If you’re facing the conundrum of how to easily feed a crowd, let me provide an easy (and delicious!) solution - introducing the build-your-own burger bar!

The beauty of the burger bar is that all your friends and family can customize their burger with all their favorite toppings while easily omitting their dislikes. When you add in all the extra side dish options, you’ve really got meal options for all ages and taste buds.

The burger bar is also very accommodating to many different diets and lifestyles. For keto and gluten-free diets you can provide lettuce wraps to pair with the beef patties. For those needing vegetarian, vegan or plant-based protein, you can put out veggie patties as an additional option.

While I was building my own burger bar for our family gathering, I wanted to walk the line between providing high quality gourmet burgers but still keeping it convenient for myself. I especially wanted to serve high quality beef patties which were already pre-made and ready to throw on the grill.

This is where my thinkpure Natural* Angus Ground Beef Patties came in to save the day. These hearty 1/3 pound beef patties can be found at the frozen aisle of Raley’s. The fact that they are frozen means you can always keep them on hand in the freezer for more impromptu meals and/or buy them early on in your burger bar planning process.

I mentioned that I was going for a more elevated gourmet burger bar which means providing two things - fancy toppings and fancy meat. Thinkpure’s burgers not only have all the desired traits of Angus beef, the cows are raised in the USA, are 100% vegetarian fed, have no antibiotics or added hormones and are gluten free. Thinkpure’s burgers meet all the requirements for Raley’s ONE-Market premium grocery store which has a long list of banned ingredients. So the takeaway from this lesson is don’t go skimpy on the beef!

* Defined as minimally processed, no artificial ingredients.

Top Burger Bar Topping Ideas

Start with High Quality Burger Patties

For the sake of uniformity and presentation, I like to use pre-made burger patties as opposed to starting with ground beef. Not to mention that it’s so much easier for yourself as the hostess and you’ll have more time to focus on fun toppings.

Brioche Hamburger Buns

At the risk of sounding like a snob, brioche buns are the best way to go when it comes to building a gourmet burger. The brioche buns are so buttery with a flaky yet satisfyingly dense composition. Both hearty and melt in your mouth at the same time.

My second choice would be sourdough hamburger buns because I love the tangy zip. Trust me, keep the wow factor going with a great bread option. It just seems like such a shame to splurge on quality angus beef and then have to pair it with a sad and plain bun.

Pro Tip: If you have the ability to toast the bread on the spot for guests, that really elevates the flavor.

Hamburger Sauce Bar

In my opinion a dry hamburger bun is the worst. I like to have multiple options for sauces and spreads to mix and match on my bun, and of course to dip my fries.

When building your sauce bar consider these classics along with some wild card spicy choices:

Mayonnaise
Ketchup
BBQ Sauce
Classic Yellow Mustard
Spicy Dijon Mustard
Mexican Style Hot Sauce (Tapatio for example)
Louisiana Southern Style Hot Sauce
Spicy Sriracha Sauce
Gourmet Ranch Dressing
Buffalo Ranch Dressing
Pesto Aioli
Make your own “Secret Sauce” recipe.

Artisan Sliced and Crumbled Cheese for Burgers

I must always eat my burger topped with cheese a.k.a. a cheeseburger. In keeping with the gourmet burger theme, I suggest giving your guests a plethora of cheese choices which they can mix and match. If you have the ability to melt the cheese on the grill then even better.

Fancy cheeses we love on burgers include:

Muenster
Swiss
Sharp Cheddar
Sliced Gouda
Monterey Jack
Pepper Jack
Colby Jack
Feta
Blue Cheese
Brie

Fresh Veggie Burger Toppings

The crisp and cool addition of fresh veggies to a burger is an essential part of the harmonious burger stack. Not to mention that all the diverse colors really brighten up your burger bar table and make it look extra inviting.

Burger bar fresh veggie shopping list should include:

Onions
Tomatoes
Avocado
Fresh Guacamole
Lettuce
Arugula
Sautéed Mushrooms
Caramelized Bell Peppers

Pickled Veggies for Burgers

We covered the fresh veggies but it’s great to also throw in some picked veggie options. I love the acidic vinegar and tangy taste of pickled foods.

Dill Pickles
Bread and Butter Pickles
Jalapeños
Sauerkraut

Extra Protein Toppings for Burgers

If you prefer your beef patty to come with complimentary protein sources, consider these popular foodie choices:

Thick Cut Bacon
Fried Egg
Pork Belly

Crunchy Toppings for Burgers

I like to add an extra crunch to my burger with little fried toppings. These also double as side salad toppings too.

Crispy Jalapenos
Crispy Fried Onions
Tortilla Chip Strips

Best Side Dishes for Burgers

Corn on the Cob

If you’re cooking outdoors on the grill, it’s super easy to throw some whole corns onto the barbecue as well. You can also dress up your corn à la Mexican street style with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, cilantro, ground chipotle pepper and lime wedges.

Classic Cesar Salad

Nobody questions a Caesar salad when they see it at a potluck. It has that fresh crisp romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing and topped with Parmesan cheese and croutons. Your guests can dress it up even further with the burger toppings you already have laid out such as the avocado, tomatoes, onions, crispies and more.

Onion Rings

The fried onion rings can play a double role - they can be both a burger topping or a side snack. I like to use them as an excuse to try more sauces!

Sweet Potato Waffle Fries

We all expect the classic potato french fries with burgers, but why not add a touch of foodie whimsy with sweet potato waffle fries (also known as criss cross fries). They’re slightly sweeter and add unexpected flavor to your spread.

Pesto Bowtie Pasta Salad

Any kind of pasta salad will go nicely alongside a burger. I just like any excuse to eat pesto and olives!

Fancy Mixed Nuts

Assuming there’s no concern for food allergies, a bowl of mixed nuts is an easy and time saving snack dish to quickly put out for guests.

Potato Salad

Another BBQ and picnic staple dish is potato salad. I personally like it made with the gold or red potatoes because they tend to have a bit more flavor.

Jalapeno Poppers

I’m always a fan of anything spicy so jalapeno poppers are a guilty pleasure of mine. These side dish savory treats are usually filled with cream cheese which are then covered in battered bread crumbs - yum!