The idea of a burger using a glazed doughnut as a bun substitute reportedly came from singer-songwriter and record producer Luther Vandross. While on tour, Vandross was said to have ordered burgers for himself and his entourage and when there weren’t enough burger buns supplied by the catering company, he improvised by using a doughnut instead.
We recently made a trip to the first Scottish branch of US chain Krispy Kreme in Edinburgh and after ordering a box of 12 and realising that we’d bought way too many once we got home, we decided to try and make our own homemade version of ‘Luther’ burger, simply out of sheer curiosity for how it would taste.
INGREDIENTS:
100g of beef mince (approx.)
Salt
Pepper (dash)
1 egg
1 cheese slice
1 Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut. This would probably work just as well with any brand of glazed doughnut, but since we can’t get enough Krispy Kreme, we decided to use one of theirs.
(Makes 1 burger)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice the doughnut in half and set aside.
2. Heat up a skillet or pan with a little oil.
3. Combine the mince, pepper and egg in a bowl. Roll up the mince into approximately golf ball sized shape.
4. Sprinkle salt on the top side only. Place the ball of meat into the hot pan (salt side down). Cook for one minute.
5. Sprinkle salt on the top and flip over. At this point you want to ‘smash’ the patty down. Following the instructions above should ensure that it stays together and doesn’t fall apart. To ‘smash’ it, simply press down on the patty with a fish slice until it reaches your desired look.
6. Flip and cook until done. Add the American cheese to the top of the patty while it’s are still in the pan. Once it’s melted a little, turn off the heat and remove from the pan.
7. Add to the bottom half of the doughnut, then place the other half on top.
Done.
There you go. Dangerously easy and deliciously unhealthy. Our opinion was that, while we enjoyed the sweet-savoury contrast, we’re not sure if either of us could eat a whole one. These are VERY indulgent and super-rich and should probably be enjoyed in moderation! They certainly won’t be for everyone, but if you’ve got a sweet tooth and are in the mood for an unusual burger, these are quick and easy to put together.
Tried the recipe? Let us know what you thought and send us a photo too! Contact us via e-mail, Twitter & Facebook here.
James vs. Burger 
“realising that we’d bought way too many” It is not possible to buy “too many” Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.
We like your style. We still ate them all! 😉
I don’t know if this is genius or very wrong! I love KK too, we finally got a hotlight store in the north east last summer and now they’re everywhere, not very conducive to the diet but sooo good!
Just try it. It’s a strange combo, but dangerously addictive. I love sweet/savoury food combos.
James – Invert the top half of the donut so the sugar soaks down in the natural fat of the burger. It makes it something else altogether.
Pretty much exactly what I was going to say. But using the ‘dough’ side of the doughnut pretty much wastes an opportunity for sugary-savoury madness. Plus, without calling you out, Man Vs Food has done this and their version (with bacon and cheese) which I imitated quickly after seeing. The salty-sweet, tangy-savoury flavour profile the cheese and bacon provide (again, assuming you build this with the glazed sides of the doughnut in toward the burger) is easily the guiltiest pleasure most folk can probably find without breaking the law.
Bacon, it needs bacon