Tommy’s Original Chili Burger (Copycat) is a well-loved Californian chili burger recreated to get an authentic taste! Try this today!
Copycat Recipes on burger chain favorites like Tommy’s Original Chili and Big Mac Sloppy Joes are always a big hit on this site! It’s easy to get hooked on recreating classic fast food right in your own kitchen!
To make the famous Chili Burger, you first have to make my copycat chili recipe for Tommy’s Chili. I included the recipe in this post. While you can make the meaty chili at the same time as this recipe (it’s super quick), you should definitely try making it a day or two ahead of time. Tommy’s Original Chili tastes the most authentic when it’s been cooled down and then reheated.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Tommy’s Chili Burger (Copycat) Recipe
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sinking your teeth (and tastebuds) into a Tommy’s Original Chili Burger, you are probably coming into this recipe with high expectations! And you should be, Tommy’s Chili Burgers are in a class of their own and they hold their recipes close to their chest. While it’s hard to beat this classic, there are some more variations later in the post!
My Tommy’s Original Chili Burger copycat won’t disappoint. Down to the cheese and pickles, the research and testing for this recipe was lovingly conducted to get it exactly right. Not that it’s a bad thing, but a lot of that research was getting to eat many, many Tommy’s Chili Burgers and Tommy’s Chili Fries (and chili cheese dogs).
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef Chuck: I’m using the more flavorful ground beef chuck. It’s got a bit more fat content but that gives it a juicier and richer flavor. You can use whatever ground beef you have though if needed.
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt: You can use pink salt, or sea salt, or regular table salt.
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper: This adds a subtle flavor to the patties.
- 2 cups Tommy’s Chili: When it comes to the Chili, the secret ingredient is using masa harina and finely grated carrots in the beef mixture. This gives the chili the thickness and slight sweetness that they are famous for. Go check out the Tommy’s Chili recipe for more insider tips and nostalgia about the Southern California classic Tommy’s Original! Sure, you could use canned chili, but homemade is better!
- 4 slices Extra Sharp American Cheese: Some people think the cheese they use is Velvetta, but they actually use Extra Sharp American Cheese slices that are 100% real cheese.
- ½ cup Large Dill Pickle Slices: You must use dill pickles and the thicker, sturdier slices are the best.
- ½ cup White Onions: Diced white onions, not yellow or red onions but white (not sweet) onions.
- 4 slices Beefsteak Tomato: The beefsteak tomatoes are sliced nice and thick to hold up against the steaming hot chili. If beefsteak tomatoes are not available, you can use other tomatoes like Roma or vine-ripened tomatoes.
- 1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard: For the mustard you want to use yellow mustard, and none tastes quite like French’s yellow mustard.
- 4 White Hamburger Buns: You can use whole wheat or brioche buns, or whatever buns you have available.
How to Make
Time needed: 1 hour.
- Prepare Beef Patties
Make the patties putting an indent into the center so they keep their form while cooking. Store them in the refrigerator while you make or reheat the chili.
- Make Tommy’s Chili
Following the recipe for Tommy’s Chili, place it into the refrigerator while you cook the patties. You’ll reheat it just before serving.
- Grill Beef Patties
Heat up the grill and cook the patties 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on your preference. You can use the outdoor grill, or on a stovetop skillet on medium heat.
- Assemble Burgers
When everything is ready, assemble the burgers with the bottom bun first, then follow with the patty, ½ cup of Tommy’s Chili, then cheese, onions, pickles, and tomato. Top it off with yellow mustard.
- Serve
Top with the top bun and serve these tasty burgers with french fries or other favorite burger sides. Go all out and make some homemade chili cheese fries if you have extra chili!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef chuck
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon course ground black pepper
- 2 cups Tommy's Chili , see recipe to prepare
- 4 slices extra sharp American cheese , doubled slices or thick slices
- 1/2 cup large dill pickle slices
- 1/2 cup white onions , diced
- 4 slices beefsteak tomato
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 4 white hamburger buns
Instructions
- Form the ground beef into four patties, press your thumb into the center of the patty to make an indent (this prevents the patty from becoming misshapen).
- Season patties with salt and pepper, set aside in refrigerator.
- Prepare Tommy's Chili, let sit off heat and cool down while grilling burger patties (Reheating makes it more authentic and thick).
- On high heat cook the beef patties for 3 minutes on each side.
- Reheat Tommy's Chili and assemble burgers according to note below.
Notes
Hamburger Patty
½ Cup Tommy’s Chili
Slice Extra Sharp American Cheese (if using)
Diced White Onions
Slices of Dill Pickles
Large Slice Beefsteak Tomato
Yellow Mustard
Top Bun
Nutrition
How to Make Tommy’s Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, (85/15)
- 1 large carrot
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons masa harina (masa harina means corn flour in Spanish)
- 2 cups beef broth (or you can use 2 cups water or a combination of water and broth instead)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/4 cup flour
Instructions
- Add your carrots to a food processor until they’re very finely chopped and the food processor stops making them smaller. Use a spatula to clean the food processor and get all the carrots.
- Add the ground beef and carrots to a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat and cook until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it apart as you go, about 5-6 minutes. You’ll want to make sure to have brown meat for safety.
- Lower the heat to medium and add in the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and masa harina, stirring well to combine.
- In a small cup whisk together the beef broth, vinegar, and flour until the flour is completely absorbed, then add the brown roux into the pot.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for an additional 30 minutes to thicken.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
These are actually best served fresh. You can make the individual ingredients the day before and reheat the chili, but the burgers will be best served fresh.
Nutritional Facts
How to Serve Tommy Burgers
Serve your Tommy’s Chili Burger with French Fries (also topped with chili) for an authentic meal, or other burger sides like Onion Rings, Coleslaw, or Loaded Garlic Fries. Turn these into Tommy’s Chili Sliders by splitting each patty into thirds before cooking and then serving on Hawaiian rolls.
How to Store
- Store: Serve your Tommy’s Chili Burger hot and keep it at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Store leftover chili for up to 3 days. You can store the burger patties and the chili together or separately in an airtight container.
- Reheating Tips: This is best served fresh however, you can store the ingredients separately for up to 2 days in the fridge and reheat the burger in the microwave or the toaster oven.
- Freeze: Cooked hamburger patties and Tommy’s Chili can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Fully cool before storing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Frequent Questions
Neither the original Tommy’s Chili recipe nor my copycat recipe contains beans.
In the 1940s, a man by the name of Tommy started a little chili burger stand in Los Angeles. It became a hit and has expanded to dozens of locations in California and Nevada. I’m excited for you to try my homemade version of Tommy’s classic LA burger.
Variations
- Sloppy Joes: Instead of making hamburger patties, brown your ground beef in a skillet with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in half the Tommy’s Chili and then spoon onto bottom buns. Cover with more chili, burger toppings, and the top bun.
- Meat: Use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of ground beef for your hamburger patties. For juicier patties, mix a tablespoon of oil into leaner ground meat.
- Bacon: Tommy’s Original doesn’t serve a Bacon Chili Burger, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cook up a few slices to top each Chili Burger at home.
- Caliente Burger: To recreate Tommy’s Caliente Burger, top each patty with Pepper jack cheese before adding the chili. Then top chili with Cascabella peppers, also known as Hot Chili Peppers you can find in the pickled food section.