Culver's Copycat Recipes
Culver's cheese curds and ButterBurgers are Midwest favorites. Bring that taste home with our recipes.
4 recipes
Culver's is a Wisconsin institution built on two things the Midwest takes seriously: fresh frozen custard and the ButterBurger. The ButterBurger isn't drowning in butter; the name comes from a lightly buttered, toasted bun pressed around a fresh, never-frozen patty smashed on the griddle. The other pillars are deep-fried Wisconsin cheese curds with a craggy, crunchy batter and a squeaky-melty center, and the Concrete Mixer, frozen custard blended so thick it won't fall out of an upside-down cup. Our Culver's copycats decode all of it: the toasted-bun ButterBurger technique, the battered cheese curds, the Concrete Mixer (the trick is a custard base, not regular ice cream), and the crispy North Atlantic fried cod from the Friday fish fry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What actually makes a ButterBurger a ButterBurger?
The bun, not the patty. Culver's toasts the crown of the bun on the flat-top with a little butter until golden, then steams the burger together. The patty itself is a thin, fresh smashburger. Toast the bun in butter and you're most of the way there.
How do I keep cheese curds from leaking when fried?
Keep the curds cold (even frozen) before battering, make sure the oil is hot (around 375F), and don't overcrowd the pot. A thicker batter and a quick fry seal the outside before the cheese fully liquefies.
What's the difference between a Concrete and a milkshake?
A Concrete is made with frozen custard, not ice cream, and it's blended far thicker, dense enough to hold mix-ins and stay put when the cup is flipped over. The egg-yolk-rich custard base is what makes it so thick.
Why is Culver's fried cod so popular?
It's North Atlantic cod in a light, crisp batter, a holdover from Wisconsin's Friday fish-fry tradition. Our copycat gets the batter shatteringly crisp without turning greasy.
Can I make frozen custard without a machine?
It's hard to fully match the texture without churning, but our recipes walk through both an ice-cream-maker method and the closest no-churn approximation for a Concrete-style result.