Twelve Homemade Burger Recipes — and the Sauce for Each
These are the burgers our family actually makes: twelve recipes, each written the way it is cooked at home, each paired with the sauce that makes it work. Nothing here is an advertisement — just recipes, composition notes and a printable set of cards.
The 12 Burger Recipes
Read an entry, note its sauce line, and you know what to buy. Composition lines are typical builds, not strict rules — kitchens adapt.
Classic Lopez Smash Burger
The entry every family cookbook needs: thin smashed patties with crisp lacy edges, American cheese melted right on the griddle.
Sauce: house burger sauce — mayo, ketchup, pickle relish, a pinch of paprika.
Built with: beef patties · American cheese · shredded lettuce · burger sauce · soft sesame bun
Jalapeño Queso Burger
Chopped jalapeños folded into melted queso — warm, spicy, spooned generously over a double patty.
Sauce: jalapeño queso (melted cheese sauce with pickled jalapeño bits).
Built with: double beef patties · queso · crisp onions · toasted bun
Carne Asada Burger
Grilled, citrus-marinated beef chopped fine, piled like a taco on a burger — street-food energy on a bun.
Sauce: avocado crema with lime and cilantro.
Built with: chopped grilled beef · avocado crema · pico de gallo · bolillo-style roll
Chipotle BBQ Burger
Smoky chipotle barbecue sauce brushed on during the last minutes of cooking — sweet heat, all the way through.
Sauce: chipotle BBQ (barbecue sauce blended with chipotles in adobo).
Built with: beef patty · pepper jack · crisp bacon · chipotle BBQ · onion rings
Salsa Verde Chicken Burger
Ground chicken patties with herbs, built for the bright, tangy green salsa that tops them.
Sauce: salsa verde stirred into a little mayo for spreadable tang.
Built with: ground chicken · salsa verde mayo · queso fresco · lettuce
Chile con Queso Double
Two thin patties, a blanket of warm chile con queso, and pickled jalapeños for the sharp note.
Sauce: chile con queso — cheese sauce with roasted green chile.
Built with: double patties · chile con queso · pickled jalapeños · potato roll
Garlic Butter Steak Burger
A thick chopped-steak patty basted in garlic butter — the sauce is the baste.
Sauce: garlic butter with parsley, melted over the patty as it rests.
Built with: chopped steak · garlic butter · grilled onions · ciabatta
Breakfast Chorizo & Egg Burger
Weekend morning burger: scrambled eggs and crisped chorizo stacked on a warm bun.
Sauce: breakfast sauce — mayo thinned with salsa macha and honey.
Built with: chorizo · scrambled egg · cheddar · breakfast sauce · English muffin
Ranchero Bean Burger
Refried beans under the patty, ranchero sauce over it — a burger that eats like Sunday dinner.
Sauce: ranchero sauce, mild and tomato-forward.
Built with: beef patty · refried beans · ranchero · queso fresco
Mango Habanero Burger
Sweet mango glaze with real habanero heat, balanced by cool cabbage slaw.
Sauce: mango habanero glaze — fruit, vinegar, one seeded pepper.
Built with: beef patty · mango habanero glaze · cabbage slaw · brioche
Cilantro Lime Turkey Burger
Lean turkey gets help from cilantro, lime zest and a cool, herby aioli.
Sauce: cilantro lime aioli.
Built with: turkey patty · cilantro lime aioli · tomato · spring greens
Abuela's Meatloaf Burger
The family meatloaf recipe, formed into a patty and grilled — finished with the tomato relish it always sat beside.
Sauce: sweet-tangy tomato relish, made with raisins and a little vinegar.
Built with: meatloaf patty · tomato relish · lettuce · potato bun
The Sauce Shelf
A sauce can be mixed while the patties rest — most of ours are five ingredients and five minutes: mayo as the base, ketchup or salsa for acidity, something sharp (pickle, lime, vinegar), something warm (paprika, chipotle, honey). Start there and the twelve recipes above write themselves.
Printable Recipe Cards
Free PDF — all 12 recipes with their sauces
The whole notebook, printed: twelve burger recipes with sauces and composition lines, on printable US Letter cards. Click to download — no e-mail address, no registration, nothing collected.
Download the recipe cards (PDF)Questions from the table
Can the smash burger be made without a press?
Yes — flatten the ball with a sturdy spatula and a second skillet on top. The point is full contact with a hot surface, not the tool.
Which bun holds up to wet sauces?
Potato rolls and brioche hold sauce best; toast the cut side so it seals. Ciabatta works for juicy builds like garlic butter steak.
How hot is mango habanero?
Warm, not punishing — the mango carries the heat. Seed the pepper for family tables, leave seeds in for the brave.
Can sauces be made a day ahead?
All of them — and most taste better after a night in the fridge. Keep aioli-style sauces cold.
Is this a restaurant?
No — this is a family notebook shared online. Nothing is sold here and no orders are taken.
Homemade Lopez Recipe is an independent, informational family notebook. It sells nothing, takes no orders and is not affiliated with any restaurant, chain or brand.