These air fryer hamburgers are the easiest way to get juicy, perfectly cooked hamburgers on the table in record time. Load them up with cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, and pickles (or any favorite burger toppings you have) and enjoy the experience of a good ole classic burger in less than 15 minutes.
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Whether it’s too cold to fire up the grill (or you just don’t have one) or you want to avoid the grease splattered mess that often come with stovetop burger patties, these air fryer hamburgers are your ticket to a juicy, delicious, loaded burger. Plus, done, from start to finish, in 15 minutes, these burgers are as quick as it gets.
Looking for more air fryer favorites? Our library of air fryer recipes is growing and each one is quick and delicious. Try the air fryer blooming onion or air fryer taquitos at your next gathering, make the air fryer chicken nuggets as a family-favorite dinner, and make your chocolate chip cookies in the air fryer if you’re looking for a sweet treat.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s quick – the burgers themself head into the air fryer to cook for 10 minutes, and then, if you want cheese on your burger, it’ll melt in the air fryer (with the air fryer turned off) for an extra 5 minutes, putting the entire process at 15 minutes, max.
- It’s juicy and delicious – air fryer recipes continue to impress me! While you may think that a hamburger in the air fryer would turn out to be dry and not nearly as delicious as a grilled burger, that isn’t the case at all. These air fryer burgers are juicy and just as yummy!
Air Fryer Hamburger Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need ground beef, burger buns, and a handful of toppings here. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Burger buns – we bought gluten free burger buns here and added our own sesame seeds when they went into the oven to toast, but you can absolutely use any burger bun (sesame seeds or not, gluten free or not) that you love.
- American cheese – what’s a classic burger without classic American cheese? If American cheese isn’t your thing, no worries. You can absolutely swap it for any other sliced cheese that you want.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Use a different ground protein – grab ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef if you want! The cooking time should be no different.
- Top as you’d like – we topped these burgers with classic lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and red onions, but you can absolutely use whatever toppings/condiments that you usually enjoy on a burger.
How to Make Air Fryer Hamburgers
This recipe is incredibly easy to make! Follow along below for the full (short) how-to:
Step 1: Mix the ground beef with the salt and pepper, and divide the mixture into 4 equal-sized balls. Then, press the balls into discs (as thin as you can make them).
Step 2: Place the burger patties in your air fryer, working in batches if needed. Cook at 390°F for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Once cooked, if you’d like to add cheese, place the cheese on top of the burger patties and put them back in the air fryer (with the air fryer off) for 5 minutes so that the cheese can melt. If you’d like the cheese even more melty, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Step 4: To make the sesame buns, brush the tops of the buns with the melted butter and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Then, bake at 350°F for about 5 minutes. Assemble your burgers as you’d like and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
If you’re going the cheeseburger route like we did, be sure to keep your air fryer OFF as the cheese melts for an extra 5 minutes. Meaning that the cheese-topped burgers will be completely enclosed in the air fryer, but the air fryer will not be circulating any air. If the air fryer is on, the circulating air will likely blow the cheese off of your patty.
How to Serve
Serve the air fryer hamburgers with our without cheese and loaded with all of your favorite burger toppings. We went with the classic American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickle combo, but the sky is the limit here. Caramelized onions, pickled onions, jalapeños, crispy bacon, and avocado are all great options.
As far as sides go, you can go classic with french fries (baked potato wedges or sweet potato fries are our top picks), serve alongside potato chips, or keep things light with a simple arugula salad.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover burger patties in an airtight container in the fridge (for up to 3 days) or freezer (for up to 3 months). Store the burger buns and toppings separately.
Reheat your burgers from the fridge or frozen in the microwave or air fryer. Keep in mind that the longer you reheat, the more likely you are to dry out the burgers, so heat until just warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
These air fryer burgers take 10 minutes to cook, and if you plan on adding cheese, the cheese will take an extra 5 or so minutes to melt, making the entire process no more than 15 minutes.
Honestly, you can get really great, juicy burgers in both the air fryer and in a pan on the stovetop. That said, air fryer burgers are definitely much easier (more of a set the temperature and let the air fryer do the rest situation) and make far less of a mess.
We did not flip these burgers and they turned out great! Because the air fryer circulates air all around the food that’s in it, flipping isn’t usually necessary.
Nope, no oil needed on the burgers before they head into the air fryer! They’ll be seasoned with salt and pepper, but that’s it.
Another no! The air fryer basket does not need to be sprayed before cooking the burgers. Seriously, this method could not be any easier.
More Favorite Burger Recipes
If you tried this Air Fryer Hamburger recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Air Fryer Hamburger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 slices American cheese, optional
- 1 large tomato, thinly sliced, optional
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, optional
- ¾ cup pickle rounds, optional
- 1 head iceburg lettuce, optional
- 4 burger buns, optional
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted, for burger buns, optional
- ½ tablespoon white sesame seeds, for burger buns, optional
Instructions
- Mix the ground beef with the salt and pepper, and divide the mixture into 4 equal-sized balls. Then, press the balls into discs (as thin as you can make them).
- Place the burger patties in your air fryer, working in batches if needed. Cook at 390°F for 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, if you'd like to add cheese, place the cheese on top of the burger patties and put them back in the air fryer (with the air fryer off) for 5 minutes so that the cheese can melt. If you'd like the cheese even more melty, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
- To make the sesame buns, brush the tops of the buns with the melted butter and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Then, bake at 350°F for about 5 minutes.
- Assemble your burgers as you'd like and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use a different ground protein – grab ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef if you want! The cooking time should be no different.
- Top as you’d like – we topped these burgers with classic lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and red onions, but you can absolutely use whatever toppings/condiments that you usually enjoy on a burger.
- Keep the air fryer off while the cheese melts – if you’re going the cheeseburger route like we did, be sure to keep your air fryer OFF as the cheese melts for an extra 5 minutes. Meaning that the cheese-topped burgers will be completely enclosed in the air fryer, but the air fryer will not be circulating any air. If the air fryer is on, the circulating air will likely blow the cheese off of your patty.
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