Relish the king of all burgers with a Burger King Whopper! A succulent flame-grilled beef patty, fresh lettuce, ripe tomatoes, crunchy pickles, sliced onions, rich ketchup, and creamy mayo is enveloped in a soft sesame seed bun. It’s not just a burger. It’s an experience — a testament to what fast-food royalty truly tastes like. Satisfy your royal cravings with a homemade Whopper, and enjoy the smoky flavor that only a Burger King patty can deliver!
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What makes the BK Whopper so good?
The first Burger King opened in 1954 in Miami, Florida. By 2017, there were 50 company-owned Burger Kings and 16,717 franchised Burger Kings worldwide – a remarkable growth story. For many, their favorite Burger King menu item is a flame-broiled burger called the Whopper.
The basic Whopper consists of just eight simple ingredients, but, as Burger King’s famous slogan implies, you can “have it your way” (since changed to “be your way”) with different combinations and additions such as American cheese, bacon, mustard, guacamole or jalapeño peppers. If “your way” is vegetarian, they will make you a veggie Whopper.
Why you should try this copycat Burger King Whopper recipe
We walk you through the flame-broiled hamburger technique and share an alternative if you don’t have access to a grill. This Burger King Whopper copycat recipe shares the exact ingredients you need to use to make this recipe. Want to turn this into a Burger King Whopper with cheese? Add a slice of American cheese, and you will have a Whopper with cheese.
The essential Whopper
Have you ever wondered what’s on a Whopper?
The basic Whopper consists of a ¼ lb. of juicy flame-grilled beef topped with fresh tomatoes and lettuce, Whopper sauce (creamy mayonnaise), tangy ketchup, crunchy pickles, and sliced white onions on a soft sesame seed bun.
My basic Whopper recipe will enable you to make a Whopper at home easily. Why not have a backyard mini Whopper Bar party on special occasions? Think about the fun you can have when you grill outdoors.
Offer your family and guests a variety of options to have their homemade Whopper their way. Here’s the basic recipe so that you can enjoy Whoppers all summer long.
Ingredients in the Burger King Whopper
Find the instructions and ingredients to make several portions in the recipe card below.
- 1 sesame-seed hamburger bun
- 1/4 lb. ground beef
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 3 dill pickle slices
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 3-4 sliced onion rings
- 2 tomato slices
- 1/4 cup chopped iceberg lettuce
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise (Whopper sauce)
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
How to make homemade Burger King Whoppers
- Season the Ground Beef: Start by seasoning your ground beef. Use 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper to enhance the flavor of the meat. The salt helps to bring out the natural flavors of the beef, while the pepper adds a bit of heat and complexity.
- Form Patties: After seasoning, form the beef into thin flat patties.
- Butter and Toast Buns: Next, prepare your hamburger buns. Butter the cut sides of the buns lightly. This buttering adds flavor and helps achieve a golden, crispy texture when toasted. Toast both halves of the bun in a skillet over medium heat until they are lightly browned. The toasting adds crunch and prevents the buns from becoming soggy once the burger is assembled. Set these aside once done.
- Preheat Grill: Heat your grill to medium-high. This temperature is optimal for cooking burgers as it sears the outside quickly, locking in juices while ensuring the inside is cooked to a safe temperature.
- Cook the Patties: Place the burger patties on the grill and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The exact time may vary depending on the thickness of your patties and the desired level of doneness. While cooking, sprinkle a dash of salt on the burgers. This additional salt during cooking helps to bring out the flavors further.
- Assemble the burgers: Build your burger by placing the cooked meat on the bottom bun. Layer 3 to 4 dill pickle slices, 3 to 4 onion slices, and 2 to 3 tomato slices on the meat. These ingredients add a mix of tangy, sharp, and sweet flavors and a variety of textures. Squirt a small amount of ketchup over these, adding a classic, sweet, and tangy burger taste. Add some lettuce for a crisp, fresh element. Finally, spread mayonnaise on the inside of the top bun; mayonnaise adds a creamy texture and balances the other flavors. Place the top bun on your burger.
What Can You Serve with a Whopper Sandwich?
If you make one of these at home, you could add a variety of side dishes to this meal. You could pop some french fries or onion rings into your air fryer. You may also want to consider baked beans, mac and cheese, grilled vegetables, or even some freshly made coleslaw.
How Do You Store Left Over Whoppers?
Ideally, do not assemble the Whopper if you are making several of them, or you may want to consider disassembling the Whopper before storing the meat, bread, and veggies in separate airtight containers. Store it in the refrigerator and consume it within 1-2 days for maximum quality; if it is longer than two days, the quality of this signature sandwich will decrease.
How to reheat your Whopper?
It’s a good idea to reheat the burger patty and hamburger buns separately when reheating. The meat can be reheated in a microwave, oven, or stovetop until hot. The buns can be toasted to bring back some of their original crispness.
Do you love Burger King? Check out these other copycat recipes
More Copycat Restaurant Burger Recipes
- Homemade White Castle Burgers
- Steak ‘N Shake Double Steakburger
- Applebee’s Quesadilla Cheeseburger
- Culvers Burgers
- McDonald’s Old Fashioned Hamburger Recipe
- Smashburger Mushroom Swiss Burger
- Smashburger Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger
- Smashburger French Onion Burger Recipe
Homemade Burger Recipes
Find more ground beef recipes and copycat restaurant favorites.
Copycat Burger King Whopper
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + extra divided use
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- butter
- 4 sesame seed hamburger buns
- 16 dill pickle slices
- 1/2 white onion sliced into rings
- 12 tomato slices
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- lettuce
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Instructions
- Season the ground beef with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pepper, and form the meat into patties.
- Butter the cut side of the hamburger buns and toast them in a skillet until lightly browned. Set aside.
- Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Cook the burger patties for 2 to 3 minutes per side. While cooking, add a dash of salt to the burger.
- Build the burger by placing the meat on the bottom bun followed by 3 or 4 dill pickle slices, 3 or 4 onion slices, and 2 to 3 tomato slices. Squirt a small amount of ketchup onto the burger and add lettuce. Then spread mayonnaise onto the top bun and place it onto the burger.
Karen
I think your recipe is a bit incorrect. The burgers need to be 1/4pound formed to 1/4 inch thick. Dry toast the bun in a skillet. On the bun lid, a swipe of mayonnaise with a rubber spatula, add lettuce and 3 sliced tomatoes and set aside. Bottom bun… BK does not put mayo on the bun! It goes like this, bun, burger. 3 circles of ketchup (think of a target), 4 dill pickles and 3 rings of onion. Top with the lid and there you have it! I managed a BK for 3 years. Of course, have it your way, but that is the offical way.
John Fuller
There is no doubt that BK make great tasting burgers, but, all other major joints make great tasting burgers as well. What makes the difference is the sauce and spices added. It is usually the condiments that make the difference. In any regard I have never had any burger from any fast food chain that looks like the advertised pictures. If they did then the containers would have to be twice the height.
Ginny
Can I use an all purpose seasoning to season the meat instead of salt and pepper? Thanx for your response
Stephanie Manley
Sure, I think you could.
MO
Been making them that way for forty years now. I did trade the pickles for dill relish it seems to fit itself into every bite. The key is to make a form out of an empty can or old plastic bowl, that way you can place marks inside for how thick you want it. That along with how wide(size of can or plastic bowl) then you can make them ahead and freeze them like I do(old single dude) I do one bigger size for hamburger steak’s and then a giant square weighing in at 1lb. I think I have them mastered along with the Jack in the Box Taco, and breakfast Jack recipes. -MO
Adam Turner
Add mayo to both buns, more on top. The fat layer on the bottom keeps the bun from getting soggy. Also, part of the allure of the Whopper™ is the thin patty; it cooks quicker making for a quicker dining experience, but lacks that ‘medium rare’ quality. It makes up for it with those grill marks. Oh, and please try it with Impossible Burger. You won’t know the difference, except that you’re helping to keep a cow from taking a piston to the head.
MO
I think they do butter both buns with mayo. I just can’t do fake meat Adam, gotta be the beef burgers for me. NO Boka crap for me. LOL
Molly Hollis
Impossible taste nettle because it doesn’t have the flavor of guilt.
KAT
Made these for the family cookout! Yum!
Ziggy
Its pretty close to the real thing, as a person who has worked at burgerking, i can tell you that you did a good job, but if you wanna follow the real order of the way we do our burgers, here you go.
You start of lightly toasting your buns, they are not supposed to be brown, just give them 1 minute in the toaster.
Mayo on the bottom bun, then your patty, then salad on your top bun, tomatoes on top of the salat, then 4 pickles on top of the patty, 3 rings of ketchup over the pickles, 3 rings of onion and thats pretty much it.
Karen Singrey
I think your recipe is a bit incorrect. The burgers need to be 1/4pound formed to 1/4 inch thick. Dry toast the bun in a skillet. On the bun lid, a swipe of mayonnaise with a rubber spatula, add lettuce and 3 sliced tomatoes and set aside. Bottom bun… BK does not put mayo on the bun! It goes like this, bun, burger. 3 circles of ketchup (think of a target), 4 dill pickles and 3 rings of onion. Top with the lid and there you have it! I managed a BK for 3 years. Of course, have it your way, but that is the offical way.
Susan
My kids loved these burgers!
Taters
Um what?
BurgerPrince
Maybe she was married in a Burger King and had an onion ring place on her wrist for the ceremony… not sure what BK warranties their onion rings for, but probably not the best ring to symbolize eternal love. lol
Joe Bloe
Try wearing onion rings instead… when they split, dip them in ketchup and eat them…. yummy!
John K
Maybe not use onion rings and buy a proper ring? I’m surprised it lasted two weeks
Kandace Bernat
I love how you wrote this up so I can make it!
James
Used this for my cookout, everyone loved them.
Frederick
Where is the lettuce in the ingredients?
Dave
Using this recipe and 80/20 (fat=flavor), 3 – 4 Tbsps of homemade gluten free or regular, plain bread crumbs and either water, milk or almond milk (unsweetened), make a thick slurry with the crumbs and liquid of choice; add a teaspoon each of salt and pepper; Work that in with the ground beef. Follow the recipe above and you will have the juiciest burgers bar none. However, I prefer to pan-fry my patties in a little ghee vice grill where all that lovely grease is lost. That little bit of ghee makes them so flavorful and having a high smoke point, you can apply a great sear to the outside of the patties for that great “Millard reaction” flavor.
Enyko
I haven’t tried this yet but my main concern is that the patty will be flavorful like the Whopper. It’s surprising to me that all you need is salt & pepper? Is there a certain type of ground chuck I’ll need to buy?
Thanks!
Houstonfit
This tasted better than it did at the restaurant!
runner4life
I gotta say this one was better than the one in the restaurant.
NunyaBusiness
Grilled up these this last weekend. The family was impressed. These tasted better than Burger King.
Chris
Use only Organic grass fed beef.