Our ugly, but incredibly savory, delicious and popular umami loaded burger recipe (umami hamburger) now has an update. This time, it became the ultimate umami loaded cheeseburger, which is updated in the recipe.

For the longest time, we’ve been making the best darn umami hamburger recipe on the face of this earth (insert personal bias.) We’ve never had a specific name for our homemade umami loaded burger recipe until someone tagged it as the “magic meat”, but not as in “mystery meat” or “I can’t tell if this is chicken or beef.” Rather, it was to describe the magical flavor sensations that everyone experienced when they bit into one of our patties. That “magic meat” term described the juicy, flavorful and savory burger patty that everyone fought over. Sometimes the buns were tossed to the side or forgotten because the meat was just so delicious and satisfying.

Watch the video making these Ultimate Umami Hamburgers:

It wasn’t until recently, with all the discussion on Umami (the rich, savory taste in foods) that our umami hamburger recipe was re-named as the hamburger loaded with umami. Our hungry friends were always stumped to figure out the secret ingredient and could never, ever pinpoint that “magic” flavor that made our patties so unique.

It’s the ultimate burger that is so satisfying and savory, no one can eat just one. Make it a double, please.

But this umami rich burger recipe isn’t a new invention, nor is it a trendy recipe to keep up with the popularity of umami rich foods. It’s a family recipe that started from a Vietnamese family back in the early 80’s, in a 2-bedroom apartment, in the middle of Southern California.

our ultimate umami loaded burgers are the highlights of our outdoor gatherings



Diane –

That Vietnamese family is obviously mine. Growing up in a Vietnamese family of 6 kids who were always hungry and thirsty for more American foods, my parent had to figure out a way to feed their hungry pack of kids. Back then, hamburgers were the “American’s food”, “that sandwich with that big piece of meat in it, with the red and yellow sauces and the sour cucumber slices.” My siblings and I wanted to eat “Ham-buh-guh” all day long and we wanted it NOW. My parents figured out that it was much more economical to make burgers at home and did exactly that by created their own recipe for the patties. Of course, being Vietnamese, they marinated the beef in the only way they knew how—splash fish sauce to it. Fish sauce is the golden elixir to us Vietnamese, take it away and you drain the blood out of our cuisine. Fish sauce is the fermented salvation from the food gods above, and it’s pure umami brings out the savory depth in all foods. With their batch of beef, my parents’ splashed fish sauce as the one and only marinade into the burger recipe. With the addition of a little sugar for balance, garlic for more aromatic love and black pepper for bite, their simple recipe has evolved into what our friends call today as “The Ultimate Umami Burger.” This recipe isn’t unique by any means, especially in a Vietnamese household. I’m certain there are many Vietnamese-American families who splashed their burger meat with fish sauce!

Todd –

I know what a lot of you non-Asian people are thinking, “Fish sauce? Um, hell no.” But wait, my dear skeptics, and listen to my confessional. For many years when I first joined up with my beautiful Asian girlfriend, I avoided fish sauce. Let’s face it, it stinks like something most of us are not used to. It is, after all, fermented anchovies. Mmmm, tasty! Not. At least so I thought, but man, was I ever wrong. One fine meal while dining on a grilled shrimp ball, I dipped it into the Vietnamese classic Nuoc Cham (Viet Fish Sauce Dip) and I suddenly saw the umami. There was no nasty weird fishiness, instead the fish sauce’s own flavor virtually disappeared and many of the other flavors within the grilled shrimp ball became heightened. Everything was good before, but after the addition of the the fish sauce everything was incredible. I was instantly converted. Ever since I’ve never hesitated in grabbing for the bottle of fish sauce. It was my brother-in-law, a classic mid-west guy, who dubbed the fish sauce laden ground beef as the “Magic Meat.” It was that damn tasty. And now we have another believer in the umami. Sure everything will be tasty without the umami adding fish sauce. However, it will be even better with the magic sauce.

Oh btw- our forever family burger recipe was not inspired by any burger chains bearing a similar name. This is definitely not an endorsement for anyones burger other than this one that Mom and Dad have been making for decades. Our umami hamburger is way more simple, clean, un-fussy, un-pretntious and way more delicious because the ultimate umami comes from the fish sauce that we’ve been using for decades.

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This recipe was originally published in 2009 and republished in 2015 with updated video.

Print Recipe 5 from 35 votes The Umami Loaded Burger Recipe Don't be afraid of the fish sauce . Understand the crucial umami factor that fish sauce brings to food and it will become your best pantry friend. So often, the powerful, pungent punch of fish sauce can be intimidating to cooks who aren't familiar with it's marinading magic. Fish sauce is essentially the salty liquid from the fermentation of small fish and salt. But when used in small quantities, fish sauce brings fabulous umami savoriness to the burgers. It won't taste like a "fish sauce burger." It just tastes like a darn great burger! You'll be a fish sauce marinade convert very quickly. Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 15 mins Marinade Time 30 mins Total Time 1 hr Servings: 6 servings Calories: 469 kcal Ingredients 2 lbs. ( 907 g ) Ground Beef

1 1/2 Tablespoons ( 22.5 ml ) Fish Sauce (for more daring, savory depth, use 2 tablespoons)

2 cloves ( 2 cloves ) Garlic , crushed or fine mince

1 teaspoon ( 5 ml ) Sugar

1/2 teaspoon ( 2.5 ml ) fresh ground Black Pepper

4-6 ( 4-6 ) Hamburger buns (or 8-12 slider buns)

condiments of your choice and cheese makes it extra decadent and special Instructions In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, garlic, sugar and black pepper. Add the marinade to the ground beef and combine until all the ingredients are mixed together well. Refrigerate the beef for at least 30 minutes. We like to allow the beef to marinade overnight in the fridge for optimum flavor, but most of the time don't plan that far ahead. They still always come out great, even with the shorter marinade time.

Gently form meat into patties for sliders or burgers. Form them to the size of your burger or slider buns.

Cook on a skillet or grill. If cooking on a grill, make sure to pre-heat the grill and to scrape the grill clean before grilling. It will help minimize the sticking. (1/2 pound patties on a med./high grill take about 3 min. per side for med. rare burger. Heat temp., thickness, etc. all affect cooking times).

Assemble your burger with your favorite condiments and treat yourself to the cheeseburger version! Nutrition Calories: 469 kcal | Carbohydrates: 15 g | Protein: 29 g | Fat: 31 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Cholesterol: 107 mg | Sodium: 598 mg | Potassium: 457 mg | Sugar: 2 g | Vitamin C: 0.7 mg | Calcium: 81 mg | Iron: 4 mg Tried this recipe? Let us know how it was!