Possibly the best keto burgers ever, stuffed with brie and caramelized onions. Who needs a bun when your stuffed burgers are this full of flavor?
I first created this delicious keto stuffed burger recipe back in 2012. It’s as delicious as it ever was and in honor of grilling season, I wanted to update it with some new photos.
There is nothing quite so satisfying when you are ravenously hungry like a really great keto hamburger. After a race or a long run, when I am dripping with sweat and my muscles are screaming for an energy refill, I crave nothing more than a big, juicy burger. Preferably grilled over a hot flame, with melted cheese and other great, flavourful toppings.
No Bun Please! Keto Style Burgers
Even before I came to the low carbing way of life, the bun of a burger was almost irrelevant to me. It often overwhelmed the deliciousness of the burger itself.
And if the burger is juicy enough, as a good burger should be the bun always falls apart into a sticky clump by the end anyway.
Bread and buns really are just filler, and they often filled us up so much that we can’t enjoy the burger inside as much as we should. Why not let the burger really be the star of the show, and get rid of all the distractions?
We are conditioned, in our carb-focused society, to think a meat dish must come with a starchy side to fill us up. But we now know we don’t and that a really good, hearty burger and some veggies will be enough. I know many of you want keto bread and bun recipes but even those, I urge you to reconsider. Your bread cravings will be easier to conquer when you just skip them altogether.
Join me in a keto bunless burger revolution!
Keto Stuffed Burgers for the win
However, even I will admit that it’s hard to serve up just a plain old burger with no bun. It looks really, really lonely there on the plate, all by itself or with a few measly sides. It just doesn’t seem like it will be quite enough to satisfy.
Unless you know that the burger itself is stuffed with some amazing goodies that will spill out onto your plate as you cut into it, all melty and gooey, hot from the grill.
Ah yes, the revelation of the stuffed burger, a meal unto itself, no bun required. And let me tell you that this caramelized onion and brie stuffed burger is one of the best burgers I have ever eaten.
Brie and caramelized onions are a match made in heaven. When I mentioned this idea to my husband, of putting them together in a burger, his eyes lit up. I believe he may even have salivated there on the spot. I know I did!
How to make Stuffed Burgers
Stuffed burgers take a little more time to pull together than your average cheeseburger. But they are worth it!
A few tips:
- Make your burgers on the bigger side, about 1/3 of a pound. You need a decent amount of the ground meat to form around the fillings. For this recipe, 2 pounds of meat will give you 6 burgers.
- Divide your burger meat evenly into the number of servings before you start forming the burgers. This will help you see how much meat you are working with for each stuffed burger.
- Chop the fillings up well so they fit inside easily. In this recipe, the caramelized onions are small after being cooked down, so they work perfectly. Because brie is hard to slice nicely, I cut mine into 1/2 inch pieces, putting 2 of them in every burger. Cut the brie when it’s cold for more even slices!
- Take a little more than half of each portion of ground meat and form it into a flat, thin patty. Place your fillings right in the center and then form the remaining amount into a second flat, thin patty. Place on top of the fillings and form them around the fillings.
- Be sure to seal the edges of the two patties well. No matter what you do, a little of the fillings may leak out as the burger cooks and shrinks in size. But the more you can seal them in, the better.
- Then grill, pan fry or air fry to your satisfaction. The USDA says burgers should be cooked to 160F for safety, which is well done. I personally do mine to a medium rare temperature (more like 130F) but I have to tell you the safety guidelines! What you choose to do with them is your decision.
More Stuffed Burgers you might like
Note: not all of these are from keto blogs. Ignore the buns and focus on the burger!
- Jalapeno Cheddar Stuffed Burgers
- Juicy Lucy Burgers
- Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Burgers
- French Onion Stuffed Burgers
- Guacamole Stuffed Burgers
- Gorgonzola Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers
Keto Stuffed Burgers
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
Stuffed Burgers
- 2 lb ground beef (or 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground pork)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 4 oz Brie cheese cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
- To caramelize the onions, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium low heat. Once hot, add the onions and sprinkle with salt.
- Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until they become tender and a deep amber, about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not let them get crispy. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep them from burning or crisping.
Stuffed Burgers
- Combine the beef, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix by hand to combine well and divide into 6 even portions.
- Take a little more than half of each portion and form into a thin patty. Top each thin patty with some of the brie and onions, then top with remaining half of each portion and form around cheese and onions, into one large patty. Seal the edges well.
- Cook the burgers on pre-heated grill about 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium. Cook slightly less for medium-rare and slightly more for medium-well. (Note: The USDA says burgers should be cooked to 160F for food safety. This is well done. I prefer mine medium rare but I must give you the proper safety information!)
- Serve with lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and pickles, if desired.
Notes
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
For some reason my Google Reader hasn’t been updating for your blog! But it’s fixed now :-). Good thing too, cause I wouldn’t have wanted to miss these!
Shelah Phillipsen says
These look so yummy!!! I love stuffed burgers and brie is one of my favorite cheeses! I will make these this weekend.
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
I can follow your bread disemboweling right up until you mentioned reubens. For me the rye is an essential flavor for the whole so I can’t remove even a bite of it. As far as other buns, unless they’re exceptional, yeah, they can go away.
I adore your burger. The thought of the Brie (which I love) and caramelized onions (which make me swoon) together with perfectly cooked beef (rare) is enough for me to invite myself over for dinner.
Abby says
Oh wow! These sound amazing, with all that flavor who needs a bun 🙂
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
Perfect combination in a burger! You’re so right, too, sometimes nothing satisfies quite like a big, juicy hamburger. And then to stuff it with caramelized onions and brie?!? Oh. My! Perfection.
Kim@hungryhealthygirl says
Wowsers! These look amazing! I love caramelized onions, but I’ve never thought about putting them inside the burger. What a great idea.
Parsley Sage says
I’d have been insta-drool gal too at the mention of this mash up…SO DELICIOUS! Way to show me that the bun is unnecessary when you’ve got a burger like this 🙂
Gail @ Faithfulness farm says
Oh, yum — love me a good burger and this one looks divine 🙂
Blessings!
Gail
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
I’m with you on the bread thing. I really hate it when the bread on a burger or sandwich has a ton of bread. I just pick most of it away. It’s all about the burger and this one looks just fantastic!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
You’ve got me craving a burger like crazy now! These look absolutely scrumptious Carolyn!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Love the idea of stuffing burger meat with Brie! Just brilliant!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
This is my perfect burger, Carolyn. I am drooling. Want one of these badly!
Rica says
There is a restaurant in Sacramento, CA that makes a burger with bacon on the bottom and melts cambozola (brie with gorgonzola cheese) on top. It’s a winner! Your recipe reminded me of that and has inspired me to sub the brie for cambozola as well. This would be tasty with a side of fried cabbage with bacon!
Shaina says
I come from the land of stuffed cheeseburgers, except they’re called Lucys here. Brie and caramelized onions sound divine. When you have that going on, why on earth would you need a bun?
Carolyn says
Hmmm, I just found a bunch of your comments in my spam folder. Sorry about that!
Andrea@simplylivinghealthy.org says
I’m a disembowel-er too. More room for the yummy stuff in my tummy that way…I absolutely LOVE stuffed burgers…so much so that I bought a ridiculously over-rated “burger-stuffing” gadget from Williams Sonoma…the old fashioned hand stuffed way works better! Brie, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms are truly a match made in HEAVEN for me…I could get really over the top and say a bit of chopped crispy bacon would do these burgers proud as well! My husband comes home on R&R this weekend from Afghanistan and a good burger is always on his “I want to eat” list…this recipe is just the ticket!!! Thanks for your awesome creativity!!!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Andrea. I’ve seen those stuffed burger makers and now you’ve made me happy I’ve never paid for one! 🙂
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
OH MAMMMAAAAA.
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
You can give your bread to me. 😀 That oozy middle of brie and caramelized onions looks amazing!
Carolyn says
I am surprised you even came over to comment, since I know a post like this isn’t exactly your thing! 🙂 Thanks!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
I haven’t had a burger in 12 years, but you have me craving one now.
Pamela says
Ah, Carolyn, you’re speaking to the choir here. I love your recipes…just made the Pumpkin parfaits for the 10th time this season! One thing, I can’t seem to pin your recipes from the website to pinterest. I click to pin it, but the page that shows up where you choose what to pin, displays only blank photos. Not sure if it’s me or if anyone else has mentioned it.
I just want to share the goodness!
Carolyn says
Is this older posts or newer ones? Older ones imported from blogger may be a problem, but if it’s newer ones, then it is just Pinterest and you have to cancel and then try again. I’ve had that problem before with other people’s sites.
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
FYI, I had no problem pinning this.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
yes please! I have not thought of stuffing a hamburger with Brie, but what a great idea!