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These Whole30 burger joint burgers are just as good as they sound and look. Two thin hamburger patties, brushed with mustard; loaded with pickle slices, deeply caramelized onions, a creamy sauce spiked with my Whole30 ketchup recipe, coconut aminos, and relish; all sandwiched between two perfect iceberg lettuce “buns”. These burgers are made with totally real food and are paleo, Whole30, and low-carb friendly.
Maybe you’re fully devoted to your Whole30/paleo/low-carb lifestyle, but every now and then you miss those glorious burger-joint burgers that previously graced your plate. Well, grieve no more. I’m not lying to you when I tell you that you can have even-better, totally-compliant burger joint style burgers made right in the comfort of your own kitchen.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Juicy burger patties, creamy sauce, over-the-top-rich caramelized onions. If the pictures don’t have you drooling then the ingredients list will! These are loaded with everything that makes the burger joint version so great.
- The burger patties are grilled in mustard, and the burger is loaded with extra pickles, extra sauce, and caramelized onions. It’s straight up HEAVENLY.
- This recipe actually makes more burger sauce and grilled onions than you need for your burgers. If you can stand it, I highly recommend using them for a batch of burger joint fries – sweet potato fries topped with creamy, relish-spiked animal sauce and super-rich caramelized onions. If that’s a slippery food-slope for you, though, then save it for food freedom and thank me later.
Key Ingredients
Mustard – Cooking the burger patties IN mustard gives them SO MUCH incredible flavor, I promise you’ll never want to cook them any other way again.
Lettuce Buns – If bread doesn’t have a starring “roll” (I couldn’t resist) in your way of eating, odds are good you’ve struggled with a messy lettuce-wrapped burger at least once. Well, now you won’t waste your energy (or your lettuce) ever again. I’m about to introduce you to the best, greatest, most perfect way to encase burgers in lettuce. You are WELCOME.
Onions – Another can’t-skip ingredient. Rich, deeply caramelized onions make this Whole30 burger taste AAAAAMAZING. Trust me on this one. Don’t skip the onions.
Chef’s Tips
- Make sure your burger patties are thin. No, thinner. Ok, now even thinner. Seriously! Make them as thin and wide as possible, then press them out on a piece of parchment paper to make them even thinner. They’ll get taller and not as wide as they cook, and you want them to be thin and giant when all is said and done.
- Don’t just cook the onions. Get in there and really caramelize them. You want them to be rich and deep and dark, like the color of toffee or coffee or George Clooney’s eyes. You’ll be tempted to call it “good enough” before then but I promise you, have patience. It’s important, and so, so worth it.
- These burgers aren’t wimpy. No, no. This is a big burger, packed full with delicious toppings. I highly recommend wrapping it in parchment paper (or foil would work, too) before serving to help hold everything together. Plus it looks more authentic and fun that way, too.
More Whole30 Recipes You’ll Love
- Whole30 Loaded Sweet Potato Fries (Paleo, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
- Whole30 Marry Me Chicken (Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Creamy Whole30 Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs with Thyme (Paleo)
- Whole30 Chicken Tenders (Paleo, Low Carb, Gluten Free)
- Whole30 Lasagna Soup
- Taco Stuffed Peppers (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
Whole30 Burgers – Burger Joint Style (Paleo, Low Carb)
Two thin hamburger patties, brushed with mustard; loaded with pickle slices, deeply caramelized onions, a creamy sauce spiked with my Whole30 ketchup recipe, coconut aminos, and relish; all sandwiched between two perfect iceberg lettuce "buns".
double burgers
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Large non-stick skillet
- Large cast-iron skillet
- parchment paper or aluminum foil to wrap burgers
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ½ cup Whole30-compatible mayonnaise store-bought or make your own, see Notes
- 3 tablespoons Whole30-compatible ketchup store-bought or make your own, see Notes
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos + another 1-2 teaspoons if on Whole30
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup do NOT use if on Whole30, see Notes
For the Lettuce "Buns"
- 1 small-medium head iceberg lettuce
For the Burgers
- 3 teaspoons avocado oil divided
- 2 medium white onions finely chopped, approximately 3 cups
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1-3 tablespoons water as needed
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 8 dill pickle chips
- 2 quarter-inch thick slices ripe tomato
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, dill relish, coconut aminos, vinegar, and maple syrup (only if not on Whole30) in a small bowl. Stir well to combine, then place in refrigerator to chill while you continue cooking.
For the Lettuce "Buns"
- Slice off the stem of the head of iceberg lettuce, about ½"-¾” from bottom. Cut into fourths: down the center, then slice each half in half to make wedges. Take out the middle ⅔ of each iceberg wedge, so it leaves just a ¾” thick lettuce “bun”. Set aside.
For the Burgers
- Heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a medium skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Add onions and ¾ teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are browned, about 15 minutes.
- Once onions are browned, they will start to sizzle and look dry. Add 1 tablespoon water to skillet and stir, cooking until water evaporates and onions begin sizzling again. Repeat the process with 1 tablespoon water until onions are dark brown and extremely caramelized, about 3 times, a total of about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
- Shape ground beef into four 2-ounce patties that are very thin and very wide, about ¼" thick and at least 4" wide. Season patties with plenty of salt and pepper.
- Heat remaining 1 teaspoon avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the oil around the pan to coat with a thin layer. When the oil is very, very hot, add burger patties. Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on the top, raw side.
- Cook patties, without moving, until they're very well browned and a bit crusty on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Flip patties so the mustard side is down and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Assemble the Burgers
- Spread 1 scant tablespoon of sauce onto inside of one lettuce "bun" (one lettuce quarter).
- Top lettuce quarter with 2 pickles, then add 1 tomato slice.
- Top tomato slice with 1 burger patty, then add 1 tablespoon of caramelized onions. Feel free to add more if you like.
- Add second burger patty, then another 1 tablespoon caramelized onions.
- Top with another scant tablespoon sauce, then add 2 more pickles and cover with top lettuce "bun". Wrap in parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Repeat to assemble second double burger and serve.
Video
- This recipe makes enough caramelized onions and sauce to serve on top of some homemade sweet potato fries or hash. You will have extra besides what you need for the burgers.
- Maple Syrup: Note that you MUST omit the maple syrup in the sauce for this recipe to be Whole30!
- Make it Keto: Omit all coconut aminos and maple syrup; instead, sweeten the sauce with a maple-syrup flavored keto liquid sweetener. You’ll also need a keto-friendly ketchup (store-bought or make your own with my keto ketchup recipe).
- Make Your Own Whole30 Mayo: Use my immersion blender recipe!
- Make Your Own Whole30 Ketchup: Use my Whole30 Ketchup recipe!
- Recipe yields 2 burgers, each with 2 patties Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. You won’t use all of the caramelized onions or sauce on your burgers.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1double burger (without maple syrup)Calories: 861calProtein: 34gFat: 65gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 3gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 7293mgPotassium: 1583mgTotal Carbs: 44gFiber: 15gSugar: 20gNet Carbs: 29gVitamin A: 2438IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 363mgIron: 9mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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My tastebuds and tummy are SO happy. This was perfection! I’m currently doing Whole30 and I really enjoyed this meal. #chefskiss
So glad you loved it!
Any chance you have the nutritional count on this? My hubs is doing SUPER low carb and asked the net carbs per serving. Thanks so much!
Just added it!
These look great! Can I use olive oil instead of avocado oil?
Hi! Thank you. 🙂
We are not huge fans of cooking with olive oil for most recipes due to the low smoking point. 🙂 It is definitely okay, though, if you are not worried about that!
I am the picky one in my family. On day 6 of Whole30-forgot my lunch at home and was starving all day. I made the mayo and ketchup in the notes the same night of the meal. (I would recommend making them ahead of time as a time saver.) Everyone had seconds. I’m going to have a hard time finding a recipe that tops this! Thank you for sharing-I have found my new favorite recipe site!
Made these tonight and they were fantastic! As a full-time working mom of 3, transition to a whole food diet has been challenging because real food takes more thought, prep, and cook time. This was on the table in 30 minutes and was super delicious! And clean up was a breeze because there were no leftovers 🙂 I just started following your blog and I’ve already ear-marked many more recipes we’ll be trying! Thank you
We are so glad to hear that, Lindsey! Anything that allows the workload to be a bit lighter is a definite winner.
Do you have a recipe for your in n out sweet potato fries?
Any substitute for coconut aminos if I don’t have any? I have liquid aminos but I know the two are different things!
Are you Whole30? If not, you can try soy sauce or tamarin. The liquid aminos will probably work, but of course, will have a slightly different flavor!
I’m from the LA area and this recipe tastes just like In-n-Out Burger! So flavorful and savory, I forgot about the lack of bread bun – I think lettuce buns are my new favorite thing!
Note: I only gave a four star rating because it took a lot of time for me to prepare and there was a lot of cleanup afterward – but the results were SOOO worth it! Thank you for this recipe!
This recipe was legit the best thing I’ve eaten on my whole 30 journey! The onions take it to the next level and the homemade sauce damn near made me cry in it’s deliciousness. Thank you, my craving for In n Out was truly satisfied 100%!
You are so welcome!!
Omg! These were deeeelicioussss!!! I made the whole 30 mayo and whole 30 ketchup the day before because it just seemed like to much preparation in one day and I’m so glad I did ☺. Thank you so much! These recipes will be ” “keepers” in our home whole 30 or not, it’s still clean eating.