Haggis Burgers

Haggis Burgers are a fantastic family dinner. The perfect way to try haggis if you never have, or to enjoy more of a delicious flavour.

I really like Haggis. It’s one of those things that actually more people would enjoy if they gave it a go. 

I also think that it works really well mixed with beef or lamb mince, and actually, I’m told that venison and haggis burgers are amazing.

Haggis is quite a strong and spicy flavour, and the meat can be quite dry, so when I’m making burgers or meatballs and I need to be able to really mould the meat, I mix it with another mince for a better texture. 

Haggis Burgers are a fab family meal, and definitely a great way to get your kids to try something new. 

If you are looking for easy burns night meals that encourage everyone to try this tasty meat, find out how to make haggis burgers below!

Can You Make Burgers with Haggis?

Totally!

You could make a burger with haggis meat alone, but, most of the haggis that we buy from butchers or supermarkets is precooked, and typically quite crumbly. 

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This makes it hard to mould your haggis patties into a shape. And, if you did, they’d quite probably fall apart as they cooked. 

That’s why I mix my haggis with beef mince in a 50/50 split. Haggis is quite a strong flavour, so you still get fab Scottish Burgers with a fantastic haggis flavour. 

Do You Need Egg to Bind Homemade Burgers?

You can use an egg to bind your burgers, but you don’t have to. 

When I make beef burgers, I simply add diced onion and a tbsp of horseradish. The flavour is great, and it just helps everything to stick together a little better. 

You could use whisked egg, or horseradish, just adding to the meats and onions and kneading through the mix with your hands. 

But for my haggis burger recipe, I like to add a splash of red wine. I like the flavour, and it just helps the two different types of meat stick together. 

It’s totally up to you. This is a super easy haggis recipe, so it’s fun to experiment with different flavours and textures when looking for something to bind your haggis patties together.

How to Stop Homemade Burgers Falling Apart

I actually never find my burgers with haggis fall apart at all. 

The addition of red wine, letting the haggis patties rest in the fridge for an hour, and cooking them on the hob in a pan, all seem to ensure that they stay together really well. 

Another tip is to make sure you really press the meat together when you shape your haggis burgers. You may want to use a burger press. Or, even line a deep plastic lid that’s fairly burger-shaped with clingfilm to help you to shape your burgers. 

A press (affiliate link) is definitely a worthwhile investment if you make homemade burgers often. Or, when you find the perfect shaped lid, keep it!

How to Make Burgers Juicy

Adding beef mince to the haggis certainly helps to make sure this recipe for haggis burgers is really juicy and tasty. Beef has a higher fat content, so they are automatically juicier. 

Then, try not to work the meat too much, just mixing the haggis and beef, and making sure the wine and onion are even and you’ve got a workable dough. 

Next, avoid overcooking. Cooking on the hob in a little oil I think gives you more control than grilling, but your burgers will still dry out if you overcook them. 

I find 5 minutes on each side, over a medium heat, works well. 

Cooking Haggis Burgers

Cooking haggis burgers on the hob is a great option. 

But you could also grill them, and even BBQ if you prefer. Just cook over a medium heat, until the meat is piping hot throughout and brown on the outsides, and they should be fine. 

Another option is sealing the burgers quickly, flash-frying on the hob, for a minute or two on each side, and then finishing on a baking tray in a preheated oven. 

Personally, I prefer cooking them on the hob and think I get a nice juicy burger, but however you are more comfortable should be fine. 

Does Haggis Need to be Well-Cooked?

Most of the haggis that we buy is precooked.

If you were serving it on its own, you’d typically boil it in its pack, wrapped in foil, over quite a long time so that it was well re-heated. 

But, when you are cooking it like this, you really just need to make sure the beef is cooked and the haggis is hot. 

How to Serve Haggis Burgers

I serve my haggis cheeseburgers on bread buns with lettuce, mayo, and tomato. But it’s totally up to you. You can serve however you’d serve a beef or lamb burger. Sweet potato or cheesy wedges are always a good idea as a side, but chips will absolutely do!

Other Recipes Using Haggis

Other haggis dinner ideas include haggis meatballs and haggis cottage pie. You can find more haggis recipes here.

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 Burgers

Easy Haggis Burgers

Print

Haggis Burgers are a fantastic family dinner. The perfect way to try haggis if you never have, or to enjoy more of a delicious flavour.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Resting Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 250 g Beef Mince
• 250 g Haggis - Removed from cover and broken up in a bowl
• 1 Red Onion - Finely Diced
• Splash Red Wine
• Cooking oil or Spray
• Bread Rolls, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Mayo - To serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Slice open the haggis package and scoop the meat out into a mixing bowl
2. Add the beef mince, a good splash of red wine, and the diced onion
3. Use your hands to break up the meats and knead together until it forms a well-mixed ball
4. Roll into 4 even balls
5. Flatten into burger patties, around 1cm thick
6. Place on a greased or lined baking tray, cover, and leave in the fridge for one hour
7. Heat a little oil in a frying pan
8. Fry the burgers for 5 minutes on each side over a medium heat, until cooked through, adding cheese for the last 2 minutes if desired
9. Build burger, adding salad and condiments as required

Notes

• If you'd rather not use wine, substitute for, a tbsp of horseradish, or 1/2 a whisked egg to bind the meat together
• For a haggis cheeseburger, add slices of cheese of choice to the tops of the burgers patties when nearly ready to serve
• I build my burger, bottom roll, burger, tomato, lettuce, mayo, top roll.
• Calorie count just for the burger patty, add extra for bread, etc

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 burger patty
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 443Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 176mgSodium: 239mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 27g

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors.

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