How To Slim Down Your Hamburger

It’s National Hamburger Month! Do you want you to indulge in that juicy grilled burger but dread the calorie hit? We have some healthy tips to help you slim down that burger without sacrificing taste. Even the bun gets a makeover in our EatSmart version.

5 Ways to Slim Down Your Burger:

Ditch the standard bun

The typical burger bun has 256 calories and most of those are empty calories. You could ditch the bun but that’s not fun. Slash calories in half with a whole-wheat English muffin, with an added bonus that you get 2 grams of fiber with that!

Choose 90% lean beef or make it a 4 ouncer

A typical hamburger patty is 6 ounces, and high in calories and saturated fat. Choose 90% lean beef and keep your burger to 4 ounces to save yourself 230 calories and 6 grams of fat! Use your EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale to measure out your burger sizes.

Spice it up

Lean meat benefits from a little extra spice to give it flavor. Sure you can use garlic and steak seasonings but ginger and curry powders can be a tasty change of pace. Avoid using salt prior to cooking as it draws moisture out of your burger.

Sneak in veggies

Want to cut even more calories and add in moisture? Shred up zucchini or spinach and add that into your meat before you make your patties. Both have a mild flavor and blend in with the beef. They also add moisture to help prevent the burger from drying out.

Go with healthy toppings

Make over your toppings by skipping the cheese, mayonnaise and bacon. Grill up portabella mushrooms or onions and peppers for a hit of smoky flavor. Salsa makes a nice topper and who could resist a slice of creamy avocado? You won’t even need ketchup with all that taste! Absolutely craving cheese? Use a slice of part-skim mozzarella or a reduced fat Swiss cheese for a lot of flavor without a lot of extra calories and fat. PRO TIP: Need a little something to bind your burger together? Try using oat bran, which will also give you a dose of heart healthy fiber. Keep your burgers extra juicy by not poking them too often while they’re on the grill. This makes the juices run out. Flip once mid-way through cooking and remove when they’re ready.

To grill a ½” thick burger to medium this generally takes 11 – 13 minutes.

Use an EatSmart Food Thermometer such as our Precision Elite Thermocouple Food Thermometer to ensure your meat’s cooked to perfection.

What are your favorite tips for cutting down the calories in your burger? Tweet us at @EatSmartScales.