White Cheddar and Onion Jalapeño Burgers
Our garden is totally popping off with fresh jalapeños right now and we are loving it! They go great in pretty much anything and plus, you can freeze all the extras. These White Cheddar and Onion Jalapeño Burgers were thick, juicy, and a bit spicy. It was a great way to incorporate our fresh jalapeños into a meal and it turned out fabulous! With yellow, green, and red onions packed into the recipe – these just felt like they were from a fancy burger joint or something! I made them in the grill pan, but these bad boys could easily be grilled too. The creamy white cheddar sauce oozing from the sides of the burger, with those fresh onion and jalapeño slices piled high? I could seriously eat these weekly.
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Where did the idea for a white cheddar beef burger come from, anyway?
Most people think of beef burgers featuring melty slices of American cheese – which is all thanks to American fast-food culture. So where did the white cheddar burger come from? Well, the idea didn’t come from fast-food. It was actually born in the diner space, especially in places like Vermont, Wisconsin, and upstate New York where burger lovers believe “cheddar is king!”
From there, taverns and pubs started experimenting with sharper, meltier cheeses and more diverse toppings. These revamped cheeseburgers were served with a pile of fresh fries, onion rings, or cheese curds, along with an ice-cold, foamy beer!
By the 1990s and into the 2000s, these unique burgers totally popped off, often seen as modern and upscale. Today, trendy gastropubs are dominating the burger space, serving beef burgers topped with melty cheddar, onion jams, stouts, and crispy bacon!
Did you know?
Americans eat about 50 billion burgers a year, with each person alone having roughly 150 of them. Isn’t that wild? So, America runs on…hamburgers? Yep, pretty much!
Even fast-food chains like McDonald’s have reported that they sell approximately 75 burgers a second. And while American cheese is still widely used in fast-food, cheddar is now considered the #1 preferred cheese for burgers in the U.S.
What ingredients do I need to make this?
For the jalapeños:
Jalapeños
Olive Oil
For the burgers:
Ground Beef
Garlic
Yellow Onion
Salt
Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Worcestershire
Panko Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil
Havarti Cheese
Sourdough Buns
Butter
Red Onion
For the white cheddar sauce:
Butter
Garlic
Green Onions
Heavy Cream
White Cheddar
Salt
Black Pepper
Dijon
What equipment do I need?
- Mixing Bowls
- Grill Pan
- Spatula
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Cheese Grater
- Cutting Board
- Chef Knife
- Aluminum Foil
- Small Baking Sheet
- Silicone Brush
- Tongs
- Meat Thermometer
- Disposable Rubber Gloves
How do I make it?
To prep the ingredients:
To get started on this recipe, first wash the jalapeños, then pat them dry. Get out a small baking sheet and line it with foil. Next, using a silicone brush, brush the peppers with olive oil on both sides.
Add them to the prepared pan, then broil on high on the top rack for several minutes, flipping halfway through, until charred and blistered.
In the meantime, wash the rest of the veggies, then thinly slice the green onions, separating the white and green parts. Thinly slice the red onion, then mince up the garlic, separating the garlic needed for the sauce and the garlic needed for the burger patties.
Shred the white cheddar cheese, then set everything off to the side. Next, add the broiled jalapeños to a bowl, cover with foil for a few minutes, then peel the skins off.
Pro Tip: This steams the peppers and makes the skin come off super easily!
Cut the tops off the peppers, then slice into long strips, reserving any seeds you’d like.
Pro Tip: Remember to always use gloves when dealing with hot peppers and their seeds!
Next, let’s make the burger patties!
To make the burger patties:
In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, garlic, yellow onion, salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire, and the panko.
Use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture, but don’t over mix. Form into four evenly sized burger patties, adding to a plate, then using your thumb to push a shallow indent into the center of each patty.
Pro Tip: The indent stops the burgers from bubbling up and allows for a more even cook.
Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to cook.
To make the white cheddar sauce:
In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter for the sauce over medium heat. Next, add the garlic and the white and light parts of the green onion, stirring occasionally, and cooking until fragrant.
Add the heavy cream, reduce the heat to medium low, then bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and simmering until slightly thickened.
Whisk in the shredded white cheddar and the rest of the seasonings.
Once the cheese has melted, whisk in the Dijon, and the rest of the green onions.
Reduce the heat to low or move the saucepan to a warmer, stirring occasionally until everything else is ready to serve.
Next, let’s fry up these burgers!
To make the white cheddar and onion jalapeño burgers:
In a grill pan or a large skillet, heat the rest of the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the burgers for a few minutes per side, flipping only once.
Temp to your liking and in the last minute, add the slices of havarti cheese.
Move to a plate to rest.
Pro Tip: The USDA safe minimum for ground beef is 160°F. Even though it isn’t considered “safe,” many people like to consume their burgers under this temp. Please follow this chart and use your discretion when making your burgers.
Medium-rare 130-135°F
Medium 140-145°F
Medium-well 150-155°F
Well-done 160+°F
While the burgers rest, use the rest of the butter to butter the buns. Broil them face down on high, directly on the oven rack, until nice and toasty.
To assemble and serve:
To assemble the burgers, use the back of a spoon to smear a generous portion of the creamy white cheddar sauce onto each bottom bun. Next add the burger patties, then top with a heaping pile of red onions and sliced jalapeno. Smear some more white cheddar sauce onto each top bun, then put the burgers together.
Serve with fries and any other favorite sides. Enjoy!
Tips:
- If grilling these white cheddar and onion jalapeño burgers instead, just follow the same instructions, brushing the grill grates with oil and grilling them to your desired doneness.
- Seeds and pith = SPICE. So, if you want to serve any to the kids, just make sure those jalapeño strips don’t have any left on them if they’re sensitive to heat.
- Add some crispy bacon or some juicy tomato to this for another spin on this yummy burger!
- Not eating them all right away? No worries. Just store the fixings in separate airtight containers in the fridge, heating them up as desired. The leftovers will keep for 3-4 days.
- You can also freeze the raw burger patties! Just lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, flash freeze them for 1-2 hours, wrap each burger tightly with plastic wrap, then toss into a freezer safe Tupperware or Ziplock bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months and can be cooked from frozen or thawed.
Love the jalapeño cheddar combo? Check these recipes out!
Craving more burgers?
White Cheddar and Onion Jalapeño Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
For the jalapeños:
- 2 Jalapeños
- ¼ tsp Olive Oil
For the burgers:
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Small Yellow Onion diced
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Worcestershire
- ¼ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil for frying
- 4 Slices Havarti Cheese
- 4 Sourdough Buns
- 2 tbsp Butter softened, for the buns
- 1 Small Red Onion thinly sliced
For the white cheddar sauce:
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 Green Onions thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- ⅓ cup White Cheddar freshly shredded
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tsp Dijon
Instructions
To prep the ingredients:
- To get started on this recipe, first wash the jalapeños, then pat them dry.
- Get out a small baking sheet and line it with foil.
- Using a silicone brush, brush the jalapeño peppers with oil on both sides.
- Add them to the prepared pan, then broil on high on the top rack for 7-10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until charred and blistered.
- In the meantime, wash and chop the rest of the veggies, shred the cheese and get your mise en place set up.
- Once the jalapeños are done, add them to a bowl, then cover with foil for 5 minutes.
- Peel the skins off the peppers, remove the tops, then slice into long strips, reserving any seeds you'd like.
To make the burger patties:
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, garlic for the burgers, yellow onion, salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire, and the panko.
- Use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture, but don't over mix.
- Form into four evenly sized burger patties, about 1.5 inches thick.
- Use your thumb to push a shallow indent into the center of each patty, then move to a plate, cover with foil, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
To make the white cheddar sauce:
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter for the sauce over medium heat.
- Next, add the garlic and the white and light parts of the green onion, stirring occasionally, and cooking until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream, reduce the heat to medium low, then bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and simmering until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the shredded white cheddar and the rest of the spices, and once melted, whisk in the Dijon and the rest of the green onions.
- Reduce the heat to low or move the saucepan to a warmer, stirring occasionally, until everything else is ready to serve.
To make the white cheddar and onion jalapeño burgers:
- In a grill pan or a large skillet, heat the rest of the olive oil over medium heat.
- Cook the burgers for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping only once, for the perfect medium burger. Temp to your liking and in the last minute, add the slices of havarti cheese.
- Move to a plate to rest.
- While the burgers rest, use the rest of the butter to butter the buns.
- Broil them face down on high, directly on the rack, until nice and toasty, 3-5 minutes.
To assemble and serve:
- To assemble the burgers, use the back of a spoon to smear a generous portion of the creamy white cheddar sauce onto each bottom bun.
- Next add the burger patties, then top with a heaping pile of red onions and sliced jalapeno.
- Smear some more white cheddar sauce onto each top bun, then put the burgers together. Serve with fries and any other favorite sides. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
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