6 Bubba Burger Flavors, Ranked

Burgers are surprisingly easy to make at home, which is why we have so many incredible burger recipes for you to try out. But let's be honest: Even if they may be easy to make, you may not always want to go through the hassle of making the patties from scratch. You have to prep the meat, season it, and form the patties, all before you even start cooking. This is why pre-made patties can be such a convenient choice. They're already all prepped and seasoned, so you can just throw them on your grill or into a pan or air fryer and cook them up until they're nice and juicy on the inside with just the right amount of crispy crust.

Bubba Burger is one of the most common pre-made frozen burger brands you'll see at the grocery store, so I decided to taste-test my way through six of the brand's flavors. I then ranked each flavor, starting with the worst and ending up with the tastiest of the whole lineup. By taking a closer look at this ranking, you can better determine which of these frozen burgers you want to try next, whether you're someone who likes a simple smash burger or you're looking for a patty with a bit more pizzazz. These are Bubba Burger flavors, ranked.

Just because you're craving a burger doesn't mean you necessarily want a sandwich that's too heavy or intense. But all too often, beef burgers can be especially greasy, with a heftiness that doesn't always hit the spot. When you're on the hunt for something a bit lighter and perhaps healthier-feeling, you may be inclined to pick up a package of Turkey Bubba Burgers. This product offers a leaner take on a traditional burger and nixes the beef for versatile turkey. Unfortunately, though, as much as I generally like frozen turkey burgers, I just can't get down with this specific product.

The problem? After cooking this burger, it came out unbelievably dry. Now, I'm not naive when it comes to turkey — I know that this is a kind of meat that's generally not super juicy. But still, I don't want to eat a burger that has basically no moisture to it at all. This patty was so dry that it was bordering on rubbery. To make matters worse, it didn't even impress when it came to flavor, either. The blandness in this burger means it's versatile, sure, but you're really going to have to pack on the burger toppings if you want to taste much of anything at all. Even if I were looking for a lighter burger option, I wouldn't pick up these patties again.

Often, the original version of a product is the best of the entire lineup. When it comes to Bubba Burgers, though, that's not the case. While the Original Bubba Burger isn't terrible, it's definitely not my favorite option on this list. Yes, it's juicy and thick, and the meat tastes like it's decent quality. But the thing that this burger is missing is flavor. You get some of that beefy, meaty flavor, of course, but it's hard to appreciate because this burger is completely lacking salt. If you ask me, you can have the best-quality meat in the world, but if you don't add any salt to the mix, it's still not going to taste good.

That's what I've experienced with this burger. While you can always add some salt to the exterior of the burger while it cooks, this doesn't give you the same well-integrated saltiness that a burger should have. And that's not to mention all of the other spices the company could've added to its original burger to make it more flavorful — the possibilities were endless, and Bubba Burger didn't take advantage of the opportunity.

I'm sure this quality is appealing to some, like those who can't have much salt in their diets or who want complete control over their burgers. But for the rest of us, that lack of saltiness makes this a significantly less pleasant burger than it could be.

There are few things I love in this world more than a good smash burger. Not only do the flavors of smash burgers somehow seem to be more concentrated than those thick chunks of beef, but you also get an interesting textural quality with those beautiful lacy edges that you'll often find on smash burgers. Unfortunately, you're not going to get exactly the same experience when it comes to Smashed Original Bubba Burgers, since you're not actually smashing the patty yourself, and you don't have the thinner edges and slightly thicker interior.

While these patties don't make the ultimate frozen smash burger, I still think they're a solid option in the Bubba Burger lineup. They're thin enough that they cook really quickly, which is ideal when you're in a rush. And although they're incredibly thin, they're perfect for stacking on top of each other if you're looking for that delicious layered texture. Plus, in the air fryer, I also noticed that the edges of the burger crisped up nicely, even if you won't get that same lacy texture expected from a homemade smash burger.

Where this burger falls short is flavor. Like its standard counterpart, this burger is missing the saltiness and seasoning I want in a burger. However, because the patty is so thin, it's easy to sprinkle on some salt and have it permeate through most of the patty.

When we ranked frozen chicken patties from worst to best, Chicken Bubba Burgers actually came in the very last spot on the list because the chicken burgers didn't pack quite as much flavor as the other options on this list. But compared to Bubba Burger's other offerings, I think that this chicken selection belongs in the top half of this ranking. Although it's definitely not as good as the best-ranked beef options listed here, I found this burger to be a lot more flavorful than the turkey variety, which is a total win if you're looking for a lighter option — I'd choose Bubba Burger's chicken over its turkey any day.

Partially, this is because the chicken option is quite juicy compared to the turkey. Although it's not the juiciest burger I've ever tried, it has enough moisture to keep my mouth from feeling dry when I eat it. Then, this burger selection takes the lead over two of the beef patties in this lineup thus far because it actually contains a bit more salt, offering a much more flavorful bite. Even though I think Bubba Burger could've done more to make this patty even tastier, the simple presentation with enough salt is a great base onto which you can build a better burger.

Now, I've complained a lot about the lack of flavor in Bubba Burgers generally, so it only makes sense that some of the better-ranked options on this list would pack a bit more flavor. Luckily, that's just what you're getting when you're choosing Sweet Onion Bubba Burgers. Are they still lacking in salt? Absolutely. But because of that inclusion of sweet onions, I tasted a much more interesting flavor profile here. First comes the burst of a nice, somewhat complex savoriness that immediately takes your taste buds by surprise. Upon that first bite, you can tell this isn't an average burger. On the back end, I picked up on some of that subtle sweetness as well.

Would that sweetness have been more delicious with some saltiness in the mix? Absolutely. The mixture of both sweet and salty flavors would elevate the entire patty. But again, it's not necessarily a bad thing for those who prefer more control over their salt intake. And the fact that this burger is so rich and juicy in addition to packing that extra flavor means that it totally earns its No. 2 spot in this ranking.

Craving a burger that tastes nearly indistinguishable from a fresh, homemade patty? Then the Angus Bubba Burger might just be your best bet. Honestly, I didn't really expect much from this selection because I didn't imagine that the meat quality would be so much better than the original version of the product. Now I have to admit that I was totally wrong. The use of Angus beef here really does make a huge difference, considering that this burger is significantly juicier than any of the others on this list. While all of the rest came out of the air fryer looking less than totally appetizing, this patty was glistening with fat — it almost looked like it was fresh off the grill. There was an almost buttery quality to it, with a more complex and well-integrated flavor in every bite.

Ultimately, I still have the same complaint about this product as I do about the vast majority of burgers on this list: It's just not salty enough, and adding salt to the outside of the patty can only fix that flaw so much. But if you're committed to buying frozen Bubba Burgers anyway, I think that this variety is definitely your best option.

I selected every Bubba Burger variety I could find from my nearest local grocery store. Because I don't have access to a grill, I air-fried all of these burgers. I tried each of the burgers alone, without a bun or added condiments, to get the clearest idea of what they all taste like completely unadorned.

I based this ranking on which burgers I thought tasted the best versus those I thought could use some improvement. The best-ranked varieties on this list pack a concentrated flavor and have a pleasant juiciness to them, while the worst-ranked ones don't deliver too much on the flavor front and have a dry, rubbery texture.