Hawaiian Burger with Grilled Pineapple

A Hawaiian Burger is the most flavorful grilled burger EVER! It’s piled high with grilled pineapple, bacon or ham, and the BEST creamy BBQ sauce! Be sure to add cheese to make them cheeseburgers!

If you have a big appetite make them into giant burgers, or make Hawaiian Sliders for the kids!

Thanks to Rhodes for sponsoring this post! As always, all opinions are my own. #Rhodes #frozendough

Are you sick of the same old burger all the time?

It’s so fun to switch things up and create new versions of burgers. And I’m telling you…Hawaiian Burgers do not disappoint! You really need to add this burger recipe to your collection!

I’m not even kidding you when I tell you we grill burgers ALL. THE. TIME. As in, probably over 50 burgers last week alone!

It’s my go-to meal when we have company or when I’m looking for a quick weeknight meal for just my family.

Sometimes we call them Aloha burgers because it’s the closest thing we are going to get to being in Hawaii for now! It’s all part of the stay-cation feeling!

Hawaiian Burger ingredients

You’ll need a few more ingredients than for making plain hamburgers, but they’re all normal ingredients.

• GROUND BEEF: 80/20 is my favorite fat content for making burgers. 85/15 is also great. What is 80 20 beef? It means the content of the meat is 80% beef and 20% fat. Higher fat content keeps burgers juicy and gives them extra flavor. Lower fat content beef is great for tacos, meatballs, sloppy joes, etc.
• SEASONINGS: Simple is best here! Salt and pepper are all you really need. I like adding a Tablespoon of teriyaki sauce to the burger patties too.
• PINEAPPLE: Fresh or canned. Rings work best.
• SAUCE: Mayo and teriyaki sauce. If your kids don’t like teriyaki you can use BBQ sauce instead. I love using my homemade sweet and tangy bbq sauce!
• BUNS: Hawaiian hamburgers are even better made as Hawaiian Sliders because the pineapple fits perfectly on a slider! Rhodes Rolls are my favorite because they taste amazing, they’re easy to keep in the freezer, and they are a perfect size! If you have time, their Thaw, Rise, and Bake Texas Rolls are great (I ALWAYS have them on hand), or if you’re really in a hurry the Warm and Serve are awesome!
• CHEESE: Anything goes…American, Swiss, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack for a little spice!
• TOPPINGS: Ham or bacon! Mmmm! Lettuce, grilled onions, sliced tomatoes, etc.

How to make Hawaiian Burgers

Hawaiian Burgers can be made on the grill, in a cast-iron skillet (or any other skillet), or on a griddle. Whatever you have will work.

1. Make the sauce: Mix BBQ sauce, mayo, and pineapple juice together. Cover. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Butter insides of buns. Set aside.
3. Shape meat into patties about a 1/2 inch thick and 1/2 inch bigger in diameter than the buns. Season generously with season salt and pepper. Set aside and let come to room temperature.
4. Preheat grill to high heat.
5. Cook burgers for 7-9 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Internal temperature for medium burgers is 145 degrees or 160 for well done. For best results cook to temperature and not for a specific time.
6. While burgers are cooking grill pineapple until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
7. During the last minute of cooking add cheese to burgers, add deli ham to grill (it will heat fast since it’s thin), and toast buns on the grill until golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove burgers, pineapple, ham, and buns from the grill.
8. Assemble burgers: Top bottom half of each bun with lettuce, a burger, a pineapple ring, BBQ/Mayo sauce, and bacon or ham and other toppings you want.

How to make hamburger buns with Rhodes

For these burgers, I used Rhodes Texas rolls. It’s really easy to do AND you can’t beat how fresh and delicious they are!

1. Begin to thaw rolls according to package instructions.
2. As soon as rolls have risen enough to shape press them into the shape of a hamburger bun and let them continue to rise.
3. Brush the tops of buns with egg white wash. (Beaten egg white)
4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Let cool until. Cut in halves to create buns.

What can I serve with burgers?

Pineapple Burgers are really great with anything you’d normally serve a sandwich with. Chips are a quick and easy option.

Here are a few other BBQ side dish recipes that would be perfect with this Hawaiian Hamburgers.

• Grape Salad
• Healthy Potato Salad
• Watermelon Salad
• Baked Potato Chips
• Smoked Baked Beans
• Smashed Potatoes
• Marinaded Cucumbers
• Watermelon Lemonade
• No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
• Zucchini Brownies

Grab my Hawaiian Burger Recipe

It’s easy to talk ourselves out of going out to eat because these Hawaiian Burgers are so delicious, and easy, that we would rather just stay home, make our own burgers, and create our own luau!