The Whataburger Patty Melt stands as one of the most beloved items on their menu, and for good reason. This isn’t just another burger served on bread. It’s a masterpiece of thick, buttery Texas toast embracing perfectly seasoned beef patties, gooey Monterey Jack cheese, sweet caramelized onions, and that signature creamy pepper sauce that makes everything extraordinary.
This copycat recipe is even better because you never have to worry about it being a limited-time menu item again.
The magic lies in the details: the thick-cut Texas toast that delivers incredible crunch, the fall-apart tender caramelized onions, and that complex chipotle-flavored sauce that transforms an ordinary sandwich into something unforgettable.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
This two-component approach (sauce and sandwich) creates layers of flavor that develop beautifully. The creamy pepper sauce needs time to meld its complex flavors, while the slow-caramelized onions develop natural sweetness that balances the rich, spicy sauce. The thick Texas toast provides the perfect sturdy foundation that won’t get soggy.
Ingredients
Creamy Pepper Sauce
- Mayonnaise – Forms the creamy base and carries all the flavors
- Dry mustard powder – Adds sharp, tangy depth without liquid
- White vinegar – Provides acidic brightness to balance richness
- Fresh lemon juice – Adds citrus complexity and freshness
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – Creates smoky heat and complex flavor
- Freshly cracked black pepper – Contributes aromatic spice and texture
- Ground white pepper – Adds heat without visible specks
- Salt – Enhances and balances all other flavors
- Onion powder – Provides savory depth and umami
- Garlic powder – Adds aromatic complexity without fresh garlic bite
- Dried parsley – Contributes herbal freshness and color
- Accent flavor enhancer (MSG) – Optional umami booster for restaurant taste
Patty Melt Assembly
- Texas toast – Thick-cut bread that holds up to juicy fillings
- Butter – Creates golden, crispy exterior on toast and cooking fat
- Ground beef chuck – Higher fat content ensures juicy, flavorful patties
- Salt – Seasons meat and enhances natural beef flavor
- White onion – Caramelizes beautifully with natural sweetness
- Monterey Jack cheese slices – Melts smoothly with mild, creamy flavor
- Prepared pepper sauce – Ties all components together with complex heat
How to Make a Patty Melt Whataburger Copycat
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Mash and stir until smooth.
- Place the sauce in an airtight container and let it set for at least 1 hour.
- Heat a grill pan, large cast iron skillet, or large frying pan to medium heat.
- Spread butter on both sides of the Texas toast slices.
- Cook both sides of the bread slices in the skillet until toasted and browned.
- Place the ground beef and salt into a bowl. Mix well.
- Shape the beef into 4 thin round patties.
- Melt butter in the skillet.
- Add onions and salt to the melted butter.
- Cook the onions until they have browned then remove them from the skillet.
- Place all four burger patties in the skillet over medium-high heat and cook them for 3 or 4 minutes and then flip the burgers.
- Add the cheese slices on top of the meat. Cook the burgers for another 3 or 4 minutes or until cooked through.
- Spread some sauce on a slice of bread.
- Scatter onions on top of the sauce.
- Add a beef patty and then place another toasted bread slice on top.
- Repeat with the remaining bread and patties.
What can you serve with your patty melt?
You may want to make French fries or even homemade onion rings to accompany your burger.
Whataburger Patty Melt – Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the type of burger. Whataburger typically puts mustard on its burgers, but it uses spicy peppercorn sauce on its Patty melt.
A Patty Melt is a double-meat hamburger. Each patty weighs 84 grams or about 3 ounces, putting your burger at about six ounces of pure beef.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Freezing: Cooked patties freeze well for up to 3 months. Sauce and onions are best kept refrigerated only.
- Refrigerator Storage: Store sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Cooked patties and onions can be stored separately for up to 3 days.
- Reheating Method: Warm patties in an air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or in a microwave for 30 seconds. Toast bread fresh for best results.
Whataburger Patty Melt
Ingredients
Creamy Pepper Sauce
- 1 cup Kraft mayonnaise You can use Duke's or Hellman's
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 1 1/3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dry parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon Accent MSG optional
Toast Ingredients
- 8 slices Texas toast
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
Burger Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons butter
- ½ cup chopped white onions
- 4 slices Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
Creamy Pepper Sauce Preparation
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Mash the chipotle peppers as you stir the sauce until you have a uniform mixture.
- Place the sauce in an airtight container and let set for at least 1 hour before using for best flavor.
Toast Preparation
- Heat a griddle or a large cast iron skillet to medium heat.
- Spread butter on both sides of all four slices of toast.
- Place buttered bread slices in the skillet and cook on both sides until toasted and browned.
Burger Preparation
- Place the ground beef into a bowl. Add salt and mix well.
- Form the beef into 4 thin round patties.
- Add 2 teaspoons of butter to the skillet.
- Add onions and a pinch of salt to the skillet.
- Cook the onions until they have browned. Remove the onions from the skillet.
- Place all four burger patties in the skillet.
- Cook the patties for 3 or 4 minutes and flip the burgers.
- Add the slices of cheese on top of the meat. Cook for another 3 or 4 minutes or until cooked through.
Build the Patty Melts
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of sauce on a slice of the toasted bread.
- Scatter onions on top of the sauce.
- Add a burger patty and then place another toasted bread slice on top.
Equipment
Nutrition
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What do you use if you can’t get Texas toast when your local Kroger super market doesn’t have it all the time?
I use regular bread. You could use a hamburger bun if you desire.
I have worked at whataburger in the past and I can say there is more than simply “salt” in the patties.
Not in a “hur durr poyzin khemicels” kinda way, but just know “salt” isn’t enough.
Also… Don’t mix the seasoning into the ground beef.. Whatever you choose to use, just don’t. It doesn’t work.
The way it’s done at the restaurant is 100% raw patties with NO seasoning are placed on the grill. The patties are about 6″ in diameter, and around 1/8th of an inch thick when raw. The beef is 90/10.
The seasoning is added to the top of the patty AFTER IT’S ON THE GRILL (my best guess is its a 2/1/1 mix of non-iodine salt, MSG and fine ground black pepper. That means for every two grams of salt, you add one gram of MSG and black pepper). Do not use iodine salt (usually called table salt) for this recipe.
If you mix the salt into the ground beef before you make the burgers, you’ll end up with a chewy patty. So don’t do it. This isn’t a meatloaf that cooks for a long time, it’s a burger.
The recipe for the sauce is “okay.” Do NOT use kraft mayonnaise – it has far too much sweetener. If you don’t use kraft, you’ll want to reduce the amount of vinegar added (because it isn’t needed). I’d say just a “splash,” maybe one or two tablespoons. Every other measurement I agree with.
For the toast, butter is added after it’s toasted, not before. Adding the butter first will cause the milk solids to burn and give a different flavor. If you want the authentic taste, add the butter after the bread is toasted.
No hate to the author, but that’s what happens when someone takes a “guess” at a recipe based only on taste. This recipe is a solid 9/10.
Just adding my two cents as someone who had made this burger countless times.
Thank you!
The Whataburger Patty Melt is one of my favorite things. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I usually order mine with bacon and raw onion as I am not a fan of the cooked onions on a burger, so I will make a modification or two.
Enjoyed these for dinner. Loved the sauce.
Enjoyed these for dinner. Loved the sauce.
Made these last night. Minus a few ingredients for the sauce I forgot while at the store. Still turned out amazing. Thank you!
At Walgreens in Chicago area the soda fountain had the famous patty melt. Always used rye bread toasted on grill with cheese and onions. Wonderful
It was ok ,but I have had a better patty melt.
It was ground chuck ,cheese, sautéed onions, thousand island dressing
Marble rye bread, and then grilled . a
dill pickle on the side. With steak fries
I am sorry you didn’t enjoy the way Whataburger makes their patty melt.
So glad you had to let everybody know you didn’t like the recipe. You need to publish your own recipes perhaps.