Loaded Breakfast or Brunch Burgers are baked or fried, use potato, bacon, cheese, sausage, pork or beef and more, in one breakfast hamburger!
Breakfast Burger
My husband Ken was the first one to create one of these Loaded Breakfast Burgers so many years ago. Although they were a little different back then, they were always so tasty!
Over the years his recipe has evolved into what you see before you, nothing short of breakfast or brunch burger perfection!
I’m not even kidding.
These breakfast or brunch hamburgers are perfect for any time of day. This is the perfect recipe to serve for breakfast, brunch or dinner!
I know we are not the only family that does that and does it regularly! Are we?!
These brunch burgers include bacon, potatoes, ground pork, ground beef or sausage, your favorite shredded cheese or cheeses, an egg, some onion, garlic and a few other seasonings.
That is it.
Breakfast hamburgers do take some time to make but are definitely worth the effort.
To save time, if I know I will be making some brunch burgers in the morning, I will boil some extra potatoes with dinner the night before.
I just set some cooked potatoes aside, before I mash up the rest, and keep them inside the fridge for the night.
Having the potatoes already cooked and ready to go makes a difference but is definitely not a dealbreaker.
If I’m not organized, which happens way more often than I like to admit, I will boil the potatoes while I’m cooking up all of the chopped bacon.
As long as I start the water for the potatoes boiling and get the potatoes on and cooking first, the timing works out just fine with these breakfast hamburgers. Both the potatoes and bacon are finished at around the same time.
I feel like I’m trying to be more efficient as I get older which is why I try to make extra boiled potatoes with dinner the night or even day before.
If you have time or think to do this you will be glad you did.
Brunch Burgers
These loaded brunch burgers can be served with literally anything!
We sometimes put cheese on top even though there is already cheese in them. Sometimes I just can’t help myself. The more cheese the better!
Honestly, the decision to add more cheese is up to you.
Whether you fry or bake these amazing brunch burgers, all you have to do is add a pinch or a slice of your favorite cheese as soon as they come out of the oven.
Cheese melts right away or if you’re like my incredible, impatient friend Julie, she places the pan under the broiler for a minute or two just to melt and darken the cheese, just a little.
Both methods work great but the decision is up to you which way you would like to add cheese to your breakfast hamburgers.
If you choose to add cheese at all.
I love these breakfast and brunch burgers served with a fried or poached egg, with a runny yolk. You don’t have to.
I just love dipping a little piece burger in runny yolk in as many bites as possible.
My son will add more cheese, an egg and bacon slices to the sandwich that he tops with ketchup and sometimes mustard as well.
He makes these breakfast or brunch burgers just like a burger and LOVES them.
Everyone does that tries them.
I love hearing about how everyone adjusts the breakfast hamburger recipe the second time they make it.
Some will add more bacon, add hot sauce, more seasoning, more or less cheese, a combination of ground meats and I could go on.
This breakfast burger recipe is so versatile you can easily make it perfect for your family, if it’s not already.
Burger and Breakfast
I remember my mother always saying that you can’t have a burger for breakfast, or even brunch for that matter. Burger and breakfast do not go together.
I still remember her saying it and she believed it.
My dad on the other hand was more than willing to try everything and enjoyed these brunch burgers every chance he got.
For years this went on, my mother was so stubborn, until she ended up trying a little piece of the burger from my dads plate. I don’t even think she meant to do it.
She had this habit of reaching over and grabbing a little of whatever she wanted off of my dad’s plate. My dad never seemed to mind.
It was just the way it was.
On this day we noticed the look on her face when she realized what these loaded breakfast hamburgers really tasted like.
I’m pretty sure it was my late husband who asked her if she wanted one. He knew that he was the one to do it because he was the son she never had.
I think without any of us saying a word we all knew she would say yes to him. She always did.
We were correct. She took a breakfast hamburger from him.
I know there were a few of us at the table that wanted to jump for joy. We all wanted to say that burgers and breakfast do go together but what would that have accomplished?
Besides temporarily making a few of us feel better.
Her stubbornness had gone on long enough.
Luckily for her, and my dad especially, from that day on she started making breakfast hamburgers for them both.
As I expected she adjusted the breakfast hamburger recipe as it should have been made. Exactly the way she wanted it.
She always added a little less cheese, because I always add too much, and sometimes she skipped the bacon because of the extra calories.
Other than that my breakfast burger recipe was good to go, in her opinion. In fact, without saying it, burgers and breakfast do go together afterall!
She was not personally a fan of skillet breakfasts so she always baked her breakfast hamburgers.
We were all just so happy for my dad because now he didn’t have to wait to come over to our house to eat them!
You’ll see. Once you try making this breakfast hamburger recipe once you will understand how delicious these brunch burgers are.
Then, when you make breakfast hamburgers for a second time, you will adjust the seasonings or even the amount of bacon or cheese, to make these burgers your own too!
Most just do.
Skillet Breakfasts
I thought I had published this recipe for Loaded Breakfast Burgers a long time ago and I apologize for not getting this recipe out to all of you sooner!
But better late than never I suppose!
One of the many things I absolutely love about this recipe is that you have the option to bake or fry these tasty breakfast burgers.
As you might expect, frying these breakfast hamburgers is faster than baking. If you have the extra 20 minutes or so, baking is not a problem at all.
Regardless, both taste great.
My husband thinks these breakfast hamburgers are exactly right, just the way they come out of the oven!
You can fry them too, skillet breakfasts are delicious, but we always find ourselves baking them.
My son loves skillet breakfasts like this and never takes the extra time to needed to bake these breakfast burgers.
He figures he is frying everything else so why not fry the burgers once everything else is ready.
I couldn’t believe it but he told me he loves this skillet breakfast recipe so much that he has a system for making breakfast or brunch burgers so everything turns out great and at the same time, or close to it.
This I had to hear!
First, he gets the bacon over with. I kind of figured he would go that route as he has been making these burgers with me for a very long time and that’s what I always did.
It was absolutely hilarious listening to him. I knew he really liked these burgers because he repeated exactly what I do to make this skillet breakfast hamburger recipe every time I do it.
He was clearly paying attention! ?
Breakfast Hamburger
You might be wondering how my husband loves to eat his Loaded Breakfast Burgers and drum roll please, plain, on an english muffin, just as they are.
Don’t think for a minute that you have to serve these on an english muffin.
These breakfast hamburgers can be served on a plate, with or without eggs, with toast, just like a breakfast hamburger side dish at any time of the day!
There are also a ton of buns or rolls you can choose from at your local market. Choose your favorites. These amazing breakfast hamburgers will go with any kind of bun!
Next, you will have to decide if you want to toast your buns and I always try to. I love melting cheese on buns while they are in the oven.
I always toast the buns first while they are cut and open, under the broiler in the oven.
Once toasted, I add cheese and continue to toast until the cheese is melted and darkened somewhat.
By toasting first, and then adding the cheese, I find it seals the buns. They don’t become soggy with all of the other wet toppings that are added like ketchup etc.
I do this with breakfast hamburgers and regular hamburgers too.
Maybe it’s just me. If you try it, and find the same thing, please let me know. I would love to hear if you agree!
I also make these Loaded Benedict Breakfast Potatoes and Slow Cooker Bacon Breakfast Potatoes which are both terrific and another option to serve potatoes with any meal, not just breakfast!
Breakfast Burger Recipe
Around here, I rarely end up with leftovers of these Loaded Breakfast Burgers. When I do I usually just leave them cooked, in the fridge, and they always disappear.
I have frozen some of these Loaded Breakfast Burgers, cooked, which makes them so easy to defrost and heat up, ready in minutes, any time you want one!
Generally, this Loaded Breakfast Burgers recipe will make 8, english muffin sized burgers.
My friend Julie makes these burgers about half of that size and ends up with around 15 of them but then her kids are younger and truthfully she calls them Breakfast Meatballs!
Everyone always has a giggle at the table and they gobble them all up!
Ingredients in Loaded Breakfast Burgers
- bacon
- potatoes
- salt
- ground pork, ground beef or sausage
- shredded cheese
- onion
- garlic
- poultry seasoning
- seasoned salt
- pepper or cayenne pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes
- egg
- maple syrup or brown sugar
How to make Loaded Brunch Burgers
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a rack lightly coated in cooking spray. Set aside.
First you are going to need to cook your chopped bacon until crisp.
Grab your skillet and over medium to medium high heat fry bacon until cooked. Place on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
Next, or while your bacon is cooking, boil your chopped potatoes in salted water until fork tender.
Drain into a colander in your sink and return the potatoes to the pot and mash them up. Set aside.
Now grab your biggest bowl and add your ground pork, ground beef or ground sausage, mashed potatoes and shredded cheese.
Using a spoon mix the ingredients together a bit.
Then add onion, garlic, egg, syrup, red pepper flakes, seasoned salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.
At this point we just use our hands and mix until everything inside the bowl is just blended together.
Last add your bacon and make sure it is evenly distributed. You can add the bacon earlier but for some reason I have always added it last. I have no idea why.
It is up to you!
Evenly divide the meat mixture into 8 portions, as equal as you can get them. That is the easiest way to do it. Remember you want the burgers to be the size of an english muffin and they will shrink a little as they cook.
They will be around ¾ of an inch thick.
Place your burgers on your prepared pan.
To Bake
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place the burgers in the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the pan from the oven, flip the burgers and return them to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Check to make sure the burgers have an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
You can broil these burgers for a moment or two to brown them if you feel it is necessary.
Now you can toast your english muffins or make your eggs (I love to dip these burgers in egg yolk!) or do whatever you want to serve them. My son adds extra bacon slices, ketchup and on occasion mustard and makes an english muffin sandwich!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of them and how you serve them!
To Fry
Grab your largest skillet.
You will likely have to fry these burgers in batches.
Over medium to medium high heat place a tablespoon or two of oil.
Add burgers, one at a time, and do not let them touch while cooking or they will stick together.
Usually about 4 or 5 minutes per side.
Use your thermometer to be sure they have an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
I wish I could be more exact but between temperature differences and burger sizes not being exact it is difficult to give you a more specific time!
If these burgers aren’t what you are looking for then have a peek at some of our other brunch favorites below!
Delicious Breakfast and Brunch Favorites to Try
Easy Western Stuffing Egg Muffins
Cheesy Bacon and Egg Biscuit Muffins
Eggs, Veggies and Cheese Biscuit Bake
Easy Bacon and Egg Breakfast Cups
How could we not make a video for these Loaded Breakfast Burgers or if you make them smaller, meatballs? Take a moment to watch. I am pretty sure you will be glad you did.
Loaded Breakfast Burgers Video
Loaded Breakfast Burgers
Equipment
- large skillet
- rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices bacon, chopped or diced, cooked until crisp
- 2 large potatoes, roughly chopped, boiled until tender
- 1 teaspoon salt to add to water the potatoes are boiled in
- 1 pound ground pork, sausage or beef
- 1 - 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¾ cup onion, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons garlic
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon seasoned Salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large egg
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a rack lightly coated in cooking spray. Set aside.
- First you are going to need to cook your chopped bacon until crisp. Grab your skillet and over medium to medium high heat fry bacon until cooked. Place on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Next, or while your bacon is cooking, boil your chopped potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain into a colander in your sink and return the potatoes to the pot and mash them up. Set aside.
- Now grab your biggest bowl and add your ground pork or ground sausage, mashed potatoes and shredded cheese. Using a spoon mix the ingredients together a bit. Then add onion, garlic, egg, syrup, red pepper flakes, seasoned salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. At this point we just use our hands and mix until everything inside the bowl is just blended together. Last add your bacon and make sure it is evenly distributed. You can add the bacon earlier but for some reason I have always added it last. I have no idea why. It is up to you!
- Evenly divide the meat mixture into 8 portions, as equal as you can get them. That is the easiest way to do it. Remember you want the burgers to be the size of an english muffin and they will shrink a little as they cook. They will be around ¾ of an inch thick. Place your burgers on your prepared pan.
- Place the burgers in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the pan from the oven, flip the burgers and return them to the oven for another 30 minutes. Check to make sure the burgers have an internal temperature of 160 degrees. You can broil these burgers for a moment or two to brown them if you feel it is necessary. Now you can toast your english muffins or make your eggs (I love to dip these burgers in egg yolk!) or do whatever you want to serve them. My son adds extra bacon slices, ketchup and on occasion mustard and makes an english muffin sandwich! I can't wait to hear what you think of them and how you serve them!
To Fry
- Grab your largest skillet. You will likely have to fry these burgers in batches. Over medium to medium high heat place a tablespoon or two of oil. Add burgers, one at a time, and do not let them touch while cooking or they will stick together. Usually about 4 or 5 minutes per side. Use your thermometer to be sure they have an internal temperature of 160 degrees. I wish I could be more exact but between temperature differences and burger sizes not being exact it is difficult to give you a more specific time!
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Heather
This recipe would be great to shape as a hotdog cook and freeze for an easy quick on the go kids meal.
Karin and Ken
That is a great idea! I love that you would change the shape. I wish I had done that when my son was small. He would have loved it! That never occurred to me after all of these years. THANK YOU for taking the time to comment. I am actually going to try that myself and instead of toast serve the burger on a hotdog kind of bun! That will be such a nice change. This is what I love most about my website. Together we can help each other to become better in the kitchen! Thank you again. Take care and all the best. Karin