Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

These delicious Hawaiian Turkey Burgers are packed with tons of flavor, made with a healthy homemade teriyaki sauce and topped with fresh grilled pineapple!

You guys I have the ultimate summer recipe for you! These Hawaiian turkey burgers are loaded with all your favorite flavors and are super easy to make! We’re talking a juicy, delicious burger made with a sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce, fresh cilantro, chopped onions and topped with grilled pineapple and red onion!

And just because we’re talking “burgers” here doesn’t mean these are unhealthy, quite the opposite actually. These Hawaiian burgers are made with lean ground turkey and don’t require any breadcrumbs or eggs! I’ve also added shredded zucchini to these burgers which not only adds some hidden nutrition, but it also acts as a binder to hold these turkey burgers together and keeps them nice and moist. You can enjoy these burgers on a whole wheat bun or even wrapped in lettuce to keep them lower in carbs 🙂

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

• Ground turkey – I chose lean ground turkey for this burger, but you could also use ground chicken or even beef for the same great taste

• Teriyaki sauce – this homemade sauce is one of my FAVORITES and is made with simple, fresh ingredients like soy sauce, garlic, pineapple juice, fresh ginger and honey! If you don’t feel like making your own sauce, feel free to use your favorite bottle of teriyaki. Make sure to reserve a little teriyaki sauce to drizzle over the burgers before serving!

• Onion – I used a chopped red onion, but you could chop a white onion or even use green onions in the burger mixture. I also sliced onion rings as well to top the burger when serving.

• Zucchini – yes there are hidden veggies! Not only does shredded zucchini act as a nice binder to keep the turkey burgers together, but it also keeps them nice and moist! Just make sure to really squeeze all the water out so that the burgers don’t get watered down.

• Fresh ginger -fresh is always BEST in my opinion, but if all you have is ground ginger, you can easily substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger for 1 teaspoon fresh ginger. I highly recommend using fresh though if possible!

• Fresh cilantro – not everyone loves cilantro, but I think it just adds such a fresh, delicious flavor to the burgers. Fresh basil would taste great as well.

• Pineapple – if you haven’t tried grilled pineapple, you are seriously missing out! There is just something about grilled fruit that brings out the most flavor and topping this burger with fresh grilled pineapple is a a must!

HOW TO MAKE HAWAIIAN TURKEY BURGERS

These turkey burgers are super easy to make! All you need to do is combine all the ingredients (ground turkey, teriyaki sauce, shredded zucchini, onion, ginger, cilantro and salt/pepper) in a large bowl and shape into round patties. Make sure you don’t over-mix the turkey mixture because your burgers will become tough. I also like to get my hands a little damp when forming the burgers so that the turkey mixture doesn’t stick. Full disclosure, as I said before, this burger recipe uses no breadcrumbs or eggs so the patties may seem like they don’t hold together too well, but I promise once you place them on the grill they’ll form nice burgers! If you prefer using eggs and breadcrumbs in your patties, simply add 1 egg and 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs to this mixture to hold them together better.

You can either use a grill pan, skillet or grill to make these burgers, and cook the patties about 5 to 6 minutes on each side, making sure the internal temp is 165º before serving. You can also throw the pineapple rings on the grill or skillet as well and cook those about 3 minutes per side. The flavor is INSANE! I also suggest toasting the buns on the grill as well. This recipe makes 4 burgers so make sure to double the ingredients if you’re wanting more.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE TURKEY BURGERS

This is the fun part! I like to layer my burgers with lettuce first, then the turkey patty, a grilled pineapple slice, and red onion rings. Then drizzle the whole thing with extra teriyaki sauce (this is a must!) and top with a bun. You could also add fresh avocado slices, extra cilantro, a slice of cheese (I like using Havarti or pepper jack cheese with this!) and even some tangy mayo would taste great too. This is completely up to you so make this burger to your liking!

I used whole wheat buns for these burgers, but if you wanted to cut out the bread, feel free to go bunless and use lettuce leaves or enjoy these burgers on a salad! They heat up really well too so they’re great for meal prep!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH HAWAIIAN TURKEY BURGERS

• Fresh Pineapple Salsa