This hawaiian pizza recipe combines tomato sauce, cubed ham, pineapple and mozzarella on a homemade yeast crust, baked at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes. It serves six people and keeps the classic sweet and salty balance.
Where Hawaiian Pizza Came From
Sam Panopoulos, a Greek-born Canadian cook, created the first Hawaiian pizza in 1962 at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham-Kent, Ontario.
According to Wikipedia’s Hawaiian pizza entry, he drew partly on Canadian Chinese dishes, which often mix sweet and sour flavors. He experimented with pineapple, ham and bacon, and early reaction was lukewarm. The combination later became popular locally, then around the world.
The name does not refer to the U.S. state. Panopoulos said he chose it because he used canned pineapple from the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. A similar pizza with pineapple, papaya and green pepper, but no ham or bacon, appeared on a menu in Portland, Oregon in 1957. A German dish called toast Hawaii, from 1955, is thought to be a possible precursor, although that link remains a hypothesis.
Hawaiian Pizza Recipe Ingredients
This hawaiian pizza recipe makes six servings with a homemade dough, pizza sauce, cubed ham, drained pineapple and mozzarella.
- Dough: 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 3/4 cup warm water at 110 to 115°F, 1-3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour and 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup pizza sauce
- 1-1/2 cups fully cooked ham, cubed
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained
- 2 cups part-skim mozzarella, shredded
The recipe names fully cooked ham, so the meat is ready to use straight from the package. According to the University of Arizona Extension ham guide, hams labeled fully cooked can be served cold or reheated to an internal temperature of 140°F. That makes the ham a flavor and texture choice in this hawaiian pizza recipe, not a food safety step.
Draining the pineapple keeps extra juice off the dough. Part-skim mozzarella is the cheese listed, and two cups is the amount the recipe gives for the top of a 12-inch pan.
Step-by-Step Hawaiian Pizza Method
Make the dough (see pizza dough with bread flour for a flour variation), roll it to a 13-inch circle, then add the sauce, ham, pineapple and cheese before baking at 425°F on a lower rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Follow this hawaiian pizza recipe in order, since each step depends on the one before. If you are new to baking at home, how to make pizza at home explains the basics of dough, toppings and oven setup first.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl, stir in the sugar, and let it stand 5 to 7 minutes until bubbly.
- Add 1-3/4 cups flour and the salt, stir until smooth, then add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
- Knead on a floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it once to coat, cover it and rest it in a warm spot for 10 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle and transfer it to a greased 12-inch pizza pan, building up the edges slightly.
- Spread the sauce, then add the ham, pineapple and cheese. Bake on a lower oven rack until the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
The recipe lists the prep at 20 minutes plus standing time, so most of the active work happens during the knead and the shaping. The 10-minute rest comes after kneading and before the dough is rolled, so the order matters in this hawaiian pizza recipe. Keep an eye on the crust during the last few minutes, because the source gives a golden brown color as the sign that the crust is done.
Timing and Temperature Guide
The recipe takes about 20 minutes of prep plus standing time, then 15 to 20 minutes of baking at 425°F for six servings.
| Stage | Time | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Yeast proofing | 5 to 7 minutes | Mixture is bubbly |
| Kneading | 6 to 8 minutes | Dough is smooth and elastic |
| Resting | 10 minutes | Covered, in a warm spot |
| Baking at 425°F | 15 to 20 minutes | Crust is golden brown |
Use the table as a checklist for this hawaiian pizza recipe. If your oven runs hotter or cooler than the setting, check the crust color before the 15-minute mark rather than relying on the timer alone. For more on how heat changes baking, see pizza oven temperature.
Tips for a Better Hawaiian Pizza
Drain the canned pineapple well and use fully cooked ham, as the recipe specifies, before you assemble the pizza. These two choices shape the topping more than any other step in this hawaiian pizza recipe, because they set the sweet and salty balance and the amount of liquid on the crust.
- Drain the pineapple chunks thoroughly, since the recipe calls for drained fruit.
- Cube the ham to the amount the recipe lists, 1-1/2 cups, so each slice gets some meat.
- Build up the edges of the dough slightly, so the sauce and toppings stay in the center.
This method uses a greased pan. If you bake this hawaiian pizza recipe on a pizza stone or steel instead, the crust may color at a different rate, so check it early and adjust the time to match your equipment. If you want to make the dough ahead, read about freezing pizza dough before you plan the bake, because this recipe uses fresh dough and does not cover freezing.
Hawaiian Pizza Variations
The classic base is pineapple, tomato sauce, mozzarella and either ham or bacon, which is the common ingredient list for the dish. Any hawaiian pizza recipe that keeps those core pieces stays recognizable, even when the meat or the garnish changes.
- Bacon in place of ham, which the common ingredient list allows.
- Papaya and green pepper in place of the meat, matching the 1957 Portland menu item.
- The same pineapple and cheese, with the sauce and bake time unchanged, so the sweet and salty balance stays.
Change one topping at a time in this hawaiian pizza recipe, so you can taste what each change adds to the pizza. If you want another topping-driven pie, the BBQ chicken pizza recipe pairs a sauced base with cooked chicken, cheese and red onion. marinara sauce recipe is another easy option for the pizza sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned?
The hawaiian pizza recipe is written for drained chunks from a 20-ounce can, so that is the amount to follow. If you use fresh pineapple, cut it into similar chunks and drain off any juice before you top the dough, since the method depends on drained fruit.
Can I eat the ham without heating it?
Yes, a ham labeled fully cooked can be served cold, according to the University of Arizona Extension guide. In this recipe the ham bakes on the pizza with the sauce and cheese, and the bake runs until the crust is golden brown.
Is Hawaiian pizza actually from Hawaii?
No. Hawaiian pizza was created in Canada in 1962. The name comes from the canned pineapple Panopoulos used, which carried the Hawaiian Pineapple Company label, according to the dish’s history on Wikipedia.
What temperature should I bake Hawaiian pizza at?
Bake the pizza at 425°F on a lower oven rack for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Preheat the oven first, as the first step of the recipe says.
How long should the dough rest?
After kneading, place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it once to coat, cover it and let it rest in a warm spot for 10 minutes. Then roll it into the 13-inch circle for the 12-inch pan.
Does the recipe need bacon or ham?
Either works. The common ingredient list for the dish names ham or bacon, according to Wikipedia’s summary, and this hawaiian pizza recipe uses 1-1/2 cups of cubed, fully cooked ham. Swap in bacon if you prefer, and keep the sauce, pineapple and cheese amounts the same.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This hawaiian pizza recipe makes six servings. If you cook for a larger group, plan extra ham, pineapple and cheese in the same proportions as the ingredient list.
Start with the classic ham and pineapple version of this hawaiian pizza recipe, then change one topping at a time so you can see what each change adds. Keep the pineapple drained and the oven at 425°F, and check the crust color before you take the pizza out.