The A&W Teen burger is a true work of art. Crispy, juicy beef topped with melty cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. In this post, I'll show you how to make my copycat A&W Teen burger recipe with all the fixings, including A&W Teen sauce and A&W seasoning salt.
Can't get enough of A&W? Try my Buddy Burger Recipe and A&W Onion Rings Recipe next!
Ask anyone in Canada about their favorite fast-food burger, and they'll say the Teen burger at A&W. If they don't - they're lying - Or they work for Mcdonald's.
The Teen burger is the most delicious fast-food burger ever made. Period. This is my copycat recipe, and I believe it tastes even better than the original.
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🍔 Dissecting the burger
The beauty of replicating your favorite burgers at home is that it's REALLY easy. Burgers are already deconstructed. Just lift off each ingredient, and you basically have the recipe.
So I bought a Teen burger, and this is each ingredient from bottom to top:
- Bottom bun
- Yellow mustard
- Ketchup
- Dill Pickles
- Onions
- Beef Patty
- A&W seasoning salt
- Cheddar cheese
- Bacon
- Tomato
- Iceberg lettuce
- Mayonnaise
- Top bun
Yes, there is no magical Teen sauce - it's just mustard, ketchup, and mayo. The A&W burger ingredients are all basic and available at any major grocery store. Having said that, it's important to buy the right ingredients to deliver the best copycat Teen burger recipe.
🥩 The burger patty
The A&W Teen Burger is a classic smash burger, which means that the patty is smashed onto a hot griddle or skillet to create a crispy, caramelized exterior and juicy interior.
For my recipe, I use plain ground beef. It offers the most crumbly texture and crisps up nicely using a smash burger press.
💭 Tip
Ensure you use ground beef with at least 20% fat content (usually labeled as "Regular ground beef" in grocery stores). Avoid lean or extra-lean ground beef as they do not have enough fat content and end up tasting dry.
🍞 The buns
So many burger buns are available at grocery stores, so it can be hard to pick the right one. A&W burger buns are soft, fluffy, and wide enough to support all the toppings inside them. They're also sprinkled with sesame seeds.
After many sandwich attempts, I've discovered Dempster's white hamburger buns to be the closest match. I buy them in bulk at Costco for less than $6 for 18 buns.
🍳 The sauce
Unlike Mozza burgers, there is no secret sauce. A&W Teen sauce is just individual layers of mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. It's simple, but it's delicious!
For ketchup and mustard, use a popular brand like Heinz. Do not use dijon mustard; use a classic bright yellow mustard.
For mayonnaise, use a western mayo like Hellmann's, Miracle Whip, or Kraft. Do not use Japanese mayo like Kewpie.
💭 Tip
For the sauces, use a 2:1:2 ratio of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
🧂 The seasoning
My recipe only uses salt and black pepper for the A&W burger seasoning. In my opinion, it needs nothing else! What makes my A&W Teen burger recipe so delicious is the ratio of condiments and contrasting textures from the various ingredients, not the seasoning.
I've served my copycat recipe to many different groups, and most of them agree it tastes the same or better than A&W. But, if you really want A&W seasoning salt, I've added a quick recipe in the recipe card and instructions below.
But I recommend starting with just black pepper and salt - you'll be amazed at how much flavor they add!
🥓 The bacon
Along with the beef patty and iceberg lettuce, bacon provides a layer of crunchiness to my copycat recipe.
Teen burgers contain one slice of crispy bacon cut in half. I like my bacon EXTRA crispy, so I cook my bacon for at least 10 minutes on a nonstick pan until all the fat is rendered out.
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: To make the burger seasoning, combine paprika, black pepper, salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground cayenne pepper in a small bowl and mix. This is totally optional; you can just use salt and pepper to season the burgers
STEP 2: Prepare vegetable toppings:
- Slice the dill pickles into ⅛-inch slices and transfer to a small bowl.
- Cut onions into 1/16-inch dice and transfer to a small bowl.
- Wash and tear your iceberg lettuce into burger-sized pieces. The best parts of the lettuce are the white and light-green sections near the base of each leaf. They offer a terrific crunch.
- Slice tomatoes into ⅛-inch rounds. Beefsteak tomatoes are the best for sandwiches and burgers.
STEP 3: Place bacon in a single layer on a large nonstick pan. Cook them for 10 minutes on medium heat, flipping every 1 minute, until they're crispy and their fat has mostly rendered out. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
STEP 4: Divide ground beef into 4 balls (about ½ cup or 175g each). They should be about the size of a tennis ball. Set aside.
STEP 5: Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it's smoking. Place a beef ball in the center of the pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top and press down with a burger press to form a patty about ¾-inch thick.
Let the burger cook for 2-3 minutes undisturbed. During this time, the bottom will get browned and crispy.
STEP 6: After 2-3 minutes, flip the patty and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Ensure the center of the patty reaches 165°F (74°C) to kill off any harmful bacteria.
STEP 7: Season the patties with A&W seasoning or salt and black pepper, place a slice of cheddar cheese on top, and add two pieces of crispy bacon.
STEP 8: Toast 4 hamburger buns in a toaster or toaster oven.
For the bottom bun: Spread 1 ½ teaspoons of yellow mustard. Then, spread 1 tablespoon of ketchup. Finally, add two slices of dill pickles and 2 teaspoons of minced onions.
For the top bun: Spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Then, add 2-3 pieces of iceberg lettuce and 1 slice of tomato.
You should end up with three components that comprise the whole burger. Place the patty on the bottom bun, and then place the top bun on top. Repeat with the remaining burgers, and enjoy!
💭 Top Tips
- Use Dempster's hamburger buns. A lot of people underestimate how important it is. It's the closest copycat to A&W.
- Texture, texture, texture! Make sure your cast iron or grill is smoking hot to develop a crispy crust. Use iceberg lettuce over other varieties. Cook your bacon for longer than usual to render out all the fat to give it a shattering crunch.
- Ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Thats it! Use a 2-1-2 ratio for the best results.
👨🏻🍳 Variations
Making my copycat A&W Teen burger recipe at home is easy with the right ingredients and techniques. Did you know making the other A&W family members is just as easy?
- A&W Mama burger - remove the cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes from the Teen burger, and you're left with a Mama burger.
- A&W Papa burger - Add an extra patty to the Mama burger, and you have a Papa burger.
- A&W Grandpa burger - Add an extra patty to the Papa burger, and you have a Grandpa burger.
📖 Recipe FAQs
To make A&W burger seasoning, combine 2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper in a small bowl and mix.
Ensure your pan is hot enough, and do not try to flip the patty for at least 2 minutes. When meat is first placed on hot metal, the proteins form a chemical bond with the metal, which causes it to stick. After a few minutes, the outside of the meat reaches a temperature high enough to break the chemical bonds and release the food from the pan.
🍽 Looking for more Copycat recipes?
📋 Recipe
A&W Teen Burger (Copycat)
Equipment
- 1 Smash burger press or a flat spatula
- 1 Cast-iron pan
Ingredients
- 4 Dempster's white hamburger buns
- 700 g ground beef
Toppings
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 4 slices bacon (sliced in half cross-wise)
- ½ onion (minced)
- ½ head iceberg lettuce
- 1 beefsteak tomato (sliced into ⅛-inch slices)
- dill pickles (sliced into ⅛-inch slices)
Condiments
- ketchup
- yellow mustard
- mayonnaise
A&W burger seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
A&W Burger Seasoning
- Combine all A&W burger seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and mix. Or, you can just use salt and pepper to season the burgers.
Bacon
- Place bacon in a single layer on a large nonstick pan. Cook them for 10 minutes on medium heat, flipping every 1 minute, until they're crispy and their fat has mostly rendered out. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Patties
- Divide ground beef into 4 balls (about ½ cup or 175g each).
- Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until smoking. Place one beef ball in the center of the pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top and press down with a burger press to form a patty about ¾-inch thick. Let the burger cook for 2-3 minutes undisturbed.
- Flip the burger and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Ensure the center of the burger reaches 165°F (74°C) to kill off any harmful bacteria. Repeat with the remaining patties.
Assembling
- Toast 4 hamburger buns in a toaster or oven.
- Season the patties with A&W seasoning or salt and black pepper. For each patty, place a slice of cheddar cheese on top, and add two pieces of crispy bacon.
- For the bottom bun:Spread 1 ½ teaspoons of yellow mustard. Then, spread 1 tablespoon of ketchup. Add two slices of dill pickles and 2 teaspoons of minced onions.
- For the top bun:Spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Then, add 2-3 pieces of iceberg lettuce and 1 slice of tomato.
- Place the burger patty on the bottom bun, and then place the top bun on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use Dempster's hamburger buns. A lot of people underestimate how important it is. It's the closest copycat to A&W.
- Use yellow mustard; not dijon.
- Use a western brand of mayonnaise such as Hellman's, Kraft, or Miracle Whip.
- Use a 2-1-2 ratio of ketchup, mustard, and mayo for the best results.
STEVE VANDERVEEN
that's funny but so true. They are the best. not cheap. I'm gonna try and replicate some this afternoon.