Peanut Butter Bacon Burger
This easy peanut butter bacon burger recipe tops juicy beef patties with creamy peanut butter and brown sugar bacon for an irresistible sweet-and-salty supper!
I love a traditional burger as much as the next girl (looking at you, diner burgers!), but sometimes it’s fun to throw a delicious curveball at an old classic. And that is where your trusty jar of peanut butter comes in.
Before you raise an eyebrow at peanut butter on a burger, remember that ketchup—the traditional burger topping—is all kinds of sweet! Add some salty bacon baked with brown sugar and black pepper, pile everything onto a juicy burger and tuck it into a pillowy roll. Sweet, salty, creamy, crispy burger heaven! 🥜🥓🍔
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🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: Juicy beef burgers topped with creamy peanut butter and crispy brown sugar bacon, served as sliders or full-size burgers.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 31 minutes
- Servings: 8 sliders or 4 regular-size burgers
- Calories: 396 per slider
- Cooking Method: Stovetop and oven
- Good For: Casual dinners, game-day parties, adventurous eaters and celebrating National Peanut Day.
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🥜 Peanut butter makes a surprisingly perfect topping: Its creamy sweetness melts over the hot burger and balances the savory beef.
- 🥓 The bacon brings sweet, smoky crunch: A coating of brown sugar and black pepper gives every crispy strip an extra pop of flavor.
- 🍔 You can make burgers or sliders: Serve full-size burgers for supper or turn them into little sliders for a party or hearty appetizer.
- ⏱️ They’re quick and easy: The burgers and bacon cook in about half an hour with only a handful of ingredients.
- 🎉 They’re a guaranteed conversation starter: The unexpected combination is fun to serve—and even more fun when skeptics take their first bite!
- 🔥 The recipe works indoors or outside: Cook the patties in a skillet or on a griddle, or pop them onto the grill for extra smoky flavor.
One of the things that I love about these burgers (well, that I love about most burgers) is that while you can absolutely make them in the traditional size, I like to make them in the smaller slider size.
One of them makes a great pre-dinner nibble, and two or three is a great main dish.
🥜 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Ground beef: An 80/20 blend gives these burgers the juiciest flavor, but you can use leaner ground beef or ground turkey if you prefer.
- Peanut butter: Smooth, conventional peanut butter is easiest to spread and melts beautifully over the warm burgers. Chunky peanut butter also works if you want a little extra crunch. I would avoid natural peanut butter that separates because it can become oily.
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon stands up best to the burger and peanut butter, but regular bacon will also work. Keep an eye on it in the oven because thinner slices will cook more quickly.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will both give the bacon a sweet, lightly caramelized coating.
- Rolls: Use slider rolls for appetizer-size burgers or regular hamburger buns for a main course. Soft rolls work especially well with these rich, savory toppings.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Stir the brown sugar and pepper together, then press the mixture onto both sides of the bacon. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet.
STEP 2: Bake the bacon until crisp, about to 10 minutes depending on its thickness. Watch it closely near the end because the brown sugar can brown quickly. Set the bacon aside. (And watch out for bacon pilferers!)
STEP 3: Gently shape the ground beef into 8 slider-size patties or 4 regular-size patties. Try not to pack the meat too tightly so the burgers stay tender.
STEP 4: Cook the patties in a hot skillet or on an electric griddle for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
STEP 5: Cut each bacon strip into 4 pieces for sliders or 2 pieces for regular burgers. Place each patty on the bottom half of a roll, spread the warm burger with peanut butter and top it with bacon. Add the top of the roll and serve immediately!
Wonder how it took you so long to realize that peanut butter and burgers are perfect together! 🥜🥓🍔
If you try this burger experiment with me, I am 99.9999999999999% sure you will be a peanut butter bacon burger convert.
Recipe FAQs
A slider is traditionally a burger in miniature form, sometimes served as an appetizer and sometimes served two or three at a time as a main course.
You can! Smooth, chunky, EXTRA CHUNKY…all peanut butters will work.
Yep! We do love our brown sugar baked bacon, but use any kind of bacon that calls your name.
If these are appetizers, I figure one per person because they are a hearty appetizer. If you are serving them as a main course, two or three per person.
Absolutely! Grill them over high heat until they reach an internal temperature of 160°F. The smoky grilled flavor is especially delicious with the peanut butter and bacon.
You can cook the bacon and shape the burger patties several hours ahead. Cover both and refrigerate them separately, then cook the burgers and warm the bacon shortly before serving.
If you need a peanut-free version, substitute a creamy seed butter such as sunflower seed butter. Always check every ingredient label carefully if you are cooking for someone with an allergy.
Leave your question (or comment or suggestion) in the Comments box below the recipe and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
Serve these sweet-and-savory burgers with a pile of easy crispy spiral fries or some crunchy pancake batter onion rings. Add a fresh corn and tomato salad to lighten things up, and finish with a slice of strawberry banana icebox cake for one fun and festive meal! 🍔🌽🍓
Peanut Butter Bacon Burgers
This easy peanut butter bacon burger recipe tops juicy beef patties with creamy peanut butter and brown sugar bacon for an irresistible sweet-and-salty supper!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 31 minutes
- Yield: 8 sliders or 4 regular sized burgers 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4 tablespoons peanut butter
- 8 slider or 4 regular hamburger rolls
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Combine sugar and pepper and press onto bacon slices. Place on baking sheet and cook until crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon.
- Form beef into 4 regular patties or 8 slider size patties and cook in a skillet or electric griddle over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side or until done to your liking.
- Cut bacon into 4 pieces per slice for sliders and 2 pieces per slice for regular sized burgers. Assemble as follows: bottom roll, topped with burger, slathered with peanut butter, topped with bacon pieces, with top roll on top.
- Serve at once. Wonder how it took you so long to realize that peanut butter and burgers are perfect together!
Notes
*Nutrition info is for the slider sized burgers
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- Ground Beef: We like the 80/20 variety for maximum flavor, but you can use any ground beef you like (or even ground turkey!)
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- Peanut Butter: We use smooth peanut butter for this recipe, but you can absolutely use chunky if that is your peanut butter fave.
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- Rolls: If you are making these in slider form, you can usually find slider rolls right with the regular hamburger rolls in your supermarket. And if you can’t find ’em, get hot dog rolls and cut them up into thirds.
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- Bacon: We like thick cut bacon for this recipe but again, any variety of bacon will work.
Variations on this recipe
- 🥜 Bring on the crunch: Use chunky peanut butter instead of smooth for a little extra texture.
- 🌶️ Spice things up: Add sliced jalapeños, hot pepper jelly or a drizzle of hot sauce.
- 🧀 Make them cheesy: Melt cheddar, pepper Jack or smoked Gouda over the burgers before adding the peanut butter and bacon.
- 🍓 Add a fruity twist: Spoon a little grape jelly, strawberry jam or fig preserves over the peanut butter for a sweet-and-savory surprise.
- 🥓 Try regular bacon: Skip the brown sugar coating and use your favorite simply cooked crispy bacon.
- 🔥 Fire up the grill: Grill the patties instead of cooking them on the stovetop for an extra-smoky flavor.
- 🦃 Lighten them up: Substitute ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef, cooking the patties to 165°F.
- 🍔 Go full-size: Shape the beef into four regular burgers and serve them on standard hamburger buns.
Other burger recipes we love!
We want to know what you think! 🤔
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Absolutely love this unexpected combo! The flavors compliment each other and I loved every bite!
Peanut butter (and bacon!) make everything better!
How have I only just come across this? Definitely on my list for an upcoming weekend night dinner soon! I cannot begin to imagine how fabulous the flavours must be!
Hi Kate! (Love your name by the way :) ) Yes, these are a sweet and salty extravaganza and we love ’em! Hope you do too!
Thank you. Trust me, doing this with flame grilled burgers makes a world of difference in the out come. Try it once and you will be hooked. By the way, I love your site.
I 100% believe you! :) And thanks so much for your nice words about my site – I really appreciate it!
This is nothing new to me. There used to be a restaurant in New Orleans that served a nut burger, a flame grilled burger topped with chunky PB and bacon. It was fabulous. I follow the tradition by grilling burgers with the chunky PB and bacon stuffed inside.
Hi Terry – that sounds like an AMAZING variation – I have got to try your version! :)
I’m quite intrigued by this combo! Will definitley have to give this a try! There is a local brewery in the area that has a peanut butter beer I’ve heard is very good so I may just have to get some of that to serve alongside.
Peanut butter beer! Now THAT’S a new one on me – let me know if you try it!
LOL!
I didn’t think there was anyone else that liked peanut butter and bacon.
I have eaten peanut butter and bacon sandwiches (toasted) since I was a little girl.
I’m sure to love these sliders.
I know you will! Peanut butter and bacon is the BEST. :)
So I wasn’t sure about peanut butter on a burger, but I tried it and I’m SO glad that I did! This was the perfect combo for a peanut butter lover such as myself. It paired perfectly with the bacon and I was really pleasantly surprised!
Thanks Grace – you sound like a wonderfully adventurous eater! :)