These Croissant Burgers are outrageously delicious and beyond easy to make. The buttery, flaky croissant takes a classic cheeseburger to a whole new level!

Whilst this might seem like one of those fad recipes that just sound good on paper, this is a recipe you’ll come back to. The sweet, buttery croissant offers a nice balance to the salty, savoury filling (think brioche buns!). The light, crisp and flaky texture also works so perfectly with the juicy patty. Plus, we’re going to be smashing the burgers so the whole thing turns out extra delicious. Follow me…

croissant burger on wooden chopping board with more blurred in the background

Ingredients Notes

The full quantities are down in the recipe card, but let me just quickly go over some important notes on a few of the ingredients:

High-fat beef is essential – 20%+ ground beef is crucial so the patties stay nice and juicy. The excess fat also helps prevent the meat from sticking to the pan.
Go for a classic sauce – I use my Homemade Burger Sauce, although you can pick up a bottle from most supermarkets these days. If you prefer a different sauce in your burgers, you can sub that, but I do recommend giving it a go with burger sauce first.
Onions can be as quick as you like – For ease, you can pick up a jar of caramelized onion chutney (I often do this). Alternatively, you can whip up some Caramelized Onions before you make the burgers.

overhead shot of croissant burger ingredients with text labels

Smash Burgers – Tips

Whilst you could make regular patties, I love a Classic Smashed Burger in this particular recipe. Thicker patties are going to overwhelm the croissants. Plus, the flavour you get from the crust on smash patties works so beautifully with the croissant. Just a few tips to get started:

Start where the bacon leaves – You can recycle the excess bacon fat to fry the patties (bonus flavour!).
Hot hot hot! – To get the classic smash burger crust, you need the pan to be smoking hot. With that in mind, do not use a non-stick pan – it needs to be a heavy-based/cast-iron pan that can withstand the heat.
Season well – A great burger only needs salt and pepper. Just make sure you generously season to bring out the best in the beef.
Smash, don’t annoy – There’s a misconception that smash burgers are not juicy. So long as you don’t continue to press down after you’ve smashed the burger, the patties will retain their juices pretty well.

You can use anything to smash the patties down, but I like using a spatula/turner. Whatever you use, I recommend some baking paper on top to help prevent the fat spitting at you.

Process shots: fry bacon then remove (photos 1&2), mould beef into logs then add to hot pan (photo 3), smash (photo 4), season (photo 5), flip then add cheese (photo 6).

6 step by step photos showing how to make bacon cheese smash burgers

Croissant Burgers

To give the croissants a little ‘structure’, I recommend halving and toasting them. The easiest way to do this is underneath the grill/broiler so you can do them all at once.

Realistically, you can stack the burgers in any order you fancy. I personally like the sauce on the top and bottom so it can seep into the holes in the croissant!

Process shots: toast croissant and spread burger sauce (photo 1), add patty (photo 2), add bacon (photo 3), and onions and spread sauce on the other side (photo 4).

4 step by step photos showing how to make croissant burgers

Serving Suggestions

These are pretty hearty as they are, but if you’re looking to make a meal of it, you really can’t go wrong with some fries on the side. Potato wedges, air fryer chips or even a simple side salad would also work nicely!

For more croissant ideas, check out my Breakfast Croissants and Brie, Blackberry and Bacon Filled Croissants!

For another ‘smashing’ burger, check out my Sausage Smash Burgers!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these croissant burgers shall we?!

close up overhead shot of hand holding croissant burger

How to make Croissant Burgers (Full Recipe & Video)

side shot of croissant smash burger on wooden chopping board

Croissant Bacon Cheeseburgers

By: Chris Collins

These Croissant Smash Burgers are outrageously delicious and beyond easy to make. The buttery, flaky croissant takes a classic cheeseburger to a whole new level!

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

Total: 30

Servings: burgers

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Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Cast-Iron OR Heavy-Based Pan (for frying)
Spatula (or other flat object to smash burgers – see notes)
Baking Paper (torn into 4 rectangles)
Large Baking Tray (for toasting croissants)

Ingredients

▢ 8 slices of Streaky Bacon
▢ 1lb / 500g Ground/Minced Beef (must be at least 20% fat – see notes)
▢ 4 square slices of Cheese (I like American/Processed Cheese)
▢ 4 medium/large All Butter Croissants (~2oz/60g each)
▢ Burger Sauce, as needed
▢ Onion Chutney or Caramelised Onions, as needed (see notes)
▢ Salt & Black Pepper, as needed

Instructions

Divide the beef into 4 portions and form each one into a log that is similar in length to the croissants. Don't overwork the meat – they don't need to be perfect. Leave at room temp to one side.
Add the bacon to a large heavy-based pan and place over medium heat. Fry until crisp with the fat rendered, then place to one side. You want a couple of tsp worth of fat left; discard/wipe out if there's a lot more (just eyeball it).
At this point, I recommend turning the extractor fan on and consider opening a window. Turn the pan heat to high, and once smoking hot, add two portions of the meat. Quickly add a piece of baking paper over each portion and use a spatula with your hand to very firmly press down until they flatten. You want them relatively thin (5-7mm), but not so thin they break apart.
Remove the baking paper and generously season with salt and black pepper. Leave for 90 seconds, then use the spatula to flip them both over. Season again with more salt and pepper (more modestly this time), then top with cheese. Leave for another 90 seconds, then remove them from the pan. Don't press down on the patties at any point after you've smashed them otherwise the juices will pour out. Remove the patties and place to one side, then repeat with the second portions. You won't need extra oil.
Use a bread knife to carefully slice open the croissants and place on a large baking tray. Place under the grill/broiler until crisp (be careful as they burn quickly).
Stack the burgers with sauce, patty, bacon and onions, then more sauce on the top side. Fold over, then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Beef – Really important that the beef is 20% (or higher). The high fat content is what keeps the burgers nice and juicy and prevents them from drying out. It also helps prevent the patties from sticking to the pan.

b) Equipment – A heavy-based/cast-iron pan is essential for maximum crust. I typically use a spatula/turner to press down on the patties, but you could also use something like a potato masher or another small pan. You can also use gloves to prevent any fat spitting at you.

c) Timings – I find 90 seconds on both sides works perfectly if they’re smashed properly in a very hot pan. If you’re at all wary and want to ensure there’s no pink at all, you could increase to 2 minutes on the first side; just be careful the patties don’t dry out. In general, you’ll know it’s ready to flip once a deep crust has formed on the bottom and you see moisture rising to the top side. Keep in mind they’ll carry on cooking a little more as they rest.

d) Onions – For ease, I typically use a jar of caramelized onion chutney (you can get anything like this at the supermarket), but you could also whip up a batch of Caramelized Onions if you’d prefer! If you’re doing this I recommend doing it at the beginning so the bacon/patties don’t go cold.

e) Calories – Per croissant burger assuming 1 tbsp burger sauce and 1 tbsp chutney per burger.