Menu Prices AUQuarter Pounder-Style Beef Burger at Home
McDonald's copycat · ⏱ 20 mins · Difficulty: Easy · Serves 2 · By Sophie Bernard
Quarter-pound beef patty, cheese, pickles, onion, ketchup and mustard on a sesame bun. The real Quarter Pounder is $7.85, 2,180 kJ. Copycat method follows the classic McMenu Quarter Pounder build (McDonald’s production-method recipes).
The Original
Quarter Pounder
Price: $7.85 (pickup)
Energy: 2,180 kJ (521 cal)
Open the real dish page →
Ingredients
Home-kitchen amounts for 2 — standard home-cooking quantities for this dish, not the chain’s recipe (chains do not publish theirs). Difficulty: Easy.
- 300 g beef mince (80/20)
- 2 sesame-seed buns
- 2 slices American cheese
- 2 tbsp finely diced white onion
- 8 dill pickle slices
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp yellow mustard
- Salt and cracked pepper
Method
- Divide the mince into 2 patties of about 150 g each, wider than the bun, and season well.
- Sear in a dry, very hot pan or on a flat grill for 3–4 minutes per side. Top with cheese for the final minute.
- Toast the buns cut-side down until just golden.
- Slice the pickles and onion while the patties rest, so everything is ready to build at once.
- Build: ketchup and mustard on the base, pickles and onion, then the cheesy patty, then the crown. Tip: do not press the patties while they cook — pressing squeezes the juices out and dries the burger. Let them rest 2 minutes before serving.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How close is this to the real Quarter Pounder?
This is a home-kitchen copycat, not the chain’s recipe — the chain does not publish its recipe. It is built to sit beside the original: the real Quarter Pounder is $7.85 for pickup with 2,180 kJ (521 cal). Compare the two before you cook — the home version trades the chain’s equipment for a frypan and an oven.
How long does it take, and how hard is it?
About 20 minutes, rated Easy difficulty, serving 2.
What do I need to make it?
The ingredients are listed below — starting with 300 g beef mince (80/20), 2 sesame-seed buns, 2 slices American cheese, and 5 more. Quantities are home-kitchen amounts, written to serve 2.
What does the original cost at McDonald's?
The real Quarter Pounder is $7.85 (pickup), 2,180 kJ. Prices vary by location and delivery is higher.
Where can I check the original dish?
On its own dish page — open the Quarter Pounder at McDonald's page for the price, kJ and calories.
Is this recipe the chain’s official recipe?
No — no Top 10 chain publishes its recipes. Every recipe on this site is a copycat written from the dish’s published description and the home-kitchen method below, and the comparison box shows the real dish’s price and kJ so you can judge it yourself.
Written & checked by Sophie Bernard
Sophie reads every menu directly from each chain’s official Australian ordering site and records the store and price basis on the page. No price is published without a source.