4 Fast Food Burger Chains That Use Real Butter

When it comes to flavorful fats, it's tough to beat real, honest-to-goodness butter. When it comes to fast food, though, it can be tough to find. Most chains tend to be secretive when it comes to baring the complete ingredients lists for their menu items, so it can be difficult to figure out exactly what they're cooking or topping your burger with.

Additionally, many chains opt to use non-dairy fats instead because they have multiple advantages: Dairy is a common allergen, it has a shorter shelf-life, and it can be quite a bit more expensive compared to cooking oils. Thankfully, not all fast food burger joints keep their ingredients under lock and key, and with a little investigating, we uncovered a few chains that use real butter in some or all of their burgers. If you're seeking out creamy golden goodness, these beefy beauties are sure to satisfy your buttery burger cravings.



On the other hand, you can also use this list if you keep your diet dairy-free and you're looking to avoid the ingredient. 1. Shake Shack One look at the lacy golden-brown pattern of crispiness on the inside of a Shake Shack bun, and you just know it's bathed in some warm butter.

According to Shake Shack's official cookbook, the key to getting that signature taste and texture is to apply melted, unsalted butter with a soft brush on the insides of a sliced potato bun, then lay the buttered halves on a flat top — preferably cast iron, heated just to medium-low, to avoid burning — and let the griddling alchemy take effect. It only takes a few short minutes to butter and toast a hamburger bun to perfection, but it's a step that many fast food burger chains opt to skip, and one could argue it's a major reason why Shake Shack's burgers have that extra level of gourmet deliciousness. Toasting buns with butter not only improves the texture and flavor of the bread, but also helps the burger maintain its structure.

Shake Shack famously uses potato rolls (or infamously, if you know the details of the specific bakery Shake Shack patronizes ), which are quite soft and tender. Toasting the interior lends them more solidity so the condiments and burger juices don't soak and destroy the integrity of the bun. This could be achieved with other fats, but butter adds a sweet, creamy flavor and richness that oil just can't match.

2. Steak 'n Shake Midwest-based burger chain Steak 'n Shake has decided to rid their restaurants of seed oils, as part of a wave of embracing conservative government leaders like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

, the current secretary of Health and Human Services — Kennedy even made an appearance at one of the restaurant's locations. While reputable health organizations like the American Heart Association recommend seed oils in one's diet and iterate that there's no scientific evidence proving that they're harmful, they've been a popular topic among wellness influencers and some conspiracy-minded folks, including Kennedy. The belief is that animal fats are more naturally processed and therefore healthier options, although there really isn't any evidence to back this up.

Nevertheless, Steak 'n Shake has planted its flag firmly on the anti-seed oil side of the debate. The switchover started with changing their frying fat from oil to beef tallow . Then, in burgers that previously included an oil-based substance called "buttery blend," the chain now uses Grade A Wisconsin butter.

According to their nutritional menu, that includes three types of burgers. One is the Frisco Melt which consists of two of their steakburger patties, with American and Swiss cheese on sourdough bread; the Butter Steakburger, which comes as a single or double patty, American cheese and grilled onions, also includes real butter, and; the Garlic Steakburger, both single and double version, which includes garlic spread and American cheese as well as butter. 3.

Smashburger While smash burgers have been around since at least the mid-20th century , the Smashburger chain took the style and focused on it, and now boasts over 200 locations across the U.S. and even internationally, despite the fact that they've only been around since 2007.

Smashburger is known for using high-quality ingredients, including certified Angus beef, and they're transparent about the ingredients and nutrition of their products, including their use of butter. Aggressively weighing down a burger patty as it cooks on a sizzling grill creates a lot of intense contact between the beef and the hot surface, leading to a crispier exterior than you get from a thicker patty. To maximize that chemical reaction by adding even more flavor, Smashburger uses real butter on their grill top, which they also use to toast their buns.

While that makes this place pretty much a no-go for vegans and anyone else avoiding dairy, it's a dream come true for diners looking for a true buttery burger experience. 4. Culver's If there's one burger chain that's practically synonymous with butter, it's Culver's.

This beloved Wisconsin-based burger and frozen custard restaurant is most famous for its ButterBurger, which is their signature dish: A simple but satisfyingly well-crafted burger that you can order as a single, double, or triple. While Culver's burger patties themselves are not made with butter, despite what you might assume from the name, the top half of the bun is spread with butter and toasted to add a subtle dairy richness. This is slightly different to a classic Midwest butter burger , but no less flavorsome.

Culver's keeps things close to their roots by using Wisconsin butter from Alcam Creamery, an award-winning dairy farm known for its cheese. Culver's also butters their sourdough and rye breads for items like their Grilled Reuben Melt and Sourdough Melt, so even if you're not indulging in a ButterBurger, you're still getting the same buttery experience. It makes sense that a chain that originated in the heart of dairy country would celebrate that regional specialty, even as they've grown and expanded to over 1000 locations across the country.

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