Wagyu Burger

This wagyu burger is going to be one of the best burgers you ever make! Juicy, moist and tender with a tangy sauce literally dripping from it your mouth won't be able to stop watering. Quick and easy wagyu beef burgers will soon become your family's favorite hamburgers and there won't be any need to drive through to get them!

Recipes like the Italian Short Ribs, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs and Beef Osso Bucco are all about indulging in beautiful beef recipes.

The Wagyu Meatballs, Meatball Pesto Pasta and Spaghetti Bolognese with Meatballs all use beef mince as the protein for the meatballs.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Quick and easy: we are talking about pushing some patties together, chopping some lettuce, tomato and onions and then making a simple sauce. It is a quick recipe packed with flavor and juicy yum! An easy way to tick the takeout box without heading through the drive through.
• Homemade wagyu burgers: enough said 🤣👍😉😘.
• Wagyu beef: has high marbling across the meat compared to other beef. Even the top quality ground beef just doesn't compare once you have tasted the unparalleled tenderness of wagyu. The incredible flavor and texture of this type of beef makes it a premium product that does come with a higher price tag to other meats as well as a more indulgent taste. It is an excellent product to make burgers with.
• Versatile: I am setting out this post so you can see exactly how I make my wagyu burgers. However, I know when it comes to burgers, they are close to people's hearts 🥰 and everyone has their unique preferences. So I do include a number of options for you to consider which might be how you make burgers to accommodate.
• Family favorite: everyone from little kids to big ones enjoy a hamburger from time to time. Be it a backyard barbecue or dinner at the table. If you want to make sliders for the kids, you can do that from the wagyu meat also. There is also plenty of sauce options in the post so that you can choose one they will enjoy. The horseradish one will have too much tang for little ones.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the wagyu burger recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper to season both sides of the wagyu patty before we cook it.
• Shichimi Togarashi: (the secret ingredient!!) is a Japanese 7 spice that you will be able to get from your local grocery store in the Asian foods aisle. Given that wagyu cattle are Japanese, it makes sense to partner this delightful spice with the beef.
• Olive oil: we use a little of this in the frying pan to cook the burger patties.
• Horseradish yogurt sauce: this is a homemade yogurt sauce with a little tang to it. Simple to make it provides the perfect burger sauce to compliment to the wagyu patty.
• Onion: red for burgers is my favourite as you don't have to cook them!
• Pickles: a burger essential! You will be able to purchase store bought 'burger pickles'. They keep for a long time in the fridge and are excellent to have on hand for when that burger craving hits!
• Tomato: robust and juicy and known for being one of those classic burger toppings, we add 2-3 tomato slices per burger.
• Lettuce: crisp and fresh. I use an ice berg lettuce for that unmistakeable crunch as you bite into it.
• Buns: hamburger buns, brioche buns, bread rolls, with or without sesame seeds, you can pick your favorite.
• Wagyu mince (or wagyu ground beef): it has exceptional flavor compared to regular ground beef. You will likely need to get this from your local butcher. Depending on your country it will be American Wagyu Beef or Australian Wagyu. It is a premium meat product and you are unlikely to get it at your local grocery store. That being said, some stores will sell it. So you can have a look and then head to your butcher if no luck finding it in the meat section.

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by making the patties. A chopping board is helpful for this step.

• Separate wagyu into 4 portions (Photo 1)
• Form patties from the portions (Photo 2)
• Season with salt and pepper (Photo 3)
• Season with shichimi togarashi (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make a Wagyu Burger

We start by making the wagyu beef patties. In doing so, we want to handle the meat as little as possible as to not overwork it.

So we simply take the mince and separate it into 4 portions on the chopping board. Once we have our portions, we can gently form them into round patties and push them down slightly so they have a uniform surface across the top.

Next we want to season with salt and black pepper. Followed by the Japanese 7 spice, shichimi togarashi. As we season both sides, you will find it easier to do the salt, pepper and Japanese spice and then flip the patties to the other side and repeat.

Once this is done, you can place a large frying pan or cast iron skillet on the stove. Turn the heat to high and add the olive oil. Give it a swish in the pan and then place 2 of the patties in. They need to be cooked for 3-4 minutes per side. The thickness of your patty will make a difference to the cooking time. We want the burgers to be a little browned and crispy on the outsides and a greyish brown colour with little pink on the insides.

When the patties are cooked, you can use a slotted spoon to transfer them onto a paper towel lined chopped board. We want them to rest for 1 to 2 minutes to reabsorb the juices.

• Cook wagyu patties for 3 - 4 minutes per side (Photo 5)
• Toast burger buns (Photo 6)
• Add sauce to toasted hamburger buns (Photo 7)
• Add lettuce (Photo 8)

Once the patties are cooked, you can toast the burger buns. I like to use the air fryer to do this as it is super fast and takes only 1 - 2 minutes.

Next, we start the assemble the burgers. Use a chopping board to help do this.

Start by opening the buns and spreading a layer of the horseradish yogurt sauce across the surface. Top this with some of the crisp lettuce.

• Add cooked wagyu patties (Photo 9)
• Spread another layer of sauce on top (Photo 10)
• Add sliced tomato (Photo 11)
• Add sliced onion (Photo 12)

Next add some more sauce, the sliced tomato and sliced onion rings.

• Sprinkle some pickles over the top of the sliced onion (Photo 13)

Then take some of the pickles and spread them out on top of the onions. You can use as many per burger as you wish to.

The final step when making these juicy burgers is to close off the bun by placing the other half of the toasted brioche on top of the burger.

• Close burgers by putting the toasted top of the bun on (Photo 14)

Once all that is done, take a step back and admire your burger creation and then you are ready to serve your burgers. I have some suggestions as well as tips and tricks below to help you! 😉

🍽 Serving Suggestions

The sauce you see in the photos throughout the post is the Horseradish Yogurt Sauce. It is the perfect pairing for the burgers as it has its own oomph to it, a little tang and a whole lot of yum!

The only difference I make when making it to using it for other recipes is to add a little parsley. I find this addition adds a little pop of extra and colour to the sauce.

Other options you can try are the Spicy Yogurt Sauce, Mustard Yogurt Sauce or Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

If you like adding fresh herbs to homemade sauces the other options that will work are the Herbed Yogurt Sauce, Parsley Yogurt Sauce or the Basil Yogurt Sauce.

For cheesy (ha!) options try the Gorgonzola Sauce or Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip. These 2 are both have a thinner consistency than the above sauces and will work as a fries dipping sauce if you want to try that option instead.

For citrus sauces try the Lemon Yogurt Sauce or Lime Yogurt Sauce. For a mayo, try the Sweet Chilli Mayo.

Then after the sauce, you need fries (chips, we say as Aussies) of course!! The Air Fryer Chips are an easy choice and you can dip them in any of the sauce options above. Or make the Gravy Fries if you want a savory fries sauce.

The Air Fried Onions can be used if you want sautéed onions in place of the red onion. Or you can pair the burgers with the Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings if you want a non fries option.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Cooked burger patties can be store in a sealed airtight contained for 2-3 days.

How to Reheat

You can use the air fryer or stove to reheat the burger patties. They are best reheated for 2 - 3 minutes until warm in the centre again.

How to Freeze

The burger patties can be made and frozen raw. Simply wrap individually after seasoning using cling wrap.

Then allow to fully thaw before cooking.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• In place of the olive oil you can use vegetable oil or avocado oil to cook the patties.
• If you want to add cheese to turn the burgers into wagyu cheeseburgers, you have this option. You can use 'burger cheese' from the grocery store or your favorite cheese 😉👍.
• If you want to add other burger toppings like bacon, beetroot, a fried egg, a pineapple ring or blue cheese, I won't stop you.
• You can use the Air Fryer Onions if you want to add sauteed onions to your burger in place of the red onion.
• Or you can cook sweet potato fries and serve those with the burgers in place of regular potato fries.
• If you don't want to make full burgers, you can make wagyu beef sliders instead. Simply reduce the size of the patties. In place of 4 patties and 4 burgers, you can make 8 slider patties and 8 sliders.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• We don't want to overwork the meat and massage it for too long, hence why we season the beef from the outside. You do have the option however of gently folding the spices into the burger patties.
• The thicker the burger patties, the longer they will take to cook. So when making them, gently push the meat down so that the burger is wider and thinner as opposed to less wide and thicker.
• We want to cook 1 side of the wagyu patty and then flip to the other side. We don't want to then keep flipping it. Less when burger patty cooking is more.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wagyu beef good for burgers?

Wagyu beef is an excellent choice for burgers. The juicy meat has a high fat content, which makes for a perfectly tender and moist hamburger.

How should Wagyu burgers be cooked?

Wagyu burgers should be cooked in a frying pan on the stove. They will cook quickly and only need around 3 minutes per side to cook through. After cooking them rest them for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb.

Should you salt wagyu before or after cooking?

Yes. Season the burger patties with salt and pepper before cooking them.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

A burger for dinner sounds pretty good in my mind! It might be, however, more of a Friday night dinner than a Monday night one.

Or you might be a Sunday night burger eater in place of the Sunday roast. All good, whatever works for you 😉👍.

I do, however, like to give you a variety of options so that you have many recipes to turn to throughout the week. These are diverse across proteins, cook times and cooking methods.

• Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb
• Köttbullar Meatballs
• Polenta Al Forno
• Honey Mustard Sausages
• Bacon Risotto
• Spaghetti and Mince
• Spinach and Mushroom Risotto
• Crumbed Lamb Cutlets
• Dutch Oven Pulled Pork
• Crumbed Mushrooms

It is time to get your taste buds watering and take your burger game to a whole new level on my friend! You can also find all of my burger recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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