For most 1‑inch‑thick beef burgers cooked on the stove, plan on about 6–10 minutes total , flipping once halfway through, depending on how done you like them.

Quick cooking‑time guide

Here’s a handy reference for 1‑inch‑thick patties on medium‑high heat, flipped once:

Doneness| Approx. time per side| Total time| Internal temp
---|---|---|---
Rare| 2–3 minutes| 4–6 minutes| 120–125°F
Medium‑rare| 3 minutes| 6 minutes| 130–135°F 57
Medium| 3–4 minutes| 7–8 minutes| 140–145°F 35
Medium‑well| 4–5 minutes| 9 minutes| 150–155°F 57
Well‑done| 5 minutes| 10 minutes| 160°F+ 358

The USDA recommends cooking ground‑beef burgers to at least 160°F for safety, so well‑done is the “safe” default if you don’t have a thermometer.

Stove‑top tips for juicy burgers

  • Preheat the pan : Heat a skillet over medium‑high for a few minutes until a drop of water sizzles; then reduce to medium once the burgers go in.
  • Don’t press the patties : Squishing them squeezes out juices and dries them out.
  • Use a thermometer : For the most accurate doneness, check the center with an instant‑read thermometer instead of guessing by time.

If your patties are thinner or thicker than 1 inch, adjust by roughly 1 minute per side per ¼ inch change in thickness.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.