This Aloha Burger recipe is filled with all the best parts of summer. Crispy bacon, sweet sauce, juicy pineapple, and melted cheese all combine on a perfectly grilled burger to make your backyard the gathering place!
Ever since our baked burgers have gone viral, and have become a reader favorite, we’ve started sharing more and more burger recipes with you and it has been so fun to share the different variations!
Do you love grilling as much as I do?? When it’s summer, I just can’t wait to get outside. Plus I know in a lot of households, the main cook isn’t always the grill person in the family! So it can mean a bit of a break as well. And if you don’t have room on the grill next to these burgers, did you know you can make corn on the cob in the Instant Pot? It is really tasty!
But if you do have a large grill, and definitely don’t want to heat up the house with the oven, you can make Grilled Seasoned Veggies to go with these Aloha Burgers. You also can’t go wrong with a classic Red-Skinned Potato Salad!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love These Aloha Burgers
- It uses pantry ingredients: You likely have everything on hand already, even though it seems like a long list!
- Feed a group: As written, you can make 6 or 8 burgers. Perfect for short notice extra guests. You can also very easily double this one or even make sliders.
- Ready in under 30 minutes: Talk about a quick and easy dinner idea! You can whip these up in no time flat.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
It might seem like a lot of ingredients for aloha burgers but they are all items that you have in the pantry, especially for grilling season.
- Ground beef – I like an 80/20 mix but you can mix and match your fat levels or even use some ground turkey as well! That’s the best part about forming your own burgers. See more of our ground beef dinner ideas!
- Pineapple – Fresh or canned both work well. If using fresh, you’ll need to buy juice separately. Also keep in mind that sometimes fresh pineapple bothers some people’s mouths! When canned, the enzyme that causes that is deactivated by heat.
- Bacon – Thick, thin, peppery or mapley! Whatever your favorite is will go well here. And since it’s cooked ahead, it’s easy to make BLTs one night and save some bacon for these burgers.
- Teriyaki sauce – This helps add some sweetness inside our burgers.
- BBQ sauce – I love to add this on top of the finished burger to hold the bacon on! Pick a sweet or spicy.
- Havarti – The strong flavor here helps the cheese get noticed.
📖 Substitutions
Sometimes substitutions are necessary because of ingredients that are unavailable or needed for dietary restrictions. Here are some suggestions that can help:
- Cheese – not a fan of havarti? Provolone or Swiss also work well here.
- Meat – you can use ground chicken or turkey for some of the beef to reduce the fat content. There are so many flavors at play here that it’s a great recipe for poultry.
🍳 Equipment
I love the taste of grilled burgers, but you can absolutely make burgers on the stove on a grill pan if rain has brought the party inside.
Nothing beats an instant-read thermometer. This is truly the only way to tell when a burger has reached your desired finished temp. Never cut a burger open to check the color – it will lose all the juices plus won’t sit nicely on the bun anymore.
📋Where Did Hawaiian Burgers Originate?
Unlike many foods that are named from a cuisine, but really didn’t come from there (hello, French fries!) pineapple really is a big part of Hawaiian culture. The pineapple stands for hospitality so it only makes sense to pop it on top of a grilled burger you make for friends.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make BBQ Bacon Burgers
Cook your bacon ahead of time, whether that’s the day before or even right on the grill before the burgers. Cooking it on the grill means no messy stovetop! Set out all your toppings so they are ready to go and then mix everything up and grill. Super quick and easy!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
STEP 1. In a large bowl add the ground beef through pineapple juice. Gently mix together until just combined.
STEP 2. Divide the ground beef mixture into 6 equal parts for ⅓ pound burgers or 8 equal parts for ¼ pound burgers.
Tip: To get your burgers all the same size, use a kitchen scale to weigh each one. A third pound burger will be 5.3 ounces, a quarter pound will be 4 ounces.
STEP 3. Gently roll each portion into a ball, then gently flatten into a circle. I make a fairly larger indentation in the center of each patty to keep them from puffing up too much as they cook.
STEP 4. Heat the grill to 400°. Grill the onion and pineapple slices first to get a great char, and then let rest on a plate or over indirect heat.
STEP 5. Cook the burgers with the lid closed, flipping once. Place a slice of cheese on each burger and cook for 1 more minute.
Tip: Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature like this Instant Read Thermometer.
STEP 6. Let the burgers rest on a plate, covered, for 5 minutes. You don’t want to lose any juices!
STEP 7. Place each burger on a bun spread with mayo, top with a grilled pineapple slice, grilled onion slice, bacon, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, lettuce, and any other toppings you desire.
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- Do not overmix the beef. Working the mixture too much will result in tough meat. Your hands work great for mixing and distributing. You can also use a stand mixer on the lowest setting to combine the ingredients.
- It’s common to use your thumb to make the indent in the patty. I recommend making the indentation a bit wider than that. A couple inches should do.
- Get the grill HOT! The key to your burgers not sticking is a hot grill.
- Don’t press your burgers down on the grill, this will dry them out.
📋 Recipe FAQs
These are the recommended cooking times for burgers:
Rare = 145° 2-2 ½ minutes per side
Med. rare = 160° 3-minutes per side
Well = 170° 3 ½-4 minutes per side
It’s a matter of preference. Breadcrumbs can help bind the meat and give the burger a slightly firmer texture. Adding an egg can do the same thing along with adding moisture to the burger. Experiment and see what works best for you.
Be gentle when forming the patties, and make sure they’re not overworked. Avoid packing the meat too tightly.
Yes, you can grill frozen burgers, but it will take longer to cook them. Use a lower heat setting to prevent the outside from burning while the inside thaws and cooks.
🍽 What to Serve with Aloha Burgers
I love a good, sturdy burger, and those with smaller appetites may be happy with just this massive pineapple burger on their plates. You can definitely serve up cocktails for a crowd while the burgers cook, and I highly recommend some Elote Dip with chips.
❄️ Storage
If you have any leftover burgers, keep the patties in the fridge for a couple days. Give them a quick reheat in a small skillet before assembling a burger.
🍔 More Burger Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
📖 Recipe
Aloha Burgers
Equipment
- Grill or grill pan
- Long handled spatula
- Stand mixer (optional for mixing meat)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 1 large red onion sliced into 6 slices
- 6 pineapple slices fresh or canned
- 6 slices cooked bacon
- 6 slices havarti cheese
- Green leaf lettuce
- 6 soft hamburger buns such as brioche or Hawaiian
- ¼ cup mayo
- ½ cup teriyaki sauce homemade or store bought
- ½ cup honey or brown sugar barbecue sauce
- Optional toppings: tomato, bell pepper, pickles
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, soy sauce and pineapple juice. Gently mix together until well combined.
- Divide the ground beef mixture into 6 equal parts for ⅓ pound burgers or 8 equal parts for ¼ pound burgers.
- Gently roll each portion into a ball, then flatten it between your hands, gently shaping into a circle. Indent the center of the patty. This helps prevent it from puffing up too much in the center while cooking.
- Heat the grill to 400°. Place the onion slices and pineapple slices on the grill grates. Cook for about 3 minutes to char them and get some good grill marks. Remove to a plate or to indirect heat on your grill.
- Place the patties on the grill, and close the lid. For medium burgers, cook for 3 minutes, then flip the burgers, close the lid and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Place a slice of cheese on each burger and cook for 1 more minute. (see FAQ’s for additional cooking times)
- Remove the burgers from the grill. Tent them with foil and let them rest for a good 5 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute into the meat.
- Build your burger. Place each burger on a bun spread with mayo, top with a grilled pineapple slice, grilled onion slice, bacon, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, lettuce, and any other toppings you desire.
Notes
- 80/20 ground beef is best for a juicy burger. You can use a leaner beef if desired; but watch the cooking time so it doesn’t dry out.
- Use store bought pineapple juice, or use the juice from a can of pineapple.
- I prefer fresh pineapple, for the best flavor but canned works.
- If you like a kick, add red pepper flakes to the ground beef, or use a spicy barbecue sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Kristyn says
This burger is bursting with flavor!! It’s so juicy & a hit with everyone!! We love making these!
Sharina says
These Aloha Burgers slayed a lot of burgers in terms of the unique taste, and the combination of recipes. These bring the summer vibe that a lot of people are looking for.
Olivia says
Wow! These burgers tasted incredible! They were a huge hit with my family, thank you for the recipe.