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Pineapple Salsa
This fresh pineapple salsa is sweet, tangy, and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for another chip. It comes together in 20 minutes, and it only gets better after a couple of hours in the fridge. Serve it with tortilla chips, spoon it over grilled fish or chicken, or pile it onto tacos for an easy upgrade.
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This homemade Pineapple salsa is a serious upgrade from jarred grocery store salsa. I made this for a simple dinner with some extended family, and I don't think I'll ever be able to serve them a pre-made version again. It was that good!
The sweetness of fresh pineapple, the bite of jalapeño, and a squeeze of lime all come together in a bowl that's bright, fresh, and basically impossible to stop eating.
It took exactly one batch of this pineapple salsa to turn it into a staple for summer dinners. Now it shows up at every backyard gathering, every taco night, and honestly, sometimes just as an afternoon snack with a bag of chips.
The best part? It only takes about 20 minutes to pull together, and the hardest thing you'll do is dice a pineapple. If you grab a pre-cut one from the produce section, it's even easier than that.
Recipe Overview
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 12 (½ cup servings)
Main Ingredients: Fresh pineapple, Roma tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, honey
Equipment You'll Need: Large mixing bowl, small mixing bowl, sharp knife, cutting board
Ingredients For Pineapple Salsa
Here's what you'll need to make this fresh pineapple salsa:
- Fresh pineapple - You'll need 3 cups total, finely chopped, which works out to about one whole pineapple. Fresh pineapple is crucial, but you can buy pre-chopped from the produce section if you don't want to core a pineapple yourself. (Canned pineapple is too soft and too sweet, and it'll make your salsa watery, so I wouldn't try it.)
- Roma tomatoes - 2 cups, finely chopped. Roma tomatoes are a great choice because they're meaty and low in moisture. If your tomatoes are pulpy, scoop out the seeds before dicing so the salsa doesn't get watery.
- Red onion - ½ cup, finely chopped. Red onion adds a sharp, tangy bite that helps to balance the sweetness of the pineapple.
- Jalapeño - 2 tablespoons, seeded and finely chopped. Removing the seeds keeps the heat manageable. Leave them in if you want more spice.
- Fresh cilantro - 2 tablespoons, chopped.
- Salt and black pepper - 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Fresh lime juice — ¼ cup. Fresh squeezed only.
- Honey — 1 tablespoon. Just enough to round out the tartness of the lime without making the salsa taste sweet.
Tips For Making Pineapple Salsa
Save time on the pineapple. Cutting and coring a whole pineapple is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. If you're not planning to use the pineapple shell as a serving bowl, you can grab a pre-peeled and cored pineapple from the produce section and skip that step entirely.
Dice everything small. The size of your cuts matters more than you'd think. When everything is finely and evenly chopped, you get a little bit of every ingredient in each bite.
Make the dressing separately. Stir the lime juice and honey together in a small bowl before adding it to the salsa. It only takes a minute, but it makes sure the honey distributes evenly instead of clumping in one spot.
Don't skip the chill time. The salsa is good right away, but it's significantly better after a few hours in the fridge.
The resting time lets the flavors meld together, and the fruit and veggies soften just a bit. If you can make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until dinner, do it.
Stir before serving. The lime juice and pineapple will release liquid as the salsa sits. Give it a good stir right before you set it out so everything is evenly coated again.
How To Serve
For extra special presentation, serve it in a pineapple bowl. This is the move if you're bringing this salsa to a party or want it to look impressive with almost zero extra effort. Here's how to do it:
- Stand the pineapple upright and slice straight down lengthwise, cutting slightly off-center to create one larger half with the leafy crown intact.
- Set both halves cut-side up. The larger half with the crown becomes your serving bowl. Use a sharp knife to score the flesh in a grid pattern, cutting down to the rind without piercing through it, then run the knife along the inside edges to loosen the flesh.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the scored pieces. These become the pineapple chunks you'll dice for the salsa, and your bowl is ready to fill. Make sure you also clean the flesh off the small piece for your salsa.
A couple of things to keep in mind: the pineapple bowl holds about half the total batch, so you'll need to refill it as it empties. Keep the rest of the salsa in a covered bowl in the fridge until you need it.
Serve it with chips. Plain tortilla chips are always a hit, but cinnamon sugar tortilla chips are genuinely worth trying with this salsa. The sweet-salty crunch against the pineapple and jalapeño is something people always comment on.
Use it as a topping. This salsa is just as good on a plate as it is in a bowl. Spoon it over grilled tilapia or grilled chicken breast for an easy weeknight dinner that feels a little special. It's also excellent piled onto chicken taco casserole or shrimp tacos in place of a traditional tomato salsa.
Serve alongside peach margaritas or raspberry iced tea on a wam summer evening.
More Fresh Tex-Mex Recipes ⭐ Pineapple Mango Salsa | 7 Layer Dip | Southwest Salad
Leftover Storage
In the fridge: Store leftover pineapple salsa in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The flavors actually get better as it sits, which makes this a great recipe to prepare a day ahead. Give it a good stir before serving since the liquid will settle at the bottom.
In the freezer: Freezing isn't recommended. The pineapple and tomatoes break down once thawed and the texture turns mushy.
Pineapple Salsa
This fresh pineapple salsa is sweet, tangy, and just spicy enough to keep you coming back for another chip. It comes together in 20 minutes, and it only gets better after a couple of hours in the fridge. Serve it with tortilla chips, spoon it over grilled fish or chicken, or pile it onto tacos for an easy upgrade.
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Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh pineapple (finely chopped (about 1 whole pineapple))
- 2 cups Roma tomatoes (finely chopped)
- ½ cup red onion (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons jalapeño (seeded and minced)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
DIRECTIONS
- Add the pineapple, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and toss to combine.
- Whisk together the lime juice and honey in a small bowl until the honey is fully dissolved.
- Pour the lime and honey dressing over the pineapple mixture and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Stir well before setting it out.
Notes
- Pick up a pre-peeled and cored pineapple from the produce section to save time. It skips the most time-consuming part of this recipe.
- For a crowd, double the batch. This salsa disappears fast.
- This pineapple salsa tastes good right away but is noticeably better after a few hours in the fridge. Make it the morning of if you can.
- You can use a hollowed out pineapple as a serving dish for a show-stopping presentation.
- Store leftovers for up to 3 days in the fridge. This recipe doesn't freeze well. Try to eat it fresh.
Nutrition
Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 387IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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Comments
Kim says
This is so good with tortilla chips! Whole family loved it 🙂