Try making Air Fryer Hamburgers the next time you're craving burgers, and you won't want to go back to making them in a pan! Our air fryer hamburger recipe is quick, easy, and you won't have to worry about grease spattering and making a mess of your stovetop. Perfect, juicy patties ready in under 20 minutes.
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Air Fried Burgers
Air frying hamburgers is easy: raise the air fryer basket closer to the heating element by placing it over the air fryer rack, preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C), then cook seasoned patties for 6 minutes. Flip, and cook until the internal temp reaches 145-160°F according to your desired burger doneness, then assemble your burgers as desired.
It's that easy—but if you want our full instructions, plus ingredient measurements, topping ideas, FAQ, and our expert tips on air frying burgers, read on! We'd love to show you how to air fry hamburgers perfectly!
Air Fryer Hamburger Ingredients
- Ground Beef: We're using 80/20 ground beef. If you prefer, you can buy preformed burger patties. This will save you a lot of time! Just be sure to season them as instructed in the recipe.
- Chili Seasoning: We love our signature chili blend to season these air fried hamburgers. It has a wonderful sweet heat taste that not only elevates the flavor of these burgers, but also helps with caramelization for maximum flavor and texture.
- Oil Spray: We use avocado oil in a sprayer bottle. If you don't have a sprayer bottle, we recommend lightly brushing the burgers with oil instead.
- Hamburger Buns: Use your favorite hamburger buns. Feel free to use gluten-free buns if desired. We love classic sesame burger buns for these air fryer hamburgers.
Optional Air Fryer Burger Toppings
- Big Mac Sauce: Our homemade big mac sauce uses mayo, bread & butter pickle chips, ketchup, pickle juice, yellow mustard, white vinegar, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and kosher salt, so if you plan on making it you will need these ingredients, too. Visit the post for full instructions and tips!
- Sliced Cheese: Our favorite cheese to pair with air fryer cheeseburgers is cheddar cheese, but you could use any cheese you like best. American cheese is another great choice.
- Lettuce
- Pickles
- Red Onions, sliced thinly
- Tomatoes
How to Air Fry Hamburgers
Preheat Air Fryer
Remove crisper tray from the air fryer and insert the air fryer rack. Place crisper tray on top of rack. Preheat the air fryer on air broil to 400°F.
Form Patties
Form 1 pound ground beef into 3-4 hamburger patties about half an inch thick. Season each hamburger patty evenly with chili seasoning on both sides. Adjust seasoning to your liking as needed.
Indent Patties
Make a small indent in the middle of the patty with your thumb. Spray both sides of hamburger patties with avocado oil spray lightly to coat.
Place Patties in Air Fryer
When air fryer is preheated, place hamburger patties in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Air Fry Burgers
Air fry for 6 minutes.
Check Doneness
After 6 minutes, turn each hamburger patty over and continue to air fry on air broil for 3-4 minutes or until the internal temperature of the hamburger patties reaches 145-160°F when checked with an instant read meat thermometer depending on your desired doneness.
Add Cheese
If using, place a slice of cheese on each hamburger patty (3-4 slices cheddar cheese or cheese of choice total) and close the air fryer basket. Leave basket closed for about 30 seconds to a minute to melt the cheese. Once cheese is melted, remove hamburgers from air fryer and set aside to rest.
Toast Buns
Carefully wipe the crisper plate if you prefer to clean it, and place 3-4 hamburger buns in the air fryer basket in a single layer with insides of bun facing up, so the inside gets toasted. Air fry at 400°F for 2 minutes until buns are toasted to your liking. Continue with remaining buns as needed.
Serve and enjoy!
Place hamburger patties on buns and top with big mac sauce and toppings of your choice, such as lettuce, pickles, red onions, and tomatoes.
Recipe Tips
- Important note: Use an oil sprayer filled with your preferred oil. Avoid using pressurized cooking sprays with additives as they might damage the air fryer non-stick surface. For more information see our comprehensive guide to cooking oils.
- We prefer to season the beef after forming the hamburger patties, as you don't want to overwork the beef which can affect the texture of your hamburgers.
- Always cook to the proper internal temperature and allow to rest before slicing. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 160°F for ground beef.
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific brand of air fryer. See our preferred air fryers.
- If cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
Cleaning up? We have a guide for that.
Follow our guide on How to Clean an Air Fryer, How Often, and Why to make cleanup after air frying burgers even easier.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Burgers
See our guide to making Crispy Frozen French Fries in the Air Fryer for recipes covering all types of air fryer french fries!
Gourmet Burger Ideas
Our air fryer burger recipe is for a classic cheeseburger, but you can easily make any of your favorite burger recipes following our instructions. Here are a few ideas for toppings - you might just find a new favorite!
- BBQ Burger: Serve with thinly sliced sharp cheddar cheese, your favorite BBQ sauce, and crispy bacon, if you prefer. Made even more delicious by topping the burger with fried onions or an onion ring.
- Bacon Cheeseburger: Choose your favorite sliced cheese, and prepare your bacon ahead of time. Top burger with cheese, bacon, and any other desired burger toppings.
- Mushroom Swiss Burger: Top your burger with swiss or baby swiss cheese, then serve with sauteed mushrooms. Caramelized onions make a great addition, too!
- Roasted Garlic Butter Burger: Skip the usual sauce and serve your burgers with our roasted garlic butter for a decadent, super flavorful burger. White cheddar and arugula are great pairings for this combination.
- Alfredo Burger: You might think we're weird for this one, but have you ever tried serving a burger with alfredo sauce? Give it a try if you're up for trying something new. It is way more delicious than you can imagine.
- Jalapeno Popper Burger: Serve your burger with sliced jalapenos, spreadable cheese, and cheddar cheese for a truly delicious jalapeno popper burger!
Storage Instructions
- Allow air fryer burgers to cool first, then store in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Air fry for 3-5 minutes or until heated through when ready to enjoy again.
FAQ
Yes! You should flip hamburgers in the air fryer only once, halfway through the cook time.
Making a mess when air frying hamburgers is difficult to avoid without using air fryer liners. We don't recommend using liners for this recipe if you want a perfectly browned burger. But, following the proper cleanup instructions will save you time and energy! See our guide to Cleaning an Air Fryer.
Air Fryer Dinner Recipes
- Air Fryer Big Mac Salad
- Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- BLT Sandwich in the Air Fryer
- See all of our air fryer dinner recipes!
Leave a comment and review for us below if you enjoyed this recipe, or if you have questions about any of our air fryer recipes!
Air Fryer Hamburgers
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20 or purchase preformed hamburger patties
- 1 Tablespoon chili seasoning
- avocado oil spray
- 3-4 slices cheese optional
- 3-4 hamburger buns
Toppings
- big mac sauce
- lettuce
- pickles
- red onions sliced thinly
- tomatoes
Instructions
- Remove crisper tray from the air fryer and insert the air fryer rack. Place crisper tray on top of rack. Preheat the air fryer on air broil to 400°F.
- Form 1 pound ground beef into 3-4 hamburger patties about half an inch thick.
- Season each hamburger patty evenly with chili seasoning on both sides. 1 Tablespoon chili seasoning will be enough to season all patties on both sides. Adjust seasoning to your liking as needed.
- Make a small indent in the middle of the patty with your thumb.
- Spray both sides of hamburger patties with avocado oil spray lightly to coat.
- When air fryer is preheated, place hamburger patties in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Air fry 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, turn each hamburger patty over and continue to air fry on air broil for 3-4 minutes or until the internal temperature of the hamburger patties reaches 145-160°F when checked with an instant read thermometer depending on your desired doneness.
- If using, place a slice of cheese on each hamburger patty (3-4 slices cheese total) and close the air fryer basket. Leave basket closed for about 30 seconds to a minute to melt the cheese. Once cheese is melted, remove hamburgers from air fryer and set aside to rest.
- Carefully wipe the crisper plate if you prefer to clean it, and place 3-4 hamburger buns in the air fryer basket in a single layer with insides of bun facing up, so the inside gets toasted. Air fry at 400°F for 2 minutes until buns are toasted to your liking. Continue with remaining buns as needed.
- Place hamburger patties on buns and top with big mac sauce and toppings of your choice, such as lettuce, pickles, red onions, and tomatoes.
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