Air-Fryer Hamburgers

These quick air-fryer hamburgers are perfect for busy weeknights—or anytime you don’t want to fire up the grill. They taste just as good as other indoor burger cooking methods like pan-fried burgers or oven-baked burgers. Cleanup is easier with an air fryer because the unit contains the inevitable grease splatter. Plus, air fryers cook at a consistent temperature, helping the burgers cook perfectly and evenly every single time.

If you’re new to air-frying, check out our complete air-fryer guide for tips, tricks and reviews.

Ingredients for Air-Fryer Hamburgers

• Ground beef: 80/20 beef is our go-to choice for burgers. It has the right amount of fat to keep the burgers nice and juicy as they air-fry.
• Salt: We don’t add the salt when shaping the burger patties, Instead, we wait until the last possible moment to season the beef. Salt pulls moisture from meat, and salting too early can make the patties tough and dry.
• Hamburger buns: Use a soft, squishy bun, like sesame seed or potato buns. For added flavor, try salty pretzel buns or buttery brioche. If you have time, try making homemade hamburger buns. (Our recipe only takes 40 minutes from start to finish!)
• Burger toppings: Keep it classic with ketchup, lettuce, tomato and homemade pickles—or go wild with exotic burger toppings. If desired, you can add cheese like American, pepper jack or cheddar cheese.

Directions

Step 1: Shape the air-fryer hamburger patties

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Gently shape the ground beef into four 1-inch-thick patties.

Editor’s Tip: When shaping the patties, lightly wet your hands with cold water to keep the beef from sticking to your hands. Be careful not to overwork the meat. You want the patties to have an even thickness, but you don’t have to squash or press the meat together. It will hold its shape on its own.

Step 2: Chill the hamburger patties

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Press a divot in the center of each patty. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: The divot helps prevent the patties from shrinking as they air-fry.

Step 3: Air-fry the hamburger patties

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Preheat the air fryer to 350°.

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Sprinkle the patties with salt and pepper. Then, arrange the burgers in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook until a thermometer reads 160°, three to five minutes on each side. Serve air-fryer hamburgers on buns with toppings as desired.

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Editor’s Tip: The burgers won’t cook properly if they overlap, so cook them in batches if they don’t all fit in the basket at once.

Toppings for Air-Fryer Hamburgers

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• Cheeseburger: If you’re in the mood for a cheeseburger, add a slice of cheese immediately after removing the patties from the air fryer. Cover the cheese and burgers with a plate to help the cheese melt faster.
• Secret sauce: Give the burgers a flavor boost with the secret sauce recipe from these burger sliders.
• Barbecue sauce: Brush the burger patties with barbecue sauce to make a barbecued burger.
• Pineapple: Add a refreshing finish with a slice of pineapple. You can also add teriyaki sauce and crisp bacon to the mix, as we do in our aloha burgers recipe.
• Fried egg: It’s messy to eat, but there’s something luxurious about topping a juicy burger patty with a drippy egg yolk! It gives the sandwich a breakfast burger vibe.
• Pizza toppings: Mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce and your favorite pizza toppings will transform a regular burger into a pizza burger.
• Taco toppings: Get creative with your favorite taco toppings to make a taco burger.

How to Store Air-Fryer Hamburgers

Store leftover air-fryer hamburgers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. To enjoy the patties as burgers, reheat the patties in a 350° air fryer until heated through. Or crumble the cooked meat into recipes like cheeseburger soup, cheeseburger macaroni skillet or cheeseburger pizza.

How to Freeze Hamburger Patties

To freeze hamburger patties, shape the burger patties as directed. Then, place a piece of parchment between each patty, and freeze in a freezer-safe container. For best quality, plan to use frozen ground beef within four months.

Air-Fryer Hamburger Tips

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How long should you cook hamburgers in an air fryer?

Fresh hamburger patties cook for three to five minutes per side in a 350°F air fryer. For frozen patties, increase the cooking time to 8 to 10 minutes per side. Keep in mind that every air fryer is different, and you may need to adjust air-fryer cooking times depending on the size and thickness of your burger patty.

Check the burgers early to ensure they haven’t overcooked, or use a meat thermometer to know when burgers are finished cooking. Ground beef patties should cook to a food-safe internal temperature of 160°. If you substitute another type of meat, cook pork or lamb to 160° or ground turkey and chicken to 165°.

Do you need to flip burgers in the air fryer?

Yes, you should flip hamburgers about halfway through the cooking time. Flipping the patties ensures they cook evenly and crisp up on both sides.

Can you cook burgers and fries in an air fryer at the same time?

We don’t recommend air-frying burgers and fries at the same time because they don’t use the same air-fryer temperature. We air-fry burgers at 350°, but our air-fryer french fries and air-fryer sweet potato fries recipes cook at 400°. It’s better to cook the fries first and then move on to the burgers. You can always reheat the fries for a few minutes while assembling the hamburgers.

Can you use a different protein to make air-fryer hamburgers?

We use ground beef in this air-fryer hamburger recipe, but you can use any type of ground meat, like ground pork, turkey, chicken, lamb or wild game. If you have a favorite pork burger or turkey burger recipe, feel free to use the seasonings from that recipe. Then, cook the burger patties until a thermometer inserted in the middle of a patty reads 160° (or 165° for ground poultry), flipping halfway through.