We Tasted 6 Frozen Burgers — These 3 Are Worth Grilling
A beloved grocery brand took two of the top spots.
Let’s get this out of the way: Nothing beats the juiciness and flavor of a homemade burger. But if you’re cooking for a crowd or short on time, a reliable frozen option is great to have on hand.
Frozen burgers can be tricky — too often they’re overly salty or turn rubbery on the grill. Still, a handful of options are tasty enough to deserve a spot in your freezer. To determine the best picks for end-of-summer grilling, game days, and beyond, we tasted six burger patties head-to-head.
Burger selection
There are many kinds of burgers in the freezer aisle, primarily categorized by type of meat. For this taste test, we focused only on ground beef, since it’s the most common choice for burgers. We excluded other proteins such as turkey and chicken, as well as veggie patties and plant-based alternatives like Impossible Foods.
How we tested
To keep things fair and avoid any charcoal vs. gas grill variables (and bias), we cooked every burger according to the package’s instructions for cooking in a skillet. We used a lightly oiled cast-iron skillet to give each patty an even crust and consistent browning, and seasoned them with kosher salt and black pepper. Between rounds, we wiped down the skillet to prevent flavor carryover.
All but one brand instructed to cook the patties directly from frozen. Omaha Steaks recommended thawing its patties in the fridge before cooking, but also noted they could be cooked from frozen with an adjusted cooking time. We decided to cook this patty directly from frozen to keep the methodology consistent. We also cooked all burgers to the USDA’s recommended temperature of 160°F.
Six F&W editors participated in a masked taste test. We served the burger patties plain — without buns, toppings, or condiments — in a randomized order.
We established a few criteria for our test: We wanted the patties to have a noticeable beefy flavor with hints of umami and not too much salt. While we all know toppings and condiments elevate a burger, we decided the patty itself should be flavorful enough to stand on its own.
For texture, we looked for a uniform sear and a tender interior that wasn’t overly crumbly. While no frozen patty will ever be as moist and juicy as one made from scratch, we sought options that retained enough moisture without drying out.
For every category, the editors gave a score between one and five, and the scores were averaged to determine the top-ranked burgers. Here are the three patties that could hold their own at a barbecue or tailgate.
Best overall: Kirkland Signature 100% Grass-Fed Beef Patties
Many of Costco’s private-label items are cult favorites among the warehouse’s loyal band of shoppers, from signature cheese pizzas to frozen fish sticks. Even some of its wine labels have a following. Now, you can add frozen burgers to that list.
These patties (80% lean, 20% fat) delivered the most even browning and developed crisp, craggy edges reminiscent of a smash burger. While they didn’t quite compare to a freshly ground patty, their robust meaty flavor, moderate juiciness, and tender texture made them the clear standout among the frozen options we tried. We’d happily toss them on the grill for classic cheeseburgers at our next barbecue.
Best texture: Omaha Steaks Burgers
Texture was a huge problem for many of our contenders, with many being rubbery or cardboard-like. But this option from a fifth-generation, family-owned business was a clear exception. These 80/20 patties start with aged beef that the company says is double-ground, which helps to redistribute the fat evenly throughout to give them a more delicate texture. They were also fairly juicy. “This actually tastes like a homemade burger,” said one editor. If you don’t plan to keep the patties whole for burgers, they would be great finely chopped for anything from sloppy joes to shepherd’s pie.
Honorable mention: Kirkland Signature Wagyu Ground Beef Patties
Though its sibling product earned our best-overall honors, we were also impressed by these patties made from Wagyu beef, a group of Japanese breeds that are known for their marbling and tenderness. They delivered a solid, savory beef flavor that was slightly more buttery than Kirkland’s grass-fed beef option. Though the patties were a bit crumbly, this is still a worthwhile option to keep in the freezer.
The full list of contenders, ranked from highest to lowest
- Kirkland Signature 100% Grass-Fed Beef Patties
- Omaha Steaks Burgers
- Kirkland Signature Wagyu Ground Beef Patties
- Original Bubba Burgers
- Miami Beef 100% Pure Beef Patties
- Philly Gourmet 100% Pure Beef Patties
