Tired of boring hamburgers? Not anymore with these Sweet Chili and Pineapple Thai Burgers with a sweet chili aioli and pineapple salsa.
One of my favorite smells during the summer is fire.
I know that probably sounds a little destructive, but I’m talking campfires and grilling where fire is your friend.
I can recall hanging out around those flames then having that smokey smell linger on my clothes and hair. You almost want to bottle it forever (in fact, I believe there is a candle that smells like a campfire).
When I smell the grill going off, I immediately think of hamburgers, which brings me to today’s recipe of Sweet Chili and Pineapple Thai Burgers.
If you’re looking for more than just your average hamburger, keep reading for my favorite Thai burger recipe.
When I was invited to share a unique burger recipe, I didn’t want to do a classic American burger. What flavors can I introduce to stand out?
Pretty much my philosophy is when in doubt, add sweet chili sauce, so I thought about a Sweet Chili Aioli.
Then soon I was going down the Thai route with lemongrass and a pineapple salsa.
An aioli is a condiment that is very similar to homemade mayonnaise but with olive oil and garlic where as mayonnaise uses a neutral-tasting oil and no garlic.
As you’ll notice, there is a raw egg yolk in the recipe.
Most people have healthy enough immune systems to be ok (how often have you gotten sick from raw cookie dough?), but I do caution to eat at your own risk.
If you feel that the raw egg yolk will be an issue, you can easily whisk together sweet chili sauce and safe-to-eat mayonnaise.
It won’t be a true aioli, but the flavor will be very similar.
The pineapple salsa is a variation of my mango salsa.
I thought about how often I eat coleslaw on my sandwiches – why not top my beef with some refreshing salsa?
Since pineapple is sweet, I added a jalapeno to balance with some heat.
Sweet Chili and Pineapple Thai Burgers
Tired of boring hamburgers? Not anymore with these Sweet Chili and Pineapple Thai Burgers with a sweet chili aioli and pineapple salsa.
Ingredients
Pineapple Salsa
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1 whole green onion (roughly 1/4 cup chopped)
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper (roughly 1/4 cup chopped)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (roughly 1 lime)
- 1 teaspoon basil paste or fresh chopped basil
Sweet Chili Aioli*
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (homemade or store bought)
Burgers
- 1/2 pound ground beef, thawed
- 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoon basil paste or fresh chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Pineapple Salsa: In a large bowl, mix together the pineapple, green onion, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, and basil. Chill in the refrigerator while you finish making the burgers.
- Sweet Chili Aioli: In a food processor with a blade attachment, add the garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the yolk and pulse a few times until combined (10-15 seconds).
- With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream until completely combined (don't add too much at once or the mixture may break). Add the sweet chili sauce and process another 30 seconds. Chill in the refrigerator while you finish making the burgers.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, basil, and soy sauce. Form four patties, roughly 1/2-inch thick.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet until hot**. Add two of the patties and cook 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 3-5 minutes until desired doneness. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil if needed and repeat with the remaining two patties. Serve each patty on a bun topped with the salsa and aioli.
Notes
Consuming raw eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness. Eat at your own risk. Alternatively, you can combine some safe-to-eat mayo with sweet chili sauce for a mock aioli.
Want more? Try out these recipes:
Homemade Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
Anita at Hungry Couple says
I’m definitely trying that aioli!
Carla Cardello says
It’s addicting! You’ll probably have some leftover, which means it makes a great dipping sauce ;)
Renee says
Yum, yum, yummy – get in my tummy!!! Love Thai and burgers and what a fabulous combo!
cheryl illinois says
I don’t know if it’s because we are originally from the same part of the country or what but I tend to really love your recipes and make them more often than recipes from any other food blog that I read. Thank you for your good work. I was just wondering what to cook this week-end and these burgers are the answer.
Carla Cardello says
I wish I could give you a hug right now :) I’m glad you are enjoying my recipes and hope you enjoy this burger equally as well!
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says
OMG absolutely LOVE this!! Pinning! Thai is my fave!!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Those definitely look like anything but boring! Love pineapple on my burgers.
Shawn @ IWYD says
I love all the flavors you have going on here. This sounds incredible! Pinned!
Rachel Cooks says
Loving the flavors you put in this burger!
Coleen @ The Redhead Baker says
We had these for dinner last night, and they were delicious! For some reason, pineapple on burgers tastes so good!
Carla says
Happy to hear everyone enjoyed them!
Jennifer says
This recipe has been a hands-down favorite for our family for a year now. SO good.
Carla says
Oh awesome! Thanks for letting me know :)
Aaralyn says
This was amazing! I’m only 15 but I decided to make some for my friends and myself. We all fell in love your delicious burgers! I’m addicted to this. I’m welsh so we don’t really have many great burger recipes but this is great. Love the sauce, I eat it with a lot of stuff now.
Carla says
Thanks for the wonderful feedback, Aaralyn! Glad you enjoyed the burgers.