Homemade Hamburger Buns (Burger Buns)

Name: Homemade Hamburger Buns (Burger Buns)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: ½ cup warm water; 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast; 4 Tablespoons salted butter ((melted and cooled)); 1 ¼ cups whole milk ((room temperature)); 1 egg; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 Tablespoons butter ((melted)); 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds or coarse sea salt

By Laura

Posted May 12, 2021, Updated Feb 29, 2024

5 from 8 votes

13 Comments

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These homemade hamburger buns are buttery, soft and will take your burger nights to the next level. This burger buns recipe is easy to make in one hour and they are even better than store-bought!

up close photos of a Homemade Burger Bun cut in half

I’ve mentioned before that I always prefer homemade bread. Whether it’s no-knead bread, pretzel bread, french bread, or dinner rolls, homemade is always better than store-bought! These hamburger buns are no exception! They are buttery, soft and will take your burger recipe to the next level.

This burger buns recipe is easy to make in one hour and they are so delicious you will never buy store-bought hamburger buns again! With this homemade buns recipe you’ll never have to run out to the store if you forget to add buns to your cart!

front view of 4 Homemade Hamburger Buns (Burger Buns)

Burger Buns: Ingredients & Substitutions

Here are some notes about the ingredients in this homemade buns recipe, as well as possible substitutions.

ingredients in this Homemade Hamburger Bun recipe

Granulated sugar. The sugar causes the yeast to rise, so I don’t recommend leaving it out. You can use honey if desired.
Whole milk. Any percentage of milk works well (not fat free). My favorite is whole milk because it yields the best burger buns.
All-purpose flour. You can substitute up to 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour. However, as someone who usually makes this substitution as often as possible, I do not recommend it in this recipe. These hamburger buns are so delicious and are truly the best when made with a good all-purpose flour. You can use bread flour with great results too.
Salted butter. Unsalted butter works perfectly.

7 Homemade Hamburger Buns, one cut in half

How to Make Hamburger Buns

You can make these hamburger buns in a standing mixer or by hand. I’ll explain how to do both methods.

Begin by combining water, sugar and yeast either in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large bowl (to mix/knead by hand). Let stand for 5-10 minutes or until foamy.

two photos showing How to Make Homemade Hamburger Buns

Then, add the melted butter, milk and egg to the proofed yeast and gently stir to combine (with a spatula or the dough hook).

Ingredient Temperature

Be sure you completely cool the butter/milk mixture so you do not kill the yeast. That’s really the only “tricky’ part of this recipe! If any part of the recipe is too warm (over 105 degrees F), the yeast won’t proof and then the burger buns won’t rise!

Next, add 3 cups flour and sea salt and mix with the dough hook.

Then, add additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, and knead until dough forms a ball, is smooth, and slightly tacky to the touch. If mixing by hand use a spatula or wooden spoon.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with a damp towel, to rise until doubled (about 60 minutes).

After the dough has doubled, punch it down and weigh it, then divide by 12 and portion out the dough. If you don’t have a food scale you can simply eyeball it, but I always weigh my dough to portion it out to ensure even baking.

Next, form the equal pieces into flat, round discs of equal size (about 2-3” in diameter). Making them flat will ensure the hamburger buns aren’t too thick to bite in to.

Cover the formed rolls with a damp towel (don’t let the towel touch the rolls) and let rise again until doubled in size (30-60 minutes).

How to Make Homemade Hamburger Buns - buns rising on baking sheet

Bake & Serve

During the end of the rise, preheat oven to 375 degrees F, then bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Homemade Hamburger Buns on a baking sheet after baking

After removing the homemade buns from the oven, immediately brush the top of each bun with butter.

butter being brushed onto the top of a homemade hamburger bun

Then sprinkle with sesame seeds or sea salt.

front view of sesame seeds being sprinkled on Homemade Burger Buns

Serve

Slice these homemade buns in half and serve them with your favorite recipes. Obviously they are prefect for homemade hamburgers, but here are some more suggestions:

We love using them with this crockpot BBQ Chicken recipe.
Stuff these rolls with the best chicken salad or this avocado chicken salad.
You will love this egg salad served between one of these homemade buns.
These veggies burgers are perfect with these burger buns.
Use them to make a turkey cranberry sandwich – YUM!

6 Homemade Hamburger Buns on a baking sheet after baking topped with sesame seeds

Burger Buns Recipe FAQs

How do you store burger buns?

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container/bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

How do you freeze hamburger buns?

Let them cool, place them in a freezer-friendly plastic bag, and freeze for up to 1 month.

How do I make crisp buns?

If you want your buns a little crispy, you can use the oven, toaster, or grill. First, cut the bun in half, then do one of the following:
1. Place the bun halves facedown on a baking sheet. Warm in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.
2. Or place the halves in the toaster and toast to your desired crispiness.
3. Finally, put the bun halves face down on the grill for 30 – 60 seconds.

6 Homemade Hamburger Buns (Burger Buns), one cut in half

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