Luther Burger
intro
The iconic indulgent American Luther Burger replaces standard buns with glazed donuts, stacking juicy beef, melted cheese, and crispy bacon for an unforgettable sweet-savory bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Form beef patties
Divide 680g of 80/20 ground beef into 4 equal 170g portions. Gently shape each into 10cm-wide patties slightly larger than your donuts, pressing a 1cm deep dimple in the center of each to prevent bulging while cooking. Season both sides evenly with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper.
Cook crispy bacon
Heat a large 30cm cast-iron skillet over medium heat (175°C/350°F). Add 8 strips of thick-cut bacon in a single layer, cooking 4-5 minutes per side until deeply golden and crispy. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess grease, leaving 1 tablespoon of rendered bacon fat in the skillet for cooking patties.
Sear beef patties
Return the skillet with reserved bacon fat to medium-high heat (190°C/375°F). Add the seasoned beef patties in a single layer, cooking 3 minutes per side for juicy medium doneness. During the last 30 seconds of cooking on the second side, top each patty with one slice of sharp cheddar cheese, tenting the pan loosely with foil to help the cheese fully melt.
Toast donut halves
Transfer cooked patties to a clean plate to rest for 2 minutes, then reduce skillet heat to medium-low (150°C/300°F). Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the pan, and place split glazed donut halves cut-side down in the melted butter once it stops foaming. Toast for 45-60 seconds until the cut surface is lightly caramelized and warm, taking care not to burn the sugary glaze.
Assemble the burgers
Build each burger starting with a bottom toasted donut half, followed by one cheese-topped rested beef patty, 2 strips of crispy bacon, then the top toasted donut half. Press down gently on each assembled burger to help the layers adhere, letting sweet donut glaze mix with savory meat juices for the signature flavor balance.
Serve burgers immediately
Serve the assembled Luther burgers right away, while the patties are hot, cheese is fully melted, and donuts are warm. No extra condiments are needed to enjoy the signature balanced sweet-savory flavor.
Tips
2.Never press down on beef patties with a spatula while cooking, as this squeezes out flavorful fat and juices, leading to a dry, tough final patty.
3.Select soft glazed yeast donuts instead of dense cake donuts for the buns—cake donuts crumble easily under hot fillings and lack the light, pillowy texture key to the dish.
OMG I made these for our neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and people were losing their minds! I used glazed donuts from our local corner bakery, crispy applewood smoked bacon, and sharp cheddar—total game changer. My 16 year old begged me to add these to our weekly dinner rotation after his third one. Pro tip: don’t overcook the burger patty so the juicy grease mixes with the sweet donut glaze, chef’s kiss. It was so easy to throw together too, took barely any prep time!
Bro this is so dangerously good. I was fully skeptical at first because sweet glazed donut and a savory burger sounded like a weird stoner food mashup that wouldn’t work, but the salty bacon and melted American cheese balance the sweet glaze perfectly. Cook time was exactly 25 minutes like the recipe said, super straightforward even for someone who burns toast half the time lmao. My roommate ate two in one sitting no cap.
Made these for a quick Friday night dinner with the kids and they went absolutely crazy for it! I swapped the regular bacon for turkey bacon because that’s what I had stashed in the fridge, and used the glazed donuts I grabbed on my grocery run, and it still turned out SO good. No fancy ingredients needed, minimal cleanup, perfect for when I don’t feel like making a huge production out of dinner. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I completely forgot to pick up extra donuts, so everyone wanted seconds and we ran out before I could get one! Will definitely be making these again for our next backyard cookout.
Took this to my friend’s backyard potluck a couple days ago and everyone thought I was a straight up culinary genius lmao. I added a little drizzle of hot honey on the patty for a tiny spicy kick and it elevated the whole thing so much. The base recipe is so easy to customize too, which I love. Don’t sleep on this one, y’all—it sounds wild on paper but it works so, so well.