Americans alone eat about 50 billion burgers a year. That boils down to a single American eating a burger about three times a week.
But if you’re eating that many burgers, it doesn’t mean it has to get boring. At its core, a burger is a meat patty sandwiched between a bun, topped with your favorite condiments. But from there, you can get creative.
Read our guide to learn more about different types of burgers and how you can put your own spin on this American classic.
Beef Burgers
This is the quintessential hamburger patty. When most people think of the most popular burgers, they think of patties made with some blend of ground beef.
And that makes sense: it’s one of the most popular burger ingredients across the country, and it’s the meat almost everyone turns to for their summer barbecue.
Beef patties are a great source of vitamin B12, which our bodies use to help support our circulatory and nervous systems. And, if you’re making your own burgers are home, you can ensure that your meal is even more nutritious by opting for grass-finished beef. “Grass-finished” means that the animals were never fed any grain at all, and this usually helps produce leaner and healthier meat.
But if you’re not up for firing up the grill, that’s okay, too. Restaurants across the country are always trying their hand at putting together a mouthwatering burger you’ll keep coming back for. At becksprime.com, a restaurant chain in Texas, beef burgers are how they made their name.
Turkey Burgers
Turkey is often one of the first meats we turn to when looking to substitute red meat with something leaner. Just like its poultry cousin, chicken, turkey is lower in fat than red meats like beef, but it tends to have a richer flavor.
Turkey burgers made just with breast meat are good burger options because, in addition to being lean and low in fat, they’re often lower in calories as well. If you’re trying to make a healthier burger overall, consider some of your other burger ingredients as well.
You can opt for a whole grain bun, for example, or add some extra veggies as toppings. Lettuce and tomato are classic options, but you could go for some sauteed onions or mushrooms as well. Not only will they help you sneak in some extra vitamins and minerals, but they’ll also pack a flavorful punch.
Bison Burgers
This meat is showing up more and more in burger recipes as people discover the deliciousness of bison meat. It looks a lot like ground beef, and it has a similar flavor but with just a couple of different tasting notes. That makes it a great substitution, especially because bison meat is also often leaner than traditional ground beef.
It’s becoming more prevalent at most grocery stores, meaning you can pick up some bison on your next shopping trip and give it a try. Just like ground beef, it takes well to a large number of different toppings, so let your imagination run wild!
Salmon Burgers
If fish is more your style when it comes to burger ingredients, or when it comes to protein in general, consider making your burger out of salmon! You can often find salmon already ground at the store, but if not, you should be able to ask the person at your meat or seafood counter to do it for you.
To make ground salmon into a burger, you might have to add breadcrumbs or egg to help it stick together. Even with this extra step, it’s a great option for burger night, especially when it comes to health benefits.
Fish, and salmon especially, has long been touted as a great protein option for your heart health. It’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which are a type of fat that our bodies need. When we consume them, it helps lower our risk of heart disease. Omega-3’s are also great for our brains!
Veggie Burgers
Now, while some might not think of these as the best burgers, you can’t leave your vegetarian friends out of the summer barbecue! Plus, veggies burgers can be a great way to shift our diet in a more plant-based direction while still enjoying burger night.
One of the best things about veggie burgers, too, is that the options are endless when it comes to putting them together. Veggie burger ingredients can range from slices of eggplant to whole portobello mushroom caps to different mixtures of ground veggies.
Some of the best veggie burger recipes rely on beans, lentils, or other legumes as the main base. In these cases, you can throw some beans (like black beans) and some of your other favorite veggies into your food processor. Add something to help hold it together, like breadcrumbs or egg, and you should be able to make a completely meat-free patty!
If you’re thinking about exploring the world of veggie burgers, consider making your own at home. A lot of store-bought veggie burgers don’t stack up when it comes to flavor or nutrition, and they’re easy enough to throw together in your own kitchen. There are tons of different veggie burger recipes on the internet to kickstart your inspiration!
Try All the Types of Burgers!
Now that you’ve got this guide to a bunch of different types of burgers, you could even go ahead and treat it like a checklist. Work your way down, and figure out what sort of burger is going to become the staple at your next summer barbecue. They all have their different advantages, so it really comes down to your personal preference.
If you’re thinking about where you should go to try your next amazing burger, check out some of our travel posts!
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