As a guy who loves to grill meats over an open fire, I don’t often say this, but…the beauty of this croissant smashburger is really in the bun. Stick with me here!
We all know what to expect from a smashburger patty: juicy, flavorful beef with those freakin’ delicious crispy edges. But no one is expecting a croissant. And that’s one smashingly delicious combo. At the end of the day, this is just a fun recipe to make an incredible smashburger, so enjoy every minute of it!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love the Croissant Smashburger
- Croissant Smashburger Ingredients
- Tips for Smashburger Success
- Most Anticipated Grill of 2025
- How to Make Croissant Smashburgers
- Making the Burger Sauce
- Forming the Burger Patties
- Smashing the Burgers
- Assembling the Croissant Smashburger
- What to Serve with Croissant Smashburgers
- Leftovers and Reheating
- More Smashburgers
- FAQs
- This sauce is FYR!
- Croissant Smashburger Recipe
Why You’ll Love the Croissant Smashburger
When you get that perfect sear on a smashburger, there’s nothing else like it. Pressing the burger patties thin while they’re cooking maximizes the surface area in contact with the hot surface. That creates browned bits and succulent, crispy edges on the patty that are absolute foodie heaven. I love using unique burger toppings on my smash burgers (eggs, chili cheese, jalapeño poppers and pizza are just a few) to make it a real party.
For these croissant burgers, I decided to focus less on those unique burger toppings and more on a unique burger bun. Using the croissant here makes for a crispy, flaky and sweet burger bun that is just amazing. We’re topping the smash croissant burger with a classic burger sauce, and brushing garlic butter over the croissant for some extra flavor. So freakin’ delicious.
If this croissant has you thinking about French dishes, check out some of my top posts for this type of food: French Dip, French Steak Frites, Grilled French Dip and French Onion Steak Skewers.
Croissant Smashburger Ingredients
- Beef: Super simple on the seasoning here, with just kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder for our ground beef patties.
- Burger Sauce: I went classic here, with mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, white vinegar and FYR RED Hot Sauce.
- Garlic Butter: Melted butter. Pureed garlic. Enough said!
- Burger Toppings: Grab some slices of American cheese and large croissants. Or, if you’re feeling clever, grab some mini croissants and make mini slider patties for a mini croissant smash burger! But that’s a post for another day. The answers section of our FAQ has more ideas on croissants if you’ve got more questions!
Tips for Smashburger Success
If this is your first time making a smashburger, here are a few things to keep in mind while you’re grilling.
- When you’re forming the burger balls, handle the meat gently. Overworking makes for tough burgers.
- Keep those patties cold until you’re cooking. Cold meat smashes better and creates a better sear.
- Use a heavy spatula! A sturdy metal one is your best bet. You’ll need good leverage and weight to get that proper smash.
- Resist the urge to move around your smashed patty. Let that beautiful crust develop crust undisturbed for maximum crispiness.
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How to Make Croissant Smashburgers
Let’s create a viral croissant smashburger here!
Making the Burger Sauce
First up, we’ll make the burger sauce. Mix together all your ingredients — mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, white vinegar and FYR RED Hot Sauce — in a small bowl. Refrigerate until you’re ready to use. To make your garlic butter, mix together melted butter and pureed garlic. Set that to the side as well.
Forming the Burger Patties
Next, it’s time for our main content: the burger patties! Preheat your grill to high heat (around 400 degrees Fahrenheit) for direct cooking. Grab a handful of ground beef (around 1/4 pound… ish) from your 1.5 pounds ground beef and gently roll it into a ball. Repeat this for 6-8 balls or until you’re out of meat. Place them in the fridge until ready to cook.
Smashing the Burgers
Add a cast iron skillet or plancha over the flames to preheat till it’s slightly smoking. Add a burger ball to the skillet. Place a piece of parchment over the top and then firmly press with the spatula until the burger is “smashed” on the skillet.
Next, season the patty with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Carefully flip the burger patty over, and then season the new side with salt, pepper and garlic.
Top with a slice of cheese and let melt for 1-2 minutes. Once melted, pull off and rest. Repeat for the rest of your patties. You’ll need about 1 tablespoon each of salt, pepper and garlic powder to cover all your burgers, and 8-10 cheese slices.
Assembling the Croissant Smashburger
Build your burger with the sliced croissant, burger sauce, 1-2 burger patties and more sauce. Add the burger back to the skillet and lightly smash. Then, brush the croissants with the garlic butter over the top. Flip and smash again on the bottom buns to get it slightly crispy on all sides.
Serve up that smashed croissant burger and enjoy!
What to Serve with Croissant Smashburgers
These smashburgers are so freakin’ delicious with any of your favorite burger or cookout sides. Think fries, potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, grilled green veggies like zucchini or asparagus, a simple green salad or baked beans.
Leftovers and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover croissant smashburgers, store your leftover patties in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to reheat them, preheat a large heavy skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of oil and then reheat the patties for about 1-2 minutes on each side. This helps maintain that crispy texture.
Store any extra croissants (is this a thing? Those disappear in my kitchen immediately) at room temperature in a plastic bag. If you’ve got leftover burger sauce and garlic butter, store those in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3-5 days. No need to reheat the burger sauce, obviously, and you just need to reheat the garlic butter over low heat until warm.
More Smashburgers
FAQs
The parchment prevents the meat from sticking to your spatula and helps you get an even, thin croissant smashburger patty without the mess.
Either works, but fresh bakery croissants will give you the best flaky, buttery texture. Just make sure they’re large enough for your beef patties.
Aim for about 1/4 inch thick or slightly less. The thinner you go, the more crispy edges you’ll get, but don’t go so thin that the beef patties fall apart.
The burger sauce is easy to make a day or two ahead. Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use. You can also form the burger balls up up to a day ahead of time and keep them chilled until you’re ready to cook.
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Croissant Smashburger
Ingredients
Beef:
- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
Burger Sauce:
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Ketchup
- 2.5 tbsp Relish
- 2 tbsp White Vinegar
- 1 tbsp FYR RED Hot Sauce
Garlic Butter:
- ½ cup Melted Butter
- 1 tbsp Pureed Garlic
Burger:
- 8-10 American Cheese Slices
- Large Croissants
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the Burger Sauce. To make your garlic butter, mix together 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 tablespoon pureed garlic. Set to the side.
- Preheat your grill to high heat (around 400F) for direct cooking.
- Grab a handful of ground beef (around 1/4 lbs… ish) and gently roll it into a ball. Repeat this for 6-8 balls or until you’re out of meat. Place them in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Add a cast iron skillet or plancha over the flames to preheat until it's slightly smoking. Add a burger ball to the skillet. Place a piece of parchment over the top and then firmly press with the spatula until the burger is “smashed” on the skillet.
- Next, season the patty with salt pepper and garlic. Let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Carefully flip the burger patty over and then season the new side with salt, pepper and garlic. Top with a slice of cheese and let melt for 1-2 minutes. Once melted, pull off and rest. Repeat for the rest of your patties.
- Build your burger with the sliced croissant, burger sauce, 1-2 burger patties and more sauce. Add the burger back to the skillet and lightly smash. Then brush with the garlic butter over the top. Flip and smash again to get it slightly crispy on all sides.
- Serve the burger up and enjoy!
Notes
- When you’re forming the burger balls, handle the meat gently. Overworking makes for tough burgers.
- Keep those patties cold until you’re cooking. Cold meat smashes better and creates a better sear.
- Use a heavy spatula! A sturdy metal one is your best bet. You’ll need good leverage and weight to get that proper smash.
- Resist the urge to move around your smashed patty. Let that beautiful crust develop crust undisturbed for maximum crispiness.
