Bring the flavor of a favorite family restaurant’s gourmet burger to your kitchen with this copycat Red Robin Banzai Burger recipe.
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What makes Red Robin Banzai Burger the best burger at Red Robin?
If you have to ask what is on a Red Robin Banzai Burger, you don’t know what you are missing. Although all of Red Robin’s burgers are delicious, the Banzai Burger may be one of the more unique menu items.
This cheeseburger goes over the top with its Tiki-inspired ingredients, starting with a teriyaki-glazed quarter-pound beef patty, which is then topped with a pineapple ring, cheddar cheese, sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and served on a toasted brioche bun.
You are not going to find this combo anywhere else, so if you can’t make it to a Red Robin, you’re going to have to cook it at home.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Skip the high cost of taking your family out to eat and cook them Banzai Burgers at home. This recipe may contain more ingredients than the typical regular cheeseburger, but it is far from ordinary, and most of the ingredients are easy to find and relatively inexpensive (especially if you opt to use canned pineapples).
Pair this Red Robin gourmet burger with some of the favorite Red Robin sides linked below for the entire restaurant experience.
Red Robin Banzai Burger recipe ingredients
For the burger patty, you’ll need:
- Ground chuck
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Teriyaki glaze
Use 80/20 or leaner ground beef for this Red Robin Banzai Burger recipe.
Believe it or not, there is a difference between teriyaki glaze and teriyaki sauce. You want the glaze in this recipe. Gojo Teriyaki Glaze and Baste is a good option here.
For assembling the Banzai Burgers, you’ll need:
- Brioche hamburger buns
- Butter, softened
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Fresh pineapple rings
- Cheddar cheese, sliced
- Mayonnaise
The sweetness of the brioche buns adds a lot to this burger, so definitely try using them.
If you don’t have fresh pineapple, you can certainly use canned rings or even pineapple chunks. Just make sure to dry them very well before cooking.
How to make a banzai burger
To prep the toppings:
- Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat.
- Spread some softened butter on the brioche buns and toast the buns cut-side down in a dry skillet. Set aside.
Prep the burger meat:
- In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground chuck, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and two tablespoons of the teriyaki glaze,
- Divide the meat into equal portions and shape each into a patty. Reserve for later.
Cook the pineapple rings and prep the toppings:
- Add some butter to the skillet.
- Pat the pineapple slices dry and put them on the cooking surface. Cook on both sides for a minute or two until lightly charred. Reserve the cooked pineapples for later.
- While the pineapples are cooking, slice the tomatoes and shred the lettuce. Put off to one side.
Cook the burger patties:
- Place a clean skillet or grill pan over medium heat.
- When hot, cook the burgers on the first side for four to 6 minutes, depending on how you like your burgers.
- Flip the burgers, and cook them for a minute less than the first side.
- Brush some teriyaki glaze on the top of the burger and add a slice of cheese.
- Cover the burgers with a lid and wait until the cheese melts.
Assemble the banzai burger:
- Spread mayonnaise on both cut sides of each bun.
- Place the cooked burger on the bottom bun.
- Add the cooked pineapple, sliced tomatoes, and shredded lettuce on top of the patty.
- Place the top bun on the burger and serve.
What to serve with a banzai burger
A burger as good as this one deserves some delicious sides. Try these:
- Red Robin Towering Onion Rings. The Panko bread crumbs used for breading these onion rings from Red Robin ensure you will never bite into a soggy, oily, and sad onion ring ever again.
- Pickle Nickels. The fried dill pickle chips are dipped in buttermilk and then coated in a fish fry breading mix, guaranteeing a crunchy snack that offers a little tang to balance out the sweetness of the Banzai Burger.
- Red Robin Freckled Lemonade. What could be more refreshing than this lemonade and strawberry drink?
How to store the leftovers
Separate each of the components of the recipe and store everything in airtight containers in the fridge. To prevent the buns from getting totally saggy, keep them in a paper bag in the refrigerator. It’s best to finish the burger the next day.
What is the best way to reheat the Red Robin Banzai Burger?
Heat the meat and cheese in a covered pan over medium-low heat on the stovetop until hot. Meanwhile, toast the bun to crisp it up.
Reassemble the burger and serve.
More Red Robin copycat recipes
Favorite restaurant burger recipes
- 21 Club Burger
- Applebee’s Quesadilla Burger
- Burger King Whopper
- Chili’s Oldtimer Burger
- Culver’s Butter Burger
- In-N-Out Animal Style Burger
- James Coney Island Juicy Lucy
- McDonald’s Quarter Pounder
- Smashburger French Onion Burger
- White Castle Burger
Check out more of my burger recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!
Red Robin Banzai Burger
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons softened butter
- 4 brioche hamburger buns
- 1 pound ground chuck 80/20
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup teriyaki glaze divided use
- 8 slices fresh pineapple rings
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 8 tomato slices
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Instructions
- Spread the softened butter on the cut side of the hamburger buns and toast under the broiler until just browned. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chuck, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of teriyaki glaze. Mix until blended well. Form the mixture into 4 equally sized patties.
- Place the pineapple rings onto a grill pan or buttered iron skillet and cook over medium heat for a few minutes on each side until the pineapple rings begin to brown. Remove from the grill or skillet and set aside. If using a skillet, wipe it clean with a paper towel.
- Place the burger patties on the grill or skillet and cook over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, until they reach your preferred level of doneness. Brush about 2 teaspoons of glaze onto each patty and top with cheddar cheese. Cover the skillet until the cheese begins to melt.
- To assemble the burgers, spread a bit of mayonnaise on both cut sides of each bun. Place a burger patty on the bottom bun. Then add 2 grilled pineapple rings, 2 tomato slices, and 1/4 cup shredded lettuce. Cover with the top bun.
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