Got Beef? Not with These 5-Star Burgers
These top-rated picks you can get the burger without buying the cow.
Kana Okada, Kana Okada 2011
No matter your reason for thinking outside the beef box — you forgot to buy ground beef, you're trying to eat less of it, you simply want to change things up a bit — we get it. And the fact is, a juicy and flavorful non-beef burger can be yours without a trip to the store for unusual ingredients. Try one of these recipes the next time you're grilling for friends (or make one for Dad this weekend, hint, hint!) and we guarantee you'll never miss the beef.
If a bacon burger is your usual, you're in luck: These Perfect Pork Burgers have bacon in the patties. They're flavored with garlic and just a touch of rubbed sage, because more is not always better.
Tara Donne
Forgoing beef obviously doesn't have to mean skipping meat entirely, but if the mood strikes, turn to Guy Fieri. His veggie burgers are anything but boring, packed with black beans, chickpeas and white beans for lots of texture and protein. Flavored with tons of spices, they'll give even the best boxed burgers a run for their money.
Turkey may be the most-obvious choice when you're looking for a beef alternative, but Rachael Ray's Southwest Turkey Burgers are anything but predictable. Fresh thyme and cilantro, sweet peppers, cumin, and a touch of hot sauce turn basic ground turkey into something irresistible. Don't forget the kicked-up cheese and smoky turkey bacon on top.
Tara Donne
When you want to branch out a bit more, Bobby Flay's got the answer: tuna burgers. Hand-cut fresh tuna steaks, then turn the tuna into sweet-spicy patties made with Dijon mustard, chipotle peppers and honey. Serve them on ciabatta rolls slathered with a homemade olive aioli for a meal you won't soon forget.
Rachael's BBQ chicken burgers come together in only 30 minutes, and they're finished with a mayo-free slaw that'll fit right in at your next cookout. Whip up a "barbecue sauce concentrate," as Rachael calls it, to give the patties a smoky, desirable flavor right from the start. It'll complement the sweet slaw on top and make you rethink the whole serving-barbecue-sauce-as-a-condiment thing.
Hungry for more burgers without the beef?