California Drive Thru Style Burger

This burger recipe reminds me of my favorite California drive-thru style burgers. Without needing to drive to California.

I grew up with a mother who was born and bred in California and was a huge fan of their popular drive thru burger restaurants.  I was raised in Wisconsin, so it wasn’t until I was an adult myself on a trip to the west coast that I experienced my first California fast food burger. From that time forward, I became a huge fan myself.

Given the fact that I live in Oregon, I had to find a way to make this type of delicious handburger at home. Tha tis how this copycat recipe was born.

Ingredients Needed

• Beef Ground Chuck, minimum 60% lean
• Hamburger Buns
• American Cheese
• Butter
• Oil
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Ketchup
• Sweet Pickle Relish
• White vinegar
• Dill Pickle Chips, optional
• Tomato
• Onions
• Salt and Pepper

How to Make a California Drive Thru Style Burger

• Combine ketchup, mayonaise, vinegar, and relish.
• Stir to combine, then refrigerate until needed.
• Finely chop your onion and add into a frying pan with oil. Stir and saute for a few minutes.
• Cover them and allow them to cook slow for about 30 minutes until they are golden and soft.  Watch your heat and don’t let them burn. 
• Uncover them once they have started to brown and caramelize and cook for about 5 more minutes uncovered. 
• Add in 1/2 C water and simmer until the water evaporates, set aside. 
• Heat electric griddle and brush it lightly with vegetable oil. 
• Place your buns split side down on the griddle and toast until golden brown.

• Form your hamburger patties.  Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to both sides.
• Cook for until your preferred doneness, about 3-5 minutes.
• Spread the uncooked side with mustard and flip.

• Top the cooked side with a slice of American cheese.
• Spread burger sauce on toated bun.
• Add lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty and caramelized onions.

For more delicious burgers try these:

• Burger Sauce
• Smash Burger
• Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions
• Juicy Lucy Burger
• Turkey Burger

Be sure and follow me over on YouTube for weekly cooking demos.

4.83 from 45 votes

California Style Drive Thru Burger Recipe

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes

This delicious burger recipe is a California drive thru style burger you will love, topped with a delicoius burger suace and carmelized onions.

serves: 8 burgers

Prep:15 minutes minutes

Cook:15 minutes minutes

Total:30 minutes minutes

Rate Recipe

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 Tbsp vegetable oil and more for brushing griddle
• ▢ 2 large onions finely chopped
• ▢ salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup mayo
• ▢ 2 Tbsp ketchup
• ▢ 1 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
• ▢ 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp mustard
• ▢ 2 lbs. ground chuck 60%
• ▢ 4 hamburger buns
• ▢ dill pickles I left off
• ▢ 1 cup iceberg lettuce bun size pieces
• ▢ 4-8 slices tomato
• ▢ pepper
• ▢ 8 slices American cheese I used cheddar

Instructions

• Heat oil in pan and add onions.
• Cook onions covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes or until onions begin to turn golden brown and caramelize. Watch them so they don’t burn.
• Remove lid and cook for 5 more minutes and then add 1/2 C water. Allow water to evaporate.
• Set aside, onions can be made several days ahead of time and refrigerated.
• Mix together the mayo, ketchup, relish and vinegar in a bowl and set aside.
• Form meat into 8 patties about 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.
• Heat griddle and lightly brush with vegetable oil.
• Toast the buns on the griddle, split side down.
• After they are toasted golden brown spread the bottom bun with 1 Tbsp of the mayo mixture.
• Top with tomato and lettuce.
• Salt and pepper both sides of hamburger patties and cook on the griddle for 3-5 minutes.
• Spread top of patty with 1 1/2 tsps mustard and flip.
• Top patty with cheese and allow to cook until desired doneness.
• Add hamburger to bun and top with caramelized onion.

Tips & Notes:

If you use your grill, the burger will have a different flavor.  If you want a more authentic California drive thru style burger, use a griddle.

The recipe calls for ground beef chuck (at least 60% lean)  This is different than regular ground beef.   If you can’t find beef chuck use a 70/30 or 80/20 ground hamburger.

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Nutrition Facts:

Serving: 8g Calories: 524kcal (26%) Carbohydrates: 16g (5%) Protein: 26g (52%) Fat: 38g (58%) Saturated Fat: 16g (100%) Cholesterol: 104mg (35%) Sodium: 645mg (28%) Potassium: 459mg (13%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 5g (6%) Vitamin A: 400IU (8%) Vitamin C: 4.6mg (6%) Calcium: 286mg (29%) Iron: 3.2mg (18%)

* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American

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