Cheesy Nacho Burgers Recipe

There's something about a big, juicy hamburger that always hits the spot, but that doesn't mean you have to stick to the standard burger-cheese-pickle-bun configuration like a standard McDonald's special. When you make homemade burgers, there's lots of room to get creative with the toppings, and this cheesy nacho burger may just be one of the best flavor combos you could try. "This recipe is super fun to make and you can customize the burgers with your favorite toppings, too," says recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating. "The combination of meaty beef burgers, creamy cheese sauce, crunchy tortillas, and all the classic nacho toppings is so tasty!"

And while there's no single stand-out ingredient in the recipe, you can't exactly have a cheesy nacho burger without nacho cheese, now can you? Here you'll be skipping the canned version and making your own with shredded cheddar cheese, and the result is something special. "That melty, gooey cheese sauce makes everything so delicious," Brookes promises. So go ahead and whip up a batch of these burgers tonight — you can have them on the table in less than 30 minutes.

As with all burger recipes, you'll of course need ground beef and burger buns, but you'll need quite a few other ingredients to whip up these nacho burgers. Before you get started, make sure you have taco seasoning, shredded cheddar cheese, olive oil, butter, all-purpose flour, milk, salt, and cayenne pepper on hand to cook the burgers and make the cheese sauce. Then for toppings, you'll want sliced avocado, salsa, pickled jalapeños, and tortilla chips. 

You'll want to start by making the beef patties. Mix the ground beef, taco seasoning, a quarter cup of shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper together in a bowl, suing your hands to combine. Split the beef mixture into four equal portions and form them into burger patties. "Adding cheese to the patties gives extra flavor and moisture to the burgers," Brookes says. 

To cook the burger patties, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pan fry the burgers for four minutes on each side, or until cooked through in the middle. "To check whether the burgers are done you can use a meat thermometer, which should read 160 F," says Brookes. 

With the patties cooked, you just need to make the cheese sauce. Start by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir, forming a paste. Cook for two minutes, being sure to constantly stir to prevent the ingredients from burning. Add the milk slowly, continuing to whisk as you pour it into the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, continuing to stir until the sauce has thickened. "The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon," Brookes advises. Finally, add cayenne pepper and salt to the sauce's base, cut the heat, and remove the saucepan from the burner. 

With the sauce's base made, now you just need to make it cheesy. Add a cup of shredded cheddar to the saucepan and stir until it's melted through. The end result is a sauce with a nacho cheese consistency (smooth and creamy), but a sharper flavor more akin to cheddar. 

WIth the sauce and patties made, all that's left to do is assemble the burgers. Start by adding a few tortilla chips to the bottom of each burger bun. Layer the burgers on top of the chips, then ladle cheese sauce on top of the burgers. From here, add the toppings as desired, including avocado, jalapeños, and salsa. Finish off with a few more tortilla chips and the top half of the bun. Arguably, this cheesy nacho burger is a meal unto itself, but Brookes suggests serving it alongside a fresh green salad or potato wedges.

"These are best cooked and assembled right before eating, but the burger patties themselves can be kept in the fridge for up to three days, if desired. You can reheat them in the oven or microwave," Brookes says. And to that end, she says the sauce can be stored and reheated, as well. Just be aware that it will solidify when stored in the fridge, but will melt down again when heated in a saucepan or microwave.