There are so many burger topping ideas that you almost can’t go wrong with. Some of the best burger topping ideas can be anything from tomatoes, lettuce, pickles with mustard and ketchup, or something completely different! Think about what type of cuisine you like. Do you like Italian, Chinese, French, or even Thai food? Any types of veggies or sauces that are used in these foods can be great burger topping ideas. You are the one who ultimately decides what you put on your burger.
Some burger toppings will work better than others, of course, depending on what protein you are using. Whether you are making beef, chicken, turkey, or salmon patties, you can think of recipes with these proteins and use those ingredients as inspiration for your burger topping ideas.
What Are Some of the Best Toppings for Burgers?
Whether you are looking for traditional toppings for your burgers or going the gourmet route of burger toppings, there are many you can’t go wrong with.
Traditional Toppings
For those of you who love the simple and traditional burger toppings, some ideas include mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and lettuce. These may sound like boring, run-of-the-mill toppings, but remember there are many varieties of each so the flavor profiles you can come up with are only limited by your creativity. And we all know how creative you can be!
Some traditional, but a bit different, burger toppings include a fried egg – yes, this makes any burger taste amazing! You can also add some chili to the top of that burger. Even better if you have some homemade chili to put on your burger, that would make the freshness skyrocket!
Avocado is a great topping for many sandwiches, but on a burger, it gives it that smooth, creamy texture without adding a different flavor.
We absolutely cannot forget about bacon! By itself or with cheese, bacon makes a great topping idea for burgers. Besides, bacon makes everything better, right?
Gourmet Toppings
If you are looking to be a bit more creative with your burger topping ideas and not go with the traditional toppings, here are a few things you might want to try.
Grilled pineapple (and add some teriyaki) will give your burger that sweet and savory factor.
Mayo is a great condiment on its own, but to ramp it up a bit add some soy sauce and sriracha to it and whoa baby, there is a spiced burger! Just add the ingredients to the mayo to your taste.
Herb Butter or compound butter can give a burger that extra luscious, soft flavor and increase the juiciness factor. Plus with the flavor of the herbs, you will get an extra flavor kick to the burger. Try making a burger with the compound butter stuffed inside and just watch the juiciness explode.
A Little More About Classic Burger Toppings
Beef – some of the best burger topping ideas you can’t go wrong with for your classic beef burger are lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, and pickles. What you do want to consider is the different types of these toppings.
Lettuce is a common and widely used burger topping as it comes in many varieties and the most types used are Iceberg – very cool, has that crispy factor, but is watery so be sure to pat it dry; leaf lettuce in red, green and oak – you won’t get the crunch with this if that is what you are looking for, but it does have a mild flavor.
Romaine lettuce has that crunchy factor and its center stalk has a bit of a sweet flavor. We have found that Butterhead lettuce is used quite often on a burger due to its flower shape and its buttery, slightly sweet flavor.
Tomatoes – the classic burger topping variety, beefsteak tomatoes, are very popular to use on burgers due to their meatiness and mild flavor. But they are very juicy so be sure to put them between the lettuce and the burger so your burger doesn’t get drowned by the tomato juiciness!
Heirloom tomatoes have big flavor and are great to use for your burger if you opt to roast them before adding as a topping. You also have vine tomatoes that are sweet and juicy to add that touch of sweetness flavor you might like with your burger. These are also good roasting tomatoes.
Onions – you have your classic yellow onion, which is the standard among the onion family. You can’t go wrong with a yellow onion and they work extremely well if you choose to sauté a bit to tone down the strong raw flavor, or if you choose to grill the slices just a bit for a great char flavor to add to your burger.
You may want to try the red onion as another burger topping idea as it adds a spicy flavor to your burger. It has a bit of a pepper taste and also works great if you want to roast or grill them.
We suggest giving the Vidalia onion a try if you are looking for a sweeter-tasting onion. This variety is mild and great for those who can’t tolerate the stronger of the onion varieties, but want that onion flavor in their burger.
Cheese – Ah, yes. The cheese – the biggest choice of some of the best burger topping ideas as it is the quintessential topping for a burger. But what is truly the most popular?
According to cheese experts interviewed by insider.com, the best cheese should have flavor and moisture. Using a type such as Parmesan is too dry and will just sweat due to a high melting point. Check out the article to see what the top 9 best kinds of cheese are for burgers, and yes, the number one is what you would think – the classic American!
You may be surprised at some of the other choices of cheese to use for your burger topping. We are definitely going to give them a try.
Topping Ideas for Ground Chicken, Turkey, and the Salmon Patty
Chicken and Turkey – topping ideas for these poultry burgers could be modeled after some of the great and classic recipes.
Who loves hot wings? Try using a hot wing recipe sauce to top your chicken burger. The ingredients can include ketchup, soy sauce, and honey.
Garlic is a popular ingredient used on chicken. Try a creamy garlic sauce on top of that great chicken burger.
And who doesn’t love barbeque chicken? Use your favorite barbeque sauce, or make your own, to spice up that chicken burger.
For turkey burgers, any of the burger topping ideas for chicken would also work well on turkey. Another idea is getting a box stuffing mix to make and add that as your burger topping. There are your turkey and stuffing and you didn’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to get it!
Salmon Patties – these have all the fixin’s right in the patty. Good toppings for these are the classic tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or you can use something like a lemon dill sauce.
For a traditional salmon burger, any of these burger topping ideas mentioned would be great or you can also use barbeque sauce or even putting coleslaw on the burger would add a great depth of flavor.
Healthy Burger Topping Ideas
Really, the “healthy” burger would be more talking about the chicken, turkey, and salmon. But nothing says a beef burger can’t be healthy using the right kind of ground beef. You have chuck which will be the lowest lean-to-fat ratio of ground beef you would want to go with. You can still get juicy, great-tasting burgers by using a 90/10 ratio. Also, look for choice, prime and select grades of beef. Select will be the leaner of the cuts, but if that is what you want then use it. It is the fat marbling in the beef that gives it the juicy tenderness.
Add the traditional lettuce and tomato toppings or opt for some other healthy choices. We mentioned avocado previously. These containing vitamin C and potassium are a great healthy mayonnaise alternative addition to your burger.
Arugula makes a great alternative lettuce topping to your poultry-based burgers. It adds a bit of spice to your burger and is chock full of vitamins A, C, and K. For another green alternative try some spinach to get your superfood with your burger as it provides iron, vitamins, and minerals that are important to the health of your skin and bones.
You may think that mushroom burger is just too tasty to be healthy, but mushrooms help boost your immune system and are full of potassium and vitamin D. Sauté them in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil for a smooth taste and the antioxidants from the oil. Try adding some low sodium soy sauce when sauteing for a bit of extra flavor.
You may be thinking you have to give up on the cheese for other healthy burger topping ideas, but wait! Using a variety like sharp cheddar or blue cheese you will use less due to their naturally strong flavor along with the calcium you get with it on your burger.
There are many other alternatives to toppings on your burger for the healthy route. Don’t think that when you hear the word “burger” that it is immediately unhealthy. There are so many ways to make a burger and keep it up on the healthy scale.
What are the Most Popular Burger Topping Ideas?
According to Thrillist.com the top choice of burger toppings is. . . . drum roll please. . . . . Cheese!
Duh, of course. And of the greatest of all cheeses is the American slice. But don’t count out all those other great toppings such as lettuce, mayo, mustard, pickles, and we can go on and on.
But ultimately, what your burger topping ideas are will be totally up to you and your taste. What do you like to serve your family and friends? What is your favorite burger – beef, chicken, turkey – and what do you like to flavor it with?
The possibilities are endless and we want to search them out with you. Let us know your burger topping ideas.