Name: Hawaiian Sloppy Joes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 slices bacon, diced; 1 pound lean ground beef; 1 medium onion, diced; 1 green pepper, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1/2 cup pineapple juice; 3/4 cup ketchup; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 6 burger buns, for serving; pineapple rings, optional, for serving

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Hawaiian Sloppy Joes are ground beef sloppy joes with a Hawaiian-inspired pineapple sauce. They are so easy and ready in just 20 minutes!

If you love sloppy joes, you have to try my Sloppy Joe Sliders!

Originally published January 12, 2015. Updated August 12, 2025.

I love a twist on the classic sloppy joe. Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic too but something about a sloppy joe with a slightly different flavor really makes me happy.

Hawaiian Sloppy Joes start with a classic tomato base but the sauce also has pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and crisp bacon! I like to serve them with a pineapple ring on top to really make it pineapple-y.

They are a quick and easy dinner that you can put together in about 20 minutes. You use one pan, one mixing bowl, and that’s it! And you probably have almost everything you need on hand already.

Ingredients

Bacon – you can use whatever kind of bacon you prefer. If you use a lean bacon, like turkey, you will need to add oil to the pan before you cook the ground beef and vegetables.
Ground beef – you can use ground turkey or chicken if you want to make them a little lighter.
Onion – any color works.
Green pepper – the flavor of green bell pepper works really well with this sauce but you can use another color if you prefer.
Garlic
Ground ginger – you can use fresh ginger if you have it on hand.
Ketchup – this gives you the tomato flavor like a classic sloppy joe.
Brown sugar – brown sugar adds sweetness and depth to the sauce.
Apple cider vinegar – the vinegar adds the sour part of the sweet and sour sauce!
Soy sauce – I recommend a low sodium soy sauce. You can always add more salt if you need to.
Pineapple juice – if you plan on doing pineapple rings on your sloppy joes, buy a can of them in the juice so you can just use that juice.

How To Make Hawaiian Sloppy Joes

Cook bacon. Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain. .
Make sloppy joe mixture. Cook ground beef, onion, and green pepper, breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Add the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Make sauce. Whisk together pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, soy sauce, and ground ginger. Pour into the pan with the meat and stir to combine.
Simmer. to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened considerably but is still “sloppy”.
Add bacon. Crumble the bacon and stir it into the mixture.
Serve. Serve on buns.

Can You Make Hawaiian Sloppy Joes In Advance?

You can make the meat portion of the sloppy joes ahead of time. Make sure to store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

When you are ready to serve it, reheat in the microwave or stove. If it’s thickened too much, add a splash of extra pineapple juice, broth, or water before reheating.

Can You Freeze Hawaiian Sloppy Joes?

You can freeze the meat portion of the sloppy joes for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container, like a ziploc bag.

When you are ready to serve, let it defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or stove.

What To Serve With Sloppy Joes?

For these specific Hawaiian sloppy joes, I really like a coleslaw or coleslaw pasta salad.

Others ideas are Fritos Corn Salad, Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, or Roasted Broccolini!

More Sloppy Joe Recipes

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Yield: 6 servings