Mushroom Swiss Burger

This mouthwatering mushroom Swiss burger is smothered in a luxuriously silky mushroom gravy, melted Swiss cheese, and served on a toasted bun.

If you love mushroom Swiss burgers, this is a premier restaurant-quality gourmet burger recipe you need to try. I promise one bite will blow your socks off! The "secret sauce" is slathering the burger in this outrageous gravy. Seriously, so good!

What is it?

This will be the best mushroom Swiss burger you've ever eaten! Anyone can grill up homemade burgers and throw a slice of Swiss cheese and a few sautéed mushrooms on top, but we take it a step further by smothering melty Swiss cheese in a thick mushroom gravy. Can't you see it just dripping off the edges in anticipation of your first juicy bite!?!

Making a gourmet-caliber burger is more than just tossing any ol' beef patty on a cheap bun with some cheese. The difference between an average beef burger and the best burger you've ever had is the details.

Take your time to make the juicy beef patty right, saute the mushrooms, toast the buns, and melt the cheese. We are still only using simple ingredients, but all of these easy steps add up to create burger perfection.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Fresh ground chuck - You want to purchase freshly ground beef (where you can still see the strands from the meat grinder), not compacted and stuffed into a plastic tube. You can substitute 80/20 beef, but it is important not to use overly lean ground beef or there will not be enough fat to create a juicy burger. Alternatively, you can go a different direction and use my blended burger recipe, which uses a beef patty blended with a mushroom mixture.
• Swiss cheese - If you have a finicky dinner guest who doesn't like Swiss, use Provolone cheese instead.
• Hamburger buns - You can use your favorite gourmet bun for this burger, however, I am a particularly big fan of mingling the flavors of mushrooms and onions, so I recommend onion buns for this recipe. Brioche buns would be my next choice.

Optional - If you want to add more onion flavor, top the burger off with some delicious caramelized onions.

Mushroom gravy

• Sliced baby bella mushrooms - Baby portobello mushrooms are the best mushrooms for these burgers but you can substitute sliced white button mushrooms too, or even use wild mushrooms.
• Butter 
• All-purpose flour
• Low sodium beef broth - Low sodium is important because soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce are both salty.
• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce

How to make it

First, form each hamburger patty. You want to work the ground beef as little as possible. This ensures your patties are exceptionally tender. Break the ground beef into ⅓ pound chunks and press them flat with the bottom of a plate. Then dust them with salt and black pepper.

Tip: It isn't necessary to mix and mash them with your hands. The more you work the meat, the tougher your burger becomes.

I highly recommend checking out my homemade burger patty tutorial for detailed tips and tricks to crafting the best restaurant-style burger patties.

Though the mushroom sauce is most easily made on the stovetop, your burger patties can be cooked in a skillet or on your grill.

• How to cook burgers in a skillet - Set the skillet over medium heat and add the seasoned burger patty. Cook until the top of the patty begins to darken in color, then flip. Top with cheese and continue cooking until the burger reaches your desired doneness. A well done burger takes approximately 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the patty.
• How to cook burgers on a grill - If using a propane grill set the burner to high. If using charcoal, add hot charcoals to one side of the grill, leaving the other side empty. Grill burgers over the hottest side of the grill, again for approximately 4 minutes per side and only flipping once. If the burger is cooking too fast and starting to burn, lower the heat of the propane grill, or on a charcoal grill move the patty away from the pile of coals.

Tip #1: Never press down on the patty with a spatula. This does not help it cook, it just squeezes out the juices inside the burger, creating an unappetizingly dry burger patty.

Tip #2: You can tell how done the patty is by gently pressing it with your finger while cooking. Raw meat is soft and springy and it gradually gets firmer while it cooks. When the patty is quite firm and does give when pressed, it is well done.

Make the mushroom gravy by sauteing the sliced mushrooms with butter in a large frying pan until tender. Then set aside.

In a separate saucepan set over low heat, melt butter and whisk with flour to form a roux. Cook for three minutes while whisking, then slowly add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce to form your gravy. Add mushrooms, and bring the gravy to a boil.

Assemble your mushroom Swiss burgers by placing the cooked patty on a toasted bun and top with a generous slathering of mushroom gravy, then add the top bun and enjoy.

Serve these burgers with oven-baked sweet potato fries, homemade french fries, or hearty steak fries. Each would pair perfectly with this meal.

This recipe was originally published January 22, 2022.

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