
I can’t stress the importance of learning how to make your favorite takeout meals at home. It’s so much fun, so much cheaper, and so satisfying to know that you pulled it off. It also helps you beat geography! Don’t live anywhere near a Shake Shack but you’ve heard about their awesome burgers? Well, look no further!
These are all the reasons why I love this homemade Shake Shack burger recipe. It proves that I can eat my FAVORITE burger anytime I want, without waiting in crazy lines!
Ready to take it for a spin?
PS: This recipe was not sponsored by Shake Shack. I just love their food.

What you need to know about this homemade Shake Shack burger recipe
- Traditionally, Shake Shack burgers have thin-ish beef patties, but not as thin as other takeout chains though. I used beef patties from ButcherBox that were pre-made, but you can make your own with ground beef! You can also try this with turkey burgers, chicken burgers and veggie burgers of your choice.
- As always, fixins are optional. Lose the tomato, lettuce and cheese if you must. Or swap the lettuce for spinach or kale if you have that.
- Other ideas: caramelized onions, regular onions, pickles, pickled jalapenos, avocado, and whatever else you normally like to put on your burger. Are these traditional? No. But if it makes you enjoy this meal more, that’s all I care about.
- Vegan? Use a veggie burger, non-dairy mayo and non-dairy cheese slices. You can also make this with a replacement meat such as Beyond Meat or Impossible ground beef.
- Gluten-free? Use a gluten-free bun or wrap it in a giant leaf of lettuce.
I can’t wait to see you make these your own!

Tips
Ok, first thing: This is not a meal prep recipe. I would not advise meal prepping these burgers. Think of this as a fun summery recipe to pull out when you feel like you need to shake things up! (pun intended)
Don’t have a grill? A grill pan works really well in this case.
How to Serve and Store
As mentioned, we don’t recommend this for prep. However, if you have a leftover burger or two, simply wrap it in foil for easy reheating or put it in a sealed airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a low oven, wrapped in foil (so it doesn’t dry out quickly), or if you’re so inclined, eat it cold. (Some people do this!)
We like to serve this with a green salad with a simple vinaigrette, but you can also do something like French fries with this meal, or even tater tots. The freezer is your friend; now’s the time to pull out that bag of frozen fries.
New to Workweek Lunch?
Hey! Welcome.
So there are a few things to know about my recipes. One, I will never, EVER drone on and on about the meaning behind a recipe or what I did at my grandpa’s house last summer blah blah. My recipes are always quick and to the point, providing only what you truly need to know.
This Shake Shack burger recipe is free, but the majority of my recipes (more than 250 of them) are available only to members of the Workweek Lunch Program, a meal prep planning subscription service that I offer for $9.99/month. Learn more here.
Lastly, I love seeing what you cook. So feel free to share your meal prep photos with me on Instagram by DMing me at @workweeklunch or using hashtag #workweeklunch.
More Recipes to Love
- Copycat Restaurant Recipes to Make When You Want to Order in
- 20 Delicious Copycat Recipes for Meal Prep
- Meal Prep Burger Bowl with Shake Shack Sauce
- Easy Freezer Friendly White Bean Veggie Burgers
- Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers with Dill Sauce


Talia’s Favorite Homemade Shake Shack Burger
Ingredients
For sweet potato fries (optional)
- 1 medium sweet potato chopped into wedges
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonaisse sub vegan mayo if needed
- 2 TBSP ketchup
- 1 TBSP dijon mustard sub yellow mustard
- 1 tsp rice vinegar sub lemon juice or pickle juice
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne optional
everything else
- 2 beef burgers sub veggie burgers
- 2-4 slices American cheese sub cheddar cheese slices
- 2 potato buns sub any kind of bun you like
- 4 slices tomato
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce torn into bun-sized pieces
- pickles optional
Instructions
- If making sweet potato fries: preheat your oven to 400 F. Toss the potato wedges in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour onto a baking sheet, spread them out so they have room and place the sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Make the sauce: combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust flavors as needed! Set aside.
- Grill or cook your burgers in a pan: Salt each side of the burger before cooking. We cooked ours with a splash of avocado oil (it has a higher smoke point) on a grill pan but you can use a little olive oil too. Make sure the pan, if you’re using one, is VERY hot. Cook burgers according to your preferred level of done-ness. Add cheese slices on top in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Assemble the burgers! On the bottom half of the bun, spread a generous amount of sauce. Then add the cheese-covered burgers, followed by pickles if using, tomato, lettuce and finally, the top part of the bun. (I slathered more sauce on the other bun before topping the burger with it! Enjoy immediately with a milkshake and a side of sweet potato fries if desired.
