Homemade Juicy and Delicious Bison Burgers are the perfect way to satisfy your burger cravings. Its leaner, healthier, and more flavorful than ground beef! Packed with spicy habanero peppers and topped with caramelized onions, avocado, and blue cheese, this will be the best burger you’ll ever have! The added bonus is that it is less than 250 calories and has 22 grams of protein per serving!
In less than 20 minutes you can bring restaurant-quality burgers to your table without leaving your home! Bison is perfect if you are looking for a leaner, healthier, more flavorful burger that you can enjoy completely guilt-free!
Bison Burger Nutrition VS Beef
Across the board, bison is lower in calories and saturated fat than beef. It also has a higher nutrient profile, supplying high amounts of iron and vitamin b-12. Both bison and beef have similar protein contents: 23-25g protein per 4 ounces. However, buffalo are typically raised under much better conditions than cows, including having more grazing time as they are usually raised on ranches or farms. They are also more likely to be grass-fed and never given antibiotics or hormones.
In regard to antibiotics and hormones, it is always important to buy grass-fed AND finished meat whenever possible. I like to get my meat from buy Ranch Direct. It is a family-owned co-op ranch that provides high-quality grass-fed and finished meat. Their animals live in open pastures, are never giving antibiotics or hormones, and are never fed grains or corn! If you are looking for a great place to get Bison so that you can make these delicious burgers, try Buy Ranch Direct! They deliver meat straight to your door.
How to Cook Ground Bison on the Stove?
Bison is leaner than beef, which means that it cooks faster. It is best to not cook bison beyond medium or it will become dry and tough.
After forming burger patties with ground bison, you will simply cook the patties for 4-7 minutes on each side over medium heat. The less time it takes to cook, the more juicy and tender your burger will be. Four minutes is ideal for a medium finish and 7 minutes is great for medium-well to well done. (The same principle applies to grilling the Bison Burgers)
My trick for making sure these burgers come out juicy and flavorful every single time is to shape the ground meat into a patty and then make a small indentation with my thumb in the center of the patty. This will allow the moisture to accumulate in the grove while cooking and keep the burger juicy. (You can thank my boyfriend for the awesome tip! 🙂 He is the grill master in our home.)
What to use for Bison Burger Toppings:
- Caramelized Onions
- Avocado or Guacamole
- Avocado Crema
- Romaine Lettuce or Arugula (my favorite!)
- Tomato
- Cheese: Blue Cheese and Sharp Cheddar are great
- Roasted Red Peppers
Remember, bison is juicy, tender, and flavorful all on its own. You do not need lots of seasonings or toppings to enjoy this epic burger. Less is more when it comes to this tasty meat! Complete this meal with burger with Homemade Sweet Potato Fries!
Best Bison Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Bison
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and minced
- 3 Habanero Peppers, seeded and minced
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cumin (optional)
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder (Optional)
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
Stove-Top Cooking
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground bison, garlic, jalapeno peppers, habanero pepper, red pepper flakes, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. Form into burger patties.
- Over medium-high heat, add 1-2 tbsp oil to your cast iron or skillet. Once the skillet is hot, transfer the burgers to the skillet and cook for 4-7 minutes on each side. (4 minutes for medium burger- 7 minute for medium-well burger)
- Assemble your burger with lettuce, tomatoes, and whatever toppings you like. Enjoy!
Grill Instructions
- Preheat grill for high heat.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground bison, garlic, jalapeno peppers, habanero pepper, red pepper flakes, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. Form into burger patties.
- Lightly oil the grill grate. Place burgers on grill, and cook for 4-7 minutes per side.
- Assemble your burger with lettuce, tomatoes, and whatever toppings you like. Enjoy!
31 comments
I have a few pounds of bison in my freezer that I’m going to use for this. They do look absolutely juicy!
Thank you, Marta! I hope you enjoy!
My husband would LOVE these! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Desiree! Glad you like the recipe!
Having never tried bison before, this recipe was a great way to change that! These were the BEST burgers we’ve had to date! They were so juicy and full of flavor! I’m forever changed, thanks for sharing your recipe with my family.
Hi Tamara! I am so happy you and your family loved the burgers!!
Wow!! Looks bomb!! Trying these tomorrow night!!
Yess! Hope you like!
Whew!! With the added avocado and crema…sign me up! I have to make this!
This burger looks amazing!! I can’t wait to try it!!
I can imagine myself eating this bison burger on a regular and the addition of avocado and caramelized onions seals the deal for me. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This looks sinfully JUICY!!!!!
Holy smokes! This is the burger amongst all burgers. My family will love this and I have all ingredients on hand!
These burgers have so much flavor–thank you for sharing!
Hi Jazz! I’m So glad you like!
Looks great!! Do you have a recipe for the sweet potato fries?
Hi Ariana, I sure do! https://goodfoodbaddie.com/crispy-baked-sweet-potato-fries/
[…] Juicy Habanero Bison Burger […]
There are some inconsistencies in your recipe, in thr ingredients you don’t mention poblano peppers or cilantro but in your instructions you have them listed to add to the bison. Are those ingredients we should incorporate into the burgers?
Hi Jenna, thank you for pointing that out! The poblano pepper was a typo. As for the cilantro, add 2 tbsp.
These came out so good!
That’s great! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
[…] Habanero Bison Burger […]
This was VERY good. Pay attention to author and don’t overcook. With resting a bit of time, there was no raw center with 3 minutes per side.
I will never go back to beef for hamburgers again.
Hi Tammy! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for leaving a review!
These came out perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Made a batch and we’ve been topping salads, sandwiches and just snacking on them. SO GOOD.
Hi Jessica! That is exactly what I do! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This burger looks seriously delicious. My store carries bison so I am going to make this for our father’s day cookout. Great tips on how to cook the bison.
Sounds like a great plan! Enjoy!
I’ve been seeing bison more and more at my local grocer. I’m excited to try the recipe, it should be perfect for this upcoming holiday weekend bbq.
I have never tried a Bison Burger. My husband and I LOVE to try new burger recipes so this is one the list of Burgers to try!