Whopper Jr. Copycat Recipe (Burger King at Home)

This Whopper Jr. copycat recipe makes two homemade Whopper Jr. burgers in about 20 minutes. Press 2 oz (57 g) of cold 80/20 ground beef into a thin disc about 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) wide. Grill it hot, at 450–500 °F (230–260 °C), until it reads 160 °F (71 °C) inside. Then build it on a small toasted sesame bun. From the bottom up: pickles, ketchup, raw onion, one tomato slice, iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise. This is my home reproduction, not Burger King’s recipe. The chain doesn’t publish the Jr.’s patty weight or its sauce formulas, so I flag every place where I had to estimate.

The Whopper Jr. is the Whopper’s little brother: same toppings, half the beef, a smaller bun. If you want the full-size burger, my Whopper copycat recipe uses the same method with a 4 oz patty. My other Burger King copycats, and my colleagues’ recipes, are in the Burger Breton burger recipes hub.

What is a Burger King Whopper Jr.?

A Whopper Jr. is a smaller Whopper: a flame-grilled beef patty with tomato, lettuce, pickles, white onion, ketchup and mayonnaise on a smaller sesame seed bun. In the US, the toppings are the same as on the full Whopper (The Takeout, Food Republic).

The Jr. was an accident. In 1963, Luis Arenas-Pérez was opening a Burger King in Puerto Rico, and the Whopper bun molds hadn’t arrived. He used smaller hamburger buns instead, and the Whopper Jr. was born (The Takeout; Wikipedia places the opening in Carolina, Puerto Rico). Mashed is the only source I found for its launch price: 21 cents, against 37 cents for the Whopper in 1957 (Mashed).

Map of Carolina, Puerto Rico, just east of San Juan. In 1963, Luis Arenas-Pérez opened a Burger King here before the Whopper bun molds had arrived. He used smaller buns instead, and that is how the Whopper Jr. started. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)

How big is a Whopper Jr. patty?

A Whopper Jr. patty weighs about 2 oz (57 g) of beef, according to press reports. That is half the 4 oz of a Whopper. Burger King has never published the figure. Mashed cites a 2008 Wall Street Journal report that the patty shrank from 2.2 oz to 2 oz, and The Takeout cites Burger King employees (Mashed, The Takeout). The Takeout adds that it is the same patty as Burger King’s plain hamburger.

Whopper vs. Whopper Jr.: the differences

The Whopper and the Whopper Jr. share the same toppings and sauces. The Jr. has roughly half the beef, a smaller bun and a lower price. Here is how they compare in the US, from the sources below, checked on November 6, 2026.

Whopper vs. Whopper Jr. side by side: patty weight, toppings, bun, cheese, year created (1957 vs. 1963 in Puerto Rico), launch price (37 vs. 21 cents) and US price in June 2025 ($7.59 vs. $4.09 on its own, $7.49–$8.49 for a Jr. meal). (Table: Burger Breton, CC BY 4.0, data from Food Republic, Wikipedia, Mashed and The Takeout (checked November 6, 2026))

US prices come from Food Republic’s article by Katie Moore, published June 8, 2025, and vary by restaurant (Food Republic). Weights come from Wikipedia, Mashed and The Takeout. For the full Whopper ingredient list and its history, read my Whopper ingredients guide.

Whopper vs. Whopper Jr. in the US: a 4 oz beef patty vs. about 2 oz (press reports, not official), and $7.59 vs. $4.09 for the burger on its own (Food Republic, June 8, 2025). Prices vary by restaurant. (Chart: Burger Breton, CC BY 4.0, data from Food Republic (Katie Moore, June 8, 2025), Wikipedia and Mashed; rendered with QuickChart)

Whopper Jr. copycat recipe: ingredients for 2 burgers

You need a quarter pound of 80/20 ground beef in total, two small sesame buns and the same six cold toppings as a Whopper, in smaller amounts. The beef follows the reported 2 oz patty. The topping amounts are mine, scaled down from my Whopper copycat and from the counts Todd Wilbur uses at Top Secret Recipes.

• 4 oz (113 g) ground beef chuck, 80% lean / 20% fat, cold
• 2 small sesame seed buns, about 4 inches (10 cm) across
• 1 tbsp (14 g) mayonnaise
• 1 tsp (5 g) ketchup
• 2 slices ripe tomato (1 per burger)
• 4 thin rings of white onion
• 4 dill pickle chips (2 per burger)
• 1/4 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
• Kosher salt
• Optional, for the skillet method: liquid smoke
• Optional: 2 slices American cheese

The 4-inch bun is my choice, not an official size: Burger King doesn’t publish the Jr. bun’s diameter. Any soft hamburger bun that wide works. Skip brioche and oversized deli buns. They bury a 2 oz patty.

Which ground beef to use for a Whopper Jr.

Use 80/20 ground chuck, which is 20% fat. A 2 oz patty is very thin and dries out in seconds on a hot grill. The fat keeps it juicy, and when it drips onto the flames the flare-ups give it the grilled taste. My burger patty internal temperature guide explains how fat and doneness interact.

What sauce is on a Whopper Jr.?

A US Whopper Jr. gets mayonnaise and ketchup, the same as the Whopper. There is no secret sauce. In France, Burger King calls its Whopper sauce a creamy sauce (sauce onctueuse) and keeps the recipe to itself, so plain mayo is only an approximation there.

How to make a Whopper Jr. at home: step by step

To make a Whopper Jr. at home, press cold beef into thin 2 oz patties a little wider than the bun and sear them hard and fast. Then stack them under cold toppings on a toasted small bun. Allow about 20 minutes: 15 minutes of prep, chilling included, and about 4 minutes of cooking, plus the time your grill takes to heat up.

1. Shape thin 2 oz patties

Divide the cold beef into two 2 oz (57 g) balls. Press each one between two sheets of parchment into a disc about 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) wide and about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Go thinner than feels right. I pressed my first test patty to about 1/4 inch, and it came out like a slider, thick and pale in the middle, nothing like a Jr. The patty should also be wider than the bun, because it shrinks on the grill. Chill the patties for 10 minutes so they hold their shape.

2. Prepare the cold toppings

Slice the tomato and onion thin, shred the iceberg and pat the pickles dry. Keep everything in the fridge until assembly. Cold toppings against a hot patty: that contrast is half of what a Whopper Jr. tastes like.

3. Heat the grill very hot

Heat a gas or charcoal grill to 450–500 °F (230–260 °C) and oil the grates. That’s the same range I use for my Whopper and my Double Whopper copycat. A patty this thin needs high heat to brown before the center overcooks.

4. Toast the buns

Toast the cut sides of the buns on the cooler edge of the grill for 30 to 60 seconds, until lightly golden. Watch them. A small bun goes from golden to burnt faster than a Whopper bun.

5. Grill the patties to 160 °F (71 °C)

Salt the patties just before cooking. Grill them with the lid open for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, and flip only once. Pull them when the center reads 160 °F (71 °C) on a probe slid in from the side. For a cheese version, add the slice for the last 30 seconds.

Illustrative photo, not taken at Burger King: thin beef patties searing beside open flames on a round fire-pit griddle, with a raw patty still on its parchment sheet. Grilling a 2 oz Whopper Jr. patty at home works the same way: very high heat, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until it reads 160 °F inside. (Photo: Maxim Tolchinskiy, Unsplash License, https://unsplash.com/photos/oowdwbsj1Lc)

6. Assemble in the Whopper order

Stack the burger from the bottom up: bottom bun, patty, pickles, ketchup, onion, one tomato slice, lettuce, mayo, then the top bun. It’s the Whopper order Burger King publishes on its French site, read from the bottom up, and the Jr. uses the same toppings. Eat it right away, while the patty is hot and the vegetables are still cold.

Flame-grilled taste without a grill

To get a flame-grilled taste indoors, brush each patty with one drop of liquid smoke and sear it in a smoking-hot cast-iron skillet. One drop per 2 oz patty is enough. I tried two drops, and the burger tasted bitter, like a campfire, not like Burger King. A thin patty reaches 160 °F (71 °C) much faster than a 4 oz Whopper patty, so start checking right after the flip.

Homemade vs. Burger King Whopper Jr.

My homemade Whopper Jr. matches the restaurant burger on toppings, build order and patty weight. The bun size and the sauces are my approximations. Here is where it is faithful and where it isn’t.

Homemade vs. Burger King Whopper Jr.: same toppings and build order, the reported 2 oz patty, and two approximations: the 4-inch (10 cm) bun is my choice, and store-bought mayo and ketchup stand in for formulas Burger King doesn’t publish. (Table: Burger Breton, CC BY 4.0, data from The Takeout, Mashed and Food Republic (checked November 6, 2026))

Why this recipe tastes like the original Whopper Jr.

This copycat tastes like a Whopper Jr. because it copies the proportions and the build, not just the ingredient list. Burger King flame-grills its patties. A backyard grill gets close, and a skillet with liquid smoke gets you most of the way.

• Half the beef, same toppings. A 2 oz patty under a full set of vegetables tips the balance toward fresh, crunchy and tangy. That’s what sets the Jr. apart from a Whopper.
• A thin, wide patty. A disc wider than the bun browns on both sides in minutes and pokes out at the edges, like the original.
• Fat over open flame. 80/20 beef drips onto the burners and flares up, and that gives the charred, smoky notes.
• Cold toppings on a hot patty. Raw onion, tomato and iceberg sit above the meat and stay crisp.
• The Whopper build order. Pickles and ketchup touch the meat. The mayo sits with the lettuce under the top bun.

My take: the toppings matter more on the Jr. than on any other Whopper. With only 2 oz of beef, a thick tomato slice or a heavy hand with the mayo takes over the whole burger. Slice everything thin, use one tomato slice and no more, and measure the mayo. Done right, I’d argue the Jr. is a better-balanced burger than the full Whopper.

Whopper Jr. variations around the world

The Whopper Jr. changes from market to market, so there is no single version to copy. Burger King Lithuania sells a Whopper JR Cheese and a Plant-based Whopper Jr. In Germany, a Whopper Jr. BBQ sold for €2.99 on its own and €5.99 as a meal in a King des Monats promotion that ended on November 2, 2026 (mydealz). In Thailand you can order it with a pork patty, as my colleague Léo found in his Burger King Chiang Mai review. In the US, the Peppercorn BLT Whopper also came in a Whopper Jr. size from March 30, 2026, as covered in Burger King’s new Whopper for 2026.

Two wrapped Whopper Jr. burgers with fries and two sodas on a Burger King tray in Cebu City, Philippines, May 2021. The Whopper Jr. is sold well beyond the US, and its toppings and size change from market to market. (Photo: PaulGorduiz106, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burger\_King\_Whopper\_Jr.\_(05-16-2021).jpg)

For a cheese version, lay a slice of American cheese on the patty for the last 30 seconds, or try my Burger King cheeseburger copycat, which uses the same small patty. To go big instead, my Hungry Jack’s Ultimate Double Whopper copycat is the Australian heavyweight version. For the chain’s history and markets, see our Burger King brand profile.

Whopper Jr. FAQ

What is the difference between a Whopper and a Whopper Jr.? The Whopper Jr. has the same toppings and sauces as the Whopper, but about half the beef (roughly 2 oz vs. 4 oz) and a smaller sesame bun. In the US in June 2025, it cost $4.09 on its own vs. $7.59 for a Whopper, per Food Republic.

How much does a Whopper Jr. patty weigh? About 2 oz (57 g) of beef, according to press reports citing the Wall Street Journal and Burger King employees. Burger King does not publish the figure.

How many calories are in a Whopper Jr.? Third-party nutrition databases such as FatSecret and MyFoodData list 320 to 344 kcal, depending on the market. I couldn’t verify an official Burger King figure. I haven’t given a calorie count for this homemade version either, because it depends on your bun and your beef.

Is there cheese on a Whopper Jr.? Not on the classic US Whopper Jr. Cheese is an option, and some markets, such as Lithuania, sell a dedicated Whopper JR Cheese.

What sauce does Burger King put on a Whopper Jr.? In the US, mayonnaise and ketchup, the same as on the Whopper. Burger King doesn’t publish the formula of either sauce.

Which bun should I use for a homemade Whopper Jr.? A soft sesame seed hamburger bun about 4 inches (10 cm) across, toasted on the cut side. That size is my choice: Burger King doesn’t publish the bun’s diameter.

How do I get the flame-grilled taste without a grill? Brush each patty with one drop of liquid smoke and sear it in a smoking-hot cast-iron skillet until it reads 160 °F (71 °C) inside.

Has Burger King published the Whopper recipe? Not with quantities. During the 2020 lockdown, Burger King France shared a home version of the Whopper with its ingredients (Tom’s Guide), but nothing specific to the Jr.

Sources

Sources were checked on November 6, 2026: The Takeout on the Whopper Jr.’s origin, The Takeout on Whopper vs. Whopper Jr., Mashed, Food Republic, Tasting Table, Wikipedia, Whopper, Burger King Lithuania, mydealz, Tom’s Guide and Top Secret Recipes. This is an unofficial copycat recipe and is not affiliated with Burger King.