Burger Bowls
Enjoy all the flavors of your favorite burger in these low carb Burger Bowls! They’re crisp and fresh with all the burger toppings and a flavorful special sauce to take them over the top. They’re so much easier to eat than a lettuce burger and they’re ready in under 30 minutes!
We eat burgers in my house about once per week. Every now and then I enjoy my grilled burgers or air fryer hamburgers traditional style in a bun, but mostly I prefer a lower carb option.
My grilled turkey burgers are the perfect example of a low carb burger as it’s wrapped in lettuce. I love eating them this way so I can save room for sweet potato fries (priorities!), but lettuce burgers can be so messy and difficult to eat.
Last summer I made Burger Bowls (or hamburger salad) out of leftover burgers, and I loved them even more than eating them in a bun or in a lettuce wrap.
Bowls are so much fun because you can pile on all the toppings and condiments that you desire.
This is my preferred way to enjoy a burger because I still get all the flavors that I love and I keep my shirt clean in the process. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Burger bowls, or hamburger salad, are crisp and fresh with a juicy burger, all the toppings and and a hefty drizzle of secret sauce.
- It’s the low carb way to enjoy all the flavors of a hamburger and it’s less messy than a lettuce burger!
- This recipe is easily customized with your favorite ground meat (or frozen burger patties) and toppings.
- They’re an easy dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Burger bowl recipe ingredients
This burger bowl recipe can be approached a couple of ways. You can prepare seasoned ground meat, or shape patties into an actual burger and grill or air fry them.
I prefer to make them in burger patties because members of my family prefer to eat them burger style.
Ingredient notes
- Ground beef. You’ll need one pound of ground beef for (4) quarter pound burgers, or you can use your favorite frozen hamburgers. The frozen grass-fed beef burgers from Costco are our favorite!
- Romaine lettuce. This lettuce is crisp and fresh, and holds up well with all of the toppings. Ice berg lettuce or butter lettuce are good substitutions.
- Toppings. Here’s where you can have your fun and customize your burger bowls with your favorite toppings. I’ve chosen cherry tomatoes, dill pickle chips, avocado and red onion. Be sure to add some grated cheese for cheeseburger bowls!
- Burger sauce. My homemade burger sauce is my favorite way to top these hamburger bowls. Ketchup and mustard are great options too!
How to make hamburger salad
This burger bowl recipe can be approached a couple of ways. You can brown ground meat in a skillet with salt and pepper, or shape patties into an actual burger and grill or air fry them.
I prefer to form the ground meat into burger patties because members of my family prefer to eat them burger style. This gives us more options!
Pro tip: Use your favorite frozen burger patties as a time saver. I love the frozen grass fed beef burgers at Costco, which is what I’ve used here.
See the recipe card for full instructions.
- Form the ground meat into (4) 1/4 lb. patties and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill or air fryer the burgers (see recipe card notes), or cook frozen burger patties according to package instructions. Alternatively, you can brown the meat in a skillet as well (follow the instructions in my ground beef taco recipe, and just season the meat with salt and pepper).
- Assemble the bowls with the lettuce, then top with the burger and toppings. Drizzle with burger sauce and serve!
Recipe variations
These burger bowls can be served up a number of different ways as follows.
- Change up these hamburger bowls by using your favorite ground meat such as ground chicken, turkey or pork. Your favorite frozen burgers or plant-based burgers will all work great in this recipe!
- Add your favorite cheese to make these cheeseburger bowls.
- Customize the burgers with your favorite toppings. You can go Greek with tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, feta cheese and Greek tzatziki!
- Make this recipe vegan by using your favorite plant-based burgers and condiments.
Recipe notes:
- Pro tip: Use your favorite frozen burger patties as a time saver. I love the frozen grass fed beef burgers at Costco, which is what I’ve used here.
- You can brown 1 lb. of ground meat seasoned with salt and pepper for this recipe, or form it into (4) burger patties and prepare air fryer hamburgers or grilled burgers. I typically prepare the beef burger style as some members of my family prefer to eat their burgers in a bun.
- Customize this hamburger salad with your favorite toppings and condiments. Make this a cheeseburger salad by adding your favorite cheese!
- Leftover burgers are great for these burger bowls, and this meal is great for meal prep.
More easy dinner recipes you’ll love:
- Baked salsa chicken
- Chicken vegetable stir fry
- Egg roll in a bowl
- Ground beef tacos
- Ground chicken burgers
- Italian stuffed peppers
- Jalapeño popper chicken skillet by The Best Keto Recipes
- Oven baked turkey tacos
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Burger Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef sub with your favorite ground meat
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 5 ounces romaine lettuce chopped; about 6 cups
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large avocado chopped or sliced
- 1/2 cup dill pickle chips
- 1 cup grated cheese optional
- pickled red onions
- air fryer roasted sweet potatoes
- burger sauce for serving
Instructions
- Prep the pickled red onions 30 minutes before the burgers will be done or up to a day in advance. Prep and cook the air fryer roasted sweet potatoes.air fryer roasted sweet potatoes, pickled red onions
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat, or about 400 degrees. Form the ground meat into (4) burger patties (about 1/2" thickness). Use your thumb to place a dimple in the center to prevent the burgers from shrinking and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.1 lb. lean ground beef, salt and pepper, to taste
- Cook the burgers on one side until charred and it releases easily from the grill (about 3 minutes). Flip and cook about 3 minutes on the other side or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can use (4) frozen burger patties cooked according to package instructions.
- Divide the lettuce between (4) bowls or plates. Top with the beef, cherry tomatoes, red onions, avocado, cheese and dill pickle chips, then drizzle burger sauce over the top. Serve immediately and enjoy!5 ounces romaine lettuce, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 1 large avocado, 1/2 cup dill pickle chips, burger sauce, 1 cup grated cheese
Notes
- Pro tip: Use an instant-read thermometer and pull burgers at 160°F for juicy, perfectly cooked burgers every time.
- Customize this burger bowl recipe with your favorite toppings and condiments. Make this a cheeseburger salad by adding your favorite cheese!
- Leftover burgers are great for these burger bowls, and this meal is great for meal prep. Store toppings separately and assemble just before serving.
- Nutrition information does not include burger sauce or roasted sweet potatoes as that information is included in a separate post.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
