Air Fryer Stuffed Burgers with Cheese (Juicy Lucy Recipe) (2024)

Learn to make awesome air fryer stuffed burgers with delicious, melty cheese! You’ll wonder why you haven’t tried air frying hamburgers before when you see how easy this recipe is. All you need is ground beef, steak seasoning, and your favorite cheese to make the best air fryer Juicy Lucy cheeseburgers ever! Forget the grill this season, air fry is where it is at!

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Who doesn’t love a good air fryer recipe? This air fried burger recipe is a main course that’s full of flavor.

Mind you, these aren’t any old burgers, we can’t have that. Instead, I’ve decided to stuff the burgers with cheese. The cheese melts while the burgers cook, leaving you with a delicious cheeseburger, minus the mess.

I’ve heard horror stories of people trying to make cheeseburgers in air fryers. Apparently, when you use shredded cheese, there’s a risk that it will blow all over the fryer.

Cleaning up melted cheese that is stuck all over the inside of an air fryer does not sound like a fun time. Here, I’ve sidestepped that potential disaster entirely by putting the cheese in the burger. No wasted cheese, and no mess!

(Note: If you forget to stuff your air fryer burgers but decide you want cheese, put the cheese on right after cooking. The warmth of the burger should be just enough to melt the cheese a bit.)

One of the things that I dislike about beef burgers is how much they shrink with cooking. Not only that, but they also tend to bulge in the middle. This creates a situation where the toppings can fall off. Grrr!

Luckily, I’m going to give you plenty of tips to make inside out cheeseburgers that turn out perfect every time. Let’s do this!

😋 What is a Juicy Lucy?

The Juicy Lucy is a stuffed cheeseburger where melty cheese is inside the burger instead of on top. (Hello, yum!) Think of it like an inside out burger.

There’s a debate over who invented the stuffed cheeseburger. Matt’s Bar (home of the “Jucy Lucy”) and the 5-8 Club (home of the “Juicy Lucy”), both located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, each say they have the original. If you’re ever in the Twin Cities area, it might be worth trying both burgers so you can decide which is your favorite.

🍔 Making an Air Fryer Stuffed Burger That Holds Its Shape While Cooking

There are some excellent tips around if you want a beef burger that doesn’t bulge up in the middle. If you’re making big burgers (>6 ounces/170 grams), shape each patty to be flatter and wider than you want it to be. And to help prevent bulging, put a small indentation (a “dimple”) in the center of each patty.

These cheese-stuffed hamburgers in the air fryer really didn’t shrink much at all. I think the cheese worked in place of the “dimple” to weigh the center of the burger down. If anything, the burger became flatter as it cooked and the cheese melted.

Basically, this air fryer recipe for burgers is super if you want a big burger that will fill your hamburger bun. You can also load these hamburgers up with toppings without worrying that they will slide off.

⭐ Air Fryer Stuffed Burgers Benefits

Beef is a wonderful source of highly bioavailable heme iron, as well as high-quality protein, zinc, and vitamin B12. I consider it an excellent food choice, particularly for premenopausal women who have high iron needs (and may struggle with low iron). Personally, I’ve found that I no longer need to supplement with iron after adding beef to my diet.

Though plant foods have many positive attributes, the iron and zinc they contain are not as available to the body. Additionally, plant foods naturally provide no vitamin B12 (though this essential nutrient may be added to fortified foods). If you are trying to meet your nutrient needs with whole foods rather than supplements and fortified foods, beef can help get you there.

These air fryer burgers cook fast and make getting a high-protein meal simple. With air frying, some of the oil drips off the burger while it cooks, so you get a lower calorie burger too. Best of all, they are delicious!

🥘 Air Fryer Juicy Lucy Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make air fryer hamburgers stuffed with cheese:

• Lean ground beef (I used 90/10 ground beef)
• Steak seasoning
• Sliced cheese
• Cooking oil spray

American cheese is a classic choice for these burgers, because it melts so well. Cheddar cheese is a good option for those who want a less processed cheese, and Muenster is another. Blue cheese, pepper jack, Monterey jack, and provolone cheese slices also work well.

If you don’t like cheese, there are other things to put in stuffed burgers. Sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions would probably be quite tasty as fillings, but I haven’t tested these out.

I always make 3 giant Juicy Lucys when I make this recipe. Go big or go home is what I’m all about with this burger.

Unless you’re making a burger bowl, you’ll also want to have toasted hamburger buns and burger toppings. Here’s how to top a Juicy Lucy burger:

• Mayo
• Green leaf lettuce
• Sliced tomato
• Ketchup
• Sliced red onion
• Pickled jalapenos

See Also

50 Best Air Fryer RecipesFast & Delicious: Air Fryer Steak Bites - Swanky RecipesEasy Air Fryer Mushrooms Recipe with Garlic and Lemon | White On RiceBest Air Fryer Steak Recipe - Fork To Spoon

You could also add more cheese, pickles, relish, mustard, salsa, or whatever floats your boat. A runny fried egg is another really good topping for a burger.

🍽 Equipment

To make stuffed burgers in the air fryer, you’ll need an air fryer. I used the top tray of my 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven. You can use an air fryer basket as well.

Keep in mind that if you use a Ninja Foodi, Cosori, Pampered Chef Air Fryer, Actifry, Nuwave, Instant Vortex, Cuisinart, Philips, Power Air Fryer, or another air fryer, you may need to adjust the cooking times slightly. You could also make Juicy Lucy burgers with an Instant Pot air fryer lid.

🔪 How to Make Air Fryer Stuffed Burgers

Let's talk about how to cook stuffed burgers in an air fryer! Start by thoroughly mixing the ground meat and seasoning together with clean hands. Divide the meat mixture into six equal pieces.

Make three of the pieces into large, flat patties with a 4-inch (10 cm) diameter. Try to make sure there’s no holes in the patties, so the cheese doesn’t ooze out. Roll the other three pieces of meat into balls.

Grab three slices of cheese, and cut each into four pieces. Put a stack of four cut pieces of cheese (equal to one slice) on top of each flat patty.

Take the burger pieces that you’ve rolled into balls and flatten each into a patty. (Again, try to make sure the patties have no holes.) Use these to completely cover the cheese on the other patties.

Seal the edges of your burgers. You want the cheese to be completely encased in the meat.

Mist an air fryer rack with the cooking spray. Your burgers should all fit on one rack in a single-layer (if you have a large air fryer oven). Put the tray in the top rack position of your air fryer oven.

️⏲ Air Fryer Stuffed Burgers Cooking Time and Temperature

How long does it take to cook a hamburger in an air fryer? Stuffed hamburgers air fry for a total 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190C). Flip them halfway through cooking time (i.e., after 5 minutes).

The minimum safe internal temp for ground beef is 160F (71C). I prefer my beef burgers medium or medium-rare, but I think it's important to have the food safety information. You’ll may need to add to the air frying time if you want the burgers to reach this temperature.

After letting the burgers rest for a few minutes, you can top them and enjoy. Be careful when you take a bite- the cheese can be very hot! (And remember color doesn't indicate doneness- internal temp does!)

Stovetop directions: You can also cook Juicy Lucys on the stovetop in a skillet. Heat the skillet to medium heat, and cook the stuffed cheeseburgers for 5-6 minutes per side (or longer, if you prefer well done).

️🌡️ Leftovers

How to store leftover stuffed burgers? Keep your leftover burgers (without toppings) in a covered container in the refrigerator. They will last for 3-4 days, and are an easy way to add more protein to meals.

Reheat stuffed burgers for a few minutes on the stovetop or in the microwave. (You can use the air fryer too, of course. 😊 )

🥗 Side Dishes for Stuffed Burgers

What are the best sides for stuffed burgers? Here are some of my favorite foods to serve with burgers with cheese in the middle:

• Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
• Frozen Veggies in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Jicama Fries
• Garden Salads
• Air Fryer Carrots
• Air Fryer Butternut Squash

📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein

One serving of Air Fryer Stuffed Burgers has 363 calories, 1.3 grams net carbs, and 34.3 grams protein. This nutritional information is for the burger only, with no bun or toppings.

FAQs

How do you keep stuffed burgers from falling apart?

You don’t need to add anything to these burger patties to keep them from falling apart. The most important thing is to ensure the cheese is completely sealed within the meat prior to cooking. Large diameter burgers offer more surface area for covering the cheese.

Do you need to flip burgers in the air fryer?

Yes, you should flip the burgers halfway through cooking time to help ensure even cooking. This is true whether you make stuffed burgers in an air fryer or in the oven.

Can you make cheese stuffed burgers in the oven?

Yes, you can bake burgers with cheese in the middle in the oven too! Preheat the oven to 400F (200C) and bake the burgers in a single layer in a baking dish for 20-30 minutes. (The exact baking time depends on the size of the burgers.)

Can you make air fryer stuffed turkey burgers?

Yes, you can substitute ground turkey for the beef in this recipe. I recommend ground turkey thighs because the higher fat content will help keep the burger from drying out too much. Poultry should be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165F (74C). Turkey burger may need more air frying time than beef.

How to make air fryer stuffed hamburgers gluten free?

These are gluten free stuffed burger patties as long as the steak seasoning you use is gluten free. You’ll also want to use gluten free hamburger buns and gluten free condiments on the burger.

How to make low carb or keto stuffed hamburgers in the air fryer?

Wondering how to make stuffed burgers keto? Simply skip the bun or use a low carb bun. These stuffed hamburger patties are naturally very low in carbs.

👩🏻‍🍳 Other Air Fryer Ground Beef Recipes

Want more ideas for cooking ground beef in the air fryer? I’ve got you! Check these out:

• Air Fryer Nachos
• Meatloaf in Air Fryer
• Frozen Meatballs in Air Fryer

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