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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Table of Contents
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.
Did you make and love this recipe? Please give your review below, and share your creations by tagging me on Instagram.
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.
We love going to Culver’s here in N. C. They are the best.
I decided to look up copycat recipes for Culvers and came across this one. The fist thing I noticed is the Culvers in our area uses Red Onion which makes a big difference in the taste of the burger. I may check out a few other sites and see what comes up. I do agree it makes more sense to butter the buns and not the meat 🙂
About to try it out ——- but hunny, please stop scratching up that pan with all those metal utensils 😫.
Great!
Culver’s is awesome! The Butter Burgers are to died for. We like the fish and shrimp too!
Had to put my two cents in. …simply blathering butter on a bun does NOT make a butter burger. A generous helping of real butter as the burgers fry…using a spatula to flip the butter onto the burger as well
I totally appreciate your thoughts on this. I don’t believe this is how they prepare their burger.
Culver’s most definitely does NOT add butter to the beef patty while it cooks. It’s called a butter burger because they butter the inside of the top bun before toasting it. Culver’s cooks their burger on their flat top exactly as the author of this recipe described.
Culver’s does not fry their burgers in butter. The author is correct. Have you even been to Culver’s???
Krista, They cook the burgers in butter and also put it on the top bun, before serving.
Great recipe. I know these comments are two years old. Hope someone will read this one. One of the commentors said they don’t have a Culver’s in Texas. I have to say if you enjoy a What a Burger when you get a chance have a Culver’s they taste the same.
I now live in Texas and have had whataburgers and they definitely do NOT taste the same. Butter burgers have much more flavor, at least in the Michigan restaurants I’ve been to. Maybe the Texas Culver’s (none close to me) don’t have the same quality.
Thank you for letting me know that the Culver’s in Texas taste different. I have had both, but there was a gap in time. Thank you for checking out the copycat recipe.
I don’t know of Sherrye meant that Culver’s in Texas taste different in Texas than they do in Michigan. Whataburger does not taste like Culvers at all to me.
I prefer Culvers over Whataburger, I love the char on their burgers, and I am partial to the fries there.
I hope others see my reply, i live in texas, dallas specifically, we have culvers and what-a-burger here, and if you think they taste the same then your have brain has sensory issues or you have dead taste buds. I dont eat at what-a-burger because i dont like their burgers and culvers is my favorite burger place, they dont even remotely come close to tasting the same. Some major confusion going on here if you think that…
Best diet root beer & onion rings
Now if we could only get Culver’s prime rib sandwich recipe, my hubby would be ever so happy!!! We drive from Cleveland, Ohio to Columbus for it!!
Nice job on the recipes! Seems like you have fun with it.
I work at the Columbus store, very happy y’all enjoy it!
This damn is so good and i ‘ll make it tonight
Looks so tasty!
Culver’s is the best
I have passed by a local Culver’s at least a million times. Thought it was just another fast food joint. You had me at “butter”. I will be visit soon. Thanks for the tip on buttering the bun on both sides and squishing and grilling the meat. Trying your copycat recipe soon. New to your site, and really love it. and your comments. Keep them coming…please!
Do you have the recipe for their custard and concrete mixers? My husband and I love Culver’s!
Thank you so much for all the recipes you share!!
Hugs, Teresa
I am sorry I don’t have these recipes at this time. Thanks for checking out this recipe.
Do you have the Culver’s Custard recipe?
These burgers looks delicious I am going to try this soon. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
This place sounds great! It doesn’t look like they’ve made their way to my part of Texas yet. When they do come my way I’ll be sure to stop in.
Thanks!
Tambra
You must go when they do. They are one of my favorite fast food restaurants to go to. Everything is made fresh, and made to order.
This needed a recipe?? (Culver’s burger?)
I had requests for it!
Oh be nice ! This is a great recipe site. Some of us appreciate all the recipes.
I would love to have your recipe for Chicken and Dumplins? I have never ever made good ones. And EASY. Thanks
Shirley