Bison Burger Recipe

Richly flavorful bison burgers are ready in 15 minutes on the grill or in a pan! You'll want to add these to your BBQ menu every time!

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword bison burger, bison burger recipe, bison burger recipes, bison burgers

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings bison burgers

Calories 864kcal

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.
Flip patties. Add slices of Gruyere cheese and grill another 4 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F on a meat thermometer (medium-rare) or 160°F for well done.
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

Cooking Bison Burgers on the Stove

To cook bison burgers on the stove, follow the same steps to form and season the patties.
Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
When hot, add patties and cook for 4 minutes on one side. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan - cook in batches if necessary.
Flip, add slices of cheese to each patty, and cover with a lid. Cook another 4 minutes until the proper internal temperature is reached.
Serve on buns with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Tips for Making Bison Burgers

Use your favorite hamburger buns. Rich, buttery brioche is a great pairing with bison, but you can use whatever you like best!

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!

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.

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.