The Fan-Favorite Aldi Smash Burger Patties Are The Ultimate Fast Food Dupe

Smash burgers are all the rage these days, and we have plenty of scratch recipes and tips for crafting the best one at home. Many of the biggest mistakes made with smash burgers happen when making and forming the patties. So you can save yourself those mistakes and cut costs with the help of Aldi Cattlemen's Ranch frozen smash burgers that have received rave reviews on social media and Reddit forums alike.

Made with 100% all-natural beef, the Cattlemen's Ranch Smashed Burgers come in ¼-pound rounds with eight frozen patties to a package. They're a seasonal offering that debuted in April, and customers on Reddit are reporting that "they're already in short supply." The same Reddit thread swears the patties taste just like McDonald's burgers and offers up an easy recipe featuring "Aldi smash burger patties (2 of them) and their brioche burger bun. Cut up finely chopped white onions, dill pickle slices, ketchup, mustard, and 2 American cheese slices. Tastes just like the McD double cheeseburger."

A viral TikTok video transforms Aldi's Cattlemen's Ranch smash burgers into a more classic smash burger by frying up two patties seasoned with garlic and onion powder in a skillet, layering them with caramelized onion, bacon, and slices of cheese on a classic toasted burger bun. Another TikTok account keeps it simple with browned onions, cheese, and pickles. But the consensus on these Aldi smash burger patties is a 10 out of 10, no matter the toppings and garnishes.

Since Cattleman's Ranch smashed burgers are made with unseasoned beef, many of the same tips we provide for scratch-made smash burgers apply, starting with the seasoning. A healthy sprinkling of coarse salt and pepper applied right before frying the patties will create a really nice textured crust for even crispier edges. We recommend using a cast-iron skillet to fry the burgers because cast iron keeps a steady temperature that'll make for evenly cooked burgers every time.

Smash burgers are thin, so their flavor and texture are more liable to get lost if you pile on toppings or sandwich them between a giant hamburger bun. It's perfectly fine, if not desirable, for the patties to stick out around the perimeter of the bun. While the Reddit account recommended a brioche bun, customers on Facebook's Aldi Aisle of Shame Community suggested pretzel buns, both of which you can buy at Aldi. Caramelized onions are a favorite smashburger topping, but pickles are a great way to bring crunch and tanginess to cut through the richness of cheese and meat. American cheese is the type of cheese many smashburger joints use on their burgers, but you could upgrade it to a sharp cheddar; Aldi has a great cheese selection to explore.  Finally, no smash burger is complete without a special sauce, which we provide in this recipe.