Pineapple juice mixed into a burger patty is next-love home cooking IMO. These burgers aren’t your average cookout patty. They’re what I make when I want to switch up our weeknight or weekend cookout routine.
The ground beef gets mixed with coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, and a tablespoon of pineapple juice before it touches the grill. So the teriyaki flavor is cooked INTO the patty, not just sitting on top of it as a glaze.
Then the pineapple rings go right on the grill beside the burgers until they caramelize and pick up a little char, and that’s when this stops tasting like a regular backyard burger.
The sriracha mayo is two ingredients is only 2 ingredients but brings it all together!
Why This Burger Works
The teriyaki flavors go INTO the beef, not just on top. Mixing coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, and a splash of pineapple juice directly into the ground beef means every bite carries that sweet-savory backbone. The grill does the rest, adding crust and char that a skillet burger can’t replicate.
Then there’s the grilled pineapple. Raw pineapple on a burger is good, but grilled pineapple with char marks and caramelized edges makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The heat drives off the water and concentrates the sweetness and it’s the burger topping you didn’t know you needed.
Why You’ll Love These Pineapple Teriyaki Burgers
- Hang out outside while you cook
- Minimal prep time and clean up
- Balanced sweet and salty flavors from the sweet teriyaki sauce
- Kids love grilled pineapple!
- Unique and creative burger for a summer bbq
Need another healthy dinner? Try flank steak stir fry, ground turkey teriyaki, or teriyaki glazed salmon next!
Ingredients You’ll Need
To transform a traditional burger to Hawaiian teriyaki burgers, you’ll need a few key ingredients to give it that Hawaiian flare. Skip to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
- 80/20 ground beef: The fat content is where the flavor and juiciness come from. Leaner ground beef works but produces a drier patty — stick with 80/20 here.
- Coconut aminos (or soy sauce): Coconut aminos are slightly sweeter and less salty than soy sauce and keep this Gluten-Free. Regular soy sauce works — just use about 80% of the amount called for, since soy is saltier.
- Pineapple slices: Canned pineapple rings work well because they have consistent thickness, grill evenly, and no slicing. Fresh pineapple is great cut to about ½ inch thick.
- Sriracha mayo: Half a cup of mayo plus sriracha to taste. Start with 1 tablespoon of sriracha, taste it, and adjust. This sauce is deliberately flexible.
How to Make Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers
Here is an overview of how to make these Hawaiian burgers. Skip to the recipe card for printable instructions.
- Mix homemade teriyaki sauce: Combine the garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce or coconut aminos, pineapple juice, and honey in a large bowl.
- Form burger patties: Use your hands to mix ground beef with the homemade pineapple teriyaki sauce. When you mix the seasonings into the beef, stop as soon as everything is combined. Overworking the meat makes the patty dense instead of tender. Shape them into 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick, just wider than your buns (if using).
- Prep the onion and pineapple: slice the onion into rounds and pat the pineapple rings dry if it was in the can.
- Fire up the grill: Heat the grill to medium-high heat (375-400). Make a shallow indent in the center of each patty with your thumb before grilling. It prevents the burger from puffing up in the middle and cooking unevenly. Place burger patties, pineapple slices, and onion rings on the grill. Grill the burgers on each side for 4-5 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Grill the pineapple and onion for 4 minutes on each side, until it starts to caramelize.
- Assemble an serve: Brush hamburger buns with olive oil and grill for 1-2 minutes. Top them with a burger patty, pineapple ring, onion, lettuce, and spicy mayo.
Burger Doneness Guide
Use a thermometer. Here’s what the temperatures mean:
160°F: Fully cooked, no pink in the center. This is what the USDA recommends for ground beef and what the recipe card calls for.
155°F: Pull it off the grill here and let it rest two minutes because carryover heat finishes the job. Good if you want a trace of pink.
The 4-5 minutes per side guide in the recipe card is for a ½-inch patty at medium-high heat. Thicker patties (¾ inch) need an extra minute per side. Always verify with a thermometer because grill temperature varies too much to rely on time alone.
How to Build the Burger
The order of toppings matters. Here’s what works:
Bottom bun → sriracha mayo → burger patty → grilled pineapple → red onion → top bun with another swipe of sriracha mayo.
Putting the pineapple above the patty (not below it) lets the juices drip down into the meat instead of making the bottom bun soggy. I highly recommend the sriracha mayo on both bun faces because every bite has ample sauce.
Molly’s Tips
Let the beef come to room temperature for 10-15 minutes before grilling. It cooks more evenly when it’s not fridge-cold
Clean and oil the grill grates before the pineapple goes on or it will stick
Make the sriracha mayo the day before if you can.
No outdoor grill? Use a cast iron skillet or grill pan on high heat. Same timing applies.
Recipe Variations
Different protein: swap the ground beef for ground turkey or ground chicken. They’re lean, so you may need to add 1/4 cup bread crumbs soaked in 1/4 cup milk to bring them together.
Burgers without a bun: try it on a bed of lettuce, like these burger bowls, wrap them up in a lettuce cup, or serve them over a cabbage salad.
Burger Toppings and Serving Suggestions
Toppings: Fresh green onion, chopped cilantro, sweet Thai chili sauce, or kimchi, or pickles.
Side dishes: baked sweet potato, sweet potato fries, roasted broccoli and carrots, or grilled veggies like brussels sprouts or asparagus.
What to Serve With Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers
- Haricot verts with garlic butter – 15 minutes, done while the grill heats up
- Macaroni salad or a simple green salad
- Corn on the cob — throw it right on the grill with the burgers
- Crispy air fryer french fries
Recipes FAQs
Medium-high heat, around 375-400°F. Too low and the burgers steam instead of sear. Too high and they char on the outside before cooking through. Hold your hand about 4 inches above the grill grates – if you can hold it there for about 4 seconds before it’s uncomfortable, that’s the right heat.
Closed for most of the cook. A closed lid traps heat and speeds up cooking so the inside reaches temperature before the outside burns. Open the lid for the last minute or two if you want more crust on the outside.
About ½ inch thick for the timing in this recipe. Thicker patties (¾ inch) need an extra minute per side. The thumb-indent trick – a shallow dent in the center of each patty before grilling – prevents the patty from puffing up in the middle and cooking unevenly.
Any type works – gas, charcoal, or a stovetop grill pan. Charcoal adds a smokiness that works really well with the pineapple. On a stovetop grill pan, use high heat and expect an extra minute per side.
Yes – and you should. The flavor gets better after a few hours in the refrigerator. Make it up to three days ahead and store it covered.
Yes. Use 93/7 ground turkey. The teriyaki seasonings carry the flavor even with turkey, but turkey burgers need to reach 165°F internal temperature -about a minute more per side. They won’t be as juicy as 80/20 beef but the flavor is still there.
Yes. A cast iron skillet or grill pan on high heat works well. Same timing – 4-5 minutes per side for a ½-inch patty. For the pineapple, sear it in the same pan after the burgers come off, 2-3 minutes per side.
Yes – cut fresh pineapple into rings or slices about ½ inch thick. The cooking time is the same. Fresh pineapple has a slightly more complex flavor, but canned rings are consistent in thickness and easier to work with, which is why I usually reach for those first.
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Hawaiian Teriyaki Burger
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Ingredients
Hawaiian Teriyaki Burgers
- 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon pineapple juice
- 1 lb 80% lean ground beef (I like ground chuck)
- Coconut oil or olive oil for brushing grill/skillet
- 4 Pineapple slices (fresh or canned)
- ½ red onion cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Sriracha Mayo
- 1/2 cup paleo mayo homemade or store bought
- ½ – 1 teaspoon sriracha depending on spice level
For Serving:
- Butter lettuce
- Cilantro or green onion
- Hamburger buns
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce or coconut aminos, pineapple juice, and honey in a large bowl.
- Add the ground beef and use your hands to form the burger patties into four 1/2-3/4 inch thick (4 ounce) patties.
- Heat grill to medium high (375°-400°F). Make a shallow indent in the center of each patty with your thumb to prevent puffing during grilling. Grill 4-5 minutes on the first side. Don’t move burgers once on the grill to get good grill marks. Cook 4-5 minutes on the other side. Use an internal thermometer to check the doneness of the burgers. The internal temperature should reach 160°F for medium. Allow burgers to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Once the burgers are on the grill, add the pineapple and red onion and cook until caramelized, about 4 minutes on each side.
- Remove everything from the grill to get ready to serve. While it’s all resting, make the sriracha mayo. Mix the mayo with the sriracha using a whisk or spoon.
- Serve on a lettuce bun, gluten free bun or regular bun of your choosing with sriracha mayo, cilantro or green onion.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These burgers were fantastic! My family loved them. I followed the recipe as written and they turned out great. Even served them with sweet potato fries as suggested 🙂 I will definitely be making them again.
Thank you so much Lynne!!
I don’t like to leave negative reviews but wanted to ask Molly if I executed this wrong. My burgers fell apart. Did I misunderstand adding the liquid to this meat? Was this supposed to be a glaze? The meat lost all integrity once the liquids were added. Please advise and thank you.
Hey Sabrina! Adding liquid to a burger, especially when it’s only a couple Tablespoons, shouldn’t impact the texture or integrity of the beef. In fact, moisture usually helps bind meat together. The honey should also help hold them together. What percentage of fat did you use? And what brand? That could affect the final texture. I’ve made these several times without issue. You could always add in a Tablespoon or two of mayo or use a higher fat beef to help!
My husband and I loved these burgers. I didn’t see in the written out directions where to put the paprika and chili powder, so I put them in the mix with the burger marinade. I served these with sweet potato fries and the recommended sriracha mayo. It was a hit with my picky husband. Thank you for these wonderful recipes. I made 90% of my menu plan this week and next from your recipes alone. You have gained another faithful viewer/visitor.
Thanks so much, Shelby! That means so much! So glad I get to be a part of your dinner and menu plan.
could I use ground Turkey or chicken? I don’t eat beef….
Hey there! Yes, both would be great.
Wow! These burgers were so good! I will definitely be making these again!
Love that!! We haven’t made them in a while but now I’m craving them!