The olive burger is a variation of the classic hamburger. Different states in the United States have adapted and created their take on the classic hamburger. Avocado burgers are popular in California, while Texas-style beef burgers (with barbeque sauce or hot sauce) are popular in Texas. Michigan also created a burger variety known as the Olive burger. Made with ground beef, white burger buns, mayonnaise, and pitted olives sauce, these burgers sure are delightful. Olive burgers are not served with any other toppings. You can also use Miracle Whip to make the olive sauce. You can also add olive brine to the olive sauce you make to make the flavor stronger. Sometimes olives are also added to the beef patty mixture. Today the olive burger is a culinary staple in Michigan. This salty burger is loved by many and is usually enjoyed as part of a traditional meal with loved ones.
Want to try making the olive burger at home? Check out these quick and easy olive burger recipes!
Classic Olive Burger
These delicious olive burgers require a total cook and prep time of 25minutes and make four servings. Each burger contains 425 calories.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – one pound
- Soy Sauce – two teaspoons
- Worcestershire sauce – two teaspoons
- Garlic powder – one-fourth teaspoon
- Onion powder – one-fourth teaspoon
- Butter – One tablespoon
- Green olives, sliced with pimientos – Half cup
- Miracle whip – One-fourth cup
- burger buns – four
- Feta Cheese, crumbled – one-fourth cup
- Lettuce leaves
Steps
- Place the beef in a large bowl. Put the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and onion powder on the beef and mix lightly.
- Don’t handle the beef too much, or the patties will become chewy.
- Once the beef is combined, form half-inch-thick patties. Make an indentation with your thumb slightly on the surface of the patty. This will prevent the patty from shrinking.
- To cook the patties, heat a non-stick skillet. Once heated, melt some butter in the pan. Cook the patties on medium-high heat on the stove until each side is well seared and browned. This will take four-to-six minutes on each side. Insert a meat thermometer in the patty and remove the patties when the temperature reads 160 degrees.
- To prepare the olive sauce, take a small bowl and combine diced olives, the miracle whip, and the mustard. Keep aside until ready to use.
- Toast your burger buns. You can use brioche buns or plain buns.
- Place the cooked beef patty on the base bun. Top with lettuce, olive sauce, and crumbled feta.
- Serve immediately.
- If you do not prefer Miracle Whip, you can also use mayonnaise.
- If you want a more olive-like taste, you can add half a cup of diced olives to your ground beef mixture before forming the patties.
Grilled Black Olive Burger
The grilled black olive burger is an exciting twist to the famous Michigan green olive burger. This burger contains oil-cured black olives, melted, rich swiss cheese, and a tangy burger patty. The recipe takes 90 minutes to prepare and makes two burgers.
Ingredients
- Fresh ground beef – 12 ounces. Use beef with a 20% fat content.
- Japanese black vinegar – two tablespoons
- Salt
- Pitted black olives, oil-cured – chopped roughly
- Mayonnaise – two tablespoons
- Smooth Swiss cheese – 4 slices
- Brioche Burger Buns
Steps
- Begin by forming the beef patties. Place the ground beef in a bowl and put it in the vinegar. Mix until just combined. Mixing too much will cause the patties to become tighter in texture, more like meatloaf. Form two patties. These patties should be wider than the diameter of your buns. Make an indentation on the top of each patty with your thumb. Season the patties with salt and place them in the refrigerator for thirty minutes or an hour.
- To make the burger sauce, take a small bowl and put the mayonnaise. Mix the roughly chopped olives with the mayo until combined. Put in fridge until ready to use.
- Prepare your outdoor grill. Ensure the cooking grate is in place and the grill is covered. Preheat for five minutes, then clean the oiling grate and oil it.
- Place the patties on the grill for about seven minutes, flipping them once. The patties should be well charred, and an instant meat thermometer should read 110 degrees F when inserted in the center.
- At this point, place two slices of cheese over each patty. Keep cooking until the thermometer reads 125 degrees F for medium-rare burgers and 135 degrees F for medium burgers.
- Transfer your burgers to a plate and let them cool for five minutes.
- Next, toast the buns in the oven until nice and warm. Spread the olive and mayonnaise mixture on both halves of the bun.
- Serve immediately.
- The beef and vinegar patty taste tangy and delicious. The vinegar does not overpower the beefiness of the patty yet adds to the overall taste.
- The oil-cured olives add a salty taste to the mayo making the burger stand out.
Simple Three-Ingredient Olive Sauce
Ingredients
- Green olives with pimientos – one jar
- Mayonnaise – one-fourth cup
- Black pepper – grounded – one-eighth teaspoon
Steps
- Drain the olives from the jar, rinse them and pat them dry.
- Place the olives in a food processor and pulse the machine a few times until the olives are chopped. You can also do this on a cutting board with a knife.
- Put the olives in a mixing bowl and add the mayonnaise and pepper. Mix until well combined
- Store the sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Wondering if you can use Miracle Whip for this recipe? Stick to mayonnaise. The creamy richness of the mayonnaise will balance out the sharp taste of the olives.
- Wondering which green olives to get? Get the Spanish Manzanilla olives, as they are perfect for this recipe.
Our Final Thoughts
Today the Olive burger is a local favorite in Michigan. Its popularity has spread throughout the country, with people outside of Michigan also routinely devouring the Olive burger. If you love to cook at home and are a burger enthusiast, try making the olive burger recipe discussed above. These recipes require a few key ingredients and make mouth-watering olive burgers your whole family can enjoy.
