I Tried 8 Frozen Burgers and The Best Was Juicy and Flavor-Packed

Living in the northeast, it's freezing this time of year, but that doesn't stop the barbecue cravings. Even if you're not really in the mood to stand at the grill during a blizzard, there are plenty of ways to cook frozen burgers to feed the barbecue craving anytime of the year. I tried 8 different kinds of frozen burgers from a variety of brands to see which one held up as the best. Here's what we found out, and I ranked them from my least favorite to my #1 best.

Philly Gourmet Pure Beef Patties (3 oz)

There are a few options on this list from Philly Gourmet, including the 3 ounce beef patties. They recommend cooking the burgers from frozen in a skillet or you can oven broil them, which is what I did. You just preheat the broiler and cook for six minutes on each side until the burgers reached the proper temperature.

The Look:6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The burger was fairly small already when it went into the oven, but it really cooked down and shrunk. It looks more like a breakfast sausage patty than an actual burger. I had high hopes because when I popped the oven open, it collected a lot of juice under the broiler, but after taking it out and noticing how small it was, it just didn't really hold up to the expectation. It also had an odd smell to it.

The Taste:

Honestly, I couldn't even swallow this. Following the instructions, the burger (although appearing juicy right out of the oven) was incredibly dry, spongy, and had a weird smell and taste to it that made me not even want to swallow the bite I took. Plus, it was so tiny. I wouldn't buy these again, especially for the price.

Price Point:

Cost of item: $9.99

Cost per serving: About $1

Heritage Angus Burgers

These 100% Angus beef burgers from Heritage held up nicely in terms of size in the oven. To cook them, you can either cook them in the skillet, broil them in the oven, or char them on the grill. Since it's winter here in New York, and it would've taken a while to heat up the grill, I went with a preheated broiler for 4 minutes before putting the burgers on a rack and broiling them for six minutes on each side until they're up to temp.

The Look:

They look decent at first glance. They crisped up nicely under the broiler and looked quite juicy. Let's give it a try to see how it stands up to the others, particularly some of the other Angus beef options.

The Taste:

I actually really did not like this one. Although it looked promising, it had an odd kind of taste and texture that was unpleasant. That confuses me because the ingredients are just 100% beef. I'm starting to wonder if maybe just the frozen element is what's giving some of these burgers the weird taste, but then others down the line taste delicious. I wouldn't buy these again.

Price Point:

Cost of item: $15.19

Cost per serving: About $2.53

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Bradshaw Ranch Thick Juicy Beef Patties

When I took these burgers out of the package, the quarter pound beef patties were quite large. The burgers can be cooked on an outdoor grill, in a frying pan, or under the broiler. I went for the broiler and cooked the frozen patties in a preheated broiler for 9 minutes until they reach the right temperature.

The Look:

When they came out of the oven, I noticed they shrunk to about half their size. Some is to be expected, but still, there are other options on the market that didn't do that. It has an unusual smell to it that has the gaminess that lamb usually has, and it feels squishy, and spongy. To be honest, I don't have high hopes for this.

The Taste:

It has a bit of a crunch from the outer edges that crisped up a bit which was nice, but the flavor just isn't there. They're also extremely small and would barely take up the bun, leaving a lot of empty space. These were just ok, I wouldn't get them again.

Price Point:

Cost of item: $11.89

Cost per serving: About $1.49

Ball Park Flame Grilled Beef Patties

These grilled beef patties are a fully cooked option that can be ready even in the microwave if you're looking for something in a pinch. There's a few different ways to prep these other than the microwave, including the skillet, the grill, or the oven. You preheat the oven to 350°F, place the frozen patty on a pan and bake for 12-15 minutes until the internal temperature is good.

The Look:

The burger came out of the oven, looking flat and really not that great. That said, it has a pleasant smell to it, for once, it's not that gamey kind of smell that I keep mentioning for some of the other burgers, so I'm excited to give it a try.

The Taste:

Absolutely not, for lack of a better way to put it. This tastes quite awful and has a lot of extra ingredients on the ingredients list that in my opinion, don't need to be there when you look at other options on the market that just say 100% beef. I guess if you're in a pinch and want something that you can cook in the microwave, this could be fine with toppings on a bun with mayo and ketchup, but I personally think there are better options out there.

Price Point:

Cost of item: $8.75

Cost per serving: About $1.46

Philly Gourmet Pure Beef Patties

After my first experience with Philly Gourmet, I'm not exactly pumped to try another version, but let's see if this one is different in any way. The Philly Gourmet 100% pure beef ¼ pound patties are a decent size, a little small with width wise, but pretty thick. These can be cooked a few different ways, including in the skillet under the broiler or on a charcoal grill. I chose the broiler where you preheat the broiler for 4 minutes. Place the frozen burgers on a broiler rack or pan and then broil for 6 minutes on each side until they're up to temp.

The Look:

As mentioned briefly above, they're on the smaller side, but are thicker than some other options out there. It smells pretty good and I like that it's thicker meaning it won't dry out, so fast when you're trying to get it up to temp like some of the other frozen burgers often do.

The Taste:

The taste is pretty good. Much better than the other option from Philly Gourmet. For some reason, these are quite different. They have a decent texture, a little bit of a bounce, but pretty good, and the flavor is there. These would be really good in a pinch if you're looking to have burgers on standby in the freezer.

Price Point:

Cost of item: $10.99

Cost per serving: About $1.37

Bubba Original Beef Burgers

The original Bubba Burgers use 100% USDA choice beef chuck for 1/3 pound beef burgers. They have 25 g of protein, no artificial ingredients, additives, or  preservatives. They recommend cooking theirs in a medium skillet that's been preheated, or the grill, and just let it be until you see the juices on top without pressing it or flipping it too often, until they reach the proper temperature.

The Look:

This is a good size and got a nice char on the outside of the burger. They cook up nice, even from frozen, which isn't always the case. they might have a bit of an unfair advantage because there was no broiler option, which is how I cooked the majority of the other burgers. Now let's give it a taste!

The Taste:

You'll see as the list progresses, I gave the Angus burger a higher rating because it was definitely better, but this is a top contender, as well. Again, it doesn't have that unusual taste or smell that some of the other frozen burgers have. It has a nice flame broiled taste, and is great in a pinch. I would definitely get these again, but they're still nowhere near as good as the Angus Bubba burgers.

Price Point:

Cost of item: $13.97

Cost per serving: About $2.33

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Holten Meats Restaurant Quality Beef Patties

The restaurant quality beef patties from Holten Meats can be cooked a few different ways. You can cook it on the outdoor grill, under the broiler, in a frying pan, or in the microwave. I like the ingredients list here because instead of just beef, there's a few extra spices. I opted to cook it under the broiler for the sake of consistency. I placed the frozen patty under a preheated broiler for 8 minutes until it reached the proper temperature.

The Look:

This one kind of fell apart a little bit and appeared pretty soft when I went to flip it. It doesn't smell like much, just a subtle flame broiled scent. It shrunk down in size and is quite thin, just barely big enough to cover the bun, so you may need two patties to make it substantial.

The Taste:

Honestly, this is one of the best ones flavor wise, which I'm slightly surprised about because I haven't heard much about this brand. It definitely has a fast food burger taste, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's great that it can be cooked in the microwave, so if you're looking for something in a pinch that is still tasty, this can be ready fast for those days where you come home aggressively hungry.

Price Point:

Cost of item: $8.09

Cost per serving: About $1.35

Bubba Angus Beef Burgers

These 100% Angus beef chuck burgers from Bubba are a third of a pound beef burgers and pack 26 g of protein. They're all beef with no artificial ingredients, additives, or preservatives. To cook, they recommend a medium setting on the skillet and leaving it be until you start to see the juices on top. Avoid pressing it down or flipping it too much, just make sure it reaches the right temperature before eating.

The Look:

I took the patty out of the package to pan fry in my cast-iron skillet. Right away I noticed that the Angus beef one is slightly more pale in color than the original Bubba burgers. Out of all of the frozen burgers, the Bubba Burgers definitely look the best.

The Taste:

It has a nice char, good coloring, and great flavor. I overcooked it a smidge, but even still, it doesn't have that weird gamey flavor that some of the other ones have for some reason. It tastes flame broiled, and is actually really delicious. I would definitely get this one again, 100%!

Price Point:

Cost of item: $14.89

Cost per serving: About $2.48

Some of the frozen burger options out there were incredibly disappointing, but there were a few that left me surprised in a good way. By far, my personal favorite is the Angus beef burgers from Bubba Burgers!

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