20 Burgers That Will Have Kids Begging For a Barbecue

Flickr user Daniel Carlbom

Patty-cake, patty-cake! We're not talking about sweet cakes here, but rather the juicy patties that come fresh off the grill onto a waiting bun. With barbecue season well underway and a holiday weekend at hand that's ripe with opportunities for grilling up some patties, we turned to some of our favorite kiddie chefs for their takes on the ever-popular burger. With input from Weelicious, Jessica Seinfeld, Annabel Karmel, and Cooking With My Kid, here are 20 recipes to celebrate with your little ones.

Jessica Seinfeld's Brainy Salmon Burger

Jessica Seinfeld's Brainy Salmon Burger

Ground beef does not a burger make! Jessica Seinfeld shares a recipe for Salmon Burgers that are more than a fish on a bun. They're omega-3 fatty acid-filled brain boosters! Source: Jessica Seinfeld

Annabel Karmel's Healthy Hamburger

Annabel Karmel's Healthy Hamburger

To get tots to eat healthy, Annabel recommends making "Healthy Junk Food" – taking their favorite meals and making them over using high-quality, low-fat ingredients. Using organic ground beef, this traditional hamburger can be healthy part of a lil one's dinner routine. Source: Annabel Karmel

Annabel Karmel's Tofu Vegetable Burgers

Annabel Karmel's Tofu Vegetable Burgers

Tofu is one of the world's super foods. High in protein and low in fat, its flavor adjusts based on how it is cooked. In this Tofu Vegetable Burger recipe, the tofu is combined with cashews and veggies for a truly vegetarian meal that will leave lil ones satisfied. Source: Annabel Karmel

Annabel Karmel's Funny Face Beef Burgers

Annabel Karmel's Funny Face Beef Burgers

To remove some extra calories from the meal, remove the patty from the bun and add some life to it! These Funny Face Beef Burgers won't leave tots wondering what's missing with their addition of spaghetti and vegetables to the plate! Source: Annabel Karmel

Annabel Karmel's Vegetable Burgers

Annabel Karmel's Vegetable Burgers

Making veggie burgers is a great way to increase lil one's vegetable intake. Annabel's video demonstration for making vegetable burgers shows just how easy they can be. The mushrooms, carrots, leeks, and onion all disappear when mixed with Gruyere cheese, cashews, and brown rice. Source: Annabel Karmel

Mexican-Style Chicken Sliders

Mexican-Style Chicken Sliders

Head South of the border with a lighter patty recipe using ground chicken and a variety of spices. Our Mexican-style chicken sliders will have lil ones shouting ole! Source: Rebecca Gruber

Mural Meal Slider Girls

Mural Meal Slider Girls

What do you get when you take the patty off the bun? In our case it's a sophisticated slider girl, complete with a pasta face, burger eyes, a string cheese nose, a carrot mouth, spinach hair and a blueberry necklace. Source: Rebecca Gruber

Veggie-Packed Sliders

Veggie-Packed Sliders

LilSugar Community member senorita shared her tips for sneaking some veggies into her lil one's favorite meal. These veggie-packed sliders are big on taste and the wee ones never need to know just how healthy they really are. Source: Lauren Hendrickson

Cheese-Stuffed Burgers
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Cheese-Stuffed Burgers

Who says the cheese must be placed on top of the patty to be enjoyed? This recipe for cheese-stuffed burgers will give tots, and adults, a gooey surprise when they bite into the all-American classic.

Pizza Burger Sliders

Pizza Burger Sliders

Pizza is a lil one favorite, often ending up on their list of top five favorite foods. Building a pizza burger combines the best of both worlds and is tasty too! Source: Rebecca Gruber

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Salmon Burgers

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Salmon Burgers

High in omega-3s (which are brain food for tots) salmon burgers are a great way to get fish into a child's diet while giving them something they can eat with their hands. Put the burger on a bun, offer up some tartar sauce or mayo, and watch them dig right in! Source: Weelicious

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Garbanzo Burgers

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Garbanzo Burgers

For vegetarian families, or just those looking to introduce some beans into their lil one's diets, these garbanzo burgers are packed with protein, low in fat and high in dietary fiber. With plenty of beans, garlic, and carrots, they'll never miss the meat! Source: Weelicious

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Chicken Sun-Dried Tomato Mini Burgers

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Chicken Sun-Dried Tomato Mini Burgers

Put the barbecued chicken breast on the back burner and go for some ground chicken for your next burger. These chicken sun-dried tomato burgers add some punch to the typical ground chicken patty with the rich flavor of sun-dried tomato. Source: Weelicious

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Veggie Burgers

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Veggie Burgers

Say goodbye to frozen veggie burger patties. These homemade veggie burgers have less sodium, additives, and fillers than the typical grocery store version, and best of all, they can be frozen for a quick dinner in the future. Source: Weelicious

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Eggplant Burger

Catherine McCord's Weelicious Eggplant Burger

For a whole new spin on the burger, try removing the meat and adding in eggplant. Eggplant burgers are a healthy alternative to meat while maintaining much of the texture of a traditional patty. Source: Weelicious

Cooking With My Kid's Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Cooking With My Kid's Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

These Black Bean Quinoa Burgers may not have traditional ground beef in them, but they are made with beans and today's superfood quinoa for a protein-packed patty that the whole family can enjoy. Source: Cooking With My Kid

Cooking With My Kid's Hide and Seek Burgers

Cooking With My Kid's Hide and Seek Burgers

These are the sliders that started it all in Rebecca Coleman's household. A traditional patty with a hidden surprise (a square of cheese) for tots that make their way into the center of the burger. Called Hide and Seek burgers, you'll want to make extras for lil ones who can't get enough of the game!
Source: Cooking With My Kid

Cooking With My Kid's Mini Mediterranean Burgers

Cooking With My Kid's Mini Mediterranean Burgers

A little spice and some different cheeses transform the burger completely. These Mini Mediterranean Burgers are yummy as is, and would probably be tasty if made with ground lamb too! Source: Cooking With My Kid

Shake Shack's ShackBurger

It might seem crazy, but burger fans of all ages regularly wait in hour-plus lines for a taste of Shake Shack's ShackBurger. Why? Because the burger is classic, unfussy, and pretty much gosh darn perfect. Trust us here, you're kids will love it. Don't live near a Shake Shack? Watch the video for the next best thing: a homemade version of this epic burger icon.

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Mac 'n' Cheese Burger

Move over, Ramen Burger; there's a new kid on the block, and it packs the delicious decadence of warm melted cheese into every bite. Just leave the truffles out of this mac 'n' cheese bun burger and watch your little one's go wild, because macaroni and cheese in a bun? Why yes, it can (and should) be done!

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