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You are going to love my juicy, flavorful Bison Burger recipe! Bison burgers are rich in protein, hearty, and ready in just 15 minutes on the grill or in a pan.
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These bison burgers are lean, full of protein, and lower-calorie than ground beef. The flavor is light, sweet, and a little earthy. Best of all, they're ready in under 20 minutes!
I'll share my bison burger recipe with you, along with suggestions for toppings, what to serve with bison burgers, expert tips, FAQ, and more burger recipes I guarantee you will love.
Ingredients for Bison Burgers
- Ground Bison: 80% lean ground bison is perfect for this recipe for bison burgers.
- Steak Seasoning: Although I used my favorite jar of steak seasoning when making this recipe, I have also made it many times with my homemade steak seasoning and famous burger seasoning since. I highly recommend making one of these spice blends for burgers yourself if you have the time.
- Gruyere Cheese: Gruyere has a sweet flavor and creamy texture perfect for pairing with bison. But, you can use any of your favorite cheese for burgers. Ground bison recipes like these burgers tend to pair well with everything beef does!
- Butter Lettuce: My favorite lettuce for burgers is soft and delicate butter lettuce. I love the texture and flavor of this lettuce for bison burgers. But, you can use any lettuce you have on hand - I just recommend you don't use iceberg.
- Red Onions: With their sharp and astringent flavor, red onions make an amazing pairing for sweet bison burgers. Feel free to use white or yellow onions instead.
- Brioche Buns: My favorite bun for bison burgers is brioche, but any hamburger bun you have will do. Considering you're making bison burgers, though, why not go all out and treat yourself with brioche?
- Condiments: Mayo, mustard, etc. are all great choices. Top your bison burger with any of your favorite condiments. Bison burgers work with all of your usual burger toppings!
How to Make Bison Burgers
Step 1: Form bison meat into four evenly-sized patties. Be sure not to over-mix your ground bison. Over-mixing leads to dense burgers.
Step 2: After forming the patties, season each one with steak seasoning or your seasoning of choice. For a simple alternative, use salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Kosher salt or sea salt flakes works best.
Step 3:
- Bison burgers on the grill: Preheat your grill to medium heat (350°F-375°F). Once hot, add the bison patties and cook for 4 minutes on each side.
- Bison burgers on the stove: Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Sear patties for 4 minutes on each side.
Step 4: After the first 4 minutes, flip the patties. Add slices of Gruyere cheese and continue cooking for the final 4 minutes. The safe internal temp for ground bison is 160°F.
Step 5: Remove the bison burgers from the grill (or stove). Add to brioche buns and top with lettuce, red onion, and condiments of your choice. For more options, see my burger topping suggestions below!
Isabel's Top Tips for Making Bison Burgers
- Keep the burgers cold before cooking them. If you let the meat come to room temperature, it may fall apart on the grill. Keeping the meat cold helps it stay together as it cooks.
- Some bison burger recipes like to mix the meat with a little Worcestershire sauce. Bison is plenty flavorful on its own, but you can mix things up by adding a dash of Worcestershire to the meat mixture if you like!
- Use your favorite burger toppings. Any toppings you love on a burger work on bison, too. Bison meat pairs with everything from Dijon mustard and mayonnaise to BBQ sauce and bacon. I personally love it with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese on a toasted bun!
- If you aren't seeing bison at the store, look for buffalo. Sometimes ground bison is labeled as buffalo burger meat instead, as the two names are used interchangeably in the U.S.
- If you don't want to use steak seasoning, use simple kosher salt and black pepper. A pinch of garlic powder goes a long way for flavor, too.
FAQ
Ground bison is tender, with a slightly sweet and earthy taste. It's similar to beef, but more delicately flavored. And, although it's lean meat, there is no gamey taste to bison.
All of the same spices you use for beef will work perfectly with bison. Use your favorite burger or steak seasoning with this meat for the best results. I love using my homemade burger seasoning.
Just like beef, a little pinkness to the meat is expected and acceptable when cooking bison burgers. The recommended internal temperature is 160°F for well done. Unlike beef, cook bison to a temperature of 145°F for medium-rare.
Yes, for the juiciest burgers, I recommend you rest them after cooking.
Yes, you can! Freeze for up to 3-4 months. I recommend flash freezing them by spreading them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and adding them to the freezer uncovered. Once they're frozen, transfer the burgers to a freezer-safe airtight container. This way, the burgers won't stick together in the freezer.
What to Serve with Bison Burgers
Burger Recipes
Let me show you how to make bison burgers so delicious, you might find yourself picking up ground bison at the store from now on instead of beef! They are truly fantastic.
Bison Burger Recipe
Equipment
- Grill or large skillet
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds ground bison meat
- 1 Tablespoon steak seasoning
- 4 slices Gruyere cheese
- 4 leafs butter lettuce
- ½ red onion - sliced
- 4 brioche buns
Instructions
- Form bison meat into 4 evenly-sized patties.1.5 pounds ground bison meat
- Season each patty with steak seasoning.1 Tablespoon steak seasoning
- Preheat grill to medium heat (350°F-375°F). Add the patties to the grill and cook for 4 minutes on one side. Alternatively, you can cook them on the stove for 4 minutes on each side in butter (see notes).
- Flip patties. Add slices of Gruyere cheese and grill another 4 minutes. The safe internal temp for ground bison is 160°F.4 slices Gruyere cheese
- Remove from the grill and add to brioche buns. Top with lettuce, red onion, and condiments of choice.4 leafs butter lettuce,½ red onion,4 brioche buns
Notes
- To cook bison burgers on the stove, melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a skillet and sear patties for 4 minutes on each side. In the final minute, cover each patty with a slice of cheese and allow it to melt under a lid.
- Keep the burgers chilled before cooking them. Room temp burgers will fall apart as they cook.
- If you can't find bison, look for buffalo. Sometimes it is labeled as buffalo meat instead.
- Salt and pepper with a pinch of garlic powder may be used in place of steak seasoning for a simple but powerful burger seasoning.
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