My favorite way to eat food this summer is in the form of grilling. Also known as the easiest way to make a delicious meal.
Here’s something I learned recently: Did you know that you can place a can of baked beans right on the grill? Tony taught me this trick and I was thoroughly impressed. All you have to do is open the can, remove the label, then place on the grill until bubbly hot. Easy and no pans required!
Now that you’ve got that trick under your belt you have to time to whip up some of these sweet and spicy turkey burgers.
My love for burgers has certainly grown the past few years, mainly due to Tony’s meat infatuation. I rarely eat beef or pork so making an all turkey burger is usually what I do on the nights we grill. Why? It’s leaner and I LOVE the flavor.
Now I know everyone always complains that turkey burgers aren’t juicy or delicious as beef, but can you guys just trust me when I say that isn’t true when it comes to these burgs? I mean, spicy bbq sauce and pepper jack cheese with a little sweet pineapple and salty turkey bacon.
Mmmmm hmmm Burger King wishes they could sell these.
What to serve with these hawaiian turkey burgers:
I love serving these burgers in lettuce wraps or whole grain buns/sandwich thins with a side of sweet potato fries. It’s a delicious weekend meal and so much better than any fast food drive thru (obviously!).
If you make this or any recipe from AK, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram or upload a photo to my Facebook page! xoxo.
More healthy burger recipes to try:
Pesto Turkey Burger Sliders on Sweet Potato Buns
Healthy Chicken Burgers with Spinach Basil Pesto & Mozzarella
Ultimate Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Tahini Garlic Sauce
Sweet & Spicy Quinoa Beet Burgers with Mango & Sprouts
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Sweet & Spicy BBQ Bacon Hawaiian Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- Burgers
- 4 to 8 slices bacon, depending on how much you like bacon
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (or sub ground chicken)
- 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 fresh pineapple slices, ½ inch thick
- 4 slices of pepper jack cheese
- Avocado oil, for frying
- Serving
- 4 whole grain or gluten free hamburger buns
- Sliced red onions
- Extra bbq sauce
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: Place the bacon on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer, put it into a cold oven, and then heat the oven to 425°F Allow the bacon to bake in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until crispy to your liking. Remove it from the oven and transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Prepare the burgers: In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, bbq sauce, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Use clean hands to mix until well combined. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into ½-inch thick patties.
- Cook the burgers:
- TO GRILL: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Brush the grates with avocado oil to prevent sticking. Transfer the patties to the hot grill and cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, 4 to 5 minutes per side. During the last minute of cooking, add a slice of cheese onto each burger patty and allow it to melt.
- TO PAN-FRY: Warm 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully transfer the patties onto the pan. Sear until golden-brown crust and a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, 4 to 5 minutes per side. During the last minute of cooking, add a slice of cheese onto each burger patty and allow it to melt.
- Grill the pineapple: While the burgers are cooking, grill the pineapple slices until browned, turning once; about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- Assemble the burgers: Place the burgers on buns, top each burger with a strip or two of the cooked bacon, then top with grilled pineapple slices, drizzle with extra bbq sauce and top with a red onion slice. Makes 4 burgers.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
These were so tasty! Made per the recipe and wouldn’t change a thing. Will definitely make again. Thanks for a new burger recipe!
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
I was craving a recipe that used pineapple and found these burgers! I made them tonight via the broiler method and they cooked super well – not dry like my patties usually turn out 😅. I have a heavy hand with spices so the patties were a little spicy on their own, but paired with the pineapple and bbq sauce it was a perfect combo!! I used a lettuce bun and did sweet potato fries on the side. Super delish Monique!
Sounds amazing! So glad you loved these, Kelly 🙂
BBQ Sauce, Turkey Bacon, Pineapple… Winning combo. Highly recommend.
So delicious! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
This recipe sounded amazing and we followed it exactly and the burgers fell apart completely. We couldn’t even pull them off the grill. Love all the recipes on this site but this one was a total bust for us.
Sorry to hear that! I’m not sure why when so many others have had success. Did you use extra lean turkey? Perhaps they didn’t have enough moisture to hold together? Next time you can always add an egg!
Do most of the carbs in this come from the BBQ sauce? What if a sugar-free variety were used?
Likely from the BBQ sauce + pineapple, depending on the sauce you use. Feel free to look up the carbs in the BBQ sauce that you use!
These were delicious and going to make their way into my regular rotation! I took your suggestion and served them with some yummy sweet potato fries. I didn’t have any buns at home 🙁 but used two pineapple slices on either side to pretend I did. I also baked mine at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (flipping halfway through) using directions from another turkey burger recipe you’ve posted. I only did that to match the sweet potato fries though and I don’t have a grill so if anyone else is in the same boat,you can do that! Thanks for the deliciousness!!
Thanks for the baking tip, Becca! Glad you liked these 🙂
We made these tonight, they are very, very yummy. I used chipolte pepper in place of cayenne, otherwise followed the recipe. The burgers were nice and juicy, not dry at all. Thanks, we will be making this again and again.
I got a pineapple slicer this summer in order to make some bbq turkey burgers and put pineapple on them (grill it first though! Nothing like grilled pineapple in my opinon). BUT I haven’t gotten around to it yet! Turkey burgers are probably my favorite thing to make. I’ve made several different ones lately but I always do them on my own instead of with my boyfriend, and he’s the one with the grill (also left the pineapple slicer at his place…)
Perhaps before it cools down too much we’ll make these! I love the addition of the bacon to the patties. I’ve been wanting to try that out.
I have made these several times now because my wife can’t stop eating them they are so good! made them exactly as the recipe is written and they are AMAZING! I searched high and low for a great turkey burger and thanks to you I have finally found it!
These burgers are right up my alley! So delicious!!
These look SO GOOD. Have to eat these ASAP!
The inclusion of bacon makes it miles better than any from burger chain stores.
ummm delicious! Could use one of these turkey burgers in my belly right now! and BBQ sauce + sweet pineapple = WIN
Can you just deliver via Snapchat or just fedex it to me?
What a great service- I love these burgers!!
OMG! These turkey burgers look amazing!! Maybe my beef loving Hubby will finally eat a turkey burger! 🙂
I love turkey burgers but I’ve never done one in BBQ style. Looks great!!
How awesome is this?! My sister is a big turkey fan, so this screams everything about her!
Awesome combination! I actually prefer turkey hot dogs so I’m positive I would love these burgers because hello! How can you not?
What a fabulous combination! I am a sucker for Barbecue and Hawaiian burgers….this has me drooling.
Minor question… Does the bacon go in to the burger mix or on top with the pineapple slices? These sound so good!
Great question, it goes in the burgers. Updated the instructions to reflect that. 🙂
We love to grill in the summer time too, sometimes not in the summer. These look delicious!
IF you freeze them, how do you re-heat?
I’m LOVING the styling in this– beers in the back and a big juicy burger front and center. Yeeee!
I love the idea of a Peapod showing a grocery total. Everyone always thinks healthy food is expensive but it doesn’t have to be. I’ll have to check it out. I also need to check out these burgers. They look absolutely amazing and full of delicious flavor.