Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger Recipe (Copycat)

To make a Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger at home, you need two 4 oz (113 g) pucks of cold ground beef per burger, a very hot cast-iron skillet, two slices of American cheese and a potato bun brushed with butter and toasted. Smash each puck to about 1/3 inch (8 mm), season with salt and pepper and sear it 2 minutes 30 seconds without touching it. Flip, add the cheese, give it 1 more minute. Stack both patties, add whatever toppings you like, eat. The recipe below makes 2 doubles. It is my home version, not Shake Shack’s official recipe, and I mark exactly which parts come from the chain and which are my own calls.

What is the Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger?

The Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger is two Angus beef patties with cheese and your choice of toppings on a toasted potato bun. Shake Shack’s Canadian menu describes the Cheeseburger as an “Angus beef patty with cheese and your choice of toppings on a toasted potato bun” (shakeshack.ca, checked October 18, 2026). The double simply doubles the beef and the cheese.

That makes it a different burger from the ShackBurger, which comes with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce by default. The Cheeseburger gets none of them unless you ask. Most of the copycat recipes I read while working on this one turned out to be ShackBurger clones; if that’s the burger you want, see my ShackBurger Shake Shack copycat recipe. This page is about the plainer, beefier double. To my taste it’s the better burger of the two: with no sauce in the way, you actually taste the crust.

Shake Shack Cheeseburger vs ShackBurger

The only difference between the Cheeseburger and the ShackBurger is what goes on top: the ShackBurger adds lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce automatically. The table compares the three, using the Canadian menu as the reference in October 2026:

Shake Shack Cheeseburger vs Double Cheeseburger vs ShackBurger: patties (1 or 2 × 4 oz Angus), slices of American cheese, whether lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce are included or your choice, and the toasted potato bun. Based on the Canadian menu as the US and Canada reference, checked October 18, 2026. (Table: Burger Breton, data from Shake Shack Canada official menu (shakeshack.ca, checked October 18, 2026))

Whether the double is its own menu item or a single/double option depends on the market. I couldn’t confirm it country by country, so read the table as the US and Canada picture in October 2026.

Shake Shack double cheeseburger recipe: ingredients for 2 burgers

You need 1 lb (454 g) of cold ground beef, 2 potato buns, 4 slices of American cheese, unsalted butter, salt and pepper. Everything else is optional, exactly as at the Shack.

For the burgers

• 1 lb (454 g) ground beef, about 80/20, kept in the fridge until the last minute
• 2 potato buns (Martin’s Potato Rolls are what Shake Shack originally used)
• 2 tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 4 slices American cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional toppings (your choice, as on the menu)

• Green leaf lettuce
• Sliced tomato
• Sliced onion
• Dill pickles
• Copycat ShackSauce (below)

Optional copycat ShackSauce (about 1/2 cup)

• 1/2 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp Heinz ketchup
• 1/4 tsp kosher dill pickle brine
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Which beef to use for a Shake Shack smash burger at home

Use well-chilled ground beef with about 20% fat, ideally a blend of chuck, brisket and short rib. Shake Shack’s 2017 cookbook names those three cuts but gives no percentages, and the blend made by its supplier, Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, remains secret.

The chain says it uses “100% all-natural Angus beef, no hormones and no antibiotics ever.” Each patty weighs 4 oz (about 113 g), and the cookbook uses 1 lb of beef for 4 patties, so a double carries about 8 oz (226 g) of raw beef.

The 80/20 ratio is not official. Smitten Kitchen, working from Epicurious, calls it a good starting point, and I agree: anything leaner and a patty this thin dries out before the crust has formed. If you grind your own, the cookbook recommends grinding twice, first through a coarse plate and then a fine one, with the meat very cold.

Step-by-step: how to cook a Shake Shack double cheeseburger

The method is the one Shake Shack culinary director Mark Rosati shared in April 2020: cold pucks, a hot cast-iron skillet, a hard smash, 2 minutes 30 seconds on the first side and 1 minute with the cheese. Plan on about 15 minutes of prep and under 10 minutes of cooking.

1. Make the sauce (optional)

Whisk the mayonnaise, Dijon, ketchup, pickle brine and cayenne in a small bowl, then refrigerate. The sauce keeps for 1 week in the fridge. Skip this step if you want the burger the way the menu describes it, with no sauce by default.

2. Shape four cold pucks

Divide the beef into 4 portions of 4 oz (113 g) and shape each into a loose puck about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Don’t pack it tight. Put the pucks back in the fridge until the pan is hot: fat that is still solid when it hits the pan gives a better crust and a juicier patty.

3. Butter and toast the potato buns

Brush the cut sides of the buns with the melted unsalted butter, about 1 tbsp (15 g) per bun. Toast them cut side down for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, then set aside.

4. Heat the cast-iron skillet

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it is very hot. Shake Shack publishes no surface temperature. I aim for about 450°F (230°C) on an infrared thermometer; that’s my setting, not the chain’s. Each smashed patty spreads to nearly the width of the bun, so unless your pan is huge, cook in two batches. A crowded pan steams the beef instead of searing it.

5. Smash the patties and season

Place the cold pucks in the skillet and press each one down hard with a sturdy, stiff spatula to about 1/3 inch (8 mm) thick. Lean your weight into it; a flimsy spatula won’t get there. Season the top generously with salt and pepper.

6. Sear without touching

Leave the patties alone for 2 minutes 30 seconds, until the edges are brown and crisp. Don’t move them, don’t press them again. This is where the crust forms.

7. Flip, add the cheese and finish

Scrape under each patty to keep the crust, flip, and lay a slice of American cheese on every patty right away. Cook 1 more minute, until the cheese has melted over the edges.

Timeline chart of the Shake Shack double smash method: cold 4 oz puck smashed to 1/3 inch, 2 min 30 s sear without touching, flip and add American cheese, 1 more minute, about 3 min 30 s per patty in total. Pan heat is not published; about 450°F (230°C) is the author’s own setting. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from Mark Rosati’s Shake Shack home recipe, Time Out New York (April 15, 2020))

8. Stack and serve

Put one cheese-topped patty on the bottom bun, stack the second right on top, add the toppings you chose and close with the top bun. Serve right away, while the cheese is still molten.

For doneness and safe internal temperatures, see my colleague Clara’s guide to burger patty internal temperature.

Shake Shack original vs this copycat recipe

This copycat follows what Shake Shack has made public: the weight, the cuts, the smash thickness, the timing, the cheese and the buttered potato bun. The beef proportions, the pan temperature and the exact sauce formula are my own estimates.

Shake Shack original vs this copycat recipe, element by element: beef cuts (brisket, chuck, short rib), 4 oz patty, 1/3 inch smash, cooking times, cheese and buttered potato bun are official; the 80/20 ratio, the 450°F pan and the exact ShackSauce formula are estimates. (Table: Burger Breton, data from Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories (Clarkson Potter, 2017) via AJC (June 7, 2017) and Time Out New York (April 15, 2020))

Why this recipe tastes like the original

This recipe gets close because it copies what defines a Shake Shack patty: cold beef on a very hot surface, a hard smash for maximum crust, and American cheese melted in the last minute. Restaurants reportedly work the same way, pulling cold pucks of about 4 oz from dedicated fridges and smashing them on a very hot griddle (The Daily Meal).

The cheese matters more than it looks. Shake Shack’s cookbook calls American cheese “quite simply the creamiest, meltingest cheese there is,” and with two slices it coats both patties like a sauce. Cheddar is a mistake here: on a thin, very hot patty it turns oily instead of draping.

A 16 oz (1 lb) pack of Kraft Deli Deluxe American cheese slices, 24 slices of pasteurized process American cheese. Deli-style American cheese is the closest match to the slices Shake Shack melts over its patties; a double takes 2 slices (1024×654). (Photo: Mike Mozart (JeepersMedia), CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/39160147@N03/15139918215)

The buttered, toasted potato bun is the last piece. It is soft and slightly sweet, and toasting it in butter keeps it from going soggy under two juicy patties. Tasting Table ranked Shake Shack’s double the best fast-food double cheeseburger in June 2026 (tested as the Double ShackBurger). It praised the patties but said the bun struggles to hold up, which is exactly why I toast mine for the full 3 minutes.

Close-up of a Shake Shack Double ShackBurger, the version Tasting Table ranked best fast-food double cheeseburger in June 2026: two patties with crisp edges under melted American cheese, lettuce and tomato on a soft potato bun. The plain Double Cheeseburger is the same stack without the default lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce (1024×575). (Photo: SimonDoggett, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/90037546@N00/5033680944)

Copycat ShackSauce: does the double cheeseburger need it?

No. The Shake Shack Cheeseburger is served “with cheese and your choice of toppings,” so ShackSauce is not included by default. Add it if you want it; I usually don’t.

The sauce recipe above comes from the official cookbook, Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories (Randy Garutti, Mark Rosati and Dorothy Kalins, Clarkson Potter, 2017). The authors say it is not “THE formula” but a version that is “pretty darn close.” Sources disagree on one detail: The Takeout and Fox LA list 3/4 tsp of ketchup, while Time Out New York’s 2020 version uses 1 tsp. I stick with 3/4 tsp, which keeps the mustard in front.

How to make it on a griddle or the grill

You can cook this burger on a flat-top griddle or a plancha, but not on open grill grates. Smashing needs a solid, flat, very hot surface: on grates the beef falls through and you lose the crust.

On a griddle, follow the same steps and timings. On a charcoal or gas grill, set a cast-iron skillet or griddle plate on the grates and let it heat fully before the first smash.

More copycat double cheeseburgers to try

If you like the double-patty format, compare it with Alice’s Sonic Jr. Double Cheeseburger copycat, Clara’s homemade Double Whopper or my Five Guys cheeseburger at home, Shake Shack’s closest rival in fast casual. Can’t find potato buns? Clara’s homemade brioche burger buns are a good substitute. You’ll find all our copycats in the Burger Breton recipes section.

Shake Shack started as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park. For where it stands among the city’s burgers today, read Olivia’s best burgers in New York, and for the bigger picture, our history of the hamburger.

The original Shake Shack kiosk in Madison Square Park, New York, at night: the lit “SHACK” sign, string lights in the trees and diners at the outdoor tables. The chain began here as a hot dog cart before serving its burgers (1024×768). (Photo: Carl Mikoy, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/78117698@N00/3958733910)

Map of the first Shake Shack, inside Madison Square Park near Madison Avenue and East 23rd Street, Manhattan, New York: the place to taste the original before making the copycat at home. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)

Shake Shack double cheeseburger FAQ

How much does a Shake Shack patty weigh?

Each Shake Shack patty weighs 4 oz (about 113 g) raw, a quarter pound. A Double Cheeseburger therefore carries about 8 oz (226 g) of raw beef.

Does the Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger come with ShackSauce?

No. According to Shake Shack’s Canadian menu, the Cheeseburger comes with cheese and your choice of toppings, so ShackSauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles are options. The ShackBurger is the one that includes lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce.

What cheese does Shake Shack use?

Shake Shack uses American cheese, which its cookbook calls “the creamiest, meltingest cheese there is.” Use deli-sliced American cheese for the closest match.

What bun does Shake Shack use?

Shake Shack uses a non-GMO potato bun; the original was the potato roll from Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It is brushed with butter and toasted before serving.

How many calories are in a Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger?

According to FatSecret, a third-party database, a Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger has about 700 calories, 42 g of fat (20 g saturated), 25 g of carbohydrates, 51 g of protein and 2,220 mg of sodium. Other third-party sources give 700 to 760 calories. I could not access Shake Shack’s official nutrition PDF, so treat these figures as estimates.

Bar chart of Shake Shack Double Cheeseburger nutrition (third-party estimate, FatSecret): about 700 calories, 42 g fat (20 g saturated), 25 g carbs, 51 g protein, 2,220 mg sodium. Other unofficial sources give 700 to 760 calories. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from FatSecret (third-party, unofficial), checked October 2026)

How long do you cook a double smash burger?

Cook each smashed patty 2 minutes 30 seconds on the first side without touching it, then flip, add the cheese and cook 1 more minute, as in Shake Shack’s 2020 home recipe. The patties are thin, so both cook at the same time.

Can I eat a Shake Shack burger in Europe?

Yes, in the United Kingdom, where Shake Shack has restaurants (shakeshack.co.uk). As of October 18, 2026, there is no Shake Shack in France and no opening has been announced. I could not find any official address in Spain either.