cool quickly, and the crust softens within minutes, so build and eat without delay.

Refrigerate cooked patties: If you have leftover cooked patties, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Store the burger sauce separately in a sealed jar—it keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Reheat: Reheat the patties in a very hot,t dry pan for 1 minute per side to revive some of the crust. Never use the microwave—it turns the patties rubbery and destroys any remaining texture.

Freeze raw portions: The raw beef balls can be frozen before smashing. Arrange them on a baking tray, freeze until solid, then transfer to a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. Cook from fully defrosted—never smash frozen meat.

Burger sauce: The sauce actually improves after a day in the fridge as the flavors meld together. Make a double batch and keep it on hand for the week.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving, based on 4 servings)

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	~680 kcal
Protein	42g
Carbohydrates	34g
Fat	38g
Saturates	16g
Sugar	6g
Salt	2.1g

Nutrition estimated per serving, including burger sauce and bun, without fries or milkshake.

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FAQs

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Try More Ainsley Harriott Recipes:

• Ainsley Harriott BBQ Jerk Cheeseburger with Pineapple Salsa Recipe
• Ainsley Harriott Carnival Rum Punch Chicken Wings Recipe
• Ainsley Harriott Spicy Korean Fried Chicken Wings Recipe

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