These marinaded burgers use a simple mix of soy sauce, cider vinegar, and ketchup to make my ground beef patties the juiciest they can be. Whether you’re grilling your burgers or making them on a cast iron skillet, the gluten-free marinade has the perfect combination of tangy, salty and sweet that you’ll find in most steak sauces, but homemade with a few gluten-free condiments.

A hand holds up a gluten-free cheeseburger with lettuce and a toasted bun; a plate with lettuce and a jar of ketchup with a spoon are blurred in the background.

When I graduated college, the dishes my friends and I would make regularly for each other were the type that could easily be scaled up to feed 50 people at once. I shared some of these iconic recipes in my first cookbook, In the Small Kitchen, and there are a few that I still turn to again and again, even when my guest list is only four people.

My friend Adam pioneered the best hamburger marinade that was the star of every one of our jointly hosted barbecues. While he could have easily gotten dozens of pre-portioned patties from Costco like most frat-boys-turned-upwardly-mobile-young-professionals, Adam would hand mix a dozen pounds of ground beef with his signature combination of Peter Luger’s steak sauce, teriyaki sauce, and Worchestershire sauce.

The burger patty marinade turned out insanely flavorful burgers every time—the juices dribbling down to our elbows. I have been on a mission to add a version to my gluten-free beef recipes.

A bottle of apple cider vinegar, a squeeze bottle of oil, gluten-free ketchup, a package of ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder arranged on a white surface.

Since I became gluten-free, I started experimenting with replicating his easy hamburger marinade without the “compound” name brand condiments. I finally perfected it with just a few key ingredients: soy sauce (I used gluten-free tamari), cider vinegar, maple syrup, ketchup, onion powder and garlic powder.

The best hamburger marinade: step by step

A clear glass bowl containing a mixture of dark soy sauce, ketchup, white powdered seasoning, and other gluten-free sauce ingredients on a white surface.
Whisk together the gluten-free soy sauce, vinegar, and ketchup.
Raw ground beef sits in a clear glass bowl with a dark, gluten-free marinade, perfect for pairing with almond flour sides on a white marble surface.
Mix the meat with the marinade without overly breaking it apart.
Ground meat mixed with seasonings is shaped like a heart inside a clear glass bowl, placed on a white surface—perfect for creating gluten-free dishes using fresh ingredients.
Set aside for 10 minutes to let it absorb the seasonings.
Three raw hamburger patties placed on a white plate, viewed from above on a light-colored surface—perfect for pairing with a gluten-free side or complementing an almond flour-based dish.
Form into four equal patties the size of your palm.
Three cooked, gluten-free beef burger patties on a white plate; two are plain and one is topped with melted cheese. The plate is set on a white surface.
Grill or sear the burgers in a cast iron skillet.
An open-faced, gluten-free hamburger on a plate with a beef patty and lettuce, next to the top bun spread with ketchup and mayonnaise. Another assembled burger is in the background on a separate plate.
Serve with the toppings of your choice!

It has that balance of sweet, tangy and salty that male up the best hamburger marinades, but with pantry ingredients that can easily be throw together from scratch. It’s a similar combination that I use for my gluten-free marinade for steak, which replaces the storebought options.

The second thing to note about these marinated hamburgers is that, in an ode to Adam’s original “man burgers,” they are generously portioned into thick patties (a little over a 1/3 pound per person). It’s a similar ration that I use for my ground lamb burger patties.

Three cooked burger patties, one topped with melted cheese, are on a white plate. Nearby are a gluten-free bun with lettuce, a bowl of mayo, and a dish of ketchup with a spoon.
Two plates with hamburgers: one assembled and one open-faced. The open burger sits on a gluten-free bun with a beef patty, lettuce, mayonnaise, and ketchup. Nearby are a bowl of mayonnaise, ketchup jar, and fresh lettuce on a white surface.

I’ve cooked these marinated burgers every which way, so feel free to grill them or sear them in a heavy bottomed skillet on the stovetop.

One thing to note: even if I wasn’t gluten-free, I wouldn’t dilute my ground beef with any filler like breadcrumbs. However, if you’re worried about the meat holding together (they are large hamburger patties!), you can add an egg to the mix.

Open cheeseburger with lettuce and melted cheese on the patty, served on a gluten-free bun, with the top bun spread with mayonnaise and ketchup, placed on a round plate on a white surface.
A gluten-free cheeseburger with lettuce, a slice of cheese, and ketchup in a brioche bun sits on a plate, with extra lettuce and a bowl of ketchup in the background.
A hand holds a gluten-free hamburger with lettuce, a beef patty, melted cheese, sauce, and a brioche bun above a plate. Nearby are loose lettuce leaves and a bowl of mayonnaise with a spoon.

Finally, you can add sliced cheddar to the patties during the last minute of cooking, regardless of grilling or searing, to make these into marinated cheeseburgers!

If ground beef isn’t your thing, this easy burger marinade would also taste great with ground chicken or turkey (though you should definitely add the egg in these cases since the meat isn’t as fatty!).

Read on for this easy marinated burger recipe.

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

A hand holding a cheeseburger with lettuce, melted cheese, mayonnaise, and a shiny bun. In the background, there is a plate with lettuce and a jar of ketchup with a spoon next to a gluten-free blueberry cobbler.
A hand holds up a gluten-free cheeseburger with lettuce and a toasted bun; a plate with lettuce and a jar of ketchup with a spoon are blurred in the background.

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The Best Marinated Ground Beef Hamburgers

These marinaded burgers use a simple mix of soy sauce, cider vinegar, and ketchup to make my ground beef patties the juiciest they can be. Whether you’re grilling your burgers or making them on a cast iron skillet, the gluten-free marinade has the perfect combination of tangy, salty and sweet that you’ll find in most steak sauces, but homemade with a few gluten-free condiments.

If you’re going to grill the burgers, you might want to add 1 egg to the batter to help the meat hold together better.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose
Keyword dairy-free, grilled, marinade, Sauce, skillet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Servings 4
Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 4 slices white cheddar optional
  • 4 hamburger buns gluten-free, if needed

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well and add the meat to the bowl. See note about addions. With clean hands, incorporate the liquids into the meat trying not to overly break up the beef. Set aside for 10 minutes for the meat to marinate at room temperature.
  • Form the ground beef into four burger patties the size of your palm, a little over 1/3 pound per person.
  • Cook the burgers on a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat or using an indoor or outdoor grill for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.
  • During the last minute of cooking, add the cheese and briefly toast the buns. If using a skillet, place a lid over the pan to encourage the cheese to melt. If using a grill, place the cover on top.
  • Top the burgers with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, mayo—whatever your toppings of choice are!