Keto Hamburger Recipes: Delicious Low-Carb Options

Ground beef is a versatile and economical ingredient, perfect for quick and easy dinners. For those following a ketogenic or low-carb diet, ground beef is an excellent choice as it contains zero carbs. Here's a collection of keto hamburger recipes that bring variety and flavor to your table.

Keto Taco Skillet

This keto taco skillet recipe combines all the flavors of traditional tacos in a deliciously easy skillet dinner. It’s a family-friendly meal that's simple, satisfying, and won’t leave anyone missing the carbs.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef: 80/20 ground beef is recommended for a cheesy taco skillet, but leaner ground beef can be used.
• Taco Seasoning: Homemade keto taco seasoning is preferable, but a store-bought blend can be used. Ensure you check the label for added sugars or non-keto-friendly ingredients.
• Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded cheese provides the best flavor and texture. Pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend can be used, but it may not melt as well.
• Onion
• Jalapeno
• Diced Tomatoes
• Cream Cheese
• Apple Cider Vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat oil in a skillet to medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add ground beef, garlic, and taco seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with the back of a spoon until browned. Drain excess fat if desired.
3. Add apple cider vinegar and diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then stir in cream cheese.
4. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cheddar cheese and cover until melted.

Tips and Variations

• Low-Carb Alternatives: Swap out traditional high-carb taco shells and tortillas for low-carb alternatives like lettuce wraps or taco bowls made from cheese or egg.
• Creaminess Substitutes: Sour cream or Greek yogurt can replace cream cheese for a tangier flavor.
• Homemade Taco Seasoning: Create your own taco seasoning at home using spices and herbs to avoid hidden carbs from store-bought blends.

Keto Ground Beef Casserole

This keto ground beef casserole is a hearty, cheesy, and comforting low-carb dinner, perfect for busy weeknights or meal prep.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef: The star of the dish.
• Cream Cheese: Use room-temperature cream cheese for the smoothest sauce.
• Heavy Cream
• Beef Broth
• Green Beans: Canned or frozen green beans work well.
• Cheddar Cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Bragg’s Aminos (or soy sauce)
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Salt and Pepper.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the ground beef until it’s nicely browned. Drain off any extra grease using a strainer.
3. Add the softened cream cheese to the skillet with the beef and stir until the cheese melts and mixes in smoothly.
4. Pour in the beef broth, heavy cream, Bragg's Aminos (or soy sauce), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir everything well.
5. Increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the sauce thickens a bit. This will make your casserole creamy and delicious.
6. Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the drained green beans.
7. Sprinkle the cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top.
8. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Tips and Variations

• Browning the Beef: Avoid overcrowding the skillet when browning the ground beef to ensure it browns properly instead of steaming.
• Creamy Sauce: Use room-temperature cream cheese for the smoothest, creamiest sauce.
• Sauce Consistency: If the sauce is too runny, simmer it over low heat to let some of the liquid evaporate. If it’s too thick, add a splash of beef broth or heavy cream.
• Cooking Dish: A cast iron skillet heats evenly, giving your casserole a perfect texture and flavor boost.
• Meat Options: Swap the ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, Italian sausage, or pork.
• Seasoning & Toppings: Experiment with taco seasoning for a Tex-Mex twist.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigeration: Let the casserole cool completely before putting it in an airtight container.
• Freezing: For longer storage, wrap the cooled casserole in plastic wrap and foil. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
• Reheating: Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. Microwave cooking time will vary depending on the size of your serving.

Nutritional Information

This casserole is naturally gluten-free and has less than 4g net carbs per serving.

Creamy Keto Burger Steak with Mushroom Gravy

This creamy keto burger steak with mushroom gravy makes for a delicious low carb skillet dinner. The creamy gruyere mushroom sauce is rich and packed with flavor and goes so well with the tender beef patties.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Ingredients

• Ground Beef: You can use leaner beef, as the rich sauce will compensate.
• Fresh Mushrooms: White button mushrooms, baby portobellos, or any favorite variety.
• Heavy Cream, Sour Cream, and Cream Cheese: The base of the creamy gruyere sauce.
• Shredded Gruyere Cheese: Gruyere has a mildly nutty and earthy flavor. Swiss or gouda cheeses can be substituted.
• Beef Broth and Seasonings: Beef broth adds more flavor, but water or beef bouillon can be used. Fresh garlic is preferred, but garlic powder can be substituted.
• Butter

Instructions

1. Heat up a large pan (cast iron skillet) to medium-high heat. Place the burger patties in the hot skillet, turn the heat down to medium, and cook for about 5-7 minutes undisturbed. Drain off the excess grease when done.
2. Meanwhile, heat up a medium-size skillet to medium-high heat and add butter. Sauté sliced mushrooms until golden brown. Add crushed garlic.
3. Add cream cheese, heavy cream, gruyere cheese, and spices to the mushrooms. Once the cream cheese is melted, add the gruyere cheese and mix well until melted. Lastly, add the sour cream and water or broth and mix well to combine.
4. Pour the mushroom sauce over the burgers and cook for a few minutes until the burgers are cooked through.

Tips and Notes

• Sauce Consistency: If the sauce is too thick, thin it with water or beef broth.
• Cheese Substitution: If you don’t have gruyere, you can use swiss cheese instead.
• Serving Suggestions: For a low-carb meal, serve with steamed broccoli and green salad. If not on a low-carb diet, try it with egg noodles or regular white rice.

Keto Cheeseburger Casserole

This keto cheeseburger casserole is hearty and filling, delivering the flavors of a cheeseburger without the bun.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef: Extra-lean ground beef (93% lean) or 85% lean can be used.
• Onion and Garlic
• Mayonnaise: Or sriracha mayo for some heat.
• Mustard: Dijon mustard is often preferred.
• Shredded Cheddar: Sharp or extra-sharp cheddar is recommended.
• Optional: Crumbled cooked bacon.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the beef and the onions. Cook, stirring to break up the beef until the meat is browned and the onion is soft, for about 5 minutes.
3. If there are liquids at the bottom of the skillet, carefully drain the mixture and return it to the skillet. Stir in the kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 more minute. Turn the heat off.
4. Stir in the mayonnaise, unsweetened ketchup, mustard, and 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
5. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, if your baking dish is broiler-safe, broil the casserole 6 inches below the heating element (not directly below) until the cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tips and Variations

• Vegetables: Add 1-2 cups of uncooked riced cauliflower to the ground beef/onion mixture and cook everything together. Alternatively, add two cups (about 2 ounces) of raw baby spinach leaves to the beef mixture when it's done cooking.
• Meat Options: You can make this recipe with ground chicken or turkey.
• Spice it up: Add your favorite spices, even if they're not classic cheeseburger seasonings. Smoked paprika and chili powder are excellent in this recipe. You can add a teaspoon of each.

Storage and Reheating

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze individual servings for up to three months.

Keto Burger Bowl

Fulfill your burger cravings, even on a low carb diet, with this delicious Keto Burger Bowl recipe! It's loaded with everything you love about a burger, minus the bun and topped with Keto Burger Sauce.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef: 80/20 fat content is recommended.
• Steak Seasoning: Homemade Montreal steak seasoning or pre-made steak seasoning. Alternative: ½ teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon black pepper + ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Vegan, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce recommended.
• Dijon Mustard: Creamy is best.
• Hot Sauce
• Cheddar Cheese: Extra sharp cheddar is recommended.
• Shredded Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce is recommended.
• Tomatoes
• Pickles: Sliced dill pickles are recommended.
• Red Onion

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and crumble it as it cooks. Cook the beef for 6-8 minutes.
2. Once the beef is no longer pink, drain the excess grease from the skillet. Mix in the seasonings, sauces, and cheese. Stir to combine everything, then remove the meat mixture from the heat.
3. Start by creating a base with the lettuce.
4. Add a drizzle of hot sauce over the burger bowls to spice them up.

Tips and Variations

• Meat Options: Feel free to use ground turkey instead of ground beef to lighten up the recipe.
• Lower-Carb Bowl: Omit the avocado to reduce the net carbs to 3 grams and total carbs to 5 grams per serving.
• Bacon Cheeseburger Bowl: Add bacon.

Storage

Cook and season the ground beef, make the burger sauce, and prep the toppings. Divide the meat into 4 large microwave-safe storage containers. Split the toppings between 4 airtight containers or bags.

Keto Cheeseburger Casserole Skillet

This rich and hearty one-pan keto cheeseburger casserole skillet is packed with ground beef, bacon, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese.

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Bacon
• Onion
• Cream cheese
• Cheddar cheese
• Tomato paste
• Mustard
• Spices: Onion powder, Garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
• Beef broth

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Cook the chopped bacon until crisp, then remove from the skillet and set aside.
2. Drain off all of the bacon grease except 1 tablespoon. Add the ground beef and onion. Brown the meat and drain off any grease.
3. Add the tomato paste, mustard, cream cheese, broth, and spices.

Tips and Variations

• Really brown the meat. The secret to getting the best hamburger flavor is to brown the ground beef. Make sure your pan is sufficiently hot before adding the beef, and don’t stir it too often. Let the beef get a good color on it before you add the next ingredients.
• Use a large skillet. This recipe is pretty big. Make sure to use a skillet that is big enough to handle the job.
• Get the cheese super melty. Because this casserole is cooked in its own sauce, you don’t have to worry about overcooking it.

Storage and Reheating

This dinner will last for up to 4 days in the fridge. Just make sure to store it in an airtight container.

Freezing

Yes! I love to freeze this casserole for easy meals. Store it in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Low Carb Hamburger Helper Casserole

A homemade, high-protein, low-carb alternative to Hamburger Helper that’s just as simple to make.

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• Paprika
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Hot water
• Milk of choice
• Lupin pasta
• Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Place ground beef in a large skillet and brown over medium-high heat, then drain and return to the skillet.
2. Stir in arrowroot powder or cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, hot water, milk of choice and lupin pasta. Bring the liquid to a simmer.
3. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and add cheddar cheese. Stir until smooth and creamy. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Tips and Variations

• Pasta substitutions
  • Hearts of palm noodles
  • Egg wraps

Storage and Reheating

Store leftover keto hamburger helper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm it on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of broth, water, or milk of choice if needed to loosen up the sauce.

FAQ

• I am sensitive to cornstarch. What can I use in it's place? Use arrowroot powder in place of cornstarch. Try 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder. If that doesn't thicken enough, use 1 1/2 tablespoons.
• Can I use nut milk in this recipe? You can use any type of milk in this ground beef skillet recipe - cow's milk, nut milk or seed milk.

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

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