- October 3, 2020
- 30 Minute Meals
Homemade Keto Quarter Pounder (Royale With Cheese)
If you love a good trip to Mickey D’s, now you can make your own keto copycat McDonalds quarter pounder burger at home. The perfect combo of seasoned ground beef, seared and smothered with two layers of cheese, all the fixings, and even keto friendly bun options!
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“They call it a Royale with Cheese”, thanks John Travolta (and all things Pulp Fiction) for that fun and catchy name for a good old fast food quarter pounder. If you ever wondered “how to make a Royale with cheese”, well this classic (turned keto) recipe is a fun guide to recreating and indulging at the same time.
Whether you ever frequented the golden arches or not, I can’t tell you that when I took a bite into this homemade recreation of this classic cheeseburger, I definitely swooned. This is definitely up there and goes toe-to-toe with my Keto Copycat In N’ Out smash burger style recipe.
While yes, this is a classic cheeseburger, it’s far from basic. I’ll walk you through this cleaner, easy to make, homemade version of the perfect quarter pounder recreation. Additionally, I’ll give you some options for making this a protein style burger as well as, some great low carb and keto friendly bun options.
Check out the guide to making the perfect keto cheeseburger below and read through for all the helpful tips and techniques to pull it off.
“School” Supplies:
- Mixing Bowl
- Scale
- Griddle or Cast Iron Pan
- Spatula
- Potato Masher (trust me)
“Class” Notes:
This burger is the perfect size, a whole quarter pound (also know as 4 oz. or 113 g for those of you following the metric system). Here are a few tips for prepping, cooking, and assembling the ideal Royale with cheese!
The Ingredients:
4 oz. Beef Patties – It all starts with the beef patty! I like to stick to an 80/20 fat ratio when purchasing the ground beef. Break it apart in a mixing bowl by hand to keep the beef tender and season it with salt and pepper. Weigh each patty out using a scale to get the perfect size burger.
Cheddar Cheese – The key to the cheese part of this royale burger is in the two slices it requires on that sandwich the beef patty. I like a true cheddar cheese personally, but if you like the Velveeta kind (no judgment here) you do you!
Dill Pickles- The classic quarter pounder recipe calls for two. TWO! That’s a shame and I denounce that number of pickles on this burger for this recipe. I say you put on as many pickles as you would like and live you best life!
Minced Onions- Dice a yellow onion and mince it finely. Do not sub for onion powder, fresh is best here and the texture adds to the overall deliciousness for this recipe.
Condiments – A heavy slather of yellow mustard and (sugar free) ketchup is a MUST on this burger. While I’m usually an anti-ketchup on well… anything, this is 100% the exception and is a great flavor enhancer.
Bun(less) Options – If you’re a low carb keto eater and you’re looking for a way to have your bun and keep it low carb too try onw of these options:
- Lettuce Wrap Bun (use larger leaves from ice burger or butterhead lettuce)
- Sola Company Buns – My go-to for a low carb option. It’s 6 net carbs and has a great texture.
- Smart Buns – These are a great keto and gluten free option!
- The Chaffle – The perfect homemade way to have a zero carb bun! Just mix 1 egg and a 1/2 cup of cheese and toast it in this dash waffle maker for a crispy carb-less bun! (Recipe makes two pieces too).
Sometimes its nice to go totally sans bun instead or just make it a royale with cheeseburger salad recipe instead! Top it with my keto special sauce burger dressing (or this keto Thousand Island dressing) and pair it with some crispy jicama fries too.
Cooking the perfect griddle burger-
Whether you want to throw down these burgers on the grill or on the stove, using a griddle or a cast iron pan for the perfectly cooked beef patty. Here’s some tips for cooking these burgers!
- Preheat Your Pan – Use a griddle on the grill or preheat a heavy duty cast iron pan on the stove (or it works on the grill too)
- Use Medium High Heat – Higher temps create the perfect all over sear and crust you want with this burger. The higher fat content paired with a little higher smoke point oil (I go with canola oil) allow for good texture. If the temps are too low, then the burgers will steam and not brown.
- Flatten and Sear – I roll the patties into a ball and flatten them with the spatula and the help of a potato masher. It helps ensure an all over sear and keeps the patty thin enough to cook fast and fit the bun (or no bun). Once the beef is browning on the bottom (2-3 min) flip and finish cooking.
- Toast the Bun – The classic version has a browned bun too. While the burger patties are cooking, toast your buns in the pan or on the griddle side by side.
- Adding the Cheese – You need two slices per burger. Add one to melt slightly to the flipped burger patty and one to the bottom of the toasted bun!
How to assemble the perfect homemade (keto) quarter pounder-
Once the burgers are cooked and the cheese is lightly melted, take the top of the bun and add your sugar free ketchup and then some mustard. place your patty onto the cheese covered bottom of your bun, add the (multiple) dill pickles and about a teaspoon of minced onions to the top.
Press on the condiment covered bun and with both hands, pick it up and take a huge bite! Don’t let your eyeballs roll back into your head too far!
While making this homemade keto quarter pounder is about 100X better than the fast food kind, maybe you’re still looking for a way to enjoy the golden arches on a keto diet? Check out this guide from No Buns Left to eating at McDonald’s too!
Homemade Keto Quarter Pounder (Royale With Cheese)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. 80/20 Ground Beef
- [4 Low Carb Buns]
- 8 Slices Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 cup Dill Pickles
- 1/4 cup Minced Onion
- Yellow Mustard
- [Sugar Free Ketchup]
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 tbsp. Canola Oil
Instructions
- Start by weighing out your ground beef patties to be 4 oz. or a quarter pound each. Roll into a ball and season the balls with salt and pepper and set them aside.
- Preheat your griddle or cast iron pan (on the grill or stove) to medium high heat and add the canola oil.
- Place a burger ball onto the surface and using the back of a spatula and a potato masher, smash the burger ball down to flatten and sear it for 2-3 minutes until browned on one side. Then flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes as needed.
- Once you flip the burger, toast the top and bottom of the buns (keto buns listed in the blog post above) and add a slice of cheese to the top of each cooked burger and the bottom of each bun half. Remove the patty and place on the cheese covered bottom bun.
- With the top, add a layer of sugar free ketchup then the mustard. Top the burger patty with the pickles and minced onion and top it off. Press down slightly and serve!