These Jalapeno Stuffed Cheeseburgers will kick your summer grilling up a notch. Think jalapeno popper meets juicy hamburger! Stuffing a burger with the flavors of jalapeno poppers is nothing short of amazing.
One of my favorite burgers of all time started out as a Jalapeño Cheese Stuffed Mini Meatloaf!! The flavor of the jalapeños with the cheese and BBQ sauce is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Finally, I’ve gone and put it all together on the grill with these Jalapeño Stuffed Cheeseburgers!
What is the Best Meat to Use for Hamburgers?
To make the juiciest, most flavorful burgers, choose ground chuck that is at least 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat. To make more healthful burgers—but ones that are still pretty juicy and tasty—choose ground sirloin that is 85 percent lean and 15 percent fat. Using meat leaner than 80% (like ground round) will result in very dry burgers. It is the fat that adds flavor and juiciness to the burger.
You can also opt for a half & half mixture of beef and use half chuck and half sirloin. You get the great taste of sirloin with the juiciness of chuck. It’s a win-win!
What is the best Cheese for Jalapeno Stuffed Cheeseburgers?
The best cheese to stuff or top a burger will hands-down ALWAYS be whatever cheese you like the best! There are, however, some cheeses that are better for melting and stuffing inside a burger.
I love sharp cheddar cheese together with cream cheese to lend some creaminess when melted. Of course, Colby, Monterrey, habanero, or jalapeno Jack also work great in this filling, too.
Variations for Burger Meat
- Other meat options are chicken or turkey, and bison. If nutrition is your primary concern, be sure to read the labels carefully and compare.
- Ground chicken, if not labeled lean, usually contains the skin ground into the meat as well. You will get a juicier burger, but it will be higher in fat.
- Ground turkey is leaner but less flavorful than regular ground turkey, which can also be a blend of light and dark meats if not labeled lean.
- Bison is comparable in flavor to beef but contains 1/3 to 1/4 of the fat. Like all lean meat cuts, it has a tendency to dry out. Here, again a half-half combo or bison and ground chuck would work well together.
Ingredients for Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Cheeseburgers
** For a full list of ingredients and measurements, please see the printable recipe card below. **
- 80% lean ground chuck or 85% lean ground sirloin (or a combo of these)
- Salt & Ground Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheese
- Diced Jalapeno pepper
- BBQ sauce for basting, optional
- Bacon, optional
Recommended Tools
** Recommended tools are optional but the right tool does make the job easier. **
- Outdoor gas or charcoal grill
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl [paid link]
- Box Grater [paid link]
- Sharp knife
Forming the Burger Patties
You can form the patties by hand but you could also use a stuffed burger press that helps make perfectly uniform stuffed burgers. You will:
- Start by dividing the meat into eight 3-oz portions. Form each 3-oz portion into a patty. Season with salt and pepper, or other seasonings as desired.
- Divide the Jalapeno cheese stuffing amongst the center of four of the patties.
- Top the cheese layer with the other meat patty.
- Crimp the edges tightly to seal the edge. This keeps the cheese filling from oozing out during cooking.
How To Grill Hamburgers
** For a full list of instructions, please see the printable recipe card below. **
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Place patties on the grill and cook using the recommended grill times below.
- If using BBQ sauce glaze, add it during the last two minutes of cooking.
How long to grill Jalapeno stuffed cheeseburgers
These grill times (per side) below will ensure you have your perfect burger.
- Medium rare – 3-5 minutes (per side).
- Medium – 5-6 minutes (per side).
- Well done – 6-7 minutes (per side).
Serving Suggestions
Some of my favorite side dishes to serve with burgers are coleslaw and, of course, air fryer French fries. But Boston Baked Beans or cowboy-style Meaty Baked Beans are always a crowd favorite as well.
Stuffed Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers
Ingredients
- 24 oz ( 1-1/2 lbs) lean ground beef
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese [See Note 1]
- 1 fresh jalapeno pepper , seeded and diced [See Note 2]
- BBQ sauce for basting , optional
- 8 slices Bacon cooked, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, cheese, garlic powder and diced jalapenos. If using bacon, you can crumble that up and add it here into the jalapeno-cheese stuffing OR leave it whole and pot on top of the burger.
- Shape ground beef into eight 3-oz. portions on waxed paper. A kitchen scale comes in handy for this.
- Press each portion into a 4-inch patty using the back of a table fork. Take 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture and place it into the middle of a patty. Repeat with three more patties. Then, with the back of the fork, press the mixture flat into a disc in the center of the patty. Repeat with the other 3 patties.
- Cover each filled patty with one of the remaining patties. With a fork, crimp the edges of the patties to trap all that melty goodness inside the burgers.
- Season the outsides of the patties with salt and ground pepper to taste and then head to the grill.
- Grill burgers over medium heat for 6-7 minutes on each side or until cooked to your desired temperature. [See Note 3]
Notes
- This also tastes great with colby, Monterray, or jalapeno Jack.
- For more heat, try a serrano pepper in place of the jalapeno pepper.
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These grill times (per side) below will ensure you have your perfect burger.
- Medium rare – 3-5 minutes (per side).
- Medium – 5-6 minutes (per side).
- Well done – 6-7 minutes (per side).
Seen this and had to try it out! Followed the directions exactly But added a topping twist to it added crispy fried onions and heated bbq sauce and drizzle all over top before serving. Thanks for a new go to burger!! Deliciousness on a bun
my sister has me hooked on these, when ever I need to shock my metabolism this is my go to yummmmmm thanks for the recipe ,
So glad you enjoy them, Lori.
Seriously so good. The pretzel buns were just the icing on the cake.
Woooow…..Homemade!!! It’s the only thing that taste good! And so easy to do…
I think I will look for these and try your recipe this weekend. Thank you for sharing!
I do hope you enjoy. Please come back by and let us know how it worked for you
Made these tonight! SO delicious and easy!! And I did use that cool stuffed burger press – got it on Amazon for $10! This recipe is a keeper! Everyone loved the burgers, topped them with more cheese, tomato, BBQ sauce, and grilled red & white onions. Thank you!!
Grilled these yesterday. So tasty and not too spicy. Thanks for awesome recipe.