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    Home » Main Courses

    Toast Hawaii (Baked Ham and Pineapple Sandwich)

    Published: May 29, 2017 · Modified: Feb 1, 2023 by dirndlkitchen · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Toast Hawaii is a super simple German nostalgia food at its best, invented in the 50's by bringing together pineapple, ham and cheese on toast. As a kids favorite food, we made it all the time growing up in Germany.

    two white plates with toast Hawaii

    What is Toast Hawaii?

    Toast Hawaii is an open-faced ham and pineapple sandwich that's topped with American cheese (yes, you can buy the popular individually wrapped sliced in Germany, too), then baked in the oven. It has been one of my favorites as a kid growing up in Germany, and our kids love it, too.

    closeup of slicing into toast Hawaii

    I love spreading a homemade garlic butter on mine and I use fresh pineapple instead of the more traditionally used canned pineapple. While it's name is Toast Hawaii, I have never heard of it in America. It desperately needed to be a featured recipe on the blog!

    Who Invented It?

    Toast Hawaii was invented by German chef Clemens Wilmenrod in the 1950's and is super popular throughout Germany as a quick dinner. It is most definitely a household staple for my family, too. Whenever my Mama Ute was looking to whip up something quick and delicious, Toast Hawaii was often the answer.

    Ingredients

    • Bread. I use white, sliced sandwich bread found in the the prepackaged bread isle. In Germany, we call this type of bread 'toast bread' because we typically use it for toast.
    • Pineapple. Traditionally, you use canned pineapple rings, HOWEVER I don't mind going the extra step of cutting up a fresh pineapple to create a much more flavorful Toast Hawaii.
    • Ham. I use smoked, cooked ham that's not too thickly sliced. My favorite ham to use for Toast Hawaii is the Black Forest Ham from Whole Food's deli counter. It's not like German Black Forest ham, but in my opinion it's the perfect smoked ham.
    • Cheese. In Germany and in the USA, I use individually wrapped American cheese singles for making Toast Hawaii.
    ingredients for toast hawaii
    • Garlic butter. It's simple to make my own. I first bring the butter to room temperature either by letting it sit out or by microwaving it for a few seconds. I then add minced garlic and a little salt to create a simple, homemade garlic butter. I spread garlic butter on the bread slices before topping with the ham, pineapple and cheese.
    • Peruvian Peppers. This is my alternative to adding maraschino cherries in the middle of the bread, which is what the original recipe calls for. Peruvian peppers have just a hint of spice and a nice sweetness. I typically find them in the pickle isle and sometimes at an olive or antipasti bar. You can totally not add anything to the middle of your toast (my mom never did).

    Variations

    Traditionally a maraschino cherry filled the hole of the pineapple ring, but I don't remember my mom ever filling it with a cherry (I am not a huge fan of them either). Instead, I fill the holes with some little Peruvian pickled peppers, adding a sweet and subtle spice to this otherwise already perfect dish. Again, this is just something extra that I came up with, and that we never did growing up.

    toast Hawaii fresh out of the oven

    Video

    Here a short video showing you how to make Toast Hawaii. You'll see just how easy it really is!

    Next time you're in the mood for a little weeknight Hawaii getaway, try it this recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below!

    Also try my Chicken Schnitzel Hawaii if you're a ham and pineapple lover, and for other easy meals that kids will love, some favorites are Frikadellen (German hamburgers) and Kartoffelpuffer (German potato pancakes).

    toast Hawaii on a white plate, garnished with green onions.

    Toast Hawaii (Baked Ham and Pineapple Sandwich)

    Toast Hawaii is a super simple German nostalgia food at its best, invented in the 50's by bringing pineapple, ham and cheese together on toast. As a kids favorite food, we made it all the time growing up in Germany.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine German
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 493 kcal

    Equipment

    • 2 Baking Sheets
    • 1 Garlic Press I love this one and use it almost every day!
    • 1 Pineapple corer Optional, but a great tool for when using fresh pineapple a lot!

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 8 slices white sandwich bread
    • 8 slices cooked, smoked ham
    • 8 slices American cheese
    • 8 pineapple rings I use fresh pineapple because it tastes so much better, but traditionally you use canned pineapple.
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 50 grams butter room temperature
    • peruvian pickled peppers optional

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit / 180° Celsius.
    • Prep two baking sheets with parchment paper and place 8 slices of bread on them, next to each other.
    • Mince the garlic (or use my favorite garlic press), and using a fork, mix in with the butter. Add a pinch of sea salt.
    • Now proceed in this order: Spread garlic butter on the top of each bread slice, add one slice of ham to each bread slice, add a pineapple ring each, add the cheese on top and the Peruvian pickled peppers (optional) in the middle (they will sink down as they bake).
    • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and starts to brown.
    • Serve immediately with a green salad or on its own.

    Video

    Notes

    Maraschino cherries are traditionally used as a pop of color when making Toast Hawaii, although my mom never used them. Instead I use pickled Peruvian peppers as I love the sweet taste with a hint of spice. You can also use nothing in the middle of your Toast Hawaii and I promise it will taste just as great.
    Using canned pineapple is just fine for making Toast Hawaii, however I love using fresh for mine and I think it really adds to the overall taste of this dish.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 493kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 20gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 1532mgPotassium: 377mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 767IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 573mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. a.whoop

      May 29, 2017 at 2:22 pm

      Oh these memories...my mom always made 'Toast Hawaii' for us three children when time was pressing. Soccer, Dancing, Music Lessons... when times was of the essence 'Toast Hawaii' was the perfect meal and I still love it! Thank you for calling this recipe to my mind!

      • dirndlkitchen

        May 29, 2017 at 3:12 pm

        So simple and delicious! 🙂 I'm glad I could bring back some nice memories for you and hope you will make this recipe again soon!

    2. Karla

      June 02, 2017 at 7:40 am

      I love Toast Hawaii! My Aunt gave me the recipe - they ate it at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps.

      • dirndlkitchen

        June 05, 2017 at 6:09 pm

        So good! I love anything pineapple! And such a no brainer since it's super easy! Glad you love it!

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    I am so happy that you are here at my German food and recipe blog named dirndl kitchen! Let's cook and bake authentic German recipes to help us feel closer to Germany!

    I moved from Germany to the United States in 2009 and soon started to terribly miss the German food (okay, my family, too)! I still miss a nice weekend brunch with crusty Brötchen (rolls) and Teilchen (pastries), Döner Kebab and German cake and coffee time at 15 o'clock! So I decided to educate my fellow Germany-missing friends by writing about German food and traditions. I do so in a fun way with easy-to-follow recipes! I hope you stay a while and bookmark some recipes, so we can cook and bake together.

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