A buffalo burger is a delicious alternative to beef burgers or turkey burgers! Made with juicy, lean ground bison and topped with an incredible burger sauce, this buffalo burger recipe is about to be a new favorite in your meal rotation!
What Makes a Buffalo Burger So Good
- Buffalo burgers are incredibly tender and juicy. Don’t let the name scare you – there’s not actually buffalo in them. They use bison meat instead. “Bison” and “buffalo” are used interchangeably a lot of the time, but they’re actually different animals.
- Ground bison is a leaner meat than ground beef, making it a great alternative if you’re watching your fat intake but feeling burnt out on turkey burgers. Because it’s so lean, it cooks quickly, so this is also a great dinner option if you’re crunched for time!
- If you’re used to eating beef burgers, you might notice a slight (wonderful) difference with these. It’s really similar to ground beef, but a little sweeter, and it’s not at all gamey. Perfect for the not-quite-as-adventurous eaters in your family.
Key Ingredients for a Buffalo Burger
Ground Bison – One of the really nice things about ground bison is that you can use it for so many things besides a buffalo burger! Seriously. You can use it in pretty much any recipe that calls for ground beef.
Toppings – Since buffalo burgers taste so similar to beef burgers, you can get away with all your favorite burger toppings! Lettuce, onion, tomato, cheese, mayo, whatever you love!
What Temperature is Best for Buffalo Burgers?
How do you like your beef burgers cooked? You’ll want the same temp for your bison burgers!
It’s recommended to cook ground bison to an internal temperature of 160° Fahrenheit for food safety reasons. Like ground beef and steak, though, you can cook it a little less if you like it that way! I don’t recommend cooking it beyond that – it’ll dry out and become tough.
If you have time, I recommend letting the burgers rest out of the pan for 5 minutes or so before serving them. They’ll continue to cook a little during that time, but it’ll really lock in the juices. If you’re going to let them rest, take them out of then pan when they reach 155° Fahrenheit, so they don’t overcook.
Chef’s Tips
- Resist the urge to press the buffalo burger down with a spatula while you’re cooking them. That’ll squeeze all the juiciness right out!
- Since bison is a lean meat, you’ll want to cook it slowly, over a medium/medium-high heat, rather than a high heat. It won’t take long to cook, but it’ll be easy to overcook. If you’re worried about the buffalo burger being dry, add a little Worcestershire sauce to the meat mixture.
- Don’t overhandle the meat when you form the patties! Packing them together too much will toughen them. If you’re worried they’ll fall apart as they cook, refrigerate them first, then cook them cold. They’ll stay together better cooked from cold than cooked from room temperature. Don’t move them around in the pan, either!
- Before cooking the buffalo burger patties, press your thumb into the center of the top of the patties. It’s a little thing, but that light impression will keep the meat from puffing up while it cooks.
Other Delicious Burger Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
- Keto Sloppy Joes
- Chicken Burgers with Chipotle Aioli
- Epic Black Bean Burgers
- Loaded Burger Bowls with Special Sauce
- Whole30 In-N-Out Burgers
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Buffalo Burger with an Easy Burger Sauce
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Plate
- Medium bowl
- Large pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter for cooking, see Notes
- toppings of choice
For the Buffalo Burger Patties
- 1 pound ground bison
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Burger Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pickle relish
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add ground bison, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to large bowl and thoroughly combine ingredients. Form mixture into four (4) burger patties and set aside.
- In medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper. Combine thoroughly and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. When melted, place burgers in pan. Cook in batches if needed.
- Cook approximately 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 4 minutes or so, until desired doneness is reached.
- Remove from pan and serve with burger sauce and favorite burger toppings.
Notes
- Make it Lower Fat: Use a low fat oil instead of butter to cook the burger patties. Use a low fat mayo in the burger sauce, or skip the burger sauce altogether. Note: low fat products often have added sugars to make up for the over-processing, so keep that in mind if you’re watching your carbs or sugar intake.
- Make it Dairy Free: Use dairy free butter or a neutral oil to cook the burgers.
- Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten free Worcestershire sauce.
- Make it Keto/Added Sugar Free: Use granular Swerve in the burger sauce, or skip the sugar ingredient altogether. Make sure your ketchup is low carb and no added sugar, or make your own keto ketchup.
Although I haven’t made this recipe yet, it is obviously delicious – especially with all the great info about how to best cook the lean meat.
Question: I have always believed bison & buffalo to be synonymous
So what differentiates them in your mind?
The terms are used interchangeably a lot, but they’re different animals! What’s generally known as American Buffalo are actually bison. You can read some more about the differences here or here!