14 Fast Food Burgers That Are Always Fresh And Never Frozen

Drive down any main street in America and you'll likely see numerous hamburger eateries lining either side. These establishments range from nation-wide golden arched franchises to small local burger joints that have stood for decades. Yet, they all have one thing in common: adoration for the classic American hamburger. Crafted from ground beef, topped with a thick square of creamy cheese, and pressed between a spongey, soft bun, these staples of Americana have been satiating our appetites for a little over a century, beloved by everyone from U.S. presidents to children. Still, not all burgers are created equally. There are those that use freshly ground beef and those that choose a chillier fate.

In many ways, the patty is the heart of the hamburger. It demands quality ingredients that are unmarred by freezing. There's just something unconditionally sad about frozen beef patties. These cold, hard pucks of beef often can't be saved by even the most sensational of toppings. It's an important distinction when looking for a good quality burger in any fast-casual setting. When it comes to fast food burgers, many have strong opinions, and whether a restaurant freezes its patties is often a top consideration when it comes to ranking them.

If you're a fan of fresh beef, plump burgers, and '50s-era nostalgia, Fatburger will rank high on your fast food list. A 70-year old classic, Fatburger's patties are hand-pressed and never frozen, be you ordering a single patty burger or a triple. Its burger sizes range from the modest ⅓ pound Original to the colossal 1.5 pound Triple Kingburger. But no matter how fat your Fatburger is, you know it's always made with beef that's lean, freshly ground, and flawlessly grilled. Even in Canada, the Alberta Angus beef is never frozen.

Pioneered by founder, Lovie Yancey, Fatburger sets an emphasis on crafting burgers that are ample-sized and stuffed with high-quality ingredients. Fatburger's origin story begins in 1947 when Lovie opened a small hamburger stand called Mr. Fatburger outfitted with no more than three stools. After the couple parted ways in 1952, Lovie dropped the "Mr." from the business name and forged on, cultivating a business that has persisted for seven decades and expanded to encompass locations throughout North America. Her commitment to delivering exceptional food continues well into the modern era with onion rings made from scratch, homemade chili, and signature unfrozen beef patties.

Be it the Black Truffle Burger or the classic Shackburger, all Shake Shack burgers utilize a custom Angus Beef blend that is unfrozen, humanely raised, and hormone and antibiotic-free. This dedication to excellence extends to its chicken as well as its line of premium shakes and frozen custard. Its never frozen, white meat chicken is hand-breaded and crisply fried in cholesterol-free vegetable oil as are its crinkle-cut fries. Its shakes are fashioned from cane sugar and cage-free eggs, crafted on the premises daily. But premium-quality food isn't the only thing this New York City-based company cares about. Its mission to "Stand For Something Good" includes designing its stores sustainably and supporting the surrounding community in addition to sourcing choice ingredients from trusted partners. 

As a result, Shake Shack proudly acts consistently with animal welfare practices which encompass not only its beef products, but pork and chicken as well. All three must be humanely raised without the use of added hormones and antibiotics. In addition, all eggs supplied to its stores must be cage-free, and its dairy, free of rBST or rBGH, a hormone added to increase dairy production in cows. Shake Shack may be considered pricier than other fast food options, but its cost reflects its care and quality.

As proudly emphasized on its website, all Wendy's restaurants in the contiguous U.S. (as well as Alaska and Canada) serve North American beef that's always fresh and never frozen. This resolution stretches back 50 years, beginning in 1969, when the first Wendy's hamburger was invented. Founder Dave Thomas aimed to design a restaurant to deliver freshly made eats at a fair price. Dave thought food shouldn't just be sitting there waiting to be eaten, it should be made to order.

You know when you see that signature square patty, it is a symbol of Wendy's values and its commitment to never cut corners when it comes to ingredients. This sentiment remains alive and well today. All of Wendy's operations reflect the values of its founder, using fresh beef that's never relegated to a freezer and delivered in refrigerated trucks throughout the week, as well as lettuce chopped by hand, and fruit drinks shaken in store. Wendy's is also the first fast food chain to team up with the Progressive Beef program, a program with a focus on humane cattle care, food safety, and environmental sustainability.

Fuddruckers is a fast-casual burger joint that serves all-American premium-cut beef that is never frozen. Every patty is grilled to order, be it a ⅓, ½, or ⅔ pound patty. Yet its craftsmanship doesn't end here. What's the point of serving high-quality beef with subpar toppings, after all? After Fuddruckers staff delivers your burger, customers can head over to the Build Your Own produce bar, which is chock-full of fresh fixings. Heap on hand-leafed lettuce and perfectly-hued tomatoes along with pickles, onions, and cheese sauce, and prepare to craft your masterpiece.

To top it all off, Fuddruckers hamburger buns are made from scratch and freshly baked throughout the day in its store kitchens. Sprinkled with sesame seeds and boasting a golden, crispy crust, they complement Fuddruckers reliable, freezer-free beef perfectly. Fuddruckers didn't trademark the phrase World's Greatest Hamburger for no reason.

In-N-Out's pared down menu has long been a favorite of burger fanatics due to its dependably fresh ingredients. You don't need a massive menu when every item is a winner. Order a single cheeseburger, a double double, or the not-so-secret 4x4, and you'll be treated with a juicy, never-frozen patty from California's first drive-through burger stand. Not only does In-N-Out have a strong commitment to never freezing its beef, it also refuses to pre-package or microwave its menu items. That's right — step inside your local In-N-Out and you will find no freezers and no microwaves.

This company remains very stalwart about its hamburger process. In-N-Out's much revered hamburger patties are delivered fresh to stores during the course of the week so they never require freezing. Sourced from the company's own patty-making premises located in California and Texas, the meat is delivered in whole chucks. The deliveries are individually-reviewed, then deboned and ground in-store to make each and every patty. The end result is a patty composed of 100% USDA ground chuck exempt from fillers, additives, and pesky preservatives.

Is this where the quality ends? Not a chance! From the American cheese to the hand-leafed iceberg lettuce, attention is always given to detail. In-N-Out french fries are hand-diced, sliced from whole potatoes direct from the farm, and shipped straight to In-N-Out to be fried in sunflower oil. And the buns? Baked the old-fashioned way with slow-rising sponge dough. No wonder this brand was a favorite of everyone from Anthony Bourdain to Gordon Ramsay.

Anyone who hasn't stepped foot in one of Whataburger's 900 locations across America, must not be a fan of fresh beef. Either that or they live in one of the 30-something states lacking a store. Distinguished by its signature orange and white striped roofs, Whataburger has a long legacy of offering big burgers filled with top-notch contents. The first Whataburger opened in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1950 with the aim of crafting a burger that would elicit the response — "what a burger!" — with the very first bite.

Keeping this goal ever present, Whataburger continues to wield burgers so wide they require both hands to consume. Its 5-inch diameter buns are graced with fresh, unfrozen beef and topped with plenty of extra additions. Whataburger has been very vocal about its commitment to fresh ingredients, claiming its beef to have "one of the quickest production-to-grill timelines in the quick service restaurant industry." In addition to never freezing its beef, it also assures a farm-to-table supply chain, sourcing farm-fresh tomatoes and cheese fashioned with milk from U.S. dairy farms. Its vegetables are chopped, sliced, and diced in-store daily, and its beef is grilled to order.

Best of all are the hours of operation. Think because it's after midnight, frozen patties are your only option? Not so! Whataburger locations are open 24 hours a day, every single day of the week, so you can enjoy fresh, beefy burgers anytime — day or night.

Besides being renowned for its twice-cooked fries, Five Guys is also heralded for its attention to meat, which is never exiled to a freezer. Freezing isn't even an option at Five Guys, because there are no freezers present at any locations, only coolers. The entire meat process is exhaustive. Team members must examine each delivery box of meat to ensure it is the correct temperature and assess the meat packages to ensure there are no tears in the packaging. After the meat is confirmed as good, the patty-making process begins. Meat is hand-formed into meatballs that weigh 3.5 to 3.7 ounces. Next, the balls are pressed into patties and refrigerated. This meat is prepared in the morning to be used for the day's lunch shift, dinner shift, and tomorrow's lunch shift. After this point, the meat will be discarded.

For more than 30 years, Five Guys has been placing a focus on quality. Its buns are toasted on their own meat-free grill, donning them a pristine badge of gold so the toppings never render it soggy. Even the way the burgers are constructed is meticulous. After the patties are prepared using a three-stage cooking process, the toppings are carefully aligned. Ketchup, mustard, mayo, bacon, onions, mushrooms, peppers and jalapeños are all bottom-bun items. Lettuce, tomatoes, and all remaining toppings are left for the top bun. What about Five Guys french fries? These heavenly spuds are cut in store, fried in peanut oil, and sourced only from Idaho potatoes from farms North of the 42nd parallel, where the densest tubers are grown.

Lovers of crispy, juicy patties have long favored Smashburger's offerings. Its seared patties employ fresh, unfrozen beef that is pressed into a blazing-hot griddle and rapidly cooked at high heat to produce a caramelized crust. Bringing the concept of the smashburger to national attention, these quick serve restaurants squash their fresh balls of meat onto a grill with a special tool, maximizing contact for a crispy texture. The high heat results in a rapid cooking method, cinching in the meaty juices inside a crispy-edged patty.

The beef that Smashburger harnesses to wield its thin, flavor-packed patties is entirely made from Certified Angus Beef, procured from family-owned ranches and farms based in the United States. This CAB name is more than just a label. Beef that received this mark must meet 10 rigid standards including meeting sizing, marbling, and tenderness criteria. Used in everything from the Truffle Mushroom Smashburger assembled from truffle mayonnaise and crimini mushrooms to the BBQ Bacon Smashburger made with aged cheddar and applewood-smoked bacon, these patties continue to impress. You can even slide them between a gluten-free bun or wrap them in lettuce for a keto-friendly option.

Whether in Wisconsin or Arizona, you'll find no icy, rock-hard patties in any of Culver's 1,000 locations. Culver's characteristic ButterBurgers are proudly made from beef that is never frozen, topped with a bun crowned with Wisconsin butter, hence the name ButterBurger. Keeping its Wisconsin-origins front of mind, Culver's utilizes butter churned by a family-owned creamery in its home state. Yet there's more to Culver's burgers than butter. All ButterBurgers are fashioned from a distinctive blend of three tantalizing beef cuts, including chuck, sirloin, and plate. The makers of the ButterBurger would never dare freeze such meat, stating "Frozen beef loses moisture and when you lose moisture, you lose flavor. And we won't compromise on that."

Additionally, Culver's is happy to cater to customizations because its staff never begin cooking until you've placed your order. At Culver's you know your burger isn't cooked by just anyone. These made-to-order masterpieces are the sole responsibility of the grill master, a status and title that must be earned. To obtain the title of grill master, a Culver's team members must begin with one-on-one training, learn the skill of searing, and after multiple months, graduate to the level of grill master. They are then donned a unique uniform including a chef's coat. These maestros of the griddle know how to perfectly press and sear a patty to seal in moisture and flavor, flipping each patty only once so it never loses its juiciness.

Mooyah's burger options are expansive, and they're all made from never frozen beef. Whether you order The Hamburdog from the Burger Hall of Dang! or one of its paleo and keto-friendly Lifestyle Burgers, all Mooyah meat patties are 100% Certified Angus Beef which is never frozen. Despite what you may think given the brand's cheeky about page, Mooyah is quite serious about its menu offerings, using "never-frozen beef, hand-cut fries, real ice cream shakes, and other delicious nouns preceded by quality-assuring adjectives."

This brand has only continued to impress customers since its founding in 2007. In 2010, Mooyah began offering decadently orange-hued sweet potato fries. In 2011, all locations started baking their own buns, yielding fresh-baked white and multigrain burger buns everywhere. Its menu has only expanded since then, bringing customers back to taste new creations like the fiery Double Diablo and the Best Quesonario.

Nostalgia is a key component at Wayback Burgers, as you may have gathered by the name. However, this brand refuses to remain stuck in the past, instead reviving classic comfort food with fresh and novel twists. Consider the Cheeeesy, with an "e" for every slice of cheese it contains. This decadent offering is sculpted with two never frozen beef patties and four slices of American cheese wedged between an inverted bun. Too much dairy? Sample the Carolina, slathered instead with slaw, chili, and onions. No matter which menu offering you choose, every patty will be crafted from fresh beef.

Offered in a single, double, triple, and even a triple triple patty, Wayback Burgers utilizes ground beef that has never seen a freezer. These delectable burgers are great paired with its ultra thick milkshakes, crafted from fresh milk and hand-dipped ice cream. Wayback's mission to bond people through the communal power of comfort food has stood in place since 1991, when the establishment was known simply as Jake's Hamburgers. Wayback Burgers continue to stand apart from other fast food offerings by offering traditional fare crafted from fantastic ingredients while still providing novel menu items and limited time offerings.

Although Steak N Shake made news for previously closing locations left and right, stores that continue to operate only use fresh beef. Steak N Shake founder Gus Belt liked to affirm his steakburgers were optimal by wheeling in a tub of steaks and grinding them into burgers before his customers' very eyes, spawning the company slogan "If it's in sight, it must be right." This sentiment is still held today with patties cooked in sight on an open griddle. Here, the smash technique is shown on display, combining the seared meat with gooey cheese and toasted buns.

Since its founding in 1934, Steak N Shake has only continued to be fueled by its commitment to quality meat. It's also quite selective about its protein in terms of animal welfare, only sourcing meat from cattle that have received humane treatment during their life. Similar commitments have also been made in the terms of its pork, chicken, and dairy supply chains.

Newer to the burger scene, Smalls Sliders only opened in 2019, but has been making large leaps on the hamburger stage. Named a Breakout Brands of 2023 by Nation Restaurant News, this company has gained attention for both its small, but flavor-packed burgers and unusual storefront. Called cans, all Smalls Sliders burger joints are fashioned from modular shipping containers, from which it serves a concise menu consisting of assorted drinks, waffle fries, tasty shakes, and mouthwatering cheeseburger sliders.

With 250 locations either open or in development, Smalls Sliders is best known for its all-beef patties that are never frozen and always grilled to order. Its Smalls Slider features a toasty bun, pickles, cheese, and signature Smauce. Double the fresh, meaty goodness by making it a Biggie Smalls or add bacon for added texture. Be on the lookout for one of its signature Smorange cans dropping near you to sample all its delicious offerings.

Burger Lounge may be a smaller chain, but what it lacks in scope it makes up for in quality. Founded in 2007 and currently only available in California, Burger Lounge is known for its never frozen, grass-fed beef which is higher in Omega-3s and protein. Its two San Diego founders initiated Burger Lounge with the mindset to fashion delicious burgers that people could feel great about consuming. Consequently, they focuses its menu around grass-fed beef and garden-fresh ingredients that customers didn't have to feel guilty about enjoying.

Burger Lounge has rounded out its premium menu with a medley of stellar offerings. Its Cod Sandwich features sustainably-caught cod for fans of fish, and its basil-tinged turkey burgers are made in house. Its burger lettuce comes from Church Brothers Farms in Northern California to be shredded in store while its hand-cut fries are born from Northwestern kennebec potatoes. Even its salads sport crisp, local ingredients like regionally-sourced mizuna and spinach. Next time you have a hankering for a quality burger in the Golden State, give this fast casual lounge a try.