These pizza smashburgers are out. Of. This. World. We’re taking two of America’s most popular foods and smashing them together (literally). I made a garlic butter burger version of this recipe a while back, and this time I’m delivering the same freakin’ deliciousness with pizza ingredients. You’re going to love how this burger combines juicy beef with all the saucy, cheesy goodness of pizza. Perfect for your next cookout!
Why You’ll Love Pizza Smashburger
I absolutely love smash burgers. When you press the burger patties thin on a hot surface, you maximize the surface area in contact with the cast iron skillet. This method browns the burger on the hot griddle with succulent, crispy edges that will blow your taste buds away. To achieve this burger deliciousness, make sure you have a nice dry skillet with just a touch of oil before you add the burgers to smash. The skillet needs to be really hot to get that perfect sear! Plus, the burgers are thin enough that a good sear on each side is all you really need to cook them.
I like to finish my smash burgers with cheese melting over the top and a dollop of special burger sauce, and you can find a ton of variety within those ingredients. For the pizza smashburger, we don’t have just one smash sauce. This recipe is all about the sauces: a freakin’ delicious garlic aioli, a garlic Parmesan butter and pizza sauce to take things way over the top.
Then, we don’t just top the juicy beef patty with a slice of cheese. We’ve got mozzarella AND pepperoni to make these real serious pizza burgers. It’s a delicious bite for every burger lover in your life.
Looking for more pizza recipes? Check out Pizza Sandwich, Pizza Cheesesteak, Chorizo Pizza Bread, Smoked Pizza Burgers and Pepperoni Pizza Bread.
Pizza Smashburger Ingredients
- Beef: I like to go with 80/20 ground beef for my smash burger recipes, seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
- Garlic Aioli: Grab some mayonnaise, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper for our first epic sauce.
- Garlic Parmesan Butter: For our next smash sauce, we’re using unsalted butter, minced garlic, grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.
- Burger Time: We’ll finish our burgers with mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, sliced pepperoni and burger buns.
Easy Pizza Sauce
If you have extra time and want to level up your pizza sauce game, here’s a great no-cook option. Blend together a few tablespoons of olive oil with one 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, a small clove of garlic, a teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste and a teaspoon of dried oregano.
I like to use whole peeled tomatoes because these tend to be the higher-quality canned tomatoes compared to crushed or diced. This will make a few cups of sauce, which you can store in the fridge for up to two weeks or freeze for up to three months.
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How to Make Pizza Smashburger
Making the Sauces
Let’s start by making our garlic aioli and garlic Parmesan butter. In one bowl, mix together your ingredients for the garlic aioli: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
In another bowl, mix together the garlic Parmesan butter ingredients: 1.5 cup melted unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1.5 tablespoons grated Parmesan, 1.5 tablespoons chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon red chili flakes. Set those aside.
Grilling the Smash Burgers
Preheat your grill to high heat (around 400 degrees Fahrenheit) for direct cooking. Grab a handful of ground beef (around 1/4 pound) and gently roll it into a beef ball. Repeat this for 6-8 balls or until you’re out of meat — you’ll need about 2 pounds total of ground beef. Place the beef balls in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
Next, add a cast iron skillet or plancha over the flames to preheat until it’s slightly smoking. When it’s smoking, add a burger ball to the skillet. Place a piece of parchment over the top and then firmly press with a spatula until the burger is “smashed” on the skillet. Then, season the patty with salt, 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 mozzarella cheese — you’ll need 8-10 slices — and let the cheese melt for 1-2 minutes. Once melted, pull the burger off the skillet and let it rest. Repeat for the rest of your patties.
Assembling the Pizza Smashburger
Finally, add your 1 cup pepperoni slices to the skillet to gently cook until crispy (about 5-10 minutes). When they’re done, pull them off and set to the side.
Dip the inside of your burger buns into the garlic parmesan butter. Then, build your burger with the bun upside down: garlic aioli, 1-2 burger patties, pizza sauce, crispy pepperoni and more aioli. You’ll end up using about 1 cup pizza sauce for this pizza smashburger recipe.
Add the burgers to the skillet and toast the buns. Once the pizza smashburgers are golden brown, serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with the Pizza Smashburger
Since we’ve got a loaded burger here, you can go light and easy on the sides. A simple green garden salad or Caesar salad would be freakin’ delicious. You could also grill a green vegetable like zucchini or asparagus, or serve with roasted broccoli or sautéed rapini.
Leftovers and Reheating
For pizza smashburger leftovers, store your leftover patties, buns and pizza ingredients separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to reheat the burger patties, preheat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add a small amount of oil and then reheat the patties for about 1-2 minutes on each side. I like this method because it helps maintain that crispy texture.
For More Smash Burgers
FAQs
Feel free to use your favorite type of bun here — I bet brioche buns would be amazing. You could also use focaccia or even serve the pizza smashburger open-faced on garlic bread for even more pizza vibes.
Make sure your skillet or griddle is preheated to a ripping hot temperature before you add the meat. If you want, you can add a small amount of beef tallow to the pan for extra non-stick assurance.
I do think mozzarella works best here, since it’s traditional for pizza. But, you could substitute provolone or a blend of Italian cheeses like asiago, Romano and Parmesan for a different take.
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Pizza Smashburger
Ingredients
Beef:
- 2 lbs of Ground Beef 80/20
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
Garlic Aioli:
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Garlic Parmesan Butter:
- 1.5 cup Unsalted Butter melted
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1.5 tbsp Grated Parmesan
- 1.5 tbsp Chopped Parsley
- 1 tbsp Red Chili Flakes
Burger:
- 8-10 Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 cup Pizza Sauce
- 1 cup Sliced Pepperoni
- Burger Buns
Instructions
- In two separate bowls, mix together all the ingredients for the Garlic Aioli and Garlic Parmesan Butter.
- 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.
- Finally, add in your pepperoni slices to gently cook until crispy (about 5-10 minutes). Once done, pull off and set to the side.
- Dip the inside of the burger buns into the garlic parmesan butter. Then, build your burger with the bun upside down, garlic aioli, 1-2 burger patties, pizza sauce, crispy pepperoni and more aioli.
- Add the burgers to the skillet and toast the buns. Once golden brown, serve and enjoy!
