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Pineapple

Fruits · Tropical fruit

Pineapple

Spiky tropical fruit with sweet-tart, juicy yellow flesh; eaten fresh, grilled or cooked in curries and desserts.

Also called: ananas, piña, pinya

18 recipes with it

Photo: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-3.0)

What it is

Pineapple has a rough, diamond-patterned skin, a spiky green crown and juicy yellow flesh around a tough core. Ripe ones smell sweet at the base. Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme (bromelain) that tenderises meat and prevents gelatine and dairy desserts setting; canned pineapple has been heated, so it doesn't.

Ananas comosus

How it’s used

  • Eaten fresh or grilled
  • Added to sweet-and-sour dishes, fried rice and curries
  • Marinated with pork for al pastor
  • Baked into upside-down cake

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, tart and tropical.
Texture
Juicy and fibrous.
When cooked
Raw pineapple softens meat in marinades and prevents gelatine setting; cook it first for jellies.
Sold as
fresh, canned, frozen, dried, liquid
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw, Suitable for grilling, Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking

Storage

At room temperature. Keep whole at room temperature for a day or two; refrigerate cut pineapple covered and eat within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
50 kcal
Protein
0.54 g
Carbohydrate
13.12 g
Fat
0.12 g
Fibre
1.4 g
Sugars
9.85 g

USDA FoodData Central: Pineapple, raw, all varieties.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Mango — In salsas and salads; sweeter and less acidic.

Related ingredients

Recipes with pineapple

See all 18

6 more

More tropical fruit