I first shared this recipe (and wrote this post) back in 2015 — yes, over 10 years ago. Back then, my love for burgers was apparently growing, “mainly due to Tony’s meat infatuation” (haha).
Since then, I’ve created plenty of delicious burger recipes, but I recently came back to these sweet and spicy BBQ bacon Hawaiian turkey burgers with grilled pineapple and remembered JUST how delicious they were. I know people often complain that turkey burgers aren’t as juicy or delicious as beef, but you know I don’t mess around when it comes to grilling up a juicy burger.
You’ll add spicy BBQ sauce straight to the patty before cooking for extra moisture, and top with savory bacon, pepper jack cheese, and grilled pineapple for a unique, Hawaiian-inspired flavor. Grill them or pan-fry them — however you do it, just get them on your dinner menu before summer ends!
Ingredients in these Hawaiian turkey burgers
These burgers are SO flavorful that I think they compete with some of my favs in Chicago (and we know our burgers). The best part? The ingredient list is incredibly simple:
- Ground turkey: we’re using lean ground turkey (I prefer 93%) to make the patties.
- For the burger mixture: you’ll mix BBQ sauce, diced onion, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper into the patty mixture.
- Bacon: crispy, salty, savory bacon on top? Yes, please.
- Cheese: I like to add a kick of heat to the burgers with pepper jack cheese slices.
- Pineapple: we’re grilling the pineapple rings for each burger to add a sweet, slightly caramelized element to pair with the savory burgers. Even if you don’t like pineapple on pizza, I bet you’ll LOVE it on these burgers.
- Hamburger buns: I like to use hearty, whole grain buns that can hold everything up, but you can use any buns you’d like, including gluten-free! Hawaiian rolls would also make the perfect buns — you’ll just need to make the burgers smaller (or find large rolls).
- Extra toppings: add extra BBQ sauce, for good measure, plus a little zip from sliced red onion.
Customize your BBQ turkey burgers
- Swap your meat. You can, of course, use ground chicken instead, or make a more “traditional” burger with ground beef.
- Choose your BBQ flavor. I love using a spicy BBQ sauce, but you can use mild, a sweeter sauce, or any BBQ sauce you have on hand.
- Pick your cheese. Instead of pepper jack, feel free to use your favorite cheese. Sharp cheddar cheese, provolone, or swiss would all be delicious. Keep the burgers dairy-free by simply omitting the cheese.
Looking for more gluten-free options?
As I mentioned, you can use your favorite gluten-free buns, but you could also serve these burgers over rice or quinoa for a sweet and spicy burger bowl! Otherwise, keep them grain-free as well by enjoying them without a bun, in a collard leaf, or in a big lettuce wrap.
Our favorite BBQ sides
- Homemade Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Summer Peach Spinach Salad
- Healthy Coleslaw (no mayo!)
- Damn Good BLT Pasta Salad with Creamy Jalapeño Cashew Dressing
- Sesame Edamame Salad with Cilantro and Toasted Almonds
Get more of my side dish recipes here!
Grill or pan-fry these burgers
Yes, you can make these Hawaiian burgers on your grill or skillet with oil on the stovetop! For both methods, cook the burgers on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, and add the cheese in the last minute of cooking.
Be sure to FULLY cook chicken and turkey burgers until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. No medium-rare here!
Storing tips
I recommend storing the patties separately from the toppings. Let them cool to room temperature, then store them in airtight glass containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze these burgers for later
- Freeze before cooking: shape your burgers and place them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container or bag. If you’re stacking the burgers, I’d recommend putting wax or parchment paper in between the layers so that they don’t stick together. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, you can either let them thaw in the fridge before cooking or cook them directly from frozen – you may just need to cook them a bit longer from frozen.
- Freeze after cooking: let your burger patties cool completely before placing them in airtight, freezer-friendly containers or bags. As I mentioned above, put wax or parchment paper in between the layers of burgers if you’re stacking them. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, let them thaw in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop for a couple of minutes on each side. You can also reheat these directly from frozen on the stovetop.
Our fav burger-making tools
Check out our fav kitchen tools here.
More summer dinners you’ll love
- Jalapeño Curry Turkey Burgers
- Grilled Chicken and Veggie Chimichurri Pasta Salad
- Crazy Good Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- The Georgia Peach Pizza
- Grilled Peanut Chicken Bowls
Get even more dinner recipes here!
I hope you love these BBQ bacon Hawaiian turkey burgers! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them.
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 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
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 13th, 2015, the recipe and photos were updated on August 17th, 2026, and the post was republished on August 18th, 2026.
I substituted ground pork for the turkey, used fresh garlic and omitted the bacon due to dietary restrictions. Yum! Yum! Yum! This one is a keeper.
Perfect! Glad these were a hit!
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.