I don’t know about you, but I could eat cheeseburgers all day, every day. Unfortunately, that’s frowned upon, for whatever reason. This bright side of this calamity, however, is that I’ve been forced to get creative with my cheeseburger love. And in this case, I’ve created healthy burger bites that have all the delicious qualities of a cheeseburger in a finger food shell.
Since the world healthy means something different to every person, I’ll clarify that these cheeseburger bites are healthy in my book because of their low calorie and high protein content. This is a protein-focused food blog, after all.
Each cheeseburger cup is the size of a mini muffin and contains 48 Calories, 6.8 grams of protein, 2.3 grams of carbs, and 1.3 grams of fat. So, I guess these would qualify as low carb cheeseburger bites as well. You can see where naming my recipes gets tricky.
Ingredients for Healthy Cheeseburger Bites
You won’t need much for these cheeseburger bites. I’ll touch on the breadcrumbs and how you can substitute them below but first, I’d like to touch on the condiments and beef that will make up your cheeseburger bites.
The recipe calls for the standard ketchup, mustard, and pickle. If you want to leave pickles out, you can do so without needing to tweak anything else since they’re in limited quantity. On the other hand, if you want to remove the ketchup or mustard, you may need to add a bit more liquid or add some of the remaining condiments.
As far as the meat goes for your cheeseburger bites, you can swap beef for ground chicken or turkey if you’d like.
The only note I have here is if you’re going to use a fattier cut of meat, you may want to reduce the egg whites in the recipe since you’ll have some fat run-off during cooking. If you go with a meat below the 85/15 mark, you’ll want to keep an eye to ensure no fat is at risk of dripping off the muffin tin. Now that I say it, it’s probably best to stick to a leaner cut of meat for this recipe.
Related: 30 Macro Friendly Ground Beef Recipes and 25 Healthy Ground Chicken Recipes
Breadcrumb Substitutes
If you need a gluten free option, others have successfully used gluten free breadcrumbs as well as crushed tortillas chips or chicharrones (pork rinds).
What to Serve with Your Burger Bites
I’ll mention a few higher protein side dishes or appetizers below, but my Wingstop Fries recipe, Air Fryer Carrot Fries, and Five Guys Cajun Fries recipes were the first that came to mind. If you’re unfamiliar with Wingstop fries, that’s okay. All you need to know is that they’re sweet, salty, and some of the tastiest fries you’ll find. And my version is a much lower calorie version that can be baked or air fried.
More recipes to pair with your cheeseburger bites:
- Balsamic Roasted Air Fryer Carrots
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Ninja Foodi Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Roasted Carrots and Potatoes
- Homemade Crinkle Cut Fries
- The Best Air Fried Green Beans
And if you need a burger sauce, check out my spin on ShackSauce in my copycat Shake Shack burgers or the sauces from my cheeseburger protein bowls or cheeseburger casserole.
Final Notes
All righty, that’s all ya need to know. When you try these healthy cheeseburger bites, I want to hear about it. Take a picture of your creation and tag me on Instagram and I’ll be sure to share it with the world! I also appreciate feedback (good or bad) in the form of recipe reviews. Let me know how I can make this recipe or future recipes better.
Healthy Cheeseburger Bites
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef, macros with 96/4
- 3/4 C 184g Liquid Egg Whites, or 4 whole egg whites
- 1/2 C 56g Fat-Free Shredded Cheddar
- 1/2 C 56g Shredded Parmesan
- 1/2 C 56g Breadcrumbs
- 1/4 C 68g Reduced Sugar Ketchup
- 3 T 45g Mustard
- 5 small, 50g Dill Pickles, finely diced (relish may work here as well)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and spray a 24-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
- Brown the ground beef (or meat of choice) in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- While the meat cooks, mix the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- After briefly cooling, add the cooked meat to the remaining ingredients, stirring until even.
- Spoon the mixture into the mini muffin tin, making sure to remove any excess between slots.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes or until muffin tops are golden brown. (For a standard size muffin tin, add 3-5 minutes to the bake time.)
Notes
- Each cheeseburger bite has 1 Smart Point (blue plan).
- Modifying ingredients may affect cook time. If the bottoms of the burger bites are still soft, extend the cook time by a few minutes. Be careful not to overcook (don’t burn the tops).
- You can use any muffin tin you’d like but because people tend to ask, this is the one I use.
- Per bite (recipe makes 24): 48 Calories | 6.8P | 2.3C | 1.3F
- Per bite with full-fat cheddar: 54 Calories | 6.6P | 2.2C | 2.1F
- If you’re tracking your calorie intake, be sure to account for any additional condiments you top your cheeseburger bites with.
I love these!! I typically do ground turkey and egg whites substitutes. I love to meal prep them and eat with rice/potatoes and green beans. Perfect for meal prep and they heat up so good!
I feel like these bites are a great go to and sub for a burger. I always make sure to have some on hand. I am not a ketchup fan, so I only put about half of what’s called for. I’ve also used different cheeses based on what I have in hand. And my hubby hates pickles do I leave those out. They still taste great. These were my go to on kids sports event nights. I can hear them up in microwave from frozen and eat them in the car on the way to a basketball game. Which helps me avoid the concession stand. Saves money and calories. At home I like to dip them in bolthouse ranch. When counting macros, I can get sick of chicken, so these really hit the spot! Thanks Mason!
This is one of my family’s favorite meals and they are super easy to make and delicious. I usually make mine in a regular muffin tin rather than a mini muffin tin.
These were a weekly STAPLE for me when I was teaching (before COVID). I use ground turkey instead but still tastes great. I often crave salty snacks over sweet snacks, so when I would pack these to eat as a snack it would really satisfy me. I only have a 12 muffin pan so I would just “log” 2 of the mini ones instead. I LOVE these.
I love these little guys! I use half the amount of ketchup cuz I’m not a fan, and I can’t taste it. I also leave out pickles cuz hubby hates them. I’ve even used whatever cheese I have on hand and they are still great! I hear in microwave and eat them on the way to kids sporting events. That way I avoid the calories and costs of the concession stand. At home I like to dip them in ranch. When counting macros I can get sick of chicken, so these are great!
These bites are my go to for lunch each week. I make them in full size muffin tins. Double the recipe because these babies freeze like a dream, meaning less time each week for meal prepping. I add red onions and half a serving of shredded cheddar but those are just for personal preference. Seriously…go make these!
One of my favorite Mason dishes!! Really easy to make and great for an appetizer for a party. I made these multiple times for events and they are a huge hit every time! I swap out the fat free cheddar and use a lite cheese trio blend from Trader Joe’s (mostly because I can never find fat free cheddar). These are definitely a go to when I’m stuck for ideas!
I’m always looking for simple delicious recipes to make meal prepping a breeze! These are a breeze to make and have become a go to for me!
I am pretty sure this is my favorite recipe Mason has created. This meal is quick and easy and if I make double, the bites freeze well.
Ok so, I’ve got about a million reviews to leave because I have been following Mason’s recipes for about a million years. So I figured I would start here.
Everything I make I have to sub in gluten free ingredients because I have Celiac disease, so it makes both baking and cooking a challenge, especially when trying to make healthy food.
For this recipe i subbed in Schar plain breadcrumbs instead of normal ones – even my fiance didn’t notice! I think it probably has to do with the other flavors being so powerful. Subbing GF ingredients can get tricky and sometimes you end up with a sandy texture, but as far as this one goes, Schar worked great. For 30 grams it’s 130 cal, 4 fat, 21 Carb, and 2 Protein. Maybe not the best macros, but you do what you gotta do if you want a great snack!