Five Guys Little Bacon Burger Copycat Recipe

The Five Guys Little Bacon Burger is one fresh beef patty topped with strips of crispy applewood-smoked bacon on a toasted sesame bun, with no cheese. The official US menu lists it at 620 calories before toppings. To make it at home, I press a 3.5 oz (100 g) ball of plain 80/20 beef thin and cook it well done to 160°F (71°C) on a dry griddle. Then I lay two strips of bacon, crisped in a separate pan, straight onto the beef. That gives you two burgers in about 30 minutes. This is my home version, not the official recipe: Five Guys doesn’t publish one.

Most Five Guys copycats online rebuild the two-patty burger, often with butter, garlic and pepper the chain doesn’t use. I think that misses the point. With one patty, the bacon is half the burger, not a garnish. So this recipe covers the single patty with bacon and no cheese, every Five Guys detail is sourced, and my own choices are labeled as mine.

What’s in a Five Guys Little Bacon Burger

A Five Guys Little Bacon Burger is one beef patty and crispy applewood-smoked bacon on a sesame bun, plus as many free toppings as you want. The US menu describes it as “a fresh patty hot off the grill with strips of crispy Applewood smoked bacon on top. Add as many toppings as you want” (Five Guys US burger menu, checked October 18, 2026).

• The patty: ground beef and nothing else. The Five Guys Belgium ingredient guide (version V030925, September 2025) lists the patty as “ground beef” alone (ingredient list).
• The bacon: pork cured with salt, sugar and sodium nitrite, plus sodium lactate, triphosphates and sodium isoascorbate (same guide).
• The bun: wheat flour, water, sugar, vegetable fat, milk, yeast, eggs, sesame seeds, salt and soy flour (same guide).
• The toppings: 15 free choices, from mayo and pickles to grilled onions and A1 Sauce (official toppings list).

Five Guys doesn’t publish how many strips of bacon go on it. The US menu says “strips”. Two slices appear only on delivery menus and blogs, so treat that number as unconfirmed. I use two strips per burger.

Five Guys Little Bacon Burger vs Bacon Burger and the other Littles

The Little Bacon Burger has one patty, and the Bacon Burger has two. That is the only difference in the build: both come with crispy applewood-smoked bacon on the US menu. Among the four Littles, the bacon adds 80 calories and the cheese adds 70.

Data: Five Guys official US burger menu, checked October 18, 2026. Table: Burger Breton.

Why order it without cheese? With no melted cheese, the bacon sits right on the hot beef and stays the loudest flavor. It is also 70 calories lighter than the cheese version. Tasting Table ranked the Little Bacon Cheeseburger the best fast-food bacon cheeseburger out of 8 chains, praising its applewood-smoked bacon (Julia Holland, Tasting Table, December 2, 2025). That ranking covers the cheese version, but it’s the same bacon. My take: if the bacon is the reason you order it, take the cheese off. American cheese is the one thing on that burger that competes with the smoke.

If you want the cheese, make my Five Guys Little Bacon Cheeseburger, the version with cheese. For the same patty without bacon, see my Five Guys Little Hamburger copycat and my Five Guys Little Cheeseburger copycat.

What bacon does Five Guys use?

In the US, Five Guys uses applewood-smoked bacon that it says comes “from one of the last smokehouses in America” (Five Guys US sandwich menu). The chain doesn’t name that smokehouse, so I can’t point you to a brand.

The applewood smoke is confirmed for the US only. The Belgian ingredient guide lists cured pork with no mention of applewood, and I found no ingredient guide for France or Spain. For an American copycat, look for “applewood smoked” on the package and pick a regular cut, not thick-cut, so the strips crisp all the way through.

Five Guys Little Bacon Burger copycat recipe for 2

This recipe makes two single-patty bacon burgers in about 30 minutes: 10 minutes of prep and 20 of cooking. Weigh the beef: a few grams either way change how thin the patty presses.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Total time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 burgers

Ingredients

• 7 oz (200 g) cold 80/20 ground beef
• 4 strips applewood-smoked bacon, regular cut
• 2 soft sesame seed hamburger buns
• Toppings to taste, for example: ½ small onion thinly sliced for grilling, 6 dill pickle slices and yellow mustard

Equipment

• Cast-iron skillet or flat griddle, plus a second skillet (or a sheet pan with a rack) for the bacon
• Sturdy flat metal spatula
• Parchment paper cut into four squares
• Two sheets of aluminum foil
• Paper towels
• Instant-read thermometer
• Kitchen scale

The 80/20 beef is my choice. Five Guys doesn’t publish its fat ratio, and the chuck and sirloin blend you’ll see in some copycats comes from Mashed, not from the chain.

How to make a Five Guys bacon burger at home, step by step

To make a Five Guys-style bacon burger at home, crisp the bacon first, then press the beef between parchment and cook it on a dry griddle to 160°F (71°C). Lay the bacon straight on the patty, build the burger and wrap it in foil for a minute.

1. Weigh and shape the beef

Divide 7 oz (200 g) of cold 80/20 beef into two 3.5 oz (100 g) balls. Don’t salt or season the meat. Keep the balls in the fridge until the griddle is hot.

2. Press the patties on parchment

Set each ball between two parchment squares and flatten it with your palm. Then press it with the bottom of a heavy pan into a disc about 4.5 inches (11 cm) wide and ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Leave the parchment on until the patty goes into the pan.

3. Crisp the bacon

Lay the 4 bacon strips in a cold skillet, set it over medium heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them every couple of minutes, until crisp and brittle. For a hands-off batch, bake them on a rack at 400°F (200°C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Five Guys doesn’t say how it cooks its bacon, so both methods are my choice. I go with the cold pan for two burgers: the fat renders slowly and you can pull the strips the moment they turn brittle.

Two raw strips of streaky bacon laid in a cold nonstick skillet before the heat goes on. For this Five Guys copycat, start the bacon in a cold pan over medium heat and cook it 8 to 10 minutes until crisp, away from the dry griddle used for the beef. Illustrative photo, not taken at Five Guys (768×1024). (Photo: Alan Levine (cogdogblog), CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/37996646802@N01/11142684354)

4. Heat the griddle dry

Heat the cast iron over medium-high for 5 minutes without oil, aiming for about 400°F (205°C) on the surface. That temperature is my estimate: Five Guys publishes none. Keep the bacon fat out of this pan, since Chowhound reports the chain’s griddle is greased only by the fat of the beef. For grilled onions, cook the sliced onion at one edge for 3 to 4 minutes, then push it aside.

5. Toast the buns without butter

Toast the buns cut side down on the dry griddle for 45 to 60 seconds, until golden. Set each bottom bun on a foil sheet.

6. Sear, flip and press

Peel off the parchment and lay the patties in the pan. Cook for about 90 seconds, until the edges turn gray, then flip and press firmly with the spatula for 10 seconds. Keep flipping about every minute, for roughly 5 minutes in total. This is a pressed patty, not a smash burger: the ball is already flat when it hits the pan.

7. Cook to 160°F (71°C) and top with bacon

Check that the center of each patty reads 160°F (71°C), starting at the 4-minute mark. Take the patties off the heat and lay two bacon strips directly on each one. The US menu only says the bacon goes “on top”, without saying where it sits among the toppings, so this order is mine. With no cheese in between, the bacon picks up the beef juices and stays crisp.

8. Build and wrap in foil

Slide each patty onto a bottom bun, add your toppings and close with the top bun. Wrap it tightly in foil and let it rest for 60 seconds before serving.

Seasoning note: leave the beef plain. Mashed reports that Five Guys uses “no salt, no pepper, no onion powder — nothing”, and the Belgian ingredient guide lists the patty as ground beef only. Here the bacon brings all the salt the burger needs.

Make it a two-patty Five Guys Bacon Burger

The regular Five Guys Bacon Burger is the same build with two patties, listed at 920 calories on the US menu. To make it, double the beef to 14 oz (400 g), press four 3.5 oz (100 g) patties and stack two per bun, with the bacon on top. The cooking times stay the same. My full Five Guys Bacon Burger copycat covers the double in detail, and my Five Guys cheeseburger recipe covers the double with cheese.

How close this copycat is to the original Five Guys Little Bacon Burger

This recipe copies what Five Guys and the food press have documented: plain beef, a patty pressed twice, a well-done cook on a dry griddle, a dry-toasted sesame bun, a foil wrap and crisp smoked bacon. The table separates what is confirmed, what is reported and what I chose.

Data: Five Guys US menus (checked October 18, 2026) and Belgium ingredient guide, Food Republic (Eli Cohen, June 5, 2025), Mashed (Jake Vigliotti, updated November 3, 2023), Chowhound (Jennifer M. McNeill, February 27, 2026), Tasting Table (Luna Regina, February 4, 2026). Table: Burger Breton.

The press and the dry griddle matter most. Generic copycats add butter, garlic and pepper, or onions caramelized for 25 to 30 minutes. The reporting points the other way: a thin, unseasoned patty that browns edge to edge and leaves the smoke to the bacon. My colleague Clara’s burger patty internal temperature guide explains the 160°F (71°C) threshold.

Five Guys Little Bacon Burger calories

A Five Guys Little Bacon Burger has 620 calories on the official US menu, before toppings. That is 80 more than the Little Hamburger (540) and 70 fewer than the Little Bacon Cheeseburger (690).

Some third-party nutrition sites list a lower figure, around 560 calories, but it doesn’t match the official menu, so I use 620. Five Guys publishes no calorie count for this burger in France or Spain.

Bar chart: Five Guys burger calories before toppings, official US menu checked October 18, 2026. Little Hamburger 540, Little Cheeseburger 610, Little Bacon Burger 620, Little Bacon Cheeseburger 690, Bacon Burger (two patties) 920. Bacon adds 80 calories to the single patty and cheese adds 70 more. (Chart: Burger Breton (original chart), data from Five Guys US burger menu, https://www.fiveguys.com/menu/burgers/)

Best toppings for a Five Guys Little Bacon Burger without cheese

Without cheese, the toppings have to bring the moisture and contrast the cheese would give. All 15 Five Guys toppings are free. Here are my three combinations, with calories from the official US toppings list.

Data: Five Guys official toppings list and US burger menu, checked October 18, 2026. Combinations and totals: Burger Breton.

My own order is the classic. I skip Bar-B-Que Sauce (50 calories) here, because it buries the smoke of the bacon.

Five Guys Little Bacon Burger FAQ

What is the difference between the Little Bacon Burger and the Bacon Burger at Five Guys?

The Little Bacon Burger has one patty, and the Bacon Burger has two. On the US menu, the Little is 620 calories and the regular Bacon Burger is 920.

What is the difference between the Little Bacon Burger and the Little Bacon Cheeseburger?

The Little Bacon Cheeseburger adds a slice of American-style cheese. That is 70 more calories: 690 against 620 on the US menu.

How many calories are in a Five Guys Little Bacon Burger?

The official US menu lists 620 calories before toppings. Toppings range from 0 calories for mustard to 110 for mayo.

How many slices of bacon are on a Little Bacon Burger?

Five Guys doesn’t say. Its menus only mention “strips” of bacon. Two slices is what delivery menus and blogs report and what I use at home, but the chain hasn’t confirmed it.

Does Five Guys season its burgers?

No, according to Mashed: no salt, no pepper, nothing. The Belgian ingredient guide also lists the patty as ground beef only.

Can I order a Five Guys burger medium-rare?

No. Five Guys cooks every burger well done, to 160°F (71°C) in the center, the USDA minimum, according to Tasting Table (Luna Regina, February 4, 2026).

Can you get extra bacon for free at Five Guys?

In the US, yes, if you ask when ordering in the restaurant. It doesn’t apply online or through delivery, according to Chowhound (Eugenia Lazaris, February 24, 2026).

How much does a Five Guys Little Bacon Burger cost?

I couldn’t find a dated price from an official source, so I don’t give one. The French and Spanish menu pages show no prices, and prices vary by restaurant.

Is this the official Five Guys recipe?

No. This is a home reproduction built from what Five Guys publishes and what the food press has reported. The chain doesn’t publish its recipe.

Where to try the original Five Guys Little Bacon Burger

Taste the original once before you cook the copycat, so you know what you’re aiming for. Our guides cover Five Guys London Covent Garden, Five Guys in Leeds, where Trinity serves halal beef and cooks bacon on a separate grill, Five Guys in Pittsburgh and Five Guys Dijon. The French menu lists the Little Bacon Burger online, but check with your restaurant that it’s available there.

For other chain bacon burgers, try my Whataburger Sweet and Spicy Bacon Burger copycat or my colleague Alice’s Wendy’s Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger copycat.

Sources and method

I checked the Five Guys US burger menu, the toppings list and all the press articles cited here on October 18, 2026. The Belgian ingredient guide and the US sandwich menu were last checked on October 12, 2026. Where Five Guys doesn’t publish a detail, I name the press source and label my own choices as mine.

• Five Guys US burger menu
• Five Guys official toppings
• Five Guys US sandwich menu (bacon description)
• Five Guys Belgium ingredient list (V030925, September 2025)
• Five Guys nutrition and allergen information
• Food Republic, how Five Guys shapes its patties (Eli Cohen, June 5, 2025)
• Mashed, how to make a perfect Five Guys burger (Jake Vigliotti, updated November 3, 2023)
• Chowhound, the Five Guys cooking method at home (Jennifer M. McNeill, February 27, 2026)
• Chowhound, free extra bacon at Five Guys (Eugenia Lazaris, February 24, 2026)
• Tasting Table, why Five Guys burgers are well done (Luna Regina, February 4, 2026)
• Tasting Table, best fast-food bacon cheeseburger (Julia Holland, December 2, 2025)

For more chain copycats and techniques, browse all our burger recipes.