How To Keep Your Low-Fat Cheeseburgers From Being Dry And Crumbly

When you first sink your teeth into a burger, you can pretty quickly tell whether it will be good or bad based on how much juice comes out. On the one hand, you don't want it to make the bun soggy, but on the other, it shouldn't be so dry it crumbles in your mouth. The key to a perfectly juicy burger lies in the ratio of lean meat to fat, which many experts agree is 80% lean to 20% fat. But what if you're purposely trying to make low-fat burgers? The good news is, just because fat is going to be minimal doesn't mean the burger can't be juicy.

Lean burger meat isn't the best for grilling, and a lower percentage of fat is a major reason why burgers often turn out dry, but it's not the only one. Lean meat also takes less time to cook. Therefore, if you were to grill up your low-fat burger for the same amount of time as you normally would with a regular burger, you'd be overcooking it. Using a thermometer and taking the burger off the heat as soon as it hits 160 degrees Fahrenheit will help prevent it from completely drying out. Still, if you want the burger to be just as juicy as an 80/20 patty, there's one modification you should be making to the ingredients — adding gelatin.

Fat makes burgers juicy because it's a source of moisture, but that doesn't mean you can replace it with any other high-moisture ingredient. If you were to add water, for example, it would just evaporate. Adding another form of fat, such as mayonnaise or a grated stick of butter, is a popular way to make naturally lean burgers juicy, but if you want them to actually remain low-fat, this isn't the best option.

Instead, try adding powdered gelatin. Gelatin is almost 100% protein, but much like fat, it's solid when cold and liquid when heated. What that means, as chef and restaurateur David Kuo explained in a viral TikTok, is that when you mix the gelatin into ground beef and cook it, it'll be juicy once you bite into it. Kuo uses this technique to achieve juicy meatballs, but it should work in a burger, too.

In the same way that you don't want your burger to have too much fat, it shouldn't have too much gelatin, either. Since burgers are juiciest at a ratio of 80% lean to 20% fat, the safest bet is to stick with that same ratio. This translates to four parts ground beef and one part gelatin.

For most flavorful results, follow the instructions on the back of the gelatin box, but instead of using water, per David Kuo's instructions, use stock. In his video, Kuo uses chicken stock, since he's making meatballs, but for burgers, you'll probably want to use beef stock instead. To ensure that the gelatin gets properly dispersed throughout the meat, push it through a strainer once it's chilled and solidified, then mix the resulting bits of gelatin into your burger meat. Just be sure not to overmix, because the more you handle meat, the tougher and less juicy it gets, and you want your burgers to be as tender and moist as possible.