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A beautifully stacked burger, oozing with your favourite sauces, and plump with some perfectly browned patties nestled between the two brilliant buns. I’m sure many of us have witnessed this glorious sight, only to be incredibly disappointed when we find that we can’t prevent them from falling apart while trying to bite into its delicate depth. If you’re looking for some tips to keep your patties together, then you’ve come to the right place!
Table of Contents
- Why are My Burgers Falling Apart?
- How to Prevent Burger Patties From Falling Apart?
- How to Keep Burger Patties Together?
- What Can I Use to Bind Burgers?
- How to Prevent My Burgers From Falling Apart on the Grill?
- Tips to Help Keep the Burgers Together
- Burgers Falling Apart
- FAQs
Why are My Burgers Falling Apart?
If you’re anything like me, you adore a juicy burger with a crispy exterior coupled with a perfectly cooked patty inside. It is not uncommon for homemade burgers to fall apart. To make sure that your burgers don’t fall apart, you need to first understand why they might be falling apart. Your burger patties will most likely fall apart if there are too many holes in the meat or bread and if they are undercooked. If there is too much space between the pieces of bread and bite size chunks of ground beef, then the juices will escape and run out onto your grill or pan. This can lead to soggy buns or an unevenly cooked patty with some parts being dry while others are moist. You can avoid this by using a spoon or other utensil while mixing up your patties so that everything sticks together better when making them
How to Prevent Burger Patties From Falling Apart?
When using the frozen buns to nestle your patties, you should always toast them lightly. This will make them firm and crispy on the inside, so that they stay in place when you put your hot patty in between them. You can also spread some sticky sauce like butter or mayonnaise to create a binding layer between the patties and the buns. If you have a burger with parmesan cheese, it is better to melt the cheese on the bun instead of putting it onto your patty directly because melted cheese will stick better than raw slices
How to Keep Burger Patties Together?
One of the easiest and simplest ways of keeping your burger patties together, is by using eggs. With a high content of protein, the egg in your burger patties is the perfect connecting ingredient that locks the moisture and maintains the elastic state once the moisture evaporates after cooking. Simply take two eggs and beat them in a bowl. Then pour this mixture over your beef patty and mix it with your hands to achieve your desired texture.
What Can I Use to Bind Burgers?
One of the most common ways of keeping burgers from breaking apart is to add egg or bread crumbs. This will definitely help, but there are other options that you can use as well.
Use raw ground beef instead of cooked ground beef
Cooking your patties will make it easier for them to fall apart because they lose their moisture content while they cook, so using raw ground beef will result in a firmer patty with less chance of breaking apart during cooking.
Keep your patties cool before cooking them
Keeping your patties cool also helps prevent them from becoming overcooked and dry or tough by preventing excess evaporation of internal juices, which would have already happened had the meat been warm when placed on the grill or pan. To keep your patties cool before cooking, place them back into the refrigerator after shaping them with either wax paper or parchment paper separating each patty from the other ones so that they don’t stick together during storage time before their grilling time arrives!

How to Prevent My Burgers From Falling Apart on the Grill?
When you are grilling your patties, it is important to note that they can fall apart easily if not handled properly. This is because when you grill them, they release moisture which makes it easier for the meat to fall apart. As a result of this, many people tend to fixate their eyes on the patties and check on them every 30 seconds, in order to prevent this from happening.
This can unintentionally break down the burger’s structure which will make it difficult for you to assemble them afterward. When your flavorful burger is cooked perfectly, there will be delicious grill marks printed on its surface and a good patty should also bounce slightly when you tap on it with your fingers. Therefore, we recommend cooking for 3-4 minutes on each side for a medium serve!
Tips to Help Keep the Burgers Together
So you’re planning to serve some delicious juicy burgers for your evening dinner, but fear that your patties will end up crumbling on your plates before they reach your mouth! Here are a few tips to tackle this:
- Chill Your Burgers Before Cooking
- Create the Right Shape
- Don’t Flip
- Use the Correct Temperature
- Better Quality Meat
- Don’t Eat the Burger Immediately
- Add an Egg
Chill Your Burgers Before Cooking
Chilling your burgers for about 20 minutes before you grill them will help keep them together as they cook. The meat should be firm and not frozen when you begin grilling, but if you want to go back and make sure that the patties are thawed out, just throw that bad boy in the microwave for two minutes.
Patties that are completely cold will crumble more easily than those that have been slightly chilled. This step isn’t necessary if your patties won’t be stored in a fridge or freezer before cooking – but if they are going to sit around beforehand, it’s a good idea to try to chill them first so they’ll keep their shape while getting cooked on the grill.
Create the Right Shape
Shape your patties to create a disc shape with slightly higher edges on the sides and pressed down in the middle. If you flatten them out too much, steam will escape from the centre of the patty and it will fall apart when cooking. Leave some con-caved areas in there so that the steam can still escape while keeping the moisture locked in during cooking. Make sure to press down gently on your meat patties, taking care not to flatten them completely. This is where many people go wrong: They flatten their burgers too much, causing them not only to fall apart as they cook but also making them dry and tough. The ideal size for a beef patty is about 4 ounces or so with some juicy fat content.

Don’t Flip
When it comes to burgers, people love to flip. But don’t be fooled by the temptation of flipping your patty every 30 seconds, because you might end up with a hamburger that looks more like two deli sandwiches than one juicy patty. While flipping your burger every so often is fine, it’s not necessary for cooking a good burger. If you flip too early in the process and too frequently, then chances are your burgers will break apart and become sad little patties that fall apart when cut into slices, or bite into them with your hands – rendering everyone a tad frustrated!
Plus, if you overcook those patties on their first side before flipping them over, they won’t have any grill marks left behind from their first cook, so they won’t look as nice when served up after being flipped onto their other side. To avoid this problem entirely, maintain some patience for about 10 minutes before turning them over, so that both sides get equal amounts of heat exposure which will ensure better browning overall, as well as less mess around your kitchen table afterwards.
Use the Correct Temperature
The next step is to make sure your burger patty is cooked at the right temperature. You want to cook a medium-rare patty so that it is slightly bouncy, but firm when you touch it. If the patties are too soft, they’ll fall apart when you flip them over and if they’re too hard, they won’t break down into juicy pieces and cause less-than-stellar results for your burger.
To test whether your patties are ready for flipping, tap them with the tip of your finger or spatula; if there’s no bounce back from the patty, then it’s ready for flipping. Cook each side on high heat until browned then the reduce heat and finish cooking them according to your preference (3–4 minutes per side). If you prefer well-done juicy burgers, leave them on the grill for a little longer. If you prefer a more smoked, meaty taste, and aren’t concerned about the colouration then turn off the grill sooner than the recommended time. If they’re overcooked by even one minute too long (which happens quite often), the meat gets tough.
Better Quality Meat
The quality of your meat is the most important ingredient in your burger. It doesn’t matter how amazing your bun and sauce are, if you’re using low-quality meat it will still end up tasting bad. The good news is that high-quality ground beef doesn’t cost much more than low-quality ground beef. So you don’t have to spend a lot of money on your next order of humburger patties.
If you’re looking for quality meat, try going for fresh ground chuck or short ribs instead of frozen patties. Preformed shaped patties work too, they are made from trimmings that were once ground into something resembling meat by machines. These types of ingredients may be slightly more expensive than what you’re used to buying at your local grocery store, but they’ll definitely be worth it because they’ll keep your burgers together better during grilling!
To add some flavour (and prevent them from breaking apart), sprinkle some dry herbs and powders onto both sides of your patty before cooking; these will also help prevent burning since they contain antioxidants which reduce oxidation reactions, which occurs when fats hit hot surfaces like BBQ grills or frying pans used for searing steaks or chicken thighs.

Don’t Eat the Burger Immediately
Refrain from eating the burger immediately. Instead, give it a few minutes to rest before devouring it. The idea is that resting allows any juices from marinades or toppings to be absorbed into the meat, which in turn seals all of its proteins together. This will make it easier for you to enjoy your burger without having to deal with the mess.
Add an Egg
If you prefer a leaner ground beef for your burgers, then adding an egg to your mixture will help prevent your burgers from breaking apart. Eggs add moisture and bind the meat together. A whole egg or an egg white will do the trick. You can even use both if you want to add more flavor and extra protein!
Burgers Falling Apart
Hopefully, we have helped solve one of the great mysteries of the burger world: how to keep your patties from falling apart! We know how frustrating it can be when you are making your favourite burger recipe; ending up with a big mess on your hands. But now that we’ve covered some of the most common reasons why this happens, you should feel confident about tackling any recipe with further confidence in your cooking skills.

FAQs
How do You Make Hamburger Patty Stay Together?
Add 1 egg yolk per pound of burger, it should help bind the meat perfectly. You can also add canned, drained, crushed, black beans or chickpeas to the burger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add a better taste.
Why do My Burgers Keep Falling Apart?
One of the common causes for burgers breaking apart, is flipping the patties on the grill before the meat has had a chance to fully cook on one side. The meat won’t be cooked enough on one side to hold the rest of the patty together.