Pineapple Salsa

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

15 Comments

5 from 6 votes
12 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Refrigerate 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
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Pineapple salsa is a bright, healthy, and fresh fruit salsa perfect to serve with everything from tortilla chips to tacos to fish and meat.

Pineapple Salsa makes a amazing Appetizer to serve at your next BBQ or get together for a sweet and tangy flavor your guest will love! Try Mango Salsa or Avocado Salsa for more fun salsa varieties.

Sabrina’s Pineapple Salsa Recipe

Pineapple salsa is a fresh, vibrant side that instantly elevates anything you serve it with, and best of all, it couldn’t be easier to make. In fact, prep takes only five minutes, and after that, the salsa simply rests in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it. Whether you grab pre cut pineapple spears from the store or slice up a whole fresh pineapple, the result is a sweet tangy, refreshing salsa that pairs beautifully with tacos, grilled meats, seafood, or even just a bowl of chips—so once you try it, you’ll quickly see why it deserves a spot in your regular rotation.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Pineapple Salsa Recipe

Pineapple Salsa is a bright, healthy, and fresh fruit salsa perfect to serve with everything from tortilla chips to tacos to fish and meat.
Yield 12 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Author Sabrina Snyder
Chopped up fruit, onions, tomatoes, peppers and herbs mixed together in a wood bowl
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 whole pineapple , (about 4 cups, chopped)
  • 1/4 cup red onion , chopped
  • 1/4 cup white onion , chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper , chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper , chopped
  • 1 jalapeno , deseeded, deveined and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro , chopped

Instructions

  • Chop pineapple, red onion, white onion, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, jalapenos and cilantro into similar sized pieces.
  • Mix all chopped ingredients together in a large bowl with salt, lime juice and minced garlic.
  • Refrigerate for at least 60 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 427IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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About this Recipe

The combination of pineapples, onions and peppers mixed with lime juice, garlic and cilantro creates a quick and easy pineapple salsa to enjoy all summer long! You are likely very familiar with Classic Salsa, but did you know that other fruits can be used to make tropical salsas? Pineapple is vibrant and flavorful and the perfect ingredient for this easy homemade summer salsa. It’s fresh, healthy, low calorie, fat free, cholesterol free, gluten free, dairy free, and suitable for vegans. Now that is a long list! Yes, this pineapple-based topping will delight all of your guests!

What to Pair with Pineapple Salsa

This salsa is the perfect topping for my Grilled Chicken and other Grilled Meats (like my favorite Jerk Chicken) we’ve been enjoying as the weather warms up and the perfect recipe to make with extra pineapple you may have left from making Fruit Salad.

How to Store

Serve: For the freshest flavor, chill the salsa in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Store: Store pineapple salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it will stay fresh for 5–7 days.

Freeze: You can freeze salsa, but it will not look the same once defrosted. The salsa will be watery. You can thaw the salsa then drain it if you wish, although fresh salsa may taste better.

Ideas to Serve Pineapple Salsa

Once you start making homemade pineapple salsa you’ll notice it popping up on restaurant menus all over the place. It pairs so well with a variety of meals and is an easy side dish or topping to have on hand to help make a meal special. Serve my delicious salsa with the following foods:

  • Chicken: Grilled chicken pairs perfectly with it, and any style works, even Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken.
  • Fish: salmon, tilapia, or cod are easy healthy fish options to use in my Crispy Fish Tacos.
  • Pork: pork chops or pork tenderloin or even Pulled Pork cooked low and slow.
  • Rice bowls: Serve this fresh salsa with Spanish rice and fajita vegetables in a rice bowl.
  • Ham: Fresh pineapple salsa is perfect for leftover Easter ham!
  • Eggs: Jazz up your scrambled eggs with a spoonful of salsa.
  • Tortilla Chips: My salsa is a light and healthy pairing with tortilla chips.

Frequent Questions

Can I use canned pineapple?

Yes, you can use canned pineapple if fresh pineapple isn’t available. Buy either sliced pineapple or pineapple chunks to make canned pineapple salsa recipe. First, drain the can of pineapple (reserve the liquid for another purpose) then chop the pineapple and proceed with the rest of the recipe. If you do used canned pineapple, make sure to use fresh lime juice to punch up the fresh flavors in the recipe.

What are the benefits of eating pineapple?

Pineapples are rich in vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants. Pineapples are thought to help digestion, build strong bones, and they contain vitamin C and manganese.

What are the side effects of eating pineapple?

Although pineapples do have many positive points, sometimes there can be side effects of eating pineapple.
– Some people have an allergy to pineapples that make their lips or mouth swell or their tongues might be tingly. This can be a reaction to an enzyme in the pineapple.
– Pineapple has been known to react poorly with certain classes of prescription drugs so do be careful if eating large quantities.
– Pineapples are highly acidic and can cause teeth damage.
– Unripe pineapples also are not recommended for consumption and can cause stomach irritation.

Does pineapple burn fat?

There is an enzyme in pineapples called bromelain which was been studied and is thought to help in metabolizing protein, which in turn helps to burn fat. We always suggest that you contact your doctor for health and nutrition advice.

Variations

  • Summer Salsa: Switch out the pineapple and use other summer fruits like mango, cantaloupe, or watermelon.
  • Grilled Pineapple: Grill the pineapple before chopping or roast it in the oven.
  • Spicy: Use any combination of peppers– orange, yellow, red and green bell peppers or pump up the heat by leaving the seeds in the jalapeno. You could also use a hotter pepper if you wish.

More Delicious Salsas

Collage of chopped mixed fruit and peppers in a bowl.

Photos used in previous versions of this post.

Tropical Salsa in a wood bowl
Chopped fruit and peppers mixed together in a wood bowl.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  3. OMGoodness your Pineapple Salsa looks so fresh and lite I could eat some right now with tortilla chips as a late night snack – yum!

    Reply

  4. I’m obsessed with fruit salsas, and pineapple is one of the best, especially with that hit of Jalapeño!

    Reply

  8. This is wonderful. Thank you so much Sabrina for sharing this. My son (54) loves this so. I make it for him when he comes to visit.

    Reply