Homemade Brat Burgers feature homemade brat patties made with ground pork and everyday spices. They're a dead ringer for the real thing!
Found my new go-to, summer favorite, ON REPEAT EVERY WEEK recipe – Homemade Brat Burgers with Gluten-Free Beer-Braised Caramelized Onions!
Homemade bratwurst patties made from pork and spices are topped with luscious, beer-braised caramelized onions (read below for my thoughts on GF beer,) to create the most craveable dish that has ever come from my grill. There, I said it.
This clean recipe is not only gluten and dairy-free, but seriously quick and easy.
After grilling these burgers up for the first time I thought they could use a hint of beer and onion flavor, which you traditionally boil brats in before grilling. Enter beer-braised caramelized onions. OH YES!
Were talking seared onions simmered in gluten-free beer until golden brown, sticky-sweet, and perfectly caramelized. I don’t normally acknowledge a world in which brats aren’t buried under a blanket of tangy mustard, but these burgers topped with beer-braised caramelized onions slay the traditional combo.
Aside from the taste, there’s something deeply satisfying about making something at home that’s traditionally thought of as something you can only buy at the store. The homemade bratwurst patties tastes just like my favorite store-bought brats but only contain pork and spices. No preservatives (besides salt,) no sugar, no additives – just real food.
Start by getting the beer-braised caramelized onions going. Add 1 jumbo sliced sweet onion to 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then saute until the onions are golden brown, 10 minutes.
Next add 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce, salt, and a 12oz bottle of gluten-free beer.
NOTE: If you have Celiac Disease I DO NOT recommend drinking or using “gluten-removed” or “gluten-reduced” beers like Omission, Glutiny, etc. I used to drink gluten-removed beers back when I was first diagnosed with CD and 100% know it was one of the reasons I was staying sick vs getting well. They aren’t consistently low enough in gluten ppm for people with CD or a serious gluten intolerance to safely drink. Instead, use a beer that’s brewed with gluten-free grains like rice, sorghum, etc.
If you aren’t gluten-free, you can just use your favorite beer!
Turn the heat down to medium then simmer until the onions are tender and the beer is nearly absorbed, 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix up the brat burger patties. That’s just 1lb ground pork mixed with 3/4 teaspoon each ground sage, dry mustard, and salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon each dried rosemary, paprika, white pepper, and nutmeg. SO EASY!!!!
Form the mixture into four patties – they’ll be a little soft, but that’s ok – then spray the tops with nonstick spray and grill for 4-5 minutes per side. FYI, the way to get great grill marks is to heat your grill over high heat then turn it down to medium just before adding the patties!
Place the patties onto buns then top with a mountain of beer-braised caramelized onions, and dig in!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 3/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed between your fingers
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 jumbo sweet onion
- 2 teaspoons gluten free worcestershire sauce
- 12 oz gluten free beer
- 4 gluten free buns
Directions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions then saute until evenly caramelized, 10 minutes. Add beer, worcestershire sauce, and a little salt then bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium then simmer until onions are tender and beer has nearly been absorbed, 10-15 minutes. Taste then add salt if necessary and set aside.
- While the onions are simmering, preheat grill on high heat for at least 10 minutes (I like to let my grill get to 400-450 degrees.) Combine pork and spices - sage through nutmeg - then form mixture into 4 patties - patties will be soft, but that's ok. Turn grill down to medium heat then spray tops of patties with nonstick spray. Place patties sprayed-side down on the grill then cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Briefly grill buns to soften and toast then place brat burgers onto buns and top with beer-braised caramelized onions before serving.
Notes
- The fat content in ground pork can vary wildly, so don't be surprised if your burgers shrink up a bit.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Congrats on #2! Our oldest is the same age and Lincoln and our youngest just turned 7 months. One thing that either no one told me or I didn’t listen to was, 2 kids = 4x the work. I love the chaos, but man, was I caught off guard by that! :) Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and your time with Lincoln as an only child. I definitely appreciated my second pregnancy much more.
Wow!!! Just catching up reading and what wondeful news! I feel like I have been reading your posts forever and really watched you grow up, although you have always been super grown up to me!
Congrats to you! Love the pic of your mom with all her kids!
Xoxo
Okay, for starters, I stinking love brat burgers. Aaaaaand I totally cannot stop staring at those caramelized onions. I honestly think I could eat them by the bowl-full! This burger looks incredible!
I basically did – they are sooo good! :)
Hey!! Just read somewhere that you can make some amazing caramelized onions in the crockpot! Just saying!! I’m gonna be trying it out. Love your blog!
I totally saw you and your mom and Lincoln at Farmer’s Market and I was too starstruck to say hello. I grabbed my husband’s arm and was like, “OMG THERE SHE IS.” And he thought I was crazy and then we were carried along in the crush of people. But I totally waved at you in my mind. ;)
Oh my gosh, you totally should have said hi!! Next time (if we can reach each other that is – praying for less people next time!!)
Yum!! Can’t think of a better recipe to kick off grilling season!
What brand of gf graham crackers did you try? I bought a box that were terrible- cant remember the brand.
They’re called “S’moreables” – almost double the thickness of regular graham crackers so they’re actually not that great for s’mores, but I really liked the flavor!
Hi there- Where do you have luck finding ground pork without “stuff” in it?
Good question – I usually buy mine from the Whole Foods meat counter, but have been wanting to check out the packaged ground pork at Trader Joe’s too.
These look delicious, Kristen! I can’t wait to make them for my family! The caramelized onions sound like the perfect complement to the pork.
What kind of gluten free hamburger buns do you use? I would love to fix my daughter a hamburger on a bun instead of just on a bed of lettuce all the time. Thank you and keep up the fabulous work! You are a God send with your wonderful recipes.
You are too kind, Dana! I have tried several brands of GF buns and Canyon Bakehouse has the softest/least crumbly. I find them at Super Target in the bakery, or in the special diets freezer section at the regular grocery store! :)
this is perfect timing! I took out a package of brat meat that was extra from our butcher (so not in casings) and wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with it tonight. Burgers with caramelized onions it is! :)
Marshmallows can have gluten??? Now I’m freaking out because I thought they were always GF. What brand has gluten in them? Those burgers look amazing!!!!!!
Sorry I should have been very specific! Marshmallows are inherently gluten free (just gelatin, sugar, and water,) but we had a bag of Kraft marshmallows and they only label the package GF when they can guarantee production lines and ingredient sources are not contaminated. So I should have said, the brand of mallows we had on hand wasn’t guaranteed GF!
Phew!!! I didn’t know that about Kraft. I don’t check labels every time for products I buy all the time (I always check for new products. Guess I need to up my game!
Look at those pictures! I love the way that garden looks. And those burgers, for sure!