The Gordon Ramsay truffle burger is the Truffle Burger from the Gordon Ramsay Burger menu, made for a home kitchen: a hard-seared beef patty under soft Truffle Tremor goat cheese, with crisp bacon, frisée, pickled shallots, truffle butter and truffle aioli. It takes about an hour, most of it hands-off, and the whole trick is timing. The patty wants the hottest pan you own. The truffle wants no heat at all, so it rides in fat and meets the burger at the very end.
What's on Gordon Ramsay's Truffle Burger
Gordon Ramsay's Truffle Burger is a beef burger topped with Truffle Tremor cheese, bacon, truffle butter, frisée, pickled shallots and truffle aïoli, according to the Gordon Ramsay Burger menu at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, where it sits in the Specialties section next to the Luxe Royale and the 24 Hour Burger. Three of the six toppings carry truffle. The other three keep all that richness in check: bacon for salt and smoke, frisée for a bitter crunch, and pickled shallots for a sharp, sweet bite.
Truffle Tremor is a soft-ripened goat's milk cheese made by Cypress Grove in Arcata, California, with black summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) running through it. You'll find it at most good cheese counters. If yours doesn't carry it, a soft truffle brie comes closest, or use a plain soft-ripened goat cheese and add a little more truffle butter to make up the difference.
The truffle burger recipe that Gordon Ramsay Restaurants publishes for home cooks is a different build, with truffled goat's cheese, portobello mushrooms, pickled jalapeños, rocket and a truffle herb mayo. One detail carries straight over: fresh truffle is grated over the cheese only in the last minute of cooking. That timing is the backbone of this version too.
Where the Truffle Goes: Into Fat, at the End
Add truffle at the end and carry it in fat (the aioli, the butter, the cheese) instead of cooking it on the burger. Truffle aroma is a cloud of small, volatile molecules; more than 200 have been identified across truffle species, many of them sulfur compounds such as dimethyl sulfide, according to a 2020 review of truffle aroma in the journal Molecules. Volatile means they evaporate easily, and heat speeds that up, so truffle butter dropped into a ripping-hot pan sends its best aroma into the kitchen air instead of into your burger.
Fat is the right carrier because those aroma molecules dissolve far better in fat than in water. Stir truffle into mayonnaise or soft butter and the fat holds the aroma until it touches a warm bun and a hot patty, where it lifts off right under your nose. The North American Truffle Growers' Association notes that fresh truffles are steeped in oil below 50°C (122°F) to hold on to those compounds, and that truffle smells strongest shaved fresh over warm food. Butter starts to melt at about 90°F (32°C), so a spread of truffle butter on a just-toasted bun melts into the crumb without ever cooking.
Make the aioli and butter on the day you cook. The same Molecules review names storage time and temperature as major factors in how much fresh truffle aroma survives, so a jar of truffle aioli from last week has already lost some of what you paid for.
How to Make Truffle Aioli and Truffle Butter
The quickest truffle aioli is good mayonnaise stirred with a grated garlic clove, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon or two of black truffle paste or finely chopped jarred truffle, then chilled for 30 minutes so the aroma spreads through the fat. Mayonnaise is already an emulsion: tiny droplets of oil held apart in a little water by lecithin from the egg yolk. All you're doing is flavoring the oil. If you make the mayo from scratch, whisk the oil in slowly; pour it faster than the yolk can coat each droplet and the emulsion breaks into a greasy puddle. Whisking in a teaspoon or two of water usually brings it back.
Truffle butter is the same idea in a solid fat. Mash 4 tablespoons of soft unsalted butter with a teaspoon of truffle paste and a pinch of salt, or buy a black truffle butter and check that truffle is on the ingredient list. Keep it soft at room temperature so it spreads on the warm bun without tearing it.
Truffle Oil vs Real Truffle for a Truffle Burger
For a truffle burger, buy something whose ingredient list names actual truffle (Tuber melanosporum, Tuber aestivum or Tuber magnatum): truffle paste, jarred black truffle, a truffle butter or the cheese itself. Most truffle oil is flavored with synthetic compounds, chiefly 2,4-dithiapentane, rather than with truffle, according to the North American Truffle Growers' Association, and the Molecules review likewise describes commercial truffle oils as produced with synthesized chemicals that occur in truffle aroma. On a label, "truffle aroma" or "truffle flavor" with no truffle listed usually means the synthetic kind.
That matters for taste. NATGA describes the synthetic version as one sharp, pungent note, where real truffle carries hundreds of compounds at once, which is why a heavy pour of truffle oil tastes harsh and gassy on a burger. If truffle oil is what you have, use a few drops in the aioli only, taste, and stop there.
| Truffle source | What's in it | Where it goes on the burger | How much heat it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh black truffle | Whole truffle, the full aroma | Shaved over the cheese as the patty comes off the heat | None; warmth from the food is enough |
| Truffle paste or jarred truffle | Chopped or minced truffle, often with oil and salt | Stirred into the aioli and the butter | None; keep it in the cold components |
| Truffle butter | Butter with truffle pieces (check the label) | Spread on the warm top bun | Gentle; melts at about 90°F |
| Truffle Tremor or other truffle cheese | Cheese made with real truffle | Melted on the patty in the last minute | Brief; lid on for about a minute |
| Truffle oil | Usually oil plus synthetic truffle aroma | A few drops in the aioli, if anything | None; its aroma cooks off fast |
The pattern is plain once it's laid out: the more real truffle a product holds, the less heat it should see. Keep every truffle element cold or barely warm, and let the patty and the toasted bun supply the heat that releases the aroma.
How to Sear the Patty for a Truffle Burger Crust
Sear the patties in a heavy pan that is already very hot, 4 to 5 minutes a side, and leave them alone until a dark crust lets go of the pan on its own. That crust is the Maillard reaction, which starts once the meat's surface passes about 284°F (140°C) and builds the most flavor around 320°F (160°C). A wet patty can't get there, because water holds the surface at 212°F (100°C) until it steams away. Pat the patties dry, heat the pan first and only then add a thin film of grapeseed oil, the way Ramsay starts every sear. Cook two at a time in a 12-inch pan; crowd it and the juices that run out drop the temperature and the burgers steam gray.
Form 6-ounce patties from 80/20 ground chuck, a little wider than the bun, since they shrink as the fat renders and the proteins tighten, and salt only the outside right before they hit the pan. Our Celebration Burger goes further into forming and seasoning patties.
Cook the bacon first. Start it in a cold pan over medium heat so the fat renders out slowly and the strips crisp evenly in 8 to 10 minutes, then drain them and pour off the fat. You can sear the patties in a spoonful of that bacon fat instead of oil for a smokier crust; just keep the heat below a hard smoke, since anything past about 356°F (180°C) starts to scorch and turn bitter.
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Truffle Burger Temperature, Cheese and Resting
Cook a truffle burger to 160°F (71°C) in the center of the patty. That's the USDA safe minimum for ground beef, and the USDA's own work on the color of cooked ground beef found that patties can turn brown inside before they reach it, so check with an instant-read thermometer instead of cutting one open to look.
Lay the Truffle Tremor on for the last minute of cooking and cover the pan. A soft-ripened goat cheese won't stretch like mozzarella; its milk fat softens and the cheese slumps into a creamy layer over the patty, which is exactly what you want under the bacon. For the pan trick and the science of getting cheese fully melted, see how to melt cheese on a burger. If you have a fresh truffle, shave it over the cheese the moment the patty comes off the heat.
Rest the burgers for 3 minutes while you toast the buns cut side down in the pan juices. Resting doesn't relax the meat; it lets the juices thicken slightly as the patty cools a few degrees, so less of them soaks into the bottom bun at the first bite.
Pickled Shallots and Frisée: The Sharp Side of a Truffle Burger
Quick-pickled shallots and frisée keep a truffle burger from tasting heavy. Slice two shallots into thin rings, pour warm vinegar with a little sugar and salt over them, and give them 30 minutes. Salt and sugar draw water out of the shallot by osmosis while the vinegar tames its raw bite and turns the rings pink. They keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, so make extra.
Frisée is curly endive, and its pale inner leaves bring a gentle bitterness and a springy crunch that holds up under a hot patty far better than butter lettuce. Tear the pale heart into small tufts and toss them with a teaspoon of the shallot pickling liquid just before you build, which seasons the leaves and ties the two toppings together.
How to Build and Serve It
Build from the bottom up: truffle aioli on the bottom bun, frisée, the cheese-topped patty, two strips of bacon, pickled shallots, then the top bun spread with truffle butter. With aioli below and butter above, every bite gets truffle from both sides, and the warm bun melts the butter on the way to the table. The Las Vegas menu serves its truffle aïoli with Truffle Parmesan Fries too, so a bowl of fries and the leftover aioli is the natural side.
Want to change it up? Add a fried egg on top for a brunch version, or follow the published Gordon Ramsay Restaurants build and swap the bacon for a grilled portobello and the frisée for rocket. For the rest of the menu, see the Luxe Royale Burger, our Gordon Ramsay burger breakdown, and every recipe in Gordon Ramsay's signature burgers. Get the pan hot, keep the truffle cold, and this truffle burger tastes like the one on the Strip.
Gordon Ramsay Truffle Burger
Ingredients
Pickled shallots
- 2 shallots, sliced into thin rings
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Truffle aioli
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tsp black truffle paste or finely chopped jarred black truffle
- Pinch of kosher salt
Truffle butter
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp black truffle paste (or use store-bought black truffle butter)
- Pinch of kosher salt
Burgers
- 8 strips thick-cut bacon
- 1 1/2 lb 80/20 ground chuck (680 g)
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus black pepper
- 1 tbsp grapeseed or other high-smoke-point oil
- 4 oz Truffle Tremor cheese (or another soft truffle cheese), sliced
- 4 brioche buns, split
- 1 small head frisée, pale inner leaves torn into tufts
- Fresh black truffle for shaving (optional)
Instructions
- Pickle the shallots: warm the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan just until dissolved, pour over the shallot rings in a bowl and leave for at least 30 minutes.
- Make the truffle aioli: stir the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, truffle paste and salt together. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Make the truffle butter: mash the soft butter with the truffle paste and salt. Leave it at room temperature so it stays spreadable.
- Lay the bacon in a cold 12-inch skillet, set it over medium heat and cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until crisp. Drain on paper towels, pour off the fat and wipe the pan.
- Divide the beef into four 6-ounce portions and gently form patties about 3/4 inch thick, a little wider than the buns. Pat them dry and season the outside with salt and pepper just before cooking.
- Heat the skillet over high heat until very hot, then add the oil. Add 2 patties and sear without moving them for 4 to 5 minutes, until a dark crust forms and they release easily. Flip.
- Cook 4 to 5 minutes more. For the last minute, lay the cheese on the patties and cover the pan until it softens. The center should read 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Rest on a board for 3 minutes and repeat with the other 2 patties.
- Toast the buns cut side down in the pan juices for 30 to 60 seconds. Shave fresh truffle over the cheese if using, and toss the frisée with 1 teaspoon of the shallot pickling liquid.
- Build each burger: truffle aioli on the bottom bun, frisée, the cheese-topped patty, 2 strips of bacon and a few pickled shallots. Spread the cut side of the top bun with truffle butter, close and serve right away.
Notes
Truffle Burger FAQs
The questions that come up most: what is on Gordon Ramsay's Truffle Burger, which cheese to use, how to make truffle aioli, whether truffle oil is real truffle, when to add the truffle, what temperature to cook the patty, and how long truffle aioli lasts.
What is on Gordon Ramsay's Truffle Burger?
On the Gordon Ramsay Burger menu in Las Vegas it is a beef burger with Truffle Tremor cheese, bacon, truffle butter, frisée, pickled shallots and truffle aïoli.
What cheese goes on a truffle burger?
Truffle Tremor, a soft-ripened goat cheese with black summer truffle made by Cypress Grove, is the one on the menu. A soft truffle brie is the closest swap, or use a plain soft goat cheese with extra truffle butter.
How do you make truffle aioli for a burger?
Stir 1/2 cup mayonnaise with a grated garlic clove, a teaspoon of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons of black truffle paste or finely chopped jarred truffle. Chill it for 30 minutes so the truffle aroma spreads through the fat.
Is truffle oil made from real truffles?
Usually not. Most truffle oil is flavored with a synthetic aroma compound, 2,4-dithiapentane, rather than truffle. Look for truffle paste, jarred truffle or truffle butter that lists truffle in the ingredients.
When should you add truffle to a burger?
At the end. Truffle aroma is volatile and fades fast with heat, so keep it in cold fats like aioli and butter, melt the truffle cheese only in the last minute, and shave fresh truffle over the patty as it comes off the heat.
What temperature should a truffle burger be cooked to?
160°F in the center, the USDA safe minimum for ground beef. Use an instant-read thermometer, because a patty can turn brown inside before it reaches a safe temperature.
How long does truffle aioli last?
Keep it covered in the fridge and use it within a few days. It stays safe longer than its flavor does, since truffle aroma fades with storage time, so make it the day you cook if you can.
About the Author
John Siracusa is the founder of Hell’s Kitchen Recipes. He focuses on technique-first, reproducible home cooking and researches recipes & kitchen equipment from published food science and professional chef methods since 2016.