Mustard Free Basil-Pesto Beef Burgers
Burgers this good make it easy to forget you're skipping the bun — and the condiment aisle entirely. The real star here is a vibrant, from-scratch basil pesto made with tiger nuts instead of the usual pine nuts, blended with fresh garlic, lemon juice, and good olive oil until it's silky with just a little texture. That pesto gets spooned generously over each patty right before serving, so every bite is herby, bright, and rich all at once. The beef is seasoned simply with salt and a touch of ground ginger, then seared in coconut oil until deeply browned and juicy — no fillers, no sauces, nothing that could sneak in hidden mustard. Butter lettuce wraps everything up in a cool, crisp package that honestly makes a bun feel unnecessary. For anyone navigating store-bought condiments and pre-seasoned patties with suspicion, cooking this from scratch means you control every single ingredient on the plate. It's a weeknight dinner that feels like a treat.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup tiger nuts, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
For the burgers
- 1 ½ lb ground beef (80/20)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
For serving
- 8 large butter lettuce leaves
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Make the pesto: combine the basil, tiger nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse 8–10 times until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream and process until the pesto is mostly smooth with a little texture remaining. Add the lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt, pulse once more to combine, then taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- 2
Divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions (about 6 oz each). Gently form each into a patty roughly 3/4 inch thick, pressing a shallow dimple into the center of each with your thumb. Season both sides evenly with the 1/2 tsp salt and ground ginger.
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