Bring the flavor of a favorite family restaurant’s gourmet burger to your kitchen with this copycat Red Robin Banzai Burger recipe. This Tiki-inspired masterpiece features a teriyaki-glazed quarter-pound beef patty topped with grilled pineapple, melted cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and crisp lettuce, all served on a toasted brioche bun. You won’t find this unique combination anywhere else, making it the perfect recipe to recreate Red Robin’s magic at home.
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What makes Red Robin Banzai Burger the best burger at Red Robin?
This cheeseburger goes over the top with its Tiki-inspired ingredients that create a tropical twist on the classic American burger. The combination of teriyaki-glazed beef with grilled pineapple creates a sweet and savory profile that’s both familiar and exotic. It’s this unique flavor combination that has made the Banzai Burger a Red Robin signature item for years.
Why you’ll love this signature Red Robin Bonzai Burger
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
Burger Patty:
- Ground chuck – Use 80/20 blend for the perfect balance of flavor and juiciness
- Salt – Enhances the natural beef flavor and helps bind the patty
- Freshly ground black pepper – Adds warmth and complements the teriyaki flavors
- Teriyaki glaze – The star ingredient that gives the burger its signature sweet-savory coating. Gojo Teriyaki Glaze and Baste is a good option here.Â
Assembly Components:
- Brioche hamburger buns – Sweet, buttery buns that complement the tropical flavors perfectly
- Butter – For toasting the buns to golden perfection
- Tomatoes – Fresh slices that add juicy acidity to balance the rich flavors
- Lettuce – Crisp shredded lettuce provides textural contrast and freshness
- Fresh pineapple rings – The signature topping that makes this burger uniquely tropical
- Cheddar cheese – Sharp, melty cheese that adds creamy richness
- Mayonnaise – Creamy spread that helps bind all the flavors together
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 teriyaki-glazed patty on the bottom bun.Â
- 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?
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator Storage: Store burger components separately in airtight containers for up to 2 days. Keep buns in paper bags to prevent sogginess.
- Reheating Method: Reheat patties in a covered pan over medium-low heat until warmed through. Toast buns to restore crispness before reassembling.
- Freezing: Raw seasoned patties can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before cooking.
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 my burger recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes here on CopyKat!
Red Robin Banzai Burger – Easy Copycat Recipe
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.
Way back in the 1960s we used to order what was on the menu as a Hawaiian Burger at the old Treanon Restaurant in Guelph Ontario Canada. This is identical to what you call the Banzai Burger. It appears that something old is new again once again. All the best and keep up the
good work.