These Hawaiian style burgers are made with ground turkey and basted in teriyaki sauce. Toasted buns are topped with burgers, more sauce, and sliced pineapple for a delicious flavor combination that’s super easy to throw together, too! These are a fun family favorite in the summer on the grill, and great for a skillet year round.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Turkey – This recipe calls for lean ground turkey. The leanest ground turkey you can buy is just turkey breast and has a tendency to be dry and flavorless. Look for turkey that is 93/7 (that’s 93% lean and 7% fat) or even 90/10. This means it has some dark meat mixed in which provides moisture, a touch of fat, and flavor to the final burger.
- Bread Crumbs – Use plain, unseasoned bread crumbs. Panko crumbs would work as well.
- Pineapple Slices – Use pineapple canned in juice. You will need both the fruit and the juice for this recipe.
- Ginger – While you can always use dried ginger in a pinch, fresh ginger packs a flavorful punch, s use it if you can.
- Teriyaki Sauce – You will need a nice, thick teriyaki sauce, not the kind that is thin like plain soy sauce. Look for this in the Asian foods aisle of the grocery store. I usually buy Kikkomen Teriyaki Baste and Glaze. If you want to make your own, try this Teriyaki Sauce.
- Mayonnaise – Mayo is optional, but definitely tasty on the finished burger!
Instructions
- First, gently combine some ground turkey, bread crumbs, diced bell pepper, green onion, minced ginger, some pineapple juice, and salt. Form into large patties and chill until you’re ready to cook.
- If you can, pop these puppies on the grill until done (4-5 minutes per side, until they reach an internal temperature of 165° F); otherwise, you could put these under the broiler in your oven, a grill pan on your stovetop, or just a frying pan. If desired, grill pineapple in last 5 minutes of cooking. Baste burgers with Teriyaki sauce during last two minutes of grilling. Spread buns with mayonnaise and a little more Teriyaki sauce. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
- Can I make these ahead of time? You could definitely prep and measure all of your patty ingredients, or even combine them and form the patties, up to a day ahead of time. Store, tightly covered, in the fridge and use a thermometer when cooking to ensure the burgers reach 165° F.
Serving Suggestions
What could go better with Hawaiian burgers than some Hawaiian Macaroni Salad? Memphis-Style Coleslaw, some simple chips, a side salad, or fruit platter would be great as well.
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Hawaiian Turkey Burgers
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 large burgers
Description
Sweet pineapple and teriyaki come together in these island-inspired Hawaiian Turkey Burgers. They are a fun way to mix things up on the grill!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup (plus more if you need it) dry bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, minced (about 1/2 medium bell pepper)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
- 1 small can pineapple slices; reserve juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Thick Teriyaki sauce (like Kikkoman or this recipe)
- Mayonnaise (optional, but very yummy!)
- 4 hamburger buns (you can use this recipe if you’re feeling ambitious)
Instructions
- Gently combine turkey, bread crumbs, bell pepper, green onion, ginger, 1/4 cup reserved juice from pineapple, and salt. Form into 4 deliciously large patties. Chill until ready to cook.
- Pop burgers on the grill until done (4-5 minutes per side, until they reach an internal temperature of 165° F); otherwise, you could put these under the broiler in your oven, a grill pan on your stovetop, or just a frying pan. If desired, grill pineapple in last 5 minutes of cooking. Baste burgers with Teriyaki sauce during last two minutes of grilling. Spread buns with mayonnaise and a little more Teriyaki sauce. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Questions & Reviews
I made these tonight and they tasted great but fell apart when I flipped them. I’m a total burger newbie so I’m not sure what I should do differently. Add an egg? Use different breadcrumbs (I had and used panko-is that a no no?) Any advice for an aspiring hamburger maker?
P.S. I got these from your fit meal plan, and I have to say we’ve been discovering so many new family favorites that have been previously overlooked. Thanks for having such a good selection of healthy yummy dinners for my family.
I’m so glad you’ve been loving it! Someone else mentioned the burgers having trouble staying together so I think I need to make them again and see what’s up! I’ll update the recipe if it needs adjustments.
I just made these for dinner and they were absolutely delicious! Thanks for a wonderful, healthy and delicious recipe.
Hot off a cleanse and wanting to keep things healthy, I came across this recipe and made it last night. May I say YUM!!! My husband and 2 sons tend to give me some grief when I make meals “too healthy”. But last night the bugers got rave reviews! I doubled the recipe so all my men had two burgers to satisfy their big appetites. Delicious, flavorful, easy to prepare. Def recommend grilling the pinapple (and yes, I used some light mayo too!). So happy I’ve discovered this blog as I can’t wait to try some of the other healthy recipes the sisters post! 🙂