A Hangover Burger is a big juicy hamburger, topped with crispy shredded hashbrowns, a fried egg, smokey bacon, and spicy pepper jack cheese and hangover burger sauce. It’s sure to help cure the pains of an overindulgent night before. Of course, there is no reason to “tie one on” just so you can enjoy one of these epic burgers!

A Hangover burger works for hangovers. So, the name feels well earned. But, don’t worry, not judging. Let’s just say this recipe comes in handy. You might have a friend you need to share it with. Or, perhaps that awesome cocktail party deserves a wonderful meal to bring back great memories of a successful soiree.

A Hangover Burger Hits The Spot

A hangover burger is the sort of big flavorful burger that fills you up and makes you feel much better after a bit of partying. There is some solid science behind this, trust me. Drinking causes hangovers because of the sugar converted to ethanol. The ethanol dehydrates you and that causes the bummer headache after all the fun of partying wears off.

With a hangover, you take advantage of several ingredients to help address those issues. First, the simple protein in the eggs helps offset the feeling. Next, the carbs of the hash browns provide some energy. Finally, the salty bacon will help you retain more water. That is important since the alcohol dehydrates you.

What is in a Hangover Burger?

A hangover burger in essence combines a big juicy burger with a nice breakfast spread. You top a cheeseburger with a fried egg, some hash browns, and some bacon strips. If you want, you can dress up a hangover burger even more with some avocado slices, or perhaps some leafy greens. Leafy greens are also great for hangovers by the way.

Hangover Breakfast Food Tips

Keep these things in mind about foods for hangovers.

Greasy foods are not necessarily easy on the stomach, so if you can use leaner beef for a hangover burger then it will be easier to digest.
Leafy greens, eggs, potatoes, and bacon do all help your body restore itself after a bit of booze leaves you feeling blah.
A hangover burger helps, but you should also drink a lot of water, too. Hangovers leave you dehydrated. Drink some water or anything with electrolytes, like coconut water or Gatorade.

Why Are Eggs Good For Hangovers?

Eggs make a particularly useful ingredient in fighting the dreaded hangover headache. Not only are they a simple protein, and easy on the stomach, but they also contain plenty of amino acids that perfectly counteract the negative chemistry effects of the alcohol. So, eggs truly serve to diminish the feeling of the hangover.

Are Hamburgers Good For Hangovers?

Truth be told, it is a common misconception that “greasy foods” offset hangovers. Actually, the greasiness of a juicy burger does not get rid of a hangover. In a hangover burger, the other ingredients really play that role. The burger part just makes it more fun to eat.

In all actuality, the fat in a burger helps prevent a hangover… But only if you eat the burger before you start drinking! In that case, the fats help slow the breakdown of the alcohol into the bloodstream. I am not saying to eat burgers so you can drink more. Well, we are all adults here, so you can take that advice whatever way you want, right?

Hangover Burger Craving

So Why Do I Crave A Burger For A Hangover? I think we tend to crave a burger for a hangover for a couple of reasons. One, someone in college told us after a raging keg party the night before that a burger is the best thing for a hangover. Second, the other things that go with burgers, like the salt in the cheese and or bacon, do actually help. Finally, a night of heavy drinking doesn’t always lead to any sort of formal logic the next day.

However, jump-starting an appetite when you aren’t necessarily feeling good does have real benefits regardless.

How Does A Hangover Burger Work?

The hangover burger works with a combination of ingredients to help that hangover feeling. The eggs contain cysteine, an amino acid that your body uses to produce the antioxidant glutathione. Drinking alcohol diminishes your glutathione, so the eggs help replace it, which helps you metabolize the harmful byproducts of the ethanol as it metabolizes.

Indeed, the carbs of the hash browns give you quick energy and feed your brain a few complex sugars. So, for the record, a good old “hair of the dog” the next morning feels good because of the sugar too, but the potatoes provide a healthier option to actually avoiding a hangover entirely.

Hangover “Cures”

Speaking of “hair of the dog,” another hangover cure I have always found to make me feel better is a good ‘ol fashioned Red Beer. Here in Nebraska, it is a common drink, but not everyone has heard of them. It has the same thought process as having a Bloody Mary the morning after a night of partying.

Two of my blogging buddies shared recipes that are sworn to “cure whatever ails you” from their Mexican heritage. Kathy says her Authentic Red (Rojo) Pozole is her cure-all! And Sandra agreed, saying her Nana’s Pozole, similar to Menudo, using pork instead of tripe, is her go-to cure.

Ingredients in a Hangover Burger

For the meat mixture you will need:

ground beef (80/20)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
fresh jalapeno
onion

For the hangover sauce, you’ll need:

ketchup
mayo
sriracha

For serving:

pepper jack cheese
shredded hash browns
thick bacon
eggs fried over easy
buttery toasted buns

How to make a Hangover Burger

First mix together your ground beef, jalapeño, onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper. You never want to overmix your meat. Just mix it until it’s all incorporated.

Next, make your patties. These are BIG burgers. 1/2 pound each, but they will shrink up when you cook them, so make them about ½ inch larger than the bun to accommodate for that.

Using the “dimpling effect” push the center of the burger down about 1/2” shallower than the edges, to keep it from puffing up in the middle, and it also helps to cook the middle at the same pace. Place the burgers in the fridge until you are ready to grill them.

Butter the insides of the buns and toast them in a skillet or on your grill.

Grilling the burgers. There are so many opinions about how to best grill a burger. To press or not to press? To flip multiple times or only once? Can you eat a burger with a pink center safely?

Having a good meat thermometer is key to knowing the temperature of the inside of your burger. I love my Thermapen Mk4. It’s the BEST meat thermometer I have ever owned. Thermoworks has a great article on their blog about Temperatures and Tips for Grilling Burgers.

Love it? Pin it!

Don’t forget where you found the recipe for this EPIC Hangover Burger Recipe! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

More Burger Ideas

If you are looking perhaps for a burger to enjoy with your cocktail, then I have a few recipes to suggest. Eating these burgers BEFORE the drinking starts will help you avoid a hangover too! But, please remember, above all things, drink responsibly! Because, we should all enjoy ourselves, but no one should risk health and happiness getting carried away!

This recipe is brought to you in honor of #BurgerMonth! Over the last few years, I have shared a new burger recipe in the month of May along with a big group of bloggers. It is organized and hosted by Kita of Girl Carnivore.

Let’s celebrate #BurgerMonth with this yummy Hangover Burger!

Hangover Burger plated with shredded hashbrowns

4.67 from 6 votes

Print Recipe

Hangover Burger

A Hangover Burger is a big juicy hamburger, topped with crispy shredded hashbrowns, a fried egg, smokey bacon, and spicy pepper jack cheese and hangover burger sauce. It’s sure to help cure the pains of an overindulgent night before. Of course, there is no reason to “tie one on” just so you can enjoy one of these epic burgers!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Beef

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Hangover breakfast, Hangover Burger, Hangover food, recipe

Servings:

Calories: 1480kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

Ingredients

For the burger:
2 pounds ground beef 80/20
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup jalapeno minced
¼ cup onion minced
Sauce:
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup mayo
1-2 Tablespoons Sriracha to taste
Toppings:
4 thick slices of pepper jack cheese
2 cups hash browns cooked crispy
8 slices thick bacon fried crispy
4 eggs fried over easy
4 buns Buttered and toasted on the inside.

Instructions

Combine the meat mixture, and divide into 4 equal-sized patties. These are big burgers, but they will shrink up, so make them about ½ inch larger than the bun to accommodate for that. Using the “dimpling effect” push the center of the burger down about 1/2” shallower than the edges, to keep it from puffing up in the middle, and it also helps to cook the middle at the same pace. Place the burgers in the fridge until you are ready to grill them.
Mix up sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Butter the insides of your buns. Cook hash browns and bacon to desired crispness. Set aside.
Set a gas grill at 450 degrees. Place the burgers on the hot grates and grill for about 3 minutes before flipping. Grill for a minute or two more, add cheese and pull burgers when the burger temperature reaches your desired temperature doneness.
Place the buns onto the grill over indirect heat to toast the insides. Fry your eggs.
Build your burgers and enjoy!

Notes

You can use whatever kind of cheese you like best on your burgers. If you want you can also add some avocado slices too.

These are BIG burgers! If you make them as they are here, make sure that you get a bun that will accomedate it! No wimpy burger buns for this one!

Nutrition

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