• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Toasty Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • FAQ
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Entrées

    Grilled Bison Burgers with Pimento Cheese

    Published: Jul 7, 2022 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 898 words. · About 5 minutes to read this article.

    Jump to Recipe

    Grilled bison burgers are the perfect quick summer meal - they're ready in 20 minutes or less! Bison burgers are perfectly seasoned and grilled until juicy, then spread with pimento cheese and your favorite burger toppings.

    Grilled bison burger with toppings on a white plate.

    Ever had a bison burger before? It's a lot like a high quality beef burger, except it's a little leaner and higher in protein. Bison is a nutrient dense food, and a great substitute for beef if you're looking to lighten up your meals.

    These grilled bison burgers are lightly seasoned and grilled until perfectly juicy. Then, they're topped with a creamy pimento cheese spread, lettuce, and bread and butter pickles, on a lightly toasted bun. Use your favorite store bought pimento cheese or make your own. It adds a creamy element that's tangy, peppery, and cheesy.

    Serve grilled bison burgers for your next summer meal. They're ready in minutes and pair perfectly with your favorite summer side dishes, like potato salad.

    Ingredients and substitutions

    Ingredients on a counter top.
    • Ground bison - Can be substituted with any ground meat you have on hand, like ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork. Keep in mind that lean meats will cook faster than fatty meats. We made smaller, 4 ounce burgers, but you're welcome to make your burgers any size.
    • Salt and pepper - To enhance the flavor of your bison burgers.
    • Pimento cheese - Your cheese spread can be homemade (try my pimento cheese recipe) or store bought. Or, substitute with American cheese slices for a classic burger experience.
    • Buns - Fresh bakery buns, like brioche buns or sesame seed buns, are perfect for this recipe.
    • Optional toppings - I added lettuce and bread and butter pickles to my burgers, but feel free to add your favorite toppings, like sliced tomato, red onion, or dill pickles.

    What does bison taste like?

    Bison is a red meat that has a similar flavor to high quality beef. It is not gamey, and some describe it as having a slightly sweet undertone.

    Bison is a nutrient-dense food, and is an excellent source of protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B6, and the antioxidant selenium. When compared to beef, bison is lower in calories, higher in protein, and lower in fat. This makes it a great swap if you're looking to lighten up your meals.

    Here's an article explaining the differences between bison and beef: Cooking Light - Why You Should Buy Bison Instead of Beef

    Forming bison burger patties and cooking on the grill.

    Tips for grilling bison burgers

    • Gently form your patties without working the meat too much. Form wide patties with an indent in the center. This prevents your burgers from puffing up once they start cooking.
    • Use oil with a high smoke point - this means an oil can stand up to higher heat (like a grill) without burning.
    • Oil the grill grates before placing food on the grill. This ensures your food doesn't stick.
    • Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. Ground bison should to be cooked to an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for medium doneness. Cooking for much longer will result in a dry burger, especially since bison is a lean meat. Using a meat thermometer guarantees juicy, perfectly cooked burgers.
    • Move your burgers as little as possible for nice grill marks. Gently lift up one corner to check the progress of your burger patty, then lay it back down in the same spot if it's not ready to be moved yet.
    • Let your burgers rest for a minute or two before biting in. While they don't need as much rest as a steak, a minute or so helps the juices redistribute, which keeps your burgers juicy.
    • Want melted pimento cheese? Add it to your burgers during the last minute of cooking and cover with a lid.
    Close up of bison burger and creamy pimento cheese on a toasted bun.

    What to serve with bison burgers

    Bison burgers pair well with any traditional picnic sides, like macaroni salad, potato salad, or a lighter chopped salad. Here are a few side dish ideas:

    • Macaroni salad
    • Potato salad
    • Pasta salad
    • Italian chopped salad
    • Strawberry spinach salad
    • Grilled vegetable skewers
    • Pineapple shrimp skewers
    Grilled bison burger with toppings on a white plate.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 review

    Grilled Bison Burgers with Pimento Cheese

    Grilled bison burgers are the perfect quick summer meal - they're ready in 20 minutes or less! Bison burgers are perfectly seasoned and grilled until juicy, then spread with pimento cheese and your favorite burger toppings.
    Prep Time10 minutes
    Cook Time6 minutes
    Total Time16 minutes
    Servings: 4 burgers
    Calories: 465kcal
    Author: Heather

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground bison
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ cup pimento cheese
    • 4 burger buns
    • bread and butter pickles and romaine lettuce, optional toppings

    Instructions

    • Preheat grill to medium-high or high heat, about 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If needed, clean grill grates.
    • Form ground bison into four equal sized, wide patties, pressing an intent into the center of each. Salt and pepper patties on all sides.
    • Wipe grill grates lightly with oil, then place bison burger on the grill grate (optionally, add buns around the edge of the grill to toast. This will take about a minute or less - bread browns quickly). Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes before flipping. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until burgers are cooked to an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit (medium). Rely less on time and more on the temperature and look of your burgers to determine when they're done. Grill temperatures and conditions can vary greatly.
    • Remove from grill, immediately spread with pimento cheese, and allow to rest for 1 to 2 minutes before assembling sandwiches. Transfer burgers to buns and top with lettuce and pickles. Serve warm.

    Notes

    • Leftover bison burgers will keep for up to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
    • Bison is leaner than beef, and will cook slightly faster than a traditional beef burger.
    • Want melted pimento cheese? Add cheese during the last minute of cooking, then cover grill with lid. 

    Nutrition Estimate

    Serving: 1burger | Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 884mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 4mg
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American

    More recipes

    • Scalloped bowl filled with pimento cheese.
      Pimento Cheese Spread
    • A mason jar filled with pickles and onions.
      Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
    • Melty pimento cheese sandwich sliced in half on a plate.
      Bacon Pimento Grilled Cheese
    • Cheese melting down the side of a patty melt sandwich.
      Patty Melt with Secret Sauce

    More Entrée Recipes

    • Overhead view of a bowl of soup filled with colorful vegetables.
      Creamy Vegetable Soup
    • A white casserole dish filled with layers of thin sliced potatoes, ham, and cheese, with a wooden spatula scooping a serving out.
      Potatoes Au Gratin with Ham
    • Close up of a metal spoon in a bowl of sausage tortellini soup.
      Sausage Tortellini Soup
    • Close up of two filet mignon steaks in a cast iron pan.
      Pan-Seared Filet Mignon

    Share this post:

    Subscribe

    Get our newest recipes delivered to your inbox for free!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Heather of The Toasty Kitchen

    Hi, I'm Heather of The Toasty Kitchen. I love cooking with real, unfussy ingredients, and I want to help you make homemade meals with ease.

    More about me →

    Spring recipes

    • Close up of strawberries, walnuts, feta cheese, and onions on a bed of lettuce.
      Strawberry Walnut Salad
    • Roasted potatoes and asparagus on a metal sheet pan.
      Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus
    • White bowl filled with arugula, potatoes, tomato, and red onion.
      Roasted Potato Arugula Salad
    • White bowl filled with salad ingredients.
      Salmon Cobb Salad

    Reader Favorites

    • A spoon scooping raspberry sauce from a white bowl.
      Raspberry Sauce For Cheesecake
    • Cooked steak tips in a cast iron pan.
      Garlic Butter & Herb Sirloin Tips
    • Red spatula covered in white frosting.
      Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
    • Graham crackers dipped in a bowl of strawberry cheesecake dip.
      Strawberry Cheesecake Dip

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As seen in

    logos of publications The Toasty Kitchen has been published in.

    Copyright © 2023 The Toasty Kitchen®