Hawaiian pizza is the contentious pineapple-and-ham pizza invented in Chatham, Ontario in 1962. Toronto chains like Pizzaiolo and the city's pizzerias claim it as a Canadian original.

Hawaiian pizza was invented in 1962 by Sam Panopoulos at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, two hours west of Toronto. Panopoulos, a Greek immigrant who emigrated to Canada in 1954, added canned Dole pineapple to a ham-and-cheese pizza on a whim and named it Hawaiian after the brand on the can. The combination remains divisive; Toronto's reference Italian-Canadian pizzerias still carry it as a hat tip to the Canadian original.

Where to eat Hawaiian pizza in Toronto

3 editor picks for Hawaiian pizza in Toronto, ranked by editorial score. All Toronto signature dishes · Hawaiian pizza across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 230 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 1 pizza dough ball, about 250g
  • 100ml tomato sauce, San Marzano-based
  • 150g shredded mozzarella, fior di latte if possible
  • 100g ham, sliced and torn into pieces
  • 100g fresh pineapple, cubed (or drained canned)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Black pepper, oregano

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 250C with a pizza stone or sheet pan inside for 30 minutes.
  2. Stretch the dough into a 30cm circle on a floured peel.
  3. Spread tomato sauce in a thin layer, leaving a 2cm crust border.
  4. Scatter mozzarella, then ham, then pineapple cubes.
  5. Drizzle olive oil over the top, season with pepper and a pinch of oregano.
  6. Slide onto the stone or sheet pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the crust is leopard-spotted and the cheese bubbles.

Editor tip. Fresh pineapple is sweeter and less aggressive than canned; if using canned, drain and pat dry to prevent sogginess. Sam Panopoulos used canned Dole.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy.