These French Onion patty melts are made with onion soup mix and served with the perfect slow-cooked, sweet onions and melty Swiss cheese on thick cut Texas Toast. A great new burger recipe to make on the griddle or in a skillet!
French onion burgers made with the popular Lipton onion soup mix are trending right now. I’ve seen them scattered all over my social media feeds. So I decided to give them a try!
But if you know me or you’ve seen my YouTube videos, then you know that I like to put my own spin on the classics. And this onion burger is no different. I took the basic concept of making the French onion burger – mixing the soup mix into the ground beef and even taking my cues from the back of the Lipton box – but I turned the trend into a burger that’s perfect for griddle cooking: the patty melt!
My version combines thinly sliced sweet onions that get cooked low and slow on the griddle with buttery Texas Toast and Swiss cheese. The result is a flavor-packed patty melt style burger that will have you reaching for seconds… and a napkin!
*Be sure to check out some of our other griddle burger recipes here!
Ingredients
Ground Beef – I used 85/15 this time, which is a little leaner than the usual 80/20. Since we mixed in mayonnaise (as the Lipton onion soup mix box instructed), this blend still stayed juicy and held up well on the griddle without shrinking too much. You can also use 80/20 if you wish – the burger will be great either way.
Lipton Onion Soup Mix (or similar onion soup seasoning) – This classic shortcut brings that instant oniony flavor to the burger patties.
Mayonnaise – Okay, I know. It’s not a standard patty melt ingredient, but trust me. Just a couple of tablespoons mixed into the beef makes the patties tender and keeps them juicy.
Sweet Onions – Vidalia onions are my favorite for this. They caramelize beautifully and add that subtle sweetness you want in a French onion melt. You can use regular sweet onions as well.
Texas Toast – Bigger is better for this sandwich! The thick, square slices stand up to the weight of this patty and the juiciness of the onions.
Swiss Cheese – The melty, slightly nutty flavor is a must for French onion anything. Grab your favorite pre-sliced brand. You’ll need two slices per patty melt.
Butter, Oil, and Seasonings – You’ll need plenty of butter for toasting the bread and caramelizing the onions. A drizzle of oil keeps the griddle seasoned, and a bit of dry thyme, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and a little balsamic glaze add flavor to the onions without overpowering them.
How to Make a French Onion Patty Melt on the Griddle
We made this easy patty melt on the outdoor griddle, but you can easily make this recipe inside in a skillet on the stovetop as well. Just follow these steps:
Step 1: Slow-caramelize the onions. Start cooking the onions first, because they will take a long time to get perfectly caramelized without burning. You may feel like this is a test of your patience, but the trick is to keep the heat very low, keep the onions moving, and be prepared to wait. The onions take about 20 minutes to cook down properly.
After about 15 minutes, add in a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a tiny pinch of dried thyme, a bit of salt and black pepper, and a dab or two of balsamic glaze for sweetness. Mix together briefly, and move the onions to the cooler side of the griddle to continue to cook.
Step 2: Make the onion burger mixture. While the onions are cooking, go ahead and make the burger mixture. Mix the ground beef with the onion soup mix and mayonnaise until well incorporated. Then refrigerate until the onions are almost done on the griddle, allowing the flavors to meld together in the fridge.
Step 3: Form the beef mixture into patties. Pull your beef mixture from the fridge and shape it into three equally-sized squares to match the size of your Texas toast.
*TIP – Use your griddle scraper to square up the edges and help shape your beef into square patties. I chose a square shape so that every bite of Texas Toast had some beefy onion burger with it, but you can form the meat into round patties if you prefer.
Step 4: Toast the Texas Toast. While your onions finish up, butter both sides of your Texas toast slices and add them to the griddle to toast. You want a golden, crispy crust on both sides to stand up to the juicy patty, cheese, and onions.
Step 5: Cook the French onion burgers. Increase the griddle heat to medium-high. You want it around 400-450°F for the perfect sear. Place burger patties on the hot zone. Sear well, flipping once the crust is formed (a couple of minutes per side, depending on thickness).
Step 6: Add Swiss cheese slices. Top each burger patty with Swiss cheese and let it melt (steam with a lid or dome if needed). You can also portion out your onions into burger-sized piles and top each with a slice of Swiss for extra cheesy goodness.
Step 7: Assemble the French onion patty melt. When the cheese has melted and the burgers are cooked to your liking, build your French onion burgers. Place one patty on a piece of Texas Toast. Top with a pile of onions and the second piece of toast. Serve immediately.
I chose to keep my onion patty melts simple to enjoy the full flavor of the perfectly cooked onions. However, these burgers would be great with a slather of mayonnaise, a horseradish cream sauce, or some spicy sandwich mustard.
Recipe Tips
- Go low and slow with the onions – Seriously, patience makes perfect. Let those onions caramelize slowly for maximum sweetness. You can also cook the onions in a skillet on the stovetop if you’re worried about your griddle staying on low heat for that long.
- Season in layers – Be careful with salt. The soup mix is already salty and the cheese adds its own punch.
- Rest your patties – Letting the burgers rest for a minute or two before sandwich assembly keeps your toast from going soggy.
- Cook extra onions – Onions cook way down, so always make more than you think you’ll need.
- Try a smash burger version – If you’re a “smash burger” fan, pressing the patties thinner can give you a crispier edge-to-interior ratio.
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Patty Melt-Style French Onion Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 80/20 or 85/15
- 1 oz Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix 1 envelope from the box
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 sweet onions thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon balsamic glaze optional
- 6 slices Texas Toast
- 2-3 tablespoons butter for toasting the bread
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
Instructions
- Heat griddle on low to medium-low (about 350℉).
- Cook the onions – Once heated, melt about 1 tablespoon of butter on the griddle. Add the onions to the butter, spreading them evenly. Cook low and slow for about 20 minutes, moving them around frequently to prevent burning. When the onions are almost done to your liking, add dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and balsamic glaze (if using). Stir together, and move the onions to a cooler zone on the griddle.
- Toast the bread – Once onions are about done, increase a section of the griddle to medium or medium-high. Butter both sides of Texas toast slices, and toast on the griddle until golden brown. Then remove the toast from the griddle and set aside.
- Mix and form the beef patties – While the onions cook, make the beef mixture. Add the ground beef, onion soup mix, and mayonnaise to a bowl. Mix until just incorporated – do not over mix. Divide meat into three equal portions (or in half if you prefer thicker burgers). Shape into large patty squares about the same size as your Texas toast.
- Cook the onion burgers – Increase the griddle temperature to about 400-450°F for searing the burgers. Place burger patties on the hot zone. Sear well, flipping once the crust is formed (a couple of minutes per side, depending on thickness).
- Add Swiss cheese to the burgers and onions – Portion the cooked onions into two or three equal piles (depending on how many burgers you are making) and shape each pile into squares the same size as the toast. Place one piece of Swiss cheese over each onion pile. When burgers are almost done to your liking, add one piece of cheese on top of each patty to melt. Then allow patties to rest briefly off the heat before assembly.
- Assemble the French Onion Patty Melts – Place a burger patty onto one slice of toasted bread. Use your spatula to slide one pile of cheese-topped onions on top of the patty. Top with the other piece of toast. Repeat for the other burgers, and serve immediately with your favorite burger condiments.
Notes
- Go low and slow with the onions – This is the key to great caramelization. You can also cook the onions in a skillet on the stovetop if you’re worried about your griddle staying on low heat for that long.
- Season in layers – Be careful with salt. The soup mix is already salty and the cheese adds its own punch.
- Rest your patties – Letting the burgers rest for a minute or two before sandwich assembly keeps your toast from going soggy.
- Cook extra onions – It may seem like a lot of onions at first, but they will cook way down, so always make more than you think you’ll need.
- Try a smash burger version – If you’re a smash burger fan, separate the meat mixture into five portions and press down on the griddle for a French onion smash burger version.
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