Copycat Steak ‘n Shake Garlic Double Steakburger

The first bite of a Steak ‘n Shake garlic steakburger tastes like someone crossed garlic bread with a cheeseburger and got away with it. Two thin smashed patties of ground chuck, lacy and browned at the edges, stacked with melted American cheese on a bun brushed in garlic butter and toasted. Smashing the beef against a hot skillet builds the crust the drive-in is known for, and the garlic butter goes on the bun and the beef both. The whole thing takes about twenty minutes, which makes it a weeknight dinner rather than a project.

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Steak ‘n Shake built its reputation on a burger that is pressed thin on a flat grill rather than shaped into a thick patty. The beef spreads out, the surface area doubles, and what comes off the griddle is more crust than interior. That is the whole trick, and it is easy to reproduce at home.

The garlic version layers two of those patties with two slices of American cheese and sets them on a bun that has been brushed with garlic butter and toasted. A little more butter goes onto the beef itself, plus a pinch of garlic salt right before serving.

The chain has been shrinking for years, down to roughly 480 locations as of mid-2026, so plenty of people who grew up on these no longer have one within driving distance. This is the closest you will get in your own kitchen.

Love the smashed style of burger? The best surfaces for cooking them are stainless steel or cast-iron skillets or a griddle.

What makes the Steak and Shake Garlic Burger so good?

Smashing works because of surface contact. A thick patty browns only where it touches metal, but a ball of beef pressed flat onto a hot surface makes contact across its entire face, and the Maillard reaction runs across the whole thing at once. That browned lace at the edges is where the flavor lives.

The seasoning goes on after the smash, not before. Salt mixed into raw ground beef dissolves muscle proteins and makes the meat springy and sausage like, and salt sitting on the surface pulls moisture up that then has to boil off before browning can start. Season the top of the patty once it is already pressed and cooking.

Garlic butter on the bun does something the beef cannot. Butter fat carries garlic compounds that water based seasoning does not dissolve, and toasting the buttered cut side sets a barrier that keeps the bread from going soggy under two patties of hot bee

Ingredients

• Ground beef chuck – Provides the beef flavor and the fat that renders out to crisp the edges. Look for an 80/20 blend, since leaner beef will not brown the same way.
• Salt – Seasons the patty and draws out surface moisture at exactly the right moment, once the crust has begun.
• Ground black pepper – Adds bite that stands up to the richness of the butter and cheese.
• Onion salt – Rounds out the seasoning blend with a savory background note.
• Garlic salt – Reinforces the garlic in the butter and gets a final sprinkle on top before serving.
• Unsalted butter – Forms the base of the garlic butter for the buns and the beef. Unsalted lets you control the total salt.
• Garlic cloves – Minced and warmed in the butter, this is the flavor the whole burger is named for.
• American cheese – Melts smoother than any aged cheese because of the emulsifying salts, which is why the drive-in uses it.
• Hamburger buns – Hold everything together. A soft, plain bun is correct here, not brioche or a seeded roll.

Ingredient Notes

• Keep the ground chuck cold right up until it hits the pan. Warm beef sticks to the spatula and tears instead of smashing clean.
• Use fresh minced garlic rather than jarred. Jarred garlic is packed in acid and turns bitter when it warms in butter.
• Buy deli style American cheese from the counter if you can. It melts the same as the wrapped singles but tastes noticeably better.
• The recipe makes more garlic butter than you will use on four burgers. That is intentional, since a thin brush is easier from a generous pool, but see the Chef’s Notes about the leftover.

How to make Steak and Shake garlic double steakburger

1. Divide ground beef into portions.
2. Roll them into small balls.

3. Combine salt, black pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt in a small bowl. 
4. Melt butter in a small saucepan and add minced garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the garlic butter becomes fragrant.
5. Brush the garlic butter onto the cut sides of the burger buns.

6. Place the buns in a skillet to toast until golden brown.
7. Brush a small amount of the remaining butter on top of the beef and sprinkle garlic salt on top.
8. Heat the grill or iron skillet to medium-high heat.
9. Place the ground beef balls on the heated surface and use a spatula to press them into thin patties.
10. Season patties with the salt mixture.

11. When the burgers have cooked on one side, flip them over.
12. Add a slice of cheese to each patty.

13. Stack two burger patties and place them onto the bottom bun.
14. You can dress your burgers with whatever condiments and toppings you like such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions.
15. Cover it with the top bun.

Cooking tips for the best burger

• Be sure to cook your patties over medium-high heat. Super high heat will cause the fat and moisture to escape, resulting in dry burgers rather than juicy ones.
• When cooking these burgers, watch them carefully instead of walking away to avoid tough or burnt patties. They can cook rather quickly.
• Resist the urge to keep flipping the patties over and over. You only need to flip them once! This shouldn’t be an issue if you immediately add the cheese after flipping, though. Wait for the underside to cook, and then you’re good to go.
• For even cooking, ensure the skillet is thoroughly hot before adding the patties.

What to serve this burger with

Make it a complete meal by serving this burger with a side of homemade potato wedges and your favorite soda or a delicious milkshake. You can also enjoy it with onion rings, a side salad, loaded fries, or simple potato chips!

How to store the leftovers

For optimal freshness, I recommend storing any leftover patties separately from the buns. Cooked patties should be placed in a resealable bag or container with a fitting lid and then stored in the refrigerator.

If you’ve already added garlic butter to the buns, they, too, should be stored in the refrigerator. However, if you haven’t yet added the garlic butter, you can safely store the buns at room temperature.

What is the best way to reheat a garlic burger?

I suggest reheating the burger patties either over medium heat in a frying pan or in the oven, as using a microwave could result in the patties becoming dry and losing their pleasant texture.

Reheating them in the oven is a good option since you can also toast the buns at the same time. Use a moderate heat level, 350°F to 375°F, and cook the patties for 5 minutes on each side until hot. You can add the buns during the last few minutes.

Love burgers? Check out these recipes

• Burger King Whopper
• Culver’s Butter Burger
• White Castle Copycat Recipe
• Juicy Lucy
• Smashburger Buffalo
• Backyard Burger
• Chili’s Burgers
• Applebees Burger
• Frisco Burger Recipe
• McDonald’s Signature Burger

Best Side Dishes for Burgers

• Fast Food Onion Rings
• Fried Cheese Curds
• Battered Potato Wedges

Be sure to take a look at more of my famous fast food copycat recipes and easy recipes for ground beef.