Looking for a Christmas burger recipe that takes the stress out of cooking this year? Then look no further! This super easy and delicious Christmas burger is the best and ultimate festive burger recipe this Christmas!

christmas burger

Christmas preparations

Are you all wrapped up in the preparations for Christmas? Did you order your Turkey, made your cranberry sauce and thought about dessert? I have to say that I am very late this year with all the Christmas stuff. Haven’t even decorated the house yet! That will be taken care of next week though. It’s just been busy and while I would normally decorate everything myself, this year Tom said he wanted to do it together. And that is sweet but it also means I have to wait until we both have a day free to do just that. And since he tends to work when I’m not and vice versa… you see the issue right?

The most laid back Christmas main

Now you might not consider a hamburger worthy of a Christmas dinner, but think about it: this baby is delicious, easy, has the perfect Christmas flavors and will save you lots of stress. Sounds to me like the perfect low-key Christmas dinner or if you prefer you can just enjoy it right now. This burger is made with ground beef burger patties, cooked chestnuts and ham inside. Top it with some delicious homemade mango chutney and you’re good to go for these festive burgers.

Christmas burger with chestnuts and mango chutney

While this burger is super easy to vary to your liking I made mine using chestnuts and mango chutney. I also made the burger patties myself but if you’re stressed for time you can opt to buy them at your favorite butcher. That would make it even easier but would also mean you will not have the chestnuts inside. But I’ll give some more options on this later.

Festive Christmas burger

​Mango chutney

I first start by making my favorite mango chutney to go on top of the Christmas burger. I used a combination of mango and pears for this and of course loads of spices. I first heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion until soft and translucent. Then all the spices go in and gently bake these until they become fragrant. Then add the pears and the sugar and about 100 ml of water. The pears need longer to cook so you add the mango only after the pears have softened. At that point you add the mango, salt and the red wine vinegar. Let it simmer until it thickens and keep in mind that it will thicken more once it cools. Also for a quicker solution you can of course go for a store bought mango chutney.

Making the burgers

While the mango chutney is simmering away you start by preparing your Christmas burger patties. I used a brioche bun for serving, but you can use whatever burger buns you like. Slice the cooked chestnuts into smaller pieces.

Take a large bowl and add the ground beef, chopped chestnuts, egg or egg yolk, bread crumbs, pepper and salt together and combine well. If it is too wet you add some extra breadcrumbs. If you want a bit of spice you can also add a sliced red chili pepper or chili powder. Mix the meat together and shape it into 4 patties. Bake them in a large skillet on medium heat until brown and cooked through.

​In the meantime also fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Leave to drain on kitchen paper.

Assembling your Christmas burgers

Once you have all the components ready it is time to make your Christmas burgers. I like to start first by adding a bit of sauce to the bottom buns. That can be plain mayonaise, cranberry ketchup or regular ketchup or whatever your favorite burger sauce. Top that with a bit of lettuce and place the burger, the streaky bacon and the mango chutney on top. And you’re burger is ready to go!

Super delicious and easy Christmas burger

​Additions and variations

Now I like to make these burgers with ground beef but you can also make turkey burgers by using turkey mince. Or chicken mince. You can also make the chicken or turkey mince easily yourself by chopping up turkey thighs or chicken thighs in a food processor until they have the right consistency. That will make it slightly lighter. You can also add a slice of cheese on top of the burger. Do that while it is baking and it will melt beautifully. I do like to use cheddar for that. 

You can add variations to the lettuce on the burger as well. I like it with red cabbage as well. Looks good on top of the burgers and makes it extra crunchy. You can also add some caramelized red onion on top too. Remember that these are special burgers and perfect for this time of year. I like to serve them with roast potatoes and a cranberry mayo. I make the cranberry mayonaise simply by adding some cranberry sauce to mayonaise and you’re done.

You can prepare the mango chutney a few days ahead of time which saves time during actual Christmas. I love the festive flavors of adding the chestnuts inside of the burgers but if you’re using ready made burgers it will still be delicious. You can even use some chestnuts inside of the mango chutney although I’ve not tested that myself.

Super delicious and easy Christmas burger

Christmas burger with chestnuts and mango chutney

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√Easy Christmas burger √Simple recipe √Quick to make √Festive variation with chestnuts √Stress free christmas √Mango chutney can be made in advance
Prep time 30 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Total time 45 minutes

4 burgers

Ingredients

  • 400 gr ground beef
  • 100 gr chestnuts
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp bread crumbs
  • pepper
  • salt
  • 4 Lettuce for serving
  • 4 hamburger buns

Chutney

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion in rings
  • 2 large ripe mango's in cubes
  • 2 large ripe pears in cubes
  • 1 tsp chil flakes
  • 2 cm ginger root grated or 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp each of cardamom, cumin, coriander and turmeric
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 200 gr moscovado sugar lightbrown
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 200 ml red wine vinegar

Chutney

  • Heat some oil in a large pan and add the onion until soft and translucent.
  • Add all the spices, the ginger and the chili flakes to the onion until it becomes fragrant. Add the pears and the sugar and about 100 ml water. Leave to cook until the pears have softened.
  • Add the mango, salt and red wine vinegar. Let it simmer until the desired thickness. Remember that it will thicken a bit when it cools. Keep the chutney in sterilized jars in a dark spot until you need it.

For the burger:

  • Score the chestnuts with a sharp knife on the round side. Cook for about 3 minutes, drain and peel when still warm. Also remove the brown fluff from the inside. Cut in small pieces.
  • Put the beef, the chopped chestnuts, egg, breadcrumbs, pepper, salt and ham together in a bowl and mix to combine well. If too wet add a bit extra breadcrumbs. Make 4 burgers of the mixture.
  • Heat the oil and fry the burgers on medium heat until brown and cooked through.
  • In the meantime fry the bacon brown and crispy. Leave to drain on paper towel.
  • For making the burgers start with a small layer of sauce (mayo or otherwise of your choice), top with the lettuce and place the burger on the lettuce. Top the burger with mango chutney and crumble the bacon over it. Serve with some extra chutney.

Notes

In the nutritional information the mango chutney is not taken into account as you do not use all of the mango chutney

Nutrition Information per portion

Calories: 636kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 550mg | Potassium: 1277mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2780IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 7mg

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @insimoneskitchen_ or tag #insimoneskitchen!

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Simone van den Berg

Food- and travel blogger from the Netherlands. Loves good food. Loves to taste good food the world over. She also loves to share travelstories, delicious recipes and ok, cat pictures too. She sometimes feels the need to get really healthy for a while, always mingled with periods of insanely delicious sweets and other decadent treats. Lives in the Netherlands with her two cats; Humphrey and Buffy. Profession: Food photographer, food blogger, recipe developer and nutritionist