Pineapple Salsa Recipe
Add some tropical vibes to your next dinner or gathering with this fresh and tasty Pineapple Salsa! It’s packed with sweet and savory flavor, it’s great as a dip or topping for tacos, chicken and fish, and it’s so easy to make!
As the saying goes, homemade is always best…and that’s especially true when it comes to salsa. I’ve purchased store bought salsa in the past and realized immediately that it just doesn’t have the fresh flavor that homemade salsa has.
It’s a true upgrade for chips, tacos, grilled meats and more, and I’ll be making my own from here on out.
While I love the savoriness of my tomatillo salsa, I have a thing for sweet and savory flavors. This Pineapple Salsa recipe is one of my go-to’s — it’s tangy and sweet with a little kick of heat, and it appeals to pretty much everyone.
If you love mango, my mango salsa recipe is a must-try!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Pineapple salsa is sweet and savory with a bit of spiciness from jalapeño pepper, and it’s bursting with fresh flavor.
- It’s perfect served as a dip, or as a topping for tacos, chicken, fish and more.
- It comes together quickly and may be made entirely in advance.
- Post includes step-by-step instructions on how to cut a pineapple quickly and easily.
Recipe ingredients
This pineapple salsa recipe includes a few simple ingredients that may be customized a number of ways as outlined in the ingredient notes below.
The fresher the ingredients, the better your salsa will taste!
Ingredient notes
- Pineapple. The pineapple is the star of this salsa, so using fresh pineapple is very important. Pre-cut pineapple may be used as a timesaver, but it’s very easy and more cost effective to cut it yourself. See my instructions on how to cut a pineapple below!
- Jalapeño. The jalapeño adds just a touch of heat that compliments the sweetness of the pineapple perfectly. If you like your salsa really spicy, consider adding more to crank up the heat.
- Red bell pepper. Substitute with tomato if you don’t have red bell pepper on hand.
- Red onion. The red onion adds nice color and flavor, but it may be substituted with whatever type of onion that you have on hand.
How to cut a pineapple
Pre-cut pineapple is a big timesaver, but it in the end it’s best to buy a whole pineapple and cut it yourself as outlined below:
- It’s more cost effective. You’ll get more pineapple for less money, and you can use leftovers in tropical fruit salad, piña coladas or freeze it for smoothies!
- The freshness is guaranteed when you purchase a whole pineapple. Pre-cut pineapple may have been sitting around a while, and it may have added preservatives as well.
Cutting a pineapple is very easy following the step-by-step instructions below:
- Lay the pineapple down on a cutting board.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the top off of the pineapple.
- Cut the bottom off of the pineapple.
- Stand the pineapple upright and remove the skin by cutting it off from the top down. Try to cut enough off to remove the eyes at the same time.
- If any eyes remain, remove them with a paring knife or an appropriate tool.
- Cut the pineapple in half by cutting from the top down.
- Cut each half in half and remove the core from each piece. This may be done by standing each piece upright and cutting from the top down, or lay them on their sides and remove the core by cutting at an angle.
- Chop the pineapple into bitesize pieces.
How to make this recipe
This pineapple salsa recipe is extremely easy to make. It requires a bit of chopping, but it comes together quickly.
Pro tip: Prep the pineapple and veggies in advance until you’re ready to assemble the salsa, or make the entire recipe ahead of time.
- Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well to combine.
- Let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes in order for the flavors to marry. Serve and enjoy!
FAQs
The word salsa refers to sauce in Mexican cooking. It is widely used as a dip or as a topping for tacos, enchiladas, and meats.
The best way to remove the eyes from a pineapple is by cutting enough of the outer skin of the pineapple off so that the eyes are removed at the same time. If you miss some, simply remove using a paring knife.
The core of the pineapple is edible, but it’s hard and it can be difficult to chew. I highly recommend removing the core when cutting the pineapple.
Fresh salsa will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serving suggestions
Pineapple salsa is extremely versatile and may be served a number of ways. There’s no wrong answer!
- Serve as a dip with your favorite chips.
- It’s a great addition to fish tacos or chicken burrito bowls.
- Serve atop blackened salmon, tequila lime chicken or other grilled meats.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: The pineapple is the star, so fresh pineapple is best. See instructions on how to cut a pineapple in the post, or purchase pre-cut pineapple as a timesaver.
- Pro tip: Prep the pineapple and veggies in advance until you’re ready to assemble the salsa, or make the entire recipe ahead of time.
- While pineapple salsa is best enjoyed the day it is made, leftovers are still delicious and will keep in an air tight container for 3-5 days.
- If you like your salsa spicy, add more jalapeño or a spicier chili pepper.
- This recipe is great as a dip or condiment for tacos, chicken and fish!
More dip recipes you’ll love:
- Bean dip by The Girl Who Ate Everything
- Guacamole
- Pub cheese
- Shrimp ceviche
- Tzatziki
- White bean hummus
If you try this recipe I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me at @flavorthemoments on Instagram!
Pineapple Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chopped into small chunks
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 small jalapeño seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well to combine.
- Let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes in order for the flavors to marry. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: The pineapple is the star, so fresh pineapple is best. See instructions on how to cut a pineapple in the post, or purchase pre-cut pineapple as a timesaver.
- Pro tip: Prep the pineapple and veggies in advance until you’re ready to assemble the salsa, or make the entire recipe ahead of time.
- While pineapple salsa is best enjoyed the day it is made, leftovers are still delicious and will keep in an air tight container for 3-5 days.
- If you like your salsa spicy, add more jalapeño or a spicier chili pepper.
- This recipe is great as a dip or condiment for tacos, chicken and fish!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This post was originally published in July 2014. The text and photos have been updated to include more recipe information and step by step photos.
24 Comments on “Pineapple Salsa Recipe”
Oh my gosh Marcie – I sssooo know what you’re talking about!!! I have over 150 draft posts in my arsenal, but not all of them with pictures. For a long time, I thought – ‘oh, I’m good for at least 6 months’… then, when lack of inspiration struck, I realized I had no photos for all those drafts!!! UGH! Disaster. It’s like you scramble to the kitchen and try to make up for your slacking! At least that is how it was for me anyway. Ok, now onto this salsa… it looks absolutely fresh, amazing and perfect to go with the fish tacos I’m now dreaming about!!! Pinned!
It’s so funny, I’ll bank the photos, but I rarely do drafts ahead of time. I feel like the pictures are the hardest part for me so I’m usually on top of those more. Yesterday was my big day in the kitchen because my son was home sick, and boy did I get a lot done. 🙂 Thanks for the pin, Kristi, and I hope you have a happy hump day! 🙂
This looks awesome! I’ve seen mango and peach, but never pineapple… yum!
I’ve done this salsa with mango before and loved it, so I thought I’d try pineapple. The next best thing would be to use both! haha Thanks, Medha. 🙂
so perfect for summer.. never made a pineapple salsa before, i’ve only ever used mango. i definitely am missing out on something great. love it!
I’d only used mango before too, but pineapple was delicious! Next time I’m using both. 🙂 Thanks, Thalia!
What a wonderful salsa, Marcie! I love that you used pineapple for the main ingredient, sounds so perfect for this time of year! I’ve always wanted to make a fruit salsa, so now I think I have just the perfect recipe to do so. And I love your suggestion of topping tacos with this salsa, sounds amazing!
This would be great with almost any fruit, and I hope you give it a try, Gayle! I need to try my own suggestion and make tacos very soon. 🙂 Have a great day!
Cutting pineapple is a bit of a chore. Thank goodness for pre-sliced fresh pineapple at the store, right? 🙂 Thanks, Juliana, and have a great day!
Thank you, Meghan!
Salsas are the best, and it’s so healthy that you don’t feel bad about eating or serving it! It’s a great way to get extra veggies and fruit, too. 🙂 BTW, I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of people I’m nominating for the Writing Process Blog Tour, and I will get that post up! I never meant for it to take this long, but I guess better late than never. 🙂
This salsa looks so delicious and fresh! Love the spicy addition 🙂
Thank you, Jessica! 🙂
I can always go for a good fresh salsa, especially with pineapple. Looks delish Marcie!
Marcie this looks so good! I could go for a bowl of these with some tortilla chips. I love the sweet and spicy combination. I’m thinking fish tacos would be great with this :D. Pinning!
Thank you, Cindy! I really need to whip up some tacos next time I have some of this salsa. 🙂
Sweet and spicy is definitely where it’s at! 🙂
great salsa idea! never tried the pineapple salsa!
Thank you, Sarah! Pineapple was a fun new twist! 🙂
Aaw sorry you’ve been feeling that way..hehe I feel like that a lot these days and can never seem to catch up either. My problem is the opposite – I have the pictures and recipes but I can’t seem to find the energy/time to sort through and edit the photos or write the posts. This salsa would totally give me that motivation though 🙂 Love that you made a pineapple salsa – I can just taste how fresh everything is. Pinning 🙂 This looks amazing and I’m loving the sweet and spicy combo!
Editing photos is the most time consuming part, isn’t it? The past two days have been very productive, thankfully, but you know that means ions of photos. haha I’m sure you must feel tapped with the little ones…it requires lots of energy. 🙂 Thanks for the pin, Kelly, and I hope you have a lovely day!
Sweet and spicy is one of my favorite combos too, and this really hit the spot! Thanks, Arpita! 🙂
Gorgeous and luscious pineapple salsa! Look like a perfect for summer treat! So refreshing!
Thank you so much! This definitely is one refreshing salsa! 🙂