This deconstructed burger bowl satisfies burger cravings without the bun, offering a wholesome and customizable meal option. Packed with fresh ingredients, it delivers all the flavors of a juicy hamburger in a salad-like form. Plus it’s a great way to use up any leftovers you have in the fridge! Follow the simple directions below to enjoy this tasty, gluten-free meal for lunch or dinner.

Top down shot of a deconstrcuted burger salad in a large white bowl with ingredients like avocado, tomatoes, pikcles, and bacon off to the side.

Burgers are a food group for my family. From chicken burgers to paleo burgers to sweet potato beef sliders, they’re all fair game.

And while it’s convenient to just slap one into a bun and go to town, sometimes you might want more than just the bun. You want ALL the toppings.

That’s where this deconstructed burger bowl comes in.

It’s got so many good toppings, and is lower on carbs than when eating it with a bun, if you’re looking for that.

But the best part is you can truly use whatever toppings you like. I’ve listed the ones I typically serve in a hamburger bowl, but you can switch them up to follow your own tastebuds.

This burger bowl recipe is written for one large serving, but if you’re looking for something lighter you can easily only use half a burger patty (or ⅛ a pound of ground beef). Or you can up the amount of lettuce and toppings and split it into two servings.

Grab these ingredients!

Hamburger patty: if you have a leftover hamburger, use that. Otherwise you can either make a burger (I love either my paleo burger or my gluten free burger recipe for these bowls), or you can season and cook some ground beef in a pan if you don’t want to make hamburgers.
Greens: this recipe uses chopped romaine lettuce but you can use mixed greens, baby spinach, or any other types of greens you like.
Tomato: use either halved cherry tomatoes or chop up slices of larger tomatoes to go in this bowl.
Avocado: slices of avocado really lend a creamy texture to this bowl so don’t skip out on this!
Other toppings: there are endless options here. I used sauteed shiitake mushrooms, pieces of cooked bacon, and slices of both red onion and dill pickle for this bowl, but you could add whatever toppings you like!
Dressing/sauce: for burger bowls I like to use this burger sauce as a dressing. It’s only 4 ingredients and consists of condiments you’d likely put on your burger.

What if I don’t have a hamburger patty?

You can easily just cook up some ground beef in a pan and use that instead of a hamburger patty.

For one pound of ground beef cook it for 8 to 10 minutes in a large frying pan or medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula while cooking, until it’s no longer pink. You can either make it plain or season it with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder while cooking.

How to make a deconstructed burger bowl

(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)

The basics of making a burger bowl is piling all your ingredients in a bowl and putting a dressing or sauce on it. To see how I do it, take a look through the pictures below.

Close up of a large knife cutting a head of romaine lettuce into small pieces on a white cutting board. — Wash, dry, then slice up your lettuce with a sharp knife on a cutting board.

Close up of a hand putting chopped romaine lettuce into a large white low salad bowl. — Add the lettuce to your bowl of choice.

Close up of cherry tomatoes being quartered on a white cutting board. — Prep the other ingredients as necessary, including slicing the tomatoes, onions, or bacon, or sauteeing the mushrooms.

Close up of grilled beef burger patties on a white plate surrounded by other burger toppings like avocado, tomatoes, and lettuce. — Place your burger patty on top of the lettuce in the bowl. You can use a cold or warm burger patty – whichever you like.

Close up of a hand adding sliced cooked bacon pieces to a bowl with lettuce, avocado, onion, tomatoes, and a grilled burger in it. — Add the rest of the toppings to the bowl on top of the lettuce.

Close up of a golden burger sauce being spooned on top of a burger patty on a salad with mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, onions, and pickles on it. — Drizzle the burger sauce or other dressing or sauce on top of everything, then eat!

This burger bowl recipe is written for one large serving. If you’re looking for something lighter you can easily only use half a burger patty (or ⅛ a pound of ground beef). Or you can up the amount of lettuce and toppings and split it into two servings.

Close up of a deconstructed burger bowl with a beef patty, sliced cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, sauteed mushrooms, and pickles in a large white bowl with an orange sauce drizzles over the patty.

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If you make this hamburger bowl recipe, then don’t forget to leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!

Deconstructed Burger Bowl

This deconstructed burger bowl satisfies burger cravings without the bun, offering a wholesome and customizable meal option. Packed with fresh ingredients, it delivers all the flavors of a juicy hamburger in a salad-like form. Plus it's a great way to use up any leftovers you have in the fridge! Follow the simple directions below to enjoy this tasty, gluten-free meal for lunch or dinner.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: #burger

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Author: Taryn Solie

Equipment

Ingredients

½ small head of romaine
1 cooked hamburger about ¼ pound
5-6 cherry tomatoes
3-4 slices dill pickle
1-2 slices cooked bacon sliced
3-4 shiitake mushrooms sliced and sauteed
2-3 slices red onion
2-3 tbsp burger sauce or other condiments or dressing

Instructions

Wash the romaine lettuce in cold water then dry it off with a hand towel. Use a sharp knife and cutting board to chop it into smaller pieces then place it in a salad bowl.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half or quarters with the knife and cutting board, depending on how big you like them in a salad. Place them in the bowl with the lettuce.
Add the burger onto the lettuce as well. You can either use a warm or cold burger. If you want to warm up a cold burger, warm it up separately either in a small pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or on a small plate in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Add on the rest of the toppings that you have, then drizzle the burger sauce on top of the burger bowl and dig in!

Notes

If you want to use the burger sauce as a dressing, see this recipe for a 4-ingredient easy burger sauce.