Amish Cheeseburger is a juicy beef patty with tender oat-and-egg filling and melted cheese, tucked into a bun for a weeknight dinner. You get the familiar bite of a cheeseburger, with rolled oats mixed into the meat rather than piled on top.
How to make Amish cheeseburger: Shape the beef, oats, and egg into patties, then cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, adding cheese near the end. Check the ground beef with a food thermometer; it must reach 160°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Dinner in 25 minutes: Allow 10 minutes to prepare the patties and about 15 minutes to cook them.
- A short shopping list: The patties need ground beef, rolled oats, egg, salt, and pepper; cheese and buns finish the burgers.
- Your choice of cooking surface: Use a cast-iron skillet or a grill, whichever is easier for you tonight.
- Cheese in every serving: Melt the slices on the patties before they go into the buns, so you can see where the cheese ends up.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: Buy fresh ground beef; an 80/20 blend is a good choice for these patties. You are mixing it with oats and egg, so handle the mixture gently rather than pressing and stirring until it looks like a paste. I choose a light touch here because I want a burger that still feels like a burger when you bite into it.
Rolled oats and egg: Measure the rolled oats into the beef and mix in the whole egg. The oats belong inside the patties, not on their surfaces. If you are shopping specifically for this dinner, pick up rolled oats; an instant-oat substitution is not needed to make the recipe as written.
Cheese: Cheddar and Swiss both work. Choose cheddar if that is the cheese you want on a cheeseburger, or use Swiss if it is already in your refrigerator. I like to have the slices ready beside the stove before the patties cook, since they go on during the final minutes.
Seasoning and buns: Add salt and black pepper to taste, then serve the finished patties on hamburger buns. There is no measured seasoning amount to chase, and you do not need bread cubes or milk in the beef mixture. Keep the buns ready so you can serve the burgers once the cheese has melted.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, fresh; an 80/20 blend is preferred
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 large egg
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 4–6 slices cheddar or Swiss cheese
- Hamburger buns, for serving
How to Make Amish Cheeseburger
1. Mix the patties. Put the ground beef, rolled oats, and egg in a bowl. Gently mix until the ingredients are combined, then form 4 patties without working the meat more than you need to. You may still see flecks of oats in the shaped patties; they are part of the mixture.
2. Season and cook. Season the patties with salt and black pepper. Cook them over medium heat on a grill or in a cast-iron skillet, turning as needed. The overall cooking time is about 15 minutes, but use a food thermometer to check the ground beef reaches 160°F rather than deciding by its appearance.
3. Add the cheese. Lay the cheddar or Swiss on the patties during the final minutes of cooking. Let it melt over the beef, and confirm the patties reach 160°F before taking them off the heat. I put the cheese on while the patties are still cooking, not after they have moved to the buns.
4. Serve. Put the cheesy patties on hamburger buns and serve. If you are serving cooked patties as leftovers later, reheat them to 165°F, checking with a food thermometer.
A Burger on a Bun, Not a Bake
The defining thing on your plate is the patty: ground beef mixed with rolled oats and egg, cooked, covered with melted cheese, and served in a bun. Bite through the soft bun and cheese and you should reach a distinct beef patty, with the oats mixed through it. I would keep the bun and patty separate until serving so the finished dish stays recognizably a cheeseburger.
A cheeseburger bake is a casserole made with ingredients such as browned beef, bread, eggs, milk, and cheese. It goes into a baking dish; these patties go into a skillet or onto a grill. If you searched for an Amish cheeseburger and pictured something you could hold in your hands, this is the dinner you are making.
That distinction also helps when you shop. You need rolled oats for the patties and hamburger buns for serving, not bread cubes to build a casserole. The egg is mixed into the beef rather than poured over a baking dish. Set your cast-iron skillet or grill and food thermometer out with the ingredients, and you have what you need for the cooking method.
Tips for Success
Why do my patties feel tightly packed?
If the shaped beef feels dense and looks heavily compressed, you may have worked the oat-and-egg mixture more than needed. Mix just until it comes together and shape it gently. I stop handling each patty once it holds its shape; pressing it repeatedly will not help you get dinner onto the grill faster.
Why has the cheese not melted on my burger?
If the slice still looks firm when you are ready to serve, it needs time on the hot patty. Put cheese on during the final minutes of cooking rather than waiting until the burger is already in its bun. My pick is to keep the slices close at hand so I do not forget that last part.
Why does the outside look done before I am sure about the middle?
A browned surface does not tell you the temperature in the center of a ground-beef patty. Check it with your food thermometer instead of treating its color as the deciding cue. If it has not reached the required temperature, keep cooking and check again before you add it to your bun.
Variations
- Use Swiss: Swap Swiss slices for cheddar if that is the cheese you prefer on your burger. Add them at the same point in cooking.
- Cook indoors: Choose the cast-iron skillet instead of the grill when you want to make these at the stove. Keep the heat at medium and check the patties with your thermometer.
- Make them cheesier: Use the fuller end of the 4–6-slice cheese range across the 4 patties if you want more melted cheese on top.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers; keep them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator, cold water, or microwave, not on the counter. Reheat the patties on the stove, in the microwave, or in a conventional oven, and use a food thermometer to check for 165°F.
What to Serve With It
A simple side salad, homemade pickles, fresh corn on the cob, or Amish potato salad can sit alongside your burgers. If you are planning more meals with similar flavors, slow cooker Amish lima beans offer a vegetable side, while Amish buttered noodles make a heartier addition. For another day, save Amish tomato noodle soup, Amish kielbasa potatoes, Amish beef and noodles, or Amish ground beef noodle casserole for a different dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Amish hamburger in this recipe?
It is a ground-beef patty mixed with rolled oats and egg, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked in a skillet or on a grill. Add cheese and a hamburger bun, and you have the Amish cheeseburger made here.
Do I need to add milk to the beef mixture?
No. For these patties, mix the beef with rolled oats and an egg; milk is not in the ingredient list. You can set out the ingredients before you start so nothing intended for a baking dish ends up in your mixing bowl.
Are the oats a topping for the burgers?
No; mix them into the ground beef with the egg before you shape the patties. If you can see oat flecks on the surface after shaping, that is simply part of the mixed patty, not a separate coating you need to add.
Final Notes
Keep the cheese slices beside your cooking spot so they are ready when the patties need them. If you have a question or make these burgers, tell me how it went in the comments.
Amish Cheeseburger
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef fresh; an 80/20 blend is preferred
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 egg large
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 4–6 slices cheese cheddar or Swiss
- hamburger buns for serving
Instructions
- Gently mix the ground beef, rolled oats, and egg. Form into 4 patties without overworking the meat.
- Season the patties with salt and black pepper. Cook on a grill or in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Use a food thermometer to check that the ground beef reaches 160°F; allow about 15 minutes of cooking overall, but rely on the thermometer rather than appearance.
- Add cheddar or Swiss during the final minutes of cooking. Let the cheese melt and confirm the patties reach 160°F.
- Serve the cheeseburgers on hamburger buns. If serving cooked patties as leftovers later, reheat to 165°F and check with a food thermometer.
