It might seem strange, but going out for burgers is rather challenging when you’re dairy-free. From mishappen cheese to creamy sauces to buns that (all to frequently) contain milk. I’ve even been to restaurants where they have some form of dairy in their burger patties! You can of course make your own basic burgers at home. But sometimes you deserve a unique restaurant-style experience. Enter these dairy-free Cajun burgers. The patties are generously flavored and the burgers are garnished with an quick, easy, and tasty Creole sauce for that special gourmet touch.

Dairy-Free Cajun Burgers with Creole Mustard Sauce

This recipe was originally shared with us by Denisse Hall back in 2007, during her writing days with a blog called Fit Fare. Denise no longer blogs, but her naturally dairy-free Cajun burgers live on. We’ve recently updated the recipe, and have added nutrition facts, ingredient FAQs, and other helpful tips below.

How to Choose Your Cajun Burger Meat

Denise took the time to share the type of meat she chooses and why.

I have fond memories of the hamburgers my father would cook for me when I was a child in Louisiana. At that time hamburger meat was just called ground beef. One size fits all. Some markets had a choice between ground sirloin or ground chuck. No one knew or cared much about the fat content. Fat adds a lot of flavor and that was a good thing. Walk into any supermarket today and you are offered ground turkey breast, ground turkey, lean ground turkey, ground chicken, and ground beef that is marked 75/25, 80/20, 85/15, 87/13, 90/10, 93/7, 95/5, and lately 97/3. So many numbers.

Those numbers refer to the amount of fat present in the meat. For example, 95/5 contains 5% fat. The ground turkey breast is just that, skinless turkey breast and is super lean. Items marked ground turkey or ground chicken usually have meat and skin ground together and can have as much fat as ground beef. Restaurants often use 70/30 ground beef. No wonder those burgers out taste so great.

When I cook burgers for my family I try to buy the leanest beef I can find or turkey breast. Since the fat content is low I have had to find ways to keep the meat moist and flavorful. The first item I add to my lean meat is olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fat (unlike beef, which is high in saturated fat).

To make these dairy-free Cajun burgers I also added hot Italian sausage. My supermarket sells pork, chicken and turkey breast versions that are very lean. To complete the burger, I make a quick sauce with spicy mustard and mayonnaise. If you have kids, you will appreciate the fact that my rapidly growing son ate two of these burgers. They were just that good.

The Best Bun Options

Many brands of burger buns do contain milk, which is why we like to either splurge on specialty buns or make our own. Go ahead and check out the ingredients on the buns at you local store. You’re sure to find some good options. But here are my favorites:

Speedy Homemade Hamburger Buns: Just 40 minutes to make this recipe – from start to warm finished bread. No rising is required.
Dairy-Free Slider Buns: Make 8 2-ounce patties or 16 1-ounce patties, and enjoy them on slider buns for a fun twist! This recipe is easy and popular.
Skinny Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns: I’m not a big fan of gluten-free bread, but the buns from this recipe come out delicious every time!
Pretzel Buns: When I do buy hamburger buns, I almost always splurge on pretzel buns. Most brands are dairy-free, you can usually find regular size and slider size, and they taste so darn good!
Lettuce Wraps: Don’t knock it til you try it! Even if you aren’t gluten-free or paleo, lettuce wraps are a delicious, fresh, and healthier way to enjoy burgers.

Ingredient FAQs

Ground Meat: How Lean Should it Be? Denise recommends 93/7 or leaner. If you use a fattier meat, you might want to reduce the oil a little.
Sausage: What Type Should I Use? You can use hot Italian pork, chicken, or turkey sausage. Denise recommends choosing a lean type, but you can reduce the oil a little if it’s higher fat. Check with your butcher as he might have the sausage available in bulk (no casings) so you can buy exactly the amount you need.
Oil: Can I Omit It? If you use fattier ground meat and sausage, then you can reduce or omit the oil. Otherwise it is needed for flavor, juiciness, tenderness, and to prevent sticking or crumbling issues.
Buns: Why Aren’t they in the Nutrition Facts? Buns vary too much by nutrition, and I have no idea what type you will choose – regular, seeded, whole wheat, gluten-free, or even aa lettuce wrap! You can check your bun recipe or packaging for the nutrition facts. A lettuce wrap will add lots of vitamins, but negligible calories and other macronutrients.
Mayonnaise: Doesn’t Mayo Contain Dairy? In the U.S., all brands of plain, unflavored mayo that we’ve found are dairy free. Mayo is essentially an emulsion of egg and oil. If you need egg-free, use a vegan mayonnaise, as noted.
Mustard: Is there a Substitute for the Creole Mustard? They’ll be a touch different, but you can use a Spicy Brown Mustard or a Spicy Dijon Mustard instead.
Worcestershire Sauce: Doesn’t it Contain Gluten and Soy? Of course, ingredients can vary by brand. But most brands of Worcestershire sauce are both gluten-free and soy-free, like Lea & Perrin’s. However, they do contain fish (anchovies).

Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Cajun Burgers

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and soy-free. Just be sure to choose sausage, buns, mayonnaise, and mustard that suit your dietary needs.

Dairy-Free Cajun Burgers Recipe with Creole Mustard Sauce

Alisa Fleming