This breakfast burger is based on my YouTube video for Burgers du petit-déjeuner, with a few adjustments since publication to make the proportions clearer and easier to reproduce at home. In the video, I make three versions. This one focuses only on the scrambled egg burger, with beef, merguez, cheddar, bacon, soft onions, a quick mustard-Sriracha mayo and toasted brioche buns.

A breakfast burger is a hearty burger built with morning-style ingredients like eggs, bacon and cheese. This version is different because the patty is made with beef and fresh merguez sausage meat, which gives it more seasoning and a deeper, slightly spicy flavor. I make it when I want something generous for brunch, a weekend breakfast, or a year-round comfort food meal that feels like a diner burger with a French touch.

Why I make it this way

I make it this way because the merguez does a lot of the seasoning work. Instead of loading the meat with spices, I prefer to mix ground beef with a smaller amount of fresh merguez. The beef keeps the burger juicy and familiar, while the merguez brings salt, garlic, paprika, chili and fat.

Easy Breakfast Burger with Scrambled Eggs, Bacon and Cheddar

The mistake to avoid is making the patties too thick. A breakfast burger already has bacon, eggs, cheese, sauce and onions. If the patty is huge, the burger becomes hard to eat and the center may not cook evenly. I prefer a medium patty that browns well in the pan and still fits properly in the bun.

What I look for here is balance. The bacon should be crisp, the eggs should stay soft, the onions should be golden and sweet, and the sauce needs a little acidity so the whole burger does not feel too heavy. That is why I add a touch of lemon juice or vinegar to the mayo-style sauce.

This recipe is richer than a simple homemade hamburger with brioche buns and softer than a classic double smash burger. It is also different from my homemade Mc Bacon burger because the egg is the main breakfast element here, not only the bacon and sauce.

Ingredients you need

For the patties, use ground beef and fresh merguez sausage. Fresh merguez is important. You want the raw sausage meat, not dry-cured sausage. Remove the casing and use only the meat inside. If you like that spicy sausage flavor in other recipes too, my merguez lamb burger and merguez pasta follow the same idea of using merguez as a flavor base.

For the sauce, I use a quick hand-blender mayonnaise with egg, mustard, Sriracha, oil and a little lemon juice or vinegar. It is close to a burger mayo, but hotter and sharper. If you do not want to use raw egg, make a safer shortcut with store-bought mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Sriracha and lemon juice. For another sauce option, a spoonful of Big Mac-style burger sauce also works well with this kind of burger.

For the eggs, I use scrambled eggs, not a fried egg. The texture is softer and easier to bite through. It gives the burger that real breakfast feeling. For a more classic egg technique, you can also look at my soft French omelette or my smoked meat omelette, but here the eggs should be looser and more tender.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Make the quick mustard-Sriracha sauce

In a tall measuring cup, add the egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice or vinegar, Sriracha, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Place the hand blender at the bottom of the cup, add the oil, then blend without moving for the first few seconds. Once the bottom turns thick and pale, slowly lift the blender to emulsify the rest.

At this point, it should look like a loose mayonnaise. Taste it. It should be creamy, slightly sharp from the mustard, and warm from the Sriracha. Keep it refrigerated until serving. Use a very fresh egg or pasteurized egg, and keep the sauce cold.

If you want something quicker, mix regular mayonnaise with mustard, Sriracha and a few drops of lemon juice. A simple 2-minute garlic mayo is another good shortcut if you want less heat.

2. Cook the onions slowly

Slice the onions thinly. If you want cleaner slices, my guide on how to cut an onion is useful for keeping the pieces even.

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, then add the onions. Let them soften first, then lower the heat. Stir often enough so they do not catch too hard on the bottom. After 15 to 20 minutes, they should be soft, golden and lightly caramelized.

You know they are ready when they collapse into a small pile and smell sweet, not sharp. They do not need to be dark brown like long-cooked French onion soup onions. For this burger, soft golden onions are enough.

3. Mix and shape the patties

Place the ground beef in a bowl. Add the merguez meat and black pepper. Do not add much salt, because the sausage, bacon, cheddar and sauce already bring salt.

Mix by hand until the meat looks even. Do not knead it like bread dough. The mixture should hold together but still feel a little loose. Divide into 4 patties, about 5 to 6 oz each. Flatten them slightly wider than the buns because they shrink during cooking.

I prefer this size because it gives a generous burger without becoming a monster. If you want a more bacon-forward burger, the bacon half-and-half burger goes in a different direction, with bacon built more directly into the meat.

4. Cook the bacon

Place the bacon in a cold or medium-hot pan and cook until crisp. Turn it as needed. The sound will change from a soft sizzle to a sharper crackle when the moisture has cooked off.

Remove the bacon and keep a thin layer of the bacon fat in the pan. Do not leave a deep puddle. A little gives flavor. Too much makes the buns greasy.

5. Cook the patties and melt the cheddar

Heat the pan until hot. Add the patties and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. The outside should be browned and the inside should be cooked through.

Because the patties include sausage meat, I do not treat them like rare beef burgers. Cook them properly. If you use a thermometer, follow a safe doneness guide like this internal cooking temperature chart.

Add cheddar during the last minute, then cover the pan so the cheese melts. The cheese should soften and bend over the meat, not sit stiff on top.

6. Make the scrambled eggs

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add chopped chives, a small pinch of salt and black pepper. Beat just until combined.

Cook them in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat with a little butter or a spoonful of reserved bacon fat. Stir gently with a spatula. The eggs should form soft folds. Take them off the heat while they still look slightly glossy, because they keep cooking from their own heat.

The mistake to avoid is cooking them until dry. Dry scrambled eggs fall apart and make the burger feel heavy. Soft eggs hold the burger together better.

7. Toast the brioche buns

Split the buns and toast them cut side down in the pan. Use only a thin film of bacon fat or butter. Press lightly so the bread makes contact with the pan.

The cut side should become golden with a little crisp edge. That toasted surface helps protect the bun from the sauce and eggs.

8. Assemble the burger

Spread sauce on the bottom bun. Add the beef-merguez patty with melted cheddar. Add bacon, scrambled eggs and the soft onions. Add a little more sauce if you want, then close with the top bun.

Cutting it in half is optional, but it does show the layers nicely. The center should look juicy, cheesy and soft, with the eggs still tender.

Substitutions

Use regular breakfast sausage instead of merguez if you want a milder burger. The flavor will be less spicy, so add a little paprika, garlic powder or chili flakes to the meat.

Use Swiss, Monterey Jack or American cheese instead of cheddar. Cheddar gives a sharper taste, while American cheese melts more like a diner burger.

Use store-bought mayonnaise instead of making the sauce with raw egg. Mix 1/2 cup mayo with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 to 2 teaspoons Sriracha and 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar.

Use fried eggs instead of scrambled eggs if you prefer a runny yolk. This changes the texture and makes the burger messier, but it works.

Use turkey bacon or omit the bacon if needed. The burger will still be hearty because the patty, eggs and cheese already bring protein and richness.

What to serve with it

For a diner-style plate, serve these burgers with crispy McDonald’s-style fries or crispy homemade French fries. If you want something more bistro, authentic Belgian fries also make sense.

For a crunchy side, crispy homemade onion rings are a strong match. They bring sweetness and crunch beside the soft eggs and melted cheese.

For sauces on the table, keep it simple with easy homemade ketchup, Cajun mayo or a cool homemade ranch dressing.

For more burger ideas, see my collection of homemade burger recipes and my bacon recipes for breakfast, burgers and comfort food.

FAQ

Can I make the patties ahead of time?

Yes. Shape the patties, cover them and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Keep them cold until cooking. Do not leave raw sausage meat at room temperature.

Can I freeze the patties?

Yes, but freeze them before cooking. Place parchment paper between the patties and wrap them well. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.

Why are my burgers too salty?

The most common reason is adding salt to the meat before tasting how salty the merguez is. Merguez, bacon, cheddar and sauce are already salty, so season lightly.

Can I skip the homemade sauce?

Yes. Use regular mayonnaise mixed with mustard and hot sauce. The important part is to keep a little acidity in the sauce, with lemon juice or vinegar.

How do I keep the scrambled eggs soft?

Cook them gently and stop early. When the eggs still look a little glossy, remove them from the heat. If they look completely dry in the pan, they will be overcooked by the time the burger is assembled.

Is this a healthy breakfast?

It is a hearty comfort food breakfast, rich in protein from the beef, sausage, eggs, bacon and cheese. It is not a light breakfast, but it is satisfying and works well as a weekend brunch or full meal.

Easy Breakfast Burger with Scrambled Eggs, Bacon and Cheddar

This breakfast burger is based on my YouTube video for Burgers du petit-déjeuner, with a few adjustments since publication to make the proportions clearer and easier to reproduce at home. In the video, I make three versions. This one focuses only on the scrambled egg burger, with beef, merguez, cheddar, bacon, soft onions, a quick mustard-Sriracha mayo and toasted brioche buns.

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Prep Time 25

Cooking Time 25

Category Main Dish

Cuisine American, French Canadian

Portions 4 burgers

Calories 780 kcal

Ingredients

For the patties
14 oz ground beef
7 oz fresh merguez sausage meat casings removed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt only if needed
For the sauce
1 very fresh or pasteurized egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons Sriracha
3/4 cup neutral oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
For the burger assembly
4 brioche burger buns
8 slices bacon
4 slices cheddar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 large onions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons salted butter
Extra butter or bacon fat for toasting the buns

Instructions

Make the sauce. In a tall cup, combine the egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice or vinegar, Sriracha, salt, pepper and oil. Blend with a hand blender until thick and creamy. Refrigerate.
Cook the onions. Melt the butter in a pan, add the sliced onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until soft, golden and lightly caramelized.
Prepare the patties. Mix the ground beef, merguez meat and black pepper. Do not overwork the meat. Shape into 4 patties.
Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and reserve. Keep a thin layer of bacon fat in the pan.
Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Add cheddar during the last minute and cover to melt.
Scramble the eggs with chives, salt and pepper. Cook gently over medium-low heat until soft and slightly glossy.
Toast the brioche buns cut side down in a little bacon fat or butter until golden.
Assemble with sauce, the cheddar-topped patty, bacon, scrambled eggs and caramelized onions. Serve hot.

Video

Notes

FAQ