Cracker Barrel Hamburger Steak

These hamburger steaks are straight outta a mid-century supper club fantasy—pan-seared, gravy-drenched, and covered in onion gravy. Toss on your best apron, crank up the hi-fi, and serve supper like you’ve got Betty Crocker on speed dial.

Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 45 minutes minutes

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First published March 14, 2022. Last updated May 9, 2025, for editorial improvements.

I love serving hearty comfort food in a cast iron skillet. It just adds to the feeling of welcome home.

This is one of my favorite ground beef recipes and guaranteed picky eater friendly (if you fish out the onions and mushrooms).

🗝️ Key takeaways

This Cracker Barrel Hamburger Steak recipe is everything I love about hearty, old-fashioned dinners—juicy, tender, and smothered in rich gravy with zero fuss. It’s a spot-on dupe of the classic Cracker Barrel Old Country Store favorite, so you get all that cozy, comfort food flavor without changing out of your stretchy pants.

No fancy ingredients, no complicated steps—just a down-home, stick-to-your-ribs meal perfect for busy weeknights or Sunday suppers.

📖 Recipe

Hamburger Steaks with Onion Gravy

4.75 from 216 votes

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These hamburger steaks are straight outta a mid-century supper club fantasy—pan-seared, gravy-drenched, and covered in onion gravy. Toss on your best apron, crank up the hi-fi, and serve supper like you’ve got Betty Crocker on speed dial.

Course Main Dish - Beef

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings:6

Calories:369

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

Hamburger Steaks

• ▢ 2 pounds lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
• ▢ ⅓ cup milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons garlic powder

Onion Gravy

• ▢ 1 onion, sliced
• ▢ ¼ cup butter
• ▢ ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups beef broth

Instructions

Hamburger Steaks

• Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well to combine. Mixing with your hands works best here.
• Form mixture into 6 patties.
• Spray a heavy skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Brown each patty on a medium high heat setting for 3 mins per side.
• Remove from the pan and set aside.

Onion Gravy

• Add the onions to the same pan. Add a little extra oil if necessary.
• Sauté until onions start to brown
• Add butter and let it melt.
• Once the butter melts, whisk in the flour until it’s no longer visible.
• Cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute.
• Whisk in the beef broth until no flour lumps remain.
• Bring to a simmer, whisking until thickened.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Add the beef patties back into the gravy.
• Set heat to medium-low, cover, and allow it to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until patties are 160 in the center.
• Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5-10 minutes.
• Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Notes

Storage:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheat in a skillet over medium heat until warm or in the microwave for one to two minutes at a time.

Tips:

• If your burger steak mixture is a little bit too wet, add in some more bread crumbs until it has a consistency that you're happy with.
• Make the steaks a little bigger than you want them to be - they'll shrink during cooking.
• The internal temperature should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit when you take them off the heat.
• I used plain breadcrumbs but you can also use seasoned if that is what you have on hand.
• Remember when you are browning your patties, that the goal is just to get them brown on both sides, you are not cooking them all the way through.
• If you want to make this dish ahead of time, brown your patties but wait until you are ready to serve before making the gravy.

 

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1056mg | Potassium: 752mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

This is a great recipe to make for freezer meals. Spend an hour or so making a large number of the patties and then refrigerate or freeze them.

🧾 Ingredients and variations

• Instead of topping this easy hamburger steak recipe with onion gravy, you can also top it with garlic butter that has a dash of soy sauce in it.
• If you want a bit of crunch in your burger steak, try adding some chopped up bacon to the mixture.
• Have some cube steaks that need to be cooked? Use them instead of the hamburger meat in this recipe.

🔪 Instructions

1. Mix the beef patty ingredients.
2. Form into 6 patties about the side of your hand.
3. Sear in a hot skillet.
4. Flip and sear the other side then remove from the pan.

1. Add the onions to the skillet and saute until they begin to brown. Add the butter.
2. When the butter is melted stir in the flour and whisk for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in the beef stock and simmer until it thickens.
4. Add the patties back to the gravy, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

📚 Related recipes

• If you want a simple comfort food recipe that only requires 10 minutes of prep, then look no further than this easy Salisbury Steak recipe.
• Chicken Fried Steak is a family favorite recipe that is full of southern comfort food flavor.
• Keep a batch of this easy Italian beef in the freezer for quick and easy sandwiches.

Y'all, there's a special place in my heart for Cracker Barrel recipes like this and their luscious buttermilk pie - not so much standing in line waiting on a table.

Their recipes are so similar to the comfort foods I grew up on that sometimes I just have to indulge. I hope you enjoy this one!