OH! AH! YUM! That is the reaction to these delicious (and adorable) mini bacon cheeseburger bites. These take a little work up front but the payoff is worth it!
These mini bacon cheeseburger bites hit all the favorites; burger - check, bacon - check, small - check, on a stick - check, and SUPER CUTE - super check! Make extra because they will all be eaten. . . after everyone takes a picture!
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Base Ingredients
This mini cheeseburger appetizer recipe combines the basic burger ingredients and aren't just adorable to look at but also fun to make and eat!
- Ground beef - works great with ground turkey, chicken, pork or a combination.
- Crispy bacon - leave this off for a classic cheeseburger.
- Cheddar cheese - we love a strong cheddar, but use your favorite cheese.
- Tomatoes and arugula - sub leaf lettuce for arugula, add some red onion or cucumber slice.
- Chipotle mayo - we love the zing from this condiment and included the recipe to make your own.
- Mini burger buns - we include a link for making your own mini buns, SO WORTH THE EFFORT!
Equipment We Used
For Making Mini Burgers
Cookie Scoop. Cookie scoops can get SO confusing! Don’t stress over this. For these burgers, we like the 2 teaspoons (volume) size. It will yield around 30 mini patties. If using a 1 Tablespoon scoop increase the ground beef to 1 ⅓ pound for approximately 24 mini burgers. Go smaller or bigger as desired, just adjust the mini burger bun size and amount of meat accordingly. While a cookie scoop makes it so much faster to make your burgers, you can also make a square burger - pat the ground beef into a rectangle ¼ - ⅜ inch thick and cut into squares just a little bigger than the buns (the meat will shrink a little as it cooks).
Silpat. We use a Silpat nonstick silicone baking mat to line our sheet pans but parchment paper will also work.
Squeeze Bottle. We like to add our chipotle mayo to a squeeze bottle, with a cap, for ease of adding to the buns and easy storage. No squeeze bottle? Use a small spoon or small knife to add the chipotle mayonnaise to each bun.
For Serving Mini Cheeseburgers
Picks. We do not recommend using colored toothpicks as the color can come off on the food. We like to use a reusable toothpick, but recognize if you are hosting a large party this may not be feasible. For large parties use a decorative toothpick when possible - like a bamboo knotted toothpick. These are found at most party stores, some grocery stores, or restaurant supply stores. Here are a few of our favorite pick sources.
- Wooden toothpicks - Least expensive and easy to get
- Knotted bamboo toothpicks - Inexpensive and easy to get at many locations
- Bamboo w/’pearl’ - Step up from basic pick and available at Amazon
- Metal cocktail pick - Most expensive option but reusable!
Platter. Use what you have; a plate, a serving platter, a tray, a cheese board. If you can refill the dish during your event, then space the mini burgers out so they are easy to pick up and look nice. This can be in rows, patterns, or random. If you are unable to refill during your event, select a platter that will hold them all either spaced or side by side.
Size of Burgers
Remember, we are making a bite sized burger, but as with a larger burger, we want a nice balance of burger to bun. Since the burger will shrink a little while cooking, when formatting the burger patties, make them slightly larger than the bun. The goal is to end up with a cooked burger the same size as the bun.
How To Assemble
While these can be made one at a time, we like to use a small assembly line.
- Set the buns (both tops and bottoms together) in rows on a tray. Leave about 3 inches between the rows.
- Place the tops next to the bottoms in the space between the rows.
- Add chipotle mayo on the top and bottom of each bun.
- Put a warm burger on the bottom of each bun. Follow with a slice of cheese, crispy bacon piece, and tomato slice.
- Take a few arugula leaves and fold them in half, into a small bundle. Then place on top of the tomato. While holding that in place, put the top bun on top of the arugula and pierce the entire mini burger with a pick.
Favorite Riffs
While we love these mini bacon cheeseburger bites as is, make them your own.
- Use your favorite cheese; gouda, swiss, blue, something smoked.
- Substitute iceberg or romaine for the arugula.
- Substitute your favorite condiment for the chipotle mayo; mustard, ketchup, or plain mayo.
- Add pickle slices, cucumber slices, or red onion.
- Use turkey, chicken, or pork for the patties, or a combination of them.
- Add your favorite additions to the meat mixture; beer, root beer, bread crumbs, spices, etc. However, be careful adding anything in medium-large pieces. Since these patties are so small you want to make sure they hold together.
Time Saver Tips
Don’t have time to make the mini burger buns (and none in the freezer)? Make larger slider size patties and use a mini ciabatta roll, dinner roll, or Hawaiian roll.
Burger Patties.
Square vs. Round. You can pat the hamburger into a large square patty and then cut into the size squares you want. This saves a little time from scooping each mini patty. NOTE: We don’t recommend baking them as one large patty as they don’t look as nice when you cut them after they are baked.
Form patties ahead of time. Store unbaked patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days. Remove and bake per instructions. Store in the freezer, up to a month, thaw, bake, and assemble per instructions. The burger patties can also be baked up to three days in advance and stored (in an airtight container) in the fridge.
Chipotle Mayo.
Instead of making a chipotle mayo with chipotle peppers, just mix a little ground chipotle pepper and ground cayenne pepper with your mayo. We do recommend adding the lime juice if using dried spices to brighten up the mayo. Also add the spices in small amounts and taste as you go to make sure you get the flavor you want.
Buy a pre-made chipotle mayo. Most grocery stores carry a number of different brands. NOTE: We have not tested any of the different brands available, but have had good luck with Boar's Head condiment products. We recommend you taste the mayo before using and adjust the flavors if needed.
Make Ahead Tips
Bake the patties up to three days in advance.Store baked patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator and heat before assembling hamburger bites. Freeze the baked patties up to a month and refresh them in the oven. We prefer to bake them a few days before and reheat and eliminate the freezing step.
For Assembling Burgers
Have all the individual components ready to go, but don’t assemble the final mini bacon cheeseburger bites until ready to serve.
- Make the mini burger buns in advance. Store in an airtight container on the counter up to 1 day or in the freezer (tightly wrapped) up to 1 month.
- Slice the buns earlier in the day and store in an airtight container. Refresh the buns in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 2-3 minutes if you like. Make sure they are stored flat so the tops and bottoms match up.
- Bake the burgers and bacon up to 3 days in advance, store in an airtight container in the fridge, and reheat in a 350 degree oven until warm (3-5 minutes). NOTE: baked burger patties can be frozen up to a month, but we prefer to bake them a few days before and eliminate the freezing step.
- Slice the tomatoes up to a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
- Make the chipotle mayo up to 2 weeks in advance and store in a capped squeeze bottle so it is ready to use.
Saving Leftovers
The FDA recommends discarding any perishable food that has been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If you are within the FDA recommendations, these mini burgers will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to two days.
Other favorite small bites
FAQ's
ABSOLUTELY! If you want one thing on your table that everyone loves, this is it! They are SO cute and . . . it's a mini cheeseburger! They are easy to eat! They are delicious! Plan ahead of your event and use our Make Ahead Tips above.
Of Course! Use your favorite toppings and condiments. Use your favorite cheese; gouda, blue, smoked gruyere. Substitute iceberg, leaf lettuce, or romaine for the arugula. Substitute mustard, ketchup, or plain mayo for the chipotle mayo. Add pickle slices. Leave the bacon off. NOTE: We don’t recommend adding avocado to these unless they are going to be eaten immediately. Avocados turn brown when they sit in the air.
While the mini buns are not hard to make, you do need to plan ahead. You can make a slider sized burger and use a mini ciabatta roll, Hawaiian roll, or a dinner roll. While you will miss the WOW factor, you will still have a delicious bacon cheeseburger.
📖 Recipe
Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Bites
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 pieces 1x
Description
OH! AH! YUM! That is the reaction to these delicious (and adorable) bacon cheeseburger bites. These take a little work up front but the payoff is worth it!
Ingredients
CHIPOTLE MAYO
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 chipotle pepper
- 1-2 teaspoon adobo sauce from the chilies
- ½ teaspoon lime juice (optional)
BURGERS
- 1 pound ground beef (may need ½ pound more if using larger scoop)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5-7 slices bacon (depending on how big your pieces are)
- 4-6 slices cheddar cheese
- 8 large cherry tomatoes (grape tomatoes will also work)
- ½ cup Arugula
- Chipotle mayonnaise (recipe included)
- 24 Picks
- 24 mini hamburger buns
Instructions
CHIPOTLE MAYO
- Combine mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and lime juice (if using) in a blender or small food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use. We like to put our sauce in a squeeze bottle for ease of use when assembling the mini burgers.
BURGERS
- Add the ground beef to a bowl and salt and pepper to taste.
- Scoop the ground beef using a small (2 teaspoon in volume) cookie scoop. Press down to pack the meat in the scoop, then remove from scoop and place about 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Continue until all the mini burgers are made. You should get between 24-30 mini burger patties.
- Roll each scoop meatball between your hands to make sure the meatball is tight and will hold together when you press into a patty.
- Use your hand (or the bottom of a cup) to gently press down on each scoop of ground beef to form a mini patty. You want to make them all about the same thickness - ¼ - ⅜ inch thick and slightly larger than your mini buns.
- Bake in a 425 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
- Cut the bacon slices into pieces 1 ½ to 2 inches long. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until crispy. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to drain.
- While the burgers and bacon are cooking, slice the cheddar cheese slices into squares the size of the buns. We find either four or nine squares per slice work best.
- Slice the cherry tomatoes into slices.
- Slice the mini hamburger buns.
ASSEMBLY
- We like to make this in a small assembly line. Feel free to make them one at a time or follow the directions below to make them ‘assembly style’.
- Set the buns (both tops and bottoms together) in two rows on a cookie sheet. Leave about 3 inches between the rows.
- Place the tops next to the bottoms in the space between the rows.
- Squirt about ½ teaspoon chipotle mayo on the top and bottom of each bun.
- Place a warm burger, slice of cheese, bacon piece, and tomato slice on the bottom bun.
- Take a few arugula leaves, place on top of the tomato. While holding that in place, put the top bun on top of the arugula and pierce the entire mini burger with a pick.
- Continue with the other burgers.
Notes
Burgers. The mini burger patties should be slightly larger than the buns since they will shrink a little when cooking. We get 30 mini patties when using 1 pound beef and a 2 teaspoon scoop. If using a 3 teaspoon scoop add an additional ⅓ pound ground beef. This recipe calls for ground beef, but these mini bites are equally good with ground chicken, turkey, pork, or a combination. Add in your favorite mix-ins for burgers; breadcrumbs, egg, beer, spices. Remember - these are very small burgers, so make sure anything you mix in is able to be fully incorporated and you don’t have any large pieces in the mix.
Bacon. We always err on the side of too much bacon since someone always eats some as we assemble! For long, thick cut pieces of bacon 4-5 pieces is probably enough since each strip will cut into 6 pieces. If using shorter, thinner pieces of bacon add a few extra slices. It tends to shrink more and there will be fewer small pieces from each strip.
Cheese. Depending on the size of the cheese slices you may be able to cut each slice into nine pieces instead of only 4. (Cut in thirds, then thirds the other way so you get nine small squares.) You want the slices to be the size of the buns. Mix it up by substituting your favorite cheese for the cheddar; blue cheese, smoked gruyere, gouda.
Chipotle mayo. The number of peppers and amount of sauce used in the chipotle mayo will depend on how spicy you want the mayonnaise. Want it less spicy, use less adobo sauce or pepper. More spicy, add another pepper or a dash of cayenne pepper. The lime juice is totally optional and just adds another layer to the sauce. The chipotle mayo will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Assembly Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bite
- Calories: 122
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 131.9 mg
- Fat: 8.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.6 g
- Protein: 6.8 g
- Cholesterol: 27.3 mg
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