A problem often brought up is burgers falling apart and what can you do to keep this from happening. But you don’t want to use egg or even something else in them. So the question is how to make hamburger patties stick together without egg.
The main thing you think of first to bind your burger is the incredible egg. So let’s see why this is. First of all, what is it about an egg that makes it a great binder? Eggs contain high amounts of protein that help hold in moisture. The fat in eggs also holds in the moisture. So this is one thing that helps when using a higher lean-to-fat ratio of ground beef.
Eggs are also high in protein. These proteins have an elastic quality that is lost when they are cooked. But when they are raw, the aid in binding other ingredients together is what keeps them from crumbling. This is why eggs are in all kinds of baking. The yolks of eggs also contain emulsifiers that help liquids mix together. This is why they work so well keeping the juiciness of ground beef together.
But what can you use to make hamburgers stick together without egg? The big question is do you actually even need to use a binder?
Making Hamburgers That Stick Together Without Egg?
You might think of using breadcrumbs to bind your patties, but actually breadcrumbs aren’t a binding agent. What they really do is help retain the moisture in the meat. They will absorb the moisture while cooking and then release the moisture back into the meat as it rests. This has been known to help create a juicier burger. So you could give this a try on a higher lean-to-fat ratio ground meat.
Then to make hamburger patties stick together without egg is to actually use a lower lean-to-fat ratio for your patties. This is what would help stop your burgers from turning into crumbly burgers. With higher ratios like 90/10 there is no fat to bind the meat fibers together.
Fat in the meat gives it the juiciness which keeps moisture in the beef that keeps it from crumbling. If you use ground beef that is too lean, it tends to crumble or fall apart. If you use a leaner cut, you can add bacon to the mixture adding that extra fat that will keep it together. But you would accomplish this same thing using a lower ratio unless you just want that bacony goodness taste!
Also when making your patties if you don’t have a press like the Perfect Patty Shaperz, don’t overwork the meat. Overworking will not only make for a dense burger, but it will make it more susceptible to falling apart.
It is also best to keep your meat cold before you are ready to make your patties. This will help in forming a burger that will stay together.
Does Adding Additional Ingredients Make the Burger Fall Apart?
Adding ingredients like minced onion, Worcestershire, or chopped bacon to your ground beef can make the beef looser and prone to falling apart. Putting ingredients inside the beef is creating a meatloaf, not really a burger. The additions should be kept on the outside of the burger as accents to your final creation!
If you really do want to mix ingredients into the beef, use ingredients that don’t have too much liquid. Ingredients like onions or mushrooms contain liquid and can add to the falling apart issue. If you do want to use sauces, add a bit of breadcrumbs to absorb some of the excess liquid. Once cooked and rested the moisture will redistribute throughout the burger.
You can also add other meats such as ground pork to help hold the beef together and add a different flavor to the burger – bonus!
How to Keep Burgers Together Without Using Binders?
The way to make hamburger patties stick together without egg or anything else is to use ground beef with at least 80/20 ratio. Beef with a higher fat content should not fall apart when preparing your patties as the fat helps with the natural binding process.
Refrigerating your hamburger patties after prep and prior to cooking will also help keep your burgers together.
Be sure you aren’t working the meat too much when forming your patties. This makes the hamburgers denser and more likely to fall apart.
Use a patty press to make your burgers. Just doing this makes you touch the meat even less than if you were forming the patties yourself, which will result in a juicier burger. By using your hands the heat makes the meat kind of gooey and more likely to fall apart.
Once you have your patties prepared, refrigerate them for about 10 to 15 minutes before putting them on the grill or stovetop pan. This helps immensely in keeping the patties together. Be sure to season before you cook.
If you are making burgers with added ingredients (just don’t use too much or you will have a meatloaf) like that add additional moisture such as onions, you would need to use some kind of binding agent.
Binders You Can Use to Keep the Burger Together
If you want to use a binder in your meat, but don’t want to use egg, other alternatives are flour such as wheat flour, cracker crumbs, or even oatmeal. You can go a more scientific route and use gelatin, which is used a lot in baking, or guar or xanthan gums.
For those of you who may have allergies to things like eggs or gluten, you can use banana, applesauce, or ground flaxseed.
Conclusion
How do you make hamburger patties stick together without egg, or anything else? The thing is if you use ground beef with a lean-to-fat ratio of at least 80/20 you shouldn’t have to use anything in your meat as a binder for your burgers. The fat in the meat is what will keep the burgers together.
Also, keeping the meat cold while preparing and after preparing will help with not falling apart. And lastly using a press, if you can, rather than forming the patties by hand will help keep the meat from getting mushy and falling apart.
If you are using a higher lean ratio, then use an egg if you can, or something like flour or another type of binding agent.
Give your burgers a try with a higher fat ratio, if you haven’t already. You can still accomplish a good burger patty with a higher lean number if you keep the meat cold and don’t handle it too much. Let us know your experiences with your burgers. We love to hear from you!
Below is a Pinterest-friendly photo . . . so you can pin it to your Burger Board!
