Culver’s Butter Burgers – Easy Copycat Recipe
If you want to elevate your burger game, this Culver’s Butter Burger copycat recipe deserves the top spot on your list. These incredibly flavorful burgers have a secret that might surprise you. Many people assume Culver’s adds butter to the meat, but the real magic happens elsewhere. This super-easy recipe reveals precisely how to recreate these fantastic butter burgers at home, delivering all the flavor that made Culver’s famous.
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Why This Recipe Works
If you have never been to a Culver’s and there is one in your area, you must go – it’s that simple. Freshly made burgers and more – did I mention the fried cheese curds and their frozen custard? They are delicious.
I haven’t ordered anything on their menu that I have disliked. You can’t beat food when it’s made fresh. Please scroll down to see my video on how to make Culver’s Butter Burgers.
What is a Butter Burger?
This fast food chain is known for its signature butter burgers, delicious custard, and crinkle-cut fries. Some think they put butter in the meat to make the burger taste good. While that would make a hamburger patty taste great, that isn’t quite how they make their burger recipe.
The key is a hot grill and fresh, never-frozen meat seared quickly. Where does the butter come in? You spread a little butter on the buns and toast them. This makes the toasted buns delicious!
Recipe Ingredients
For the Burgers:
- Ground beef – Ground chuck creates the most flavorful patties with ideal fat content
- Salt and pepper – Essential seasonings that enhance the beef’s natural flavor
- American cheese – Melts perfectly and provides classic cheeseburger taste
For the Buttered Buns:
- Butter – The star ingredient that makes these buns special
- Hamburger buns – Fresh, soft buns that absorb the butter beautifully
For Toppings:
- Fresh onions – Add crunch and sharp flavor contrast
- Dill pickles – Provides tangy acidity that cuts through richness
- Ripe tomatoes – Add freshness and juiciness
- Crisp lettuce – Optional for extra crunch and color
How to Make a Butter Burger
Making a butter burger is easy! Here are the recipe steps:
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and swirl it around.
- Place hamburger buns in the melted butter, toast them for a minute, and remove them from the skillet.
- Divide the beef into four equal portions and form 4 patties. Place the patties in the skillet.
- Use a spatula to press down on the patties. Then, take a sizable aluminum-wrapped soup and press down each meat patty in the skillet. (see the how-to video below)
- Cook the patties for 2 minutes.
- Flip them over and press the same button for the other side.
- Season the patties with salt and pepper.
- For cheeseburgers, add a slice of cheese to each patty.
- Cook the patties for 1 minute.
- Remove the butterburger patties from the skillet and place them on the bottom bun.
- Add desired burger toppings. Great options include crisp lettuce, a slice of ripe tomato, pickles, sweet red onion, bacon, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Make it a deluxe with all of them.
- Place the top bun on top. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The key to this burger recipe is in the bun. Put the butter in a skillet and place the hamburger buns face down to let the butter soak into the buns!
I also have a secret I use to help sear the flavors into the meat. I take a meat patty and smash it out on the grill (you can use a skillet).
Then I take a large soup can I have wrapped with aluminum foil to help smash the burger patty down onto the grill. A quick sear on both sides and you are done.
Just check out my video to see how to smash burgers:
What to Serve with Butter Burgers
Serve these juicy burgers with fries, onion rings, or coleslaw.
Love a great burger? Try these copycat burger recipes!
- Backyard Burger
- Pizza Burgers
- Smashburger Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger
- Swiss Mushroom Burger
- 21 Club Burgers
- Burger King Cheeseburger
- Steak and Shake Burger
- Whopper
- McDonald’s Hamburgers
- McDonald’s Big Macs
- Homemade White Castle
- Krystal Burgers
Check out CopyKat for more of my famous restaurant copycat recipes and the best burger recipes.
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Culver’s Butter Burgers Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
- 4 hamburger buns
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 slices onion
- 8 to 12 dill pickle slices
- 8 tomato slices
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Place butter in the skillet and swirl it around.
- Place hamburger buns cut-side down in the melted butter. Allow the buns to toast for about 60 seconds. Remove buns from skillet.
- Form 4 beef patties and place them in the skillet.
- Take your spatula and press down on the hamburger patties. Take a large soup can that has been wrapped in aluminum foil and press each meat patty down on to the skillet.
- In about 2 minutes, the burger patty will have cooked on one side. Flip it over and do the same for the other side.
- In about 60 seconds the other side will be cooked.
- Season patties with salt and pepper.
- If you want to make cheeseburgers, add cheese when you flip the burger over to the other side.
- Remove burger patties and place them on the buns.
- Add onion, pickles, tomato, or any desired toppings to your burger and enjoy.
Someone commented adversely to using stainless steel utensils in your skillet. There is nothing adverse about it. It is just fine to use stainless on stainless. I think the commenter is confused with non-stick like teflon coatings. We mostly use cast iron
pots and pans to keep out arm muscles toned up.