Best beef burgers: the two supermarket offerings that came top for taste

It's possible to get a great-tasting burger at the supermarket, but it pays to be choosy about what you buy.

We asked a panel of 67 beef-burger enthusiasts to blind-taste 10 premium burgers from supermarkets including Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco, alongside branded offerings from Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Heck. 

Cheap supermarket burgers from Aldi and Tesco came top for taste, while one pricey brand proved disappointing.

Find out the full ranking below so you know where's best to stock up for less.

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Best beef burgers

Aldi's 'Ultimate' burgers were a hit with our tasting panel, coming top overall – and they're among the cheapest around, too. They were closely followed by Tesco's burgers, which are also good value compared to rivals.

M&S may not be the 'best ever' according to our tasters, but they're still highly rated, rounding out our top three.

Best Buy and Great Value: Aldi Specially Selected Ultimate Burger – 78%

£2.89 for 2 burgers (£0.85 per 100g)

These tasty burgers scored well across the board. The majority of our panellists found the flavour and texture just right and the seasoning spot-on. 

As well as packing a high-protein punch, our tasters thought they looked particularly appetising – so they should both whet and satisfy the appetite of family and friends. 

Aldi’s burgers were among the cheapest we tested, making them a great choice if you're looking to impress a crowd without blowing the budget. 

 Available from Aldi

Best Buy: Tesco Finest British Beef Steak Burgers – 77%

 £4.10 for 4 burgers (£0.90 per 100g)

Tesco's burgers also impressed our tasters. Most thought the patties had the right thickness, good flavour and a pleasing texture. 

With the lowest levels of saturated fat, they make for a slightly healthier option than some other burgers.

While not quite as cheap as our best-value burgers from Aldi, they're less pricey than others we tested and come in packs of four, so they're a savvy choice if you're looking to stock up.

Available from Tesco

Also good: M&S Our Best Ever Beef Burger – 76%

 £5.25 for 2 burgers (£1.54 per 100g)

M&S's 'Best Ever' just missed out on a Best Buy in our test, but they're not far behind the top two.

Most tasters thought these burgers had the perfect texture, and they also hit the spot for flavour and juiciness.

They are, however, the second-most expensive burgers we tested and have the highest amount of saturated fat, too. Eating a single patty will supply the average person with more than three-quarters of their recommended daily intake.

Perhaps better suited to a special occasion rather than a casual barbecue.

Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado

• Best ketchup – see which cheaper supermarket brand ties with Heinz for the top spot
• Best sausages - discover our top picks for 2023

How Lidl, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Waitrose and other burgers compare

Asda, Lidl and Sainsbury's are your next-best supermarket choices.

Morrisons and Waitrose shoppers may wish to look elsewhere. Gourmet Burger Kitchen came joint-last, whereas Heck fared slightly better (though its burgers are pricier than average). Here's how the rest stack up:

• Asda Extra Special Aberdeen Angus Beef Steak Burgers – 74%. Just behind the top scorers, these are decent burgers. Two-thirds of our tasters found the texture good, though close to half would’ve preferred more seasoning. £3.75 for 2 burgers, £1.10 per 100g. Available from Asda
• Heck Steak & Butter Burger – 74%. Juicy burgers with a good texture, these were deemed the perfect thickness by most tasters. Around a third wanted a little more seasoning. £3.25 for 2 burgers, £1.01 per 100g. Available from Morrisons and Tesco
• Lidl Deluxe Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers – 73%. These burgers look and taste good, but 42% said they were overly thick and found the texture too coarse. £2.99 for 2 burgers, £0.88 per 100g. Available from Lidl (in-store only).
• Sainsbury's British Beef Steak Burgers, Taste the Difference – 73%. A good price for flavoursome burgers. About half felt they could do with a bit more seasoning, though. £3 for 2 burgers, £0.88 per 100g. Available from Sainsbury’s
• Waitrose No.1 Dry Aged Hereford Beef Steak Burgers – 69%. The priciest burgers on test. Two thirds of our tasters said these needed more seasoning. Opinion was divided about the texture – around half said it was about right, while 42% said they lacked juiciness. £5.40 for 2 burgers, £1.59 per 100g. Available from Waitrose
• Gourmet Burger Kitchen Beef Burgers – 65%. Disappointing. Half of our tasters felt the burgers lacked seasoning and juiciness. A similar proportion found the texture too coarse. £4.75 for 2 burgers, £1.39 per 100g. Available from Ocado and Waitrose
• Morrisons The Best 4 Scotch Beef Quarter Pounders – 65%. Cheap, but most tasters found they lacked meaty flavour and the seasoning was too mild. £3.50 for 4 burgers, £0.77 per 100g. Available from Morrisons

Vegetarians to cater for? See our pick of the best vegan and veggie burgers

How to get the best burgers for less

Price per burger varies hugely, ranging from £1.45 (Aldi) to £2.70 (Waitrose) among the burgers we tested. However, it's not always easy to compare because burger sizes vary by brand. The 'per 100g' cost is a fairer comparison.

On average, you'll pay about £1.08 for 100g of premium burger: Morrisons is the cheapest (77p per 100g), while Waitrose is the priciest (£1.59).

It's worth looking out for multi-buys and loyalty-card deals, as most supermarkets run these seasonally, such as ahead of bank holidays. For example, M&S regularly offers three packs for £12, instead of £5 each. This can reduce your barbecue costs substantially.

You can usually freeze fresh burgers so, if you spot a good deal, stock up and you'll be ready to go whenever the sun finally comes out. Just be sure to defrost thoroughly before cooking and follow the guidance on the packaging.

Are beef burgers healthy?

Beef burgers don’t have a reputation for being a healthy choice, but they do supply a decent dose of protein – usually between 20-30g, depending on the size and brand you go for. For some, this is about half the NHS-recommended daily amount.

Unfortunately, burgers also contain a significant amount of saturated fat. Fat makes burgers more juicy, but saturated fat can raise cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. All the burgers we tested were high in saturated fat, but they varied quite a lot. For example, M&S burgers have almost double the amount of saturated fat per 100g compared with Tesco's.

Beef burgers are also fairly salty, and you need to consider the extras: coupled with a bun and additions such as butter, cheese and condiments, they can quickly become high-calorie choices, so it's worth eating in moderation.

For more on making great-value choices at the supermarket, whether it's baked beans, pizza or battered fish, head to our guide to the best food and drink

How to cook beef burgers

Most supermarket burgers suggest grilling as the best way to cook. On average, grilling takes about 15 to 20 minutes from chilled. If frozen, defrost the burger thoroughly before putting it under the grill. 

Oven cooking or frying is also fine – as, of course, is whacking them on the barbecue.

Beef burgers: food assurance and sustainability

All the burgers we tested use British-sourced beef.

Three of the burger brands – Aldi, Asda and Lidl – feature the Red Tractor logo on their packaging. This indicates that the product conforms to certain minimum animal-welfare standards and that the meat can be traced back through the supply chain to the farm it came from. 

Look out for the Soil Association logo on meat, which indicates higher animal-welfare standards.

Check locally, but you should usually be able to recycle the plastic tray the burgers come in (rinse it out first). However, the covering film will need to go to landfill.

Beef is considered to have a higher environmental impact – find out more in our guide to eating sustainably.

See our guide on decoding food labels to find out more about about food safety, animal welfare and sustainability

How we tested beef burgers

The beef burgers were tested in April 2023 by a large panel of consumers.

The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. Each burger was assessed by 67 people.

Our panellists rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each burger and told us what they liked and disliked about each one. 

The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order in which they sampled the burgers was fully rotated to avoid any bias. Each panellist had a private booth, so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The overall score is based on:

• 50% flavour
• 20% appearance
• 15% texture
• 15% aroma.

These weightings are based on consumer rankings of the importance of different attributes of beef burgers.

Prices and availability info correct as of 27 April 2023.