Fun, Delicious Twists On The Classic Burger

While nothing beats a classic burger enjoyed with a side of crispy fries and a milkshake, experimenting with fun twists on this favorite meal can be incredibly delicious. Restaurants across the country are certainly playing around with creative toppings and preparations. Get in on the fun and reinvent the burger to suit your varying tastes. Whether you decide to have a good time with crazy burger mashups, incorporate secret ingredients into the meat mixture, or simply garnish your beef patties with unexpected flourishes, you'll surely find an exciting world of possibilities open up when you mix up your burger game. Read on to find out about some clever ways to have a grand ol' time with burger grilling this season.

What if mac and cheese and burger meet and form an over-the-top hybrid? If you think this is way too crazy or decadent, think again. Zombie Burger—an apocalyptic-themed restaurant with five locations in Iowa—is known for its unique "Walking Ched Burger." The dish involves breaded and deep-fried mac and cheese buns, more mac and cheese piled on top, bacon, caramelized onions, and mayo. An Internet sensation at this point, a quick Google search will turn up hundreds of images of the burger and heady think pieces on whether or not such a monstrosity should exist in today's culinary landscape. My verdict? YOLO!

If you're not in Iowa, maybe you want to get inspired and make your own mac and cheese burger. This recipe from BuzzFeed is a fun way to get started. The mac and cheeseburger sliders are creamy, rich, and small enough to eat more than one.

Jalapeno popper burger is a thing and we should all be glad. The idea of breading and frying jalapenos is a grand one, but turning the concept into a burger is next level stuff. Poppers are often filled with cheeses and spices. In burger form, the beef patty is filled with the mixture and jalapenos lend a spicy assist. Bread and fry the patty and you have yourself a burger that's anything but ordinary. By encasing all the elements of jalapeno poppers into a burger, you get incredible explosions of flavor from start to finish.

Try this recipe from Taste of Home for some delicious inspo. I love the way this dish is a twist on a traditional burger that cleverly incorporates the flavorings of jalapeno poppers without turning everything into a complicated ordeal.

When in doubt, put an egg on it. That's my philosophy when it comes to nearly all my mealtime dilemmas, so it's natural that I'm fully on board with the eggy breakfast burger. I'm one of those people who can never decide if I want to have breakfast or lunch at noon. If you're anything like me, an all-beef burger topped with an egg lets you have both. Anytime you add an egg to a dish, it can instantly become breakfast if that's your intention. Turn a hearty cheeseburger into morning fare (or enjoy it in the afternoon).

This recipe from Food Network yields a mouthwatering burger that gets its oomph from an fried egg and strips of salty bacon. Dreams do come true.

You're probably wondering what the hell a drunken Aussie beef burger is. It's a ridiculously excessive burger made with beer-spiked beef, runny eggs, bacon, onion, pineapple, and cheese. When it's made with heart, the burger should look impossible to hold with your hands. Everything should be spilling from it in messy globs of fatty goodness. The Australians really know how to turn something as regular as a burger into something extraordinary,

This recipe from Food Blogs is a pretty good one for introducing you to the wonder that is the drunken Aussie beef burger.

If you've never had a shrimp burger, it's time to make one for yourself, ASAP. Shrimp is rich and meaty, making it pretty ideal for turning into patties that cook up incredibly juicy. This burger is especially delightful paired with fresh flavors customarily found in Mexican cuisine. Think cilantro, lime, and creamy guac. While you can top a shrimp patty with just about anything, bright, vibrant extras tend to complement it best.

If you need a place to start, try this recipe from Cooking on the Weekends. You won't regret the explosive flavors and unadulterated satisfaction.

Hawaiian pizza is a sweet and savory flavor explosion that you either love or hate. That said, I believe even the haters secretly love it. After all, bringing together ham, caramelized pineapples, and mozzarella cheese is a thing of sheer brilliance. How can this possibly be topped? Turn this flavor into a burger, of course. A fun and carefree twist on the classic burger, the Hawaiian pizza burger is one you definitely want to make. Hitting the grill doesn't have to be business as usual.

Try this recipe from Food Faith Fitness for a taste of Hawaiian pizza burger bliss. Hearty beef patty, sweet pineapple rings, and thick-cut ham come together in an epic food mashup.

Have your daily dose of caffeine by way of a juicy burger? Yes! Coffee-rubbed beef patties make for ridiculously delicious burgers. The earthy flavor of coffee lends meat tons of deep flavor reminiscent of a Texas barbecue and that's not a bad thing. Concoct your own spice rub featuring ground coffee beans and some of other choice seasonings and rub down that meat before letting it sizzle on the grill. The result is smoky, fragrant, and absolutely impossible to resist.

This recipe from The Chunky Chef takes coffee-rubbed beef patties and adds even more intrigue with a sweet and zesty barbecue sauce made with Dr. Pepper. We're in trouble now!

Whipping up a salmon burger is a great way to get all the nutritional benefits of eating fish while still satisfying your true desire to chow down on burgers on the reg. Meaty, rich salmon is the ideal fish thanks to its mild flavor and almost creamy texture. When you turn it into a burger, a whole new world opens up insofar as toppings. Depending on how you dress it, this dish can go from being reminiscent of zesty Cajun flavors to highlighting deeply savory Asian ones.

This recipe from Pampered Chef is one that turns salmon into Asian-inspired burgers that boast such standout ingredients as gingerroot, wasabi, and fragrant scallions.

Quinoa is a heart ancient grain that makes vegetarian burgers moist, juicy, and scrumptious while infusing them with tons of heart-healthy nutrients. Whether you whip one up using black beans or sweet potato, you'll undoubtedly discover that quinoa holds it all together and lends tons of great texture to boot. The next time you want to upgrade your meatless burger offerings, do look to quinoa.

This recipe from Bon Appetit might give you some needed inspo, as it's pure meatless perfection.

Chorizo absolutely belongs in your burger. Yep. Added to your beefy meat mixture, the sausage lends a burst of salty, zesty oomph that turns grilling burgers in the backyard into a culinary event everyone will be salivating over. Cured Spanish chorizo is made with delicious pork seasoned with paprika for heat and color, while Mexican chorizo is fresh pork sausage. Look for the latter and easily turn an ordinary burger into a culinary masterpiece.

This recipe from Konfidence shows you how to your standard burger into a flavor powerhouse with the help of chorizo.

Okay, now you know. Get grillin'!