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These Homemade Hamburger Buns are incredibly fast, easy and delicious! In less than an hour, you can have soft and fluffy hamburger buns without going to the store. Make this 40 minute hamburger bun recipe for your next cookout!
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Anyone else baking up a storm lately? I normally buy hamburger buns, but recently I had a craving for burgers and didn’t want to go to the store. Instead, I whipped up this 40 minute hamburger bun recipe and I was astonished by how easy there were, not to mention delicious!
The best hamburger bun recipe
I was suspicious that a recipe with such a short rise time could be good, but I was in a pinch and needed burger buns fast. After making these several times, and some other recipes with longer rise times, my husband swears up and down that this is the best hamburger bun recipe I have ever made.
How do you make hamburger buns from scratch?
This recipe for hamburger buns is surprisingly easy. Simply mix the yeast with some warm water, sugar and oil. Then let it sit for 5 minutes. This step “wakes up” the yeast, and the sugar is food for the yeast to start creating gas. After five minutes, you will see that the mixture has become foamy. This means your yeast is doing what it is supposed to do!
Next, you mix in an egg, the flour, and salt. Continue to add flour until you have a soft dough. You can do this step by kneading with your hands, or you can use your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, which is what I did.
Then you will quickly shape the dough into a ball and divide into 8 pieces. I use a bench scraper to do this. Shape each piece into a ball, then arrange on a greased or lined baking sheet. Cover and allow rise for 10 minutes. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
How to make an egg wash
In order to make the most beautiful burger buns, I decided to use an egg wash for a nice shiny and golden top, sprinkled with sesame seeds. To make an egg wash, simply mix one egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the mixture over the tops of the burger buns, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
After the 10 minute rise time, then being brushed with the egg wash and sesame seeds, the burger buns are ready to go into the oven. After 8-12 minutes, you will have soft, fluffy and golden hamburger buns, fresh from the oven.
Next time you want to grill some burgers, be sure to make this 40 minute hamburger bun recipe first. I suggest adding my Best Ever Grilled onions to your burger. And speaking of burgers, have you tried my Shallot White Cheddar Burger?
40 minute hamburger buns
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water about 110 degrees
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For topping
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 TBSP water
- 2 TBSP sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add yeast and warm water to a large bowl. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, mixture should be foamy.
- Whisk in egg. Slowly mix in the salt and flour. Continue to add flour until you have a soft dough.
- Using a dough hook, knead in a mixer for 3-5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. (If you don't want to use a mixer, you can knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.) Do not let rise. Divide into 8 equal pieces; shape each into a ball. Do not let the dough rise.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the dough balls on a greased or lined baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, brush the buns with an egg was, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown, 8-12 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
adapted from Taste of Home
we like making them. they are an easy recipe. why would you go buy them if you can make them.
Making BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and I didn’t feel like running to the store to buy buns. This recipe was the one that looked easiest and most convenient to make so I tried it.
So glad I did. Bakery quality at a tiny fraction of the cost. I didn’t even wait until dinner before eating one.
Thank you for sharing.
This recipe was perfect! I wanted to make burgers but didn’t want to make a run into town for the buns. I hadn’t made buns before so this was a new experience – they came out a lovely golden color, and fully baked inside.
Adding this recipe to my rotation.
Thank you!!
The buns tasted great but mine were pretty dense and not really fluffy. They reminded me more of a bagel texture. I used rapid yeast (that’s all I had) and mixed by hand. Can you give me any suggestions for next time so they’re fluffier? This is my first-ever bun making attempt. 😅 I’d definitely try again!
Hi, it could be the different kind of yeast. With rapid yeast, you don’t need to let it sit for 5 minutes. If you read the comments, some other readers made these with rapid yeast, so I do think it will still work.
Try sifting your flour, it helps break up any clumps in the flour and also makes the flour appear softer
Weighing flour will give you a better outcome. 1 cup of flour is 4 1/4 ounces or 120 grams
I just whipped these up.. nice a quick..
What I found was they tasted a bit on the yeasty side to me. Not sure if cutting it back a tad would lessen that taste.
I also need to make them a little flatter – that’s on me, not on the recipe. 🙂 They were a quite tall and a little on the under-cooked side.
I might try again, if a different amount of yeast were recommended.
This was a perfect recipe for this baking-with-yeast newbie. I made a couple of modifications and the buns turned out great. I used spelt flour and olive oil and reduced the sugar and was very pleased with the outcome. I will be making these again and like another reviewer, I will also make long buns with this recipe. I’m glad that I found this recipe. Thank you.
So glad you loved them. I’m glad to know those modifications worked well!
I’m new to yeast-based breads/recipes and this was not at all intimidating.
It was easy to follow and put together, no difficulties along the way.
They rose and browned beautifully! I couldn’t believe how much they came out like challah from the Jewish bakery I once worked at.
The only issue I had was that without toasting them, they have a strong yeast smell which detracts from the flavour of the bread. Not sure if I did anything wrong as I measured everything out carefully and precisely. If I could figure that part out I would definitely never again buy store bought buns!
Nope not a fan I followed the recipe to the tea the dough was extremely sticky I had to use another cup and a half I don’t have a mixer I have to use by hand that could have been it did rise about double the amount but it’s not that good I just used my yeast a couple days ago so I know it’s not going east I picked this because it’s supposed to be quick and easy and this was far from easy it was so sticky I won’t be using this recipe again I will go back to my old faithful the one that takes 4 hours but I was hoping this was going to work. Probably only for an actual mixer
Now next time I’m going to do 3:50 and see if that changes and I’m going to just do a half a batch because let’s be honest flower and stuff is not cheap anymore I forgot to mention the taste as well it’s very yeasty I only used two tablespoons and they roast a little bit but not enough
I made these, absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe accordingly and they turned out great. I usually make the NYT brioche hamburger bun (but it takes much longer and sometimes I just don’t have the time). These are just as good and I almost want to say “better”. I did half and half of all purpose flour and bread flour. This was just my take on it, I wanted that little bit of chew to the crust. I flattened the formed dough somewhat to give me a nice crown when it baked. My husband loved them. I also formed some into hotdog/sausage buns too. The total dough weight was 948 grams, and a good size bun is about 105-117 grams. I made 8 buns but good have made 9 buns and they still would have been a generous size. Thank you for this great recipe.
I’m so glad you love them!
Replying to Kate. Thanks for answering my questions on the flour and measurements! You read my mind. GREAT recipe ❤
Made this recipe today, omg, delicious, will never buy buns again. this recipe was easy and fast to make.
So happy you loved them!
Maybe I’m missing something here but these aren’t really hamburger buns, they’re more like regular bread. Really dense and doughy. I’m not sure how you get a fluffy bun if you don’t let it rise?
Anyway I’m off to the store to get hamburger buns.
Same! I followed the recipe exactly and cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and I ended up with tiny doughy balls. After 12 minutes I cut one open and it was raw inside so I cooked longer but these taste like regular dense bread. Not airy buns at all.
Hi Jeni – it sounds like the buns didn’t rise properly, which happens if the yeast didn’t work. This can happen if the yeast is dead, or if the water used is too hot (that kills the yeast).
Taste was great, a little dense I thought, but mine are opening on the bottom, like under that browned mushroom top. Not sure what is causing that Any ideas?
I had the same issue, does anyone know why this would have happened?
After you cut the dough into eight pieces roll each piece as fast as you can to keep the dough from rising. Look for any uneven places or crevices in the dough while you’re rolling the balls and pinch them together until smooth. The top, middle and bottom of each bun should be as smooth as possible. Sometimes, a natural crease will occur in the bun after it bakes, directing you where to split it in two, but it shouldn’t be too wide of an opening.
mine did the same except at the top
I noticed this happens when I bake them on the top rack. Try rotating your pan or cooking them on the lower rack for less time 👍
Super quick and easy to make and great flavor and texture
I cut the recipe in half because I only needed 4 buns. Cooked them for 12 mins but they weren’t browning or growing in size at all. Cut one open and it was raw inside. Put them back in for another 4 mins. Currently waiting with low expectations. They felt heavy. Womp womp. No burgers tonight 🙁
Hi Lisa, it sounds like the yeast wasn’t working. Did you also cut the amount of yeast in half? This recipe hasn’t been tested for that, but you would most likely still need a large amount of yeast – that is what helps them rise so quickly. If you did still use the same amount of yeast, it could be that your yeast was dead.
I also made a batch that didn’t rise. I used a new bottle of yeast on a 2nd batch, and they rose perfectly.
I halved the recipe too because I only had 1 TABLESPOON OF YEAST LEFT!
But it did make 4 perfect rolls and added some everything but the bagel seasoning on top because of course I was out of sesame seeds too
Surprised by how easy these are to make and how good they taste. Forgot to buy buns at the store and I am glad I did! These turned out so nice and start too finish was fast! No more store bought buns for this family. Thanks for a way better option.
Easy, quick and delicious. Highly recommend this recipe,
Flavor was good but I think I should have flattened them before baking. They were nicely browned but very, very dense. All seemed to go as planned but they were unsuitable for my pulled pork sandwiches. I may try again someday though! I’m going to try toasting one tomorrow morning, perhaps I can enjoy them with some butter and jam.
These came out very well. I divided the dough into six pieces, as we were cooking large pub sized burgers. They came out the perfect size. I got compliments on the texture and appearance; the taste was excellent
So glad to hear that!
I decided to try this recipe when I didn’t have time to do rais8ng, The hamburger buns were easy to make, form, and bake. They turned out looking just like the photo. They were not so soft they squished under your fingers; they held their shape. And, they tasted good. Fast and pretty easy to do, with an impressive bun outcome!
Hi trying these out now as I type this out , about how many regular sized buns would you say about 1 pound of dough would get me
It says in the recipe that 3-3 1/2 cups of flour will make 8 buns.
I’m trying these out right now! Have you tried freezing these before baking at all?
Hi, I have not. Let me know if you give it a try!
Freeze 4 buns after baking and cooling. I do that all the time so that the next time I make burgers, I’ve got 4 buns ready.