Healthy Pineapple Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

★★★★★ 3 reviews

Healthy pineapple teriyaki turkey burgers that are juicy, nourishing, and easy to grill. Topped with grilled pineapple, charred red bell pepper, and a simple 5 minute homemade teriyaki sauce, these simple turkey burgers are delicious all year round! Perfect for weekend BBQ grill outs and families.

Grilled pineapple teriyaki turkey burgers

It’s almost grill season which means HELLO family BBQs, burgers, and warm weather festivities! I have to admit, I just love Summer. The weather is perfect, you get to be outdoors all the time, and the food is just fantastic. Seriously, I am a sucker for a juicy burger, grilled veggies, and a delicious berry crumble!

You have to add this healthy turkey burger recipe to your weekly menu! The Asian inspired burger patties are mouthwatering, juicy, and taste absolutely incredible. The pineapple rings are tender, caramelized, and grilled to perfection. The homemade teriyaki sauce is lightly sweet and tangy. It is hard not to eat two or three of these burgers!

These teriyaki burgers are just perfect for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, date night, and even casual family dinners. Serve them on toasted buns or convert them into a burger salad. I cannot wait to hear what you guys think of this fun healthy turkey burger recipe!

Is teriyaki sauce healthy?

Not every teriyaki sauce recipe is “healthy.” That is why I am here to help! This homemade teriyaki is made with only simple ingredients and no refined sugar. We’ll be using low sodium soy sauce for flavor, honey as a natural sweetener, a dash of pineapple juice to increase the depth of flavor, some water and arrowroot starch (or cornstarch) to thicken the sauce. I promise you, this homemade teriyaki is so much healthier than any store bought version and it couldn’t be easier to make! Plus if you use arrowroot and tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) this dish is paleo!

Ingredients in teriyaki burgers

You’ll only need a few, simple ingredients to get this easy 15 minute turkey burger dinner recipe going! I am all about simplicity and ease, so don’t worry, you won’t need to go to the supermarket and buy a lot of expensive ingredients and spices. For this paleo turkey burger recipe, you are going to need some ground turkey, pineapple, soy sauce, ginger, and some seasonings! Here is a list of all the ingredients you’ll need:

For the turkey burgers:

• Lean ground turkey (I used 93%): ground turkey is the best source of lean protein!
• Scallions (also called green onion)
• Spinach: for some extra vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C!
• Fresh ginger
• Soy sauce: you’ll be adding 1 Tablespoon of reduced sodium soy sauce to these burgers for extra flavor!
• Pineapple: use fresh or canned pineapple.
• Red bell pepper: this recipe calls for 1 red bell pepper which is full of vitamins A and C.
• Lettuce
• Buns

For the pineapple teriyaki sauce:

• Arrowroot powder or cornstarch: necessary to thicken up your homemade teriyaki sauce.
• Cold water
• Soy sauce: this teriyaki sauce calls for 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce.
• Pineapple juice
• Honey: honey is nature’s candy and the perfect natural sweetener.
• Sesame oil
• Fresh ginger
• Garlic clove: tis teriyaki recipe calls for 1 minced garlic clove.

Easy ingredient substitutions

I love simple and easy recipes! If you don’t love every ingredient in this one, I am here to help you out with a list of the very best substitutions for these easy teriyaki turkey burgers!

Ground turkey: easily swap the ground turkey out for ground chicken (make sure it is not 99% lean) or ground beef.

Fresh ginger: if you do not have fresh ginger, sub for 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of ground dried ginger spice.

Spinach: you can easily leave out the spinach. I just added it for extra health benefits and lots of vitamin A and C.

Soy Sauce: You can use tamari sauce as well which will make this dish 100% gluten free and paleo!

Pineapple juice: Use orange juice instead if you do not have pineapple juice on hand.

Honey: You can use coconut sugar or maple syrup to sweeten the teriyaki sauce.

How to make healthy pineapple teriyaki turkey burgers

Homemade teriyaki turkey burgers with grilled pineapple rings are so easy to make! For these juicy patties, we’ll just mix everything together and then either cook them on the stove or grill them – your choice! Then, we will make an easy 5 minute teriyaki sauce. After that assemble and enjoy!

The first thing you’ll do is gently combine the ground turkey, scallions, spinach, ginger, and low sodium soy sauce in a mixing bowl. Make sure you do not over-mix!

Divide ground turkey mixture and make 4 burger patties, equal in size and about 3/4-inches thick.

Next, heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat and coat with non-stick spray. Grill the pineapple rings and red bell pepper slices until tender and caramelized, about 2 – 3 minutes per side.

Grill the turkey burgers for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, dissolve the arrowroot starch in the cold water and set to the side.

Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the low sodium soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Bring the sauce to a quick boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in the arrowroot start water. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, making sure to continually whisk, until the sauce has thickened.

Serve the burgers on toasted buns, brushed with the pineapple teriyaki sauce, and topped with grilled pineapple, grilled red bell pepper, and lettuce. Enjoy!

Tips for making healthy homemade teriyaki sauce

Making teriyaki sauce is really simple! Here are my tips on how to make the best homemade teriyaki sauce:

1. Dissolve the arrowroot powder or corn starch in cold water before adding to the teriyaki sauce. If you add the arrowroot powder straight to the boiling soy sauce mixture, the sauce will get clumpy.
2. Bring the sauce to a rapid boil, then reduce to a simmer.
3. Remember to continually whisk as the sauce thickens. This makes sure the sauce is smooth and thick.

How to perfectly grill pineapple

Grilling pineapple rings is actually really easy! You want to make sure it is still juicy, but also charred. Here is how to perfectly grill pineapple:

1. Preheat your grill pan or grill to medium-high heat (around 400°F).
2. Make sure the grill is clean, then lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray. I like to use avocado oil spray. 
3. Either cut a fresh pineapple into small rings, buy fresh pineapple already cut into rings, or use canned pineapple.
4. Place pineapple rings on the grill and cook for 2 – 3 minutes on each side. The pineapple rings should be juicy, tender, and lightly charred.
5. Let the pineapple rings sit for a minute, and enjoy with your teriyaki burger!

How to meal prep and store leftover teriyaki burgers

Pineapple teriyaki turkey burgers make for the best meal prep! Simply separate each burger and toppings into airtight containers and store them in the fridge for 4 – 5 days. Do not store the buns with the burgers.

When you are ready to enjoy your teriyaki burger, warm up in the microwave with a damp paper towel on top.

Did you make this recipe?

If you make these healthy turkey burgers, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don’t forget to tag me @healthfulblondie on Instagram and use the hashtag #healthfulblondie so I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!

Looking for other healthy dinner recipes? Check these out!

Need some more tasty and healthy dinner, lunch, or meal prep ideas? Here are some of my favorite Healthful Blondie dinner recipes to try out….

Goat Cheese & Pesto Crusted Chicken

Healthy Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Crispy Salmon with Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli

Easy Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl

Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Recipe by Tati Chermayeff / Healthful Blondie + Photos by The Travel Palate

I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. In full disclosure, by purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. Everything counts to keep my dream afloat; thank you for supporting Healthful Blondie!

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