Video version here:

Every so often, hamburger chain McDonald’s run special burgers for a limited time. For me most of these are missable and I don’t bother, but the one they are running Oct/Nov 2023 and 2024 in the UK is delicious. The Philly Cheese Stack (note stack, not cheese steak!) is a double beefburger heavy on the cheese and onions. And I think it’s well worth recreating as it won’t last forever!

Here’s what it looks like:

According to the McDonald’s website it contains:

That’s beef patties, bun, cheese slice, cheese sauce, grilled onions, pickles, crispy onions. I had a go at recreating it and I think it’s a terrific knock-off!

Here’s how I tackled the ingredients:

• Beef patties – many ‘fakeaway’ McDonald’s recipes are on the internet. You just need a fatty mince with salt and pepper. That’s it.
• Bun – You can make your own bun if you like, I didn’t on this occasion. Whichever soft bun you like.
• Cheese slice – I used standard cheddar ones from the supermarket.
• Cheese sauce – I’m sure you could make one, but I found this one from Hellman’s tastes a lot like the one McDonald’s use. Easily found in Tesco’s and other supermarkets.
• Grilled onions – I mean, grilled is an odd word to use. In the UK that would mean pop under the grill, whereas in the US it would mean ‘barbecue’. I think it just means gently fried here.
• Pickles – either a great condiment or the devil’s food. You decide.
• Crispy onions – These are definitely the ones you get to put on salads or from salad bars in restaurants.

Apart from cooking the onions and frying the meat this is an assembly job and dead easy. Please give this Philly cheese stack recipe a go and let me know how you get on!

philly cheese stack burger mcdonald's style

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 1 person

Ingredients

  

• 200 g 15% beef mince
• ¼ onion
• 2 cheese slices
• 1 tablespoon cheese sauce I use Hellman's
• 2-3 pickle slices
• 1 heaped teaspoon dried onions

Instructions

 

• Season the mince with about ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Tumble and mix loosely (don't overwork this mix). Split the beef and form into two 100g balls and refrigerate for a few minutes while you prepare everything else.
• Get a shallow pan over a medium-low heat. Peel and slice the onion into rings. Add a splash of oil and fry the onion gently for about 10 minutes until softened and starting to gently colour. You're just breaking the onion down a bit.
• Wipe out your pan with kitchen roll and put the heat up to high. Take your meatballs and put them in the pan, pressing down hard with a flat tool like a fish slice to squidge them into patties just under a centimetre thick. Leave undisturbed to colour for 3-4 minutes. When browned flip to complete cooking for another minute or two. The patty should be thin enough it won't take much cooking by the time it's coloured.
• While the meat cooks, split and toast your bun as desired. When everything is ready it's time to assemble. From the bottom up: bun, beef, cheese slice, beef, cheese slice, grilled onions, crispy onions, cheese sauce. Eat immediately.

Video

Notes

This recipe is a great knock off of the McDonald's limited edition burger you can make at home. You can make the patties in advance and freeze.