Easy Instant Pot Hamburgers

Make Easy Instant Pot Hamburgers for a quick dinner in your electric pressure cooker using ground beef and a few other ingredients. This easy recipe is perfect when you can’t grill or fry hamburger patties, and even picky eaters approve!

I’ve seen so many people talking about how to cook burgers in Instant Pot that I just had to try it. If you want hamburgers for dinner, but grilling isn’t an option, making burgers in your electric pressure cooker is the next best thing.

It’s an easy Instant Pot recipe with ground beef that’s perfect for busy days! If you’ve ever had a steamed burger, like White Castle burgers, pressure cooker burgers are basically the same idea.

You guys, all I have to say about cooking burgers in the Instant Pot is don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. I know, I know that nothing quite compares to a thick, juicy burger cooked to perfection on the grill, but hear me out on this one — k?

Why Make Steamed Burgers

So, why on earth would anyone want to make hamburger patties in the Instant Pot? Well, maybe you don’t have a grill, or maybe it’s too hot or too cold for grilling. Maybe you don’t even have an air fryer for burgers either. And if you’ve ever fried burgers on the stove, you know the clean-up isn’t fun! Trust me — been there, done that!

If you’ve got a pressure cooker, you can still make juicy, tasty hamburgers or cheeseburgers in just a few minutes. They’re quick, easy and delicious. And the clean-up is easy, too!

How to Make Hamburgers in the Instant Pot

When you cook hamburger patties in the pressure cooker, you’re basically steaming them. It’s like making hobo dinners in foil packs when you go camping.

So, you season your ground meat, and then you form the meat into patties. I usually like to keep the seasonings on burgers pretty simple and let people go crazy on the toppings. I used my basic hamburger recipe here, but you can use your own if you have one you love.

Then, place each hamburger patty on a square piece of aluminum foil, and fold the foil to make an envelope. Add a cup of water to your Instant pot, or more if using an 8 quart, along with a trivet, and stack the packets on top of each other.

If you don’t want to use aluminum foil, you can use parchment paper, instead. I tried it both ways, and the results were the same!

How Long to Pressure Cook Burgers

We like our burgers on the thick side, so I cooked them for 15 minutes and let the pressure release for 5 minutes after that. You could also do 20 minutes with a quick release, or if your burgers are thinner, you could probably do 12 minutes. You might have to experiment to get the perfect cook time, but as long as the burgers are 160 degrees internally, you’re good!

The first time I made Instant Pot hamburgers, we ate them right out of the pot, so to speak. But, the next time, I added a little BBQ sauce on top, broiled them for about 5 minutes, added some cheese slices, and they were even better!

Tips for making the BEST hamburger patties in the Instant Pot

• Keep patties roughly the same size for even cooking
• Use a meat thermometer to check for correct temperature
• Drain liquid from packets before serving
• Broil after pressure cooking for extra flavor and texture

Looking for more Instant Pot ground beef recipes?

• Instant Pot creamy shells and beef
• Instant Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni
• Mom’s Best Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
• Instant Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff

Instant Pot Hamburgers Recipe

Originally published in 2018 and updated as of July 2020