Philly purists will tell you a cheesesteak belongs on a hoagie roll, and they can keep telling you while you eat this. Everything that makes the sandwich worth the trip, soft peppers and onions under melted provolone, piles onto a seasoned beef patty, and a swipe of roasted garlic aioli does the job Cheez Whiz does on the classic.
Roasting the garlic is the only slow part, about 40 minutes in a 400°F oven, and the aioli keeps 3 days in the fridge, so make it the night before. A thumbprint pressed into each patty keeps it flat on the grill, and the burgers come off at 165°F with the provolone melted under the lid.
Table of Contents
🔪 Ingredients for Philly Cheesesteak Burgers
- Garlic: a whole head, roasted for the aioli.
- Olive oil
- Mayonnaise: full fat; it’s the base of the aioli.
- Ground beef: a sirloin and ribeye grind if your butcher will do it; 80/20 chuck works too.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Steak seasoning: low sodium if you can find it, since the patties also get salt.
- Salt and pepper
- Onion
- Green bell pepper
- Provolone
- Red leaf lettuce
- Soft burger buns
Equipment
- Grill
- Cast iron skillet that can go on the grill
- Foil
- Small food processor
- Thermapen
📝 How to Make Philly Cheesesteak Burgers
- Make the aioli. Drizzle the garlic head with olive oil and a pinch of salt, wrap it in foil and roast at 400°F about 40 minutes, until the cloves are soft and golden. Cool, squeeze out the cloves, blend smooth, then stir in the mayonnaise and season.
- Shape the patties. Mix the beef with Worcestershire, steak seasoning, salt and pepper. Form 4 even patties, press a thumbprint into the center of each and chill 30 to 60 minutes, until firm.
- Cook the peppers and onions. Heat an oiled skillet on the grill and cook the onion and pepper rings 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and lightly browned. Set aside.
- Grill the burgers over medium-high heat, flipping once, until they read 165°F in the center. Top with provolone, close the lid and cook about 1 minute more, until the cheese melts.
- Toast the buns, then build: aioli, lettuce, burger, peppers and onions.
🔄 Substitutions
- American cheese for provolone; it melts faster and tastes milder.
- Cheese sauce for the aioli if you want it closer to a Whiz-style cheesesteak.
- Sauteed mushrooms with the peppers and onions; a common cheesesteak add.
- Hoagie or kaiser rolls for burger buns.
- A cast iron pan on the stove for the grill; same 165°F finish.
💡 Meat Nerd Tips
- Chill the patties. Cold, firm patties hold together on the grates and shrink less.
- The thumbprint matters. Burgers dome as they cook, and the dent keeps them flat enough to hold the toppings.
- Season the patty lightly. Steak seasoning carries a lot of salt, so taste a pinch before you add more.
🍽️ What to Serve with Philly Cheesesteak Burgers
- Duck fat fries, because a burger this loaded deserves the best fries on the site.
- A crisp vinegar slaw to cut the provolone and aioli.
- Kettle chips and dill pickle spears for an easy cookout plate.
- A chopped green salad if you want something lighter on the side.
🧊 Leftovers and Storage
- Refrigerate cooked patties and the peppers and onions separately up to 3 days.
- Aioli keeps up to 3 days, covered, in the fridge.
- Reheat patties covered in a 350°F oven about 10 minutes, until hot through; build on fresh toasted buns.
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Philly Cheesesteak Burger Recipe with Roasted Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
For the Roasted Garlic Aioli
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 cup real mayo
For the Philly Cheesesteak Burgers
- 1 lbs ground beef ground sirloin and well marbled rib eye if possible
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbs steak seasoning low-sodium if you can find it
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 onion sliced into rings
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and sliced into rings
- 4 provolone slices
- red leaf lettuce
- soft burger buns
Instructions
Make the rosted garlic aioli
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Chip the top bit off of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Don't worry about the skin.
- Place in an aluminum foil packet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Wrap the foil around the garlic and bake it for 40 minutes.
- Carefully remove the garlic from the oven and let it cool.
- When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic from the skin and pulse in a food processor.
- Add the mayo, and pulse until combined.
- Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make the burgers
- Mix the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Form into even patties with an indent from your thumb in the center.
- Place the patties in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
Cook the Burgers
- Preheat your grill for medium-high.
- Clean and oil the grill grates.
- Preheat a skillet on the grill and add a tablespoon of oil. Swirl to coat the pan.
- Add the onions and peppers and cook until they are softened 8 to 10 minutes.
- Carefully set the skillet aside.
- Place the burgers on the preheated grill and cook until done, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until they reach an internal temp of 165°F on a digital meat thermometer.
- Cover with cheese, close lid and let the cheese melt, a minute longer.
Serve
- Arrange the burgers on toasted buns with the garlic mayo, lettuce, peppers and onions. Serve warm and with napkins.
Notes
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Quick Summary
1 lb ground beef seasoned with Worcestershire and steak seasoning, shaped into 4 patties and chilled 30 to 60 minutes, grilled over medium-high to 165°F and topped with provolone, peppers and onions softened in a skillet on the grill, and roasted garlic aioli. Serves 4. Prep 10 min, cook 1 hr including garlic roasting, plus chilling.
❓ FAQs
Provolone, the way this recipe is written. American and cheese sauce are both common on cheesesteaks too, so use whichever you grew up with.
165°F in the center for ground beef. A Thermapen in the side of the patty is the fastest way to check.
Yes. It keeps up to 3 days covered in the fridge, which makes burger night a lot faster.
I’m making this burger tonight. I’m from philly and I love those flavors to.
cheeseburger smothered in queso. perfection.
This burger looks AMAZING!! I haven’t made too many burgers, but I guess my epic burger so far would be one I added some amaretto to the meat and then stuffed it with havarti cheese. I can’t wait to make this one as well!
It involves a burger, guacamole, jalapenos and salsa. Spicy!
Green chile cheeseburgers…hands down, my favorite thang!
I’ve never had a burger for breakfast…but it is early and this is salivating!
Do you think roasted garlic aioli would be good for my skin? Because I want to shove my face in this burger.
My epic burger is one stuffed with pepper jack and jalapenos!
Absolutely phenomenal work, as always Kita. You’ve really outdone yourself with this one.