How to make smash burgers at home

By DesiSmash by Chef Hass · Nov 2026 · 3 min read

Smoked BBQ Pitmaster smash burger with sauce poured over

To make a smash burger at home, press a ball of cold 80/20 mince flat onto a screaming-hot cast iron pan or griddle, season it, cook until the edges are crisp, flip, add cheese and serve on a toasted bun.

You do not need a restaurant griddle. A heavy cast iron pan, a stiff spatula and a few minutes of patience will get you a proper smash burger. Here is the method, with the mistakes that trip most people up.

What you need

Mince: beef with about 20 per cent fat, such as 80/20 chuck. Keep it in the fridge until the moment you cook.
A heavy pan: cast iron or a thick steel pan holds heat better than thin non-stick.
A stiff spatula or press: something rigid enough to flatten the patty in one go.
Baking paper: a small square on top of the ball stops it sticking to your press.
Cheese, buns, butter, sauce, pickles and onions: see our cheese and sauce guide.

The method, step by step

Portion: roll the mince into loose balls of about 55 to 70 g (2 to 2.5 oz) per patty. Do not pack them tight. The looser the ball, the crispier the edges.
Prep the buns and toppings first: smash burgers cook in minutes, so have everything ready. Butter the buns and toast them in a separate pan or under the grill.
Get the pan very hot: heat it for several minutes, until a drop of water vanishes instantly. Turn the extractor fan on, because it will smoke a little.
Smash: place the ball on the dry pan (the fat in the mince is enough), cover it with baking paper and press down firmly for about 10 seconds until it is thin and wide.
Season: sprinkle salt and black pepper straight onto the patty now, not into the mince.
Wait: leave it alone for roughly 60 to 90 seconds, until the edges are dark and crisp and you can see the fat bubbling.
Scrape and flip: slide the spatula right under the crust, scraping so you keep all of it, and flip. Add cheese immediately.
Finish: cook the second side for 30 to 45 seconds, stack your patties, and build the burger on the toasted bun.

Food safety note: minced meat must be cooked through. Burgers should be piping hot all the way through with no pink inside. The Food Standards Agency advises 70°C for two minutes, or an equivalent time and temperature combination. Thin patties reach this quickly, but check the first one when you are learning.

Common mistakes

The pan is not hot enough. The patty sweats and goes grey instead of crisping. Wait longer before you start.
Salting the mince early. Salt mixed into the meat in advance makes it dense and sausage-like. Season on the pan.
Overworking the meat. Squeezing and kneading toughens it. Roll gently into a loose ball.
Using lean mince. A thin lean patty dries out. Look for about 20 per cent fat.
Moving the patty too soon. Let the crust form before you scrape and flip.
Cooking too many at once. Overcrowding drops the heat. Cook in batches.

Want it with spice?

For a Desi version, mix finely chopped green chilli, fresh coriander, ginger-garlic paste, ground cumin, ground coriander and garam masala into the mince, handling it as little as possible. We explain what goes into our spiced patties in Desi spiced smash burger explained.

You can also download Chef Hass's free Desi Smash recipe. It is a step-by-step PDF with the Desi patty, the smash method and a mint-coriander chutney mayo. Enter your name and email on the home page and it is yours.

Prefer someone else does the smashing?

If you would rather skip the smoke and the washing up, DesiSmash cooks chef-made smash burgers every Friday to Sunday, with collection and delivery across Leicester and Glenfield. Browse the menu and pre-order your slot.