This Grilled Pineapple is the best way to serve pineapple. It’s coated with brown sugar and cinnamon, then grilled until sweet, juicy, and perfectly caramelized.
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I’m a big fan of pineapple in sweet and savory recipes!
Pineapple on pizza? Yes. Pineapple Chicken? Absolutely. Pineapple Upside Down Cake? For sure.
Well, if you love pineapple but you’ve never had it grilled, then get ready to be amazed. This Grilled Pineapple is insanely delicious.
It is sweet and a little tangy, coated in a thick, syrupy brown sugar glaze that makes itself!
Use it as a topping for burgers, serve it as an appetizer or side dish, or serve it as dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients Needed:
You just need three simple ingredients for this grilled pineapple recipe!
- Pineapple: use freshly cut pineapple for the best flavor! See my tips on How to Cut a Pineapple here.
- Brown Sugar and Cinnamon: coats the pineapple to add sweetness, flavor, and help the outside get deliciously caramelized. You can use a little or a lot of cinnamon, depending on your tastes. You can also use less sugar, but you will have less caramel sauce to drizzle in the end.
How to Make Grilled Pineapple
Grilled pineapple is so delicious, versatile, and incredibly easy to make!
- Combine the ingredients. Place all ingredients into a large zip top bag.
- Seal and coat: Seal the bag and toss the pineapple, rubbing in the brown sugar so that it is evenly coated.
- Place on a greased grill pan or an outdoor grill — both work just fine and I’ll get into more details down below!
- Grill: Cook until you reach your desired tenderness, flipping at least once.
Grilled Pineapple FAQs
Grilling pineapple actually makes it even sweeter! The heat caramelizes the sugars in the fruit, giving it that golden color, a sweeter flavor, and an even juicier texture.
That depends on how you want to serve it, but in general I recommend keeping the pieces larger. Spears work great as an appetizer or side dish while rings are perfectly on burgers. Once the pineapple grilled, you can leave the pieces as is or chop them into smaller pieces to incorporate into another dish. Check out my How to Cut a Pineapple post for instructions.
While coating your pineapple in brown sugar might not be the healthiest way to serve it, the pineapple itself is packed with vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. So, you could definitely do a whole lot worse!
Prep your pineapple ahead of time by slicing it up, tossing it in a zip top bag with brown sugar and cinnamon, then refrigerating it until you’re ready to grill.
This pineapple is best hot off of the grill, but leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To serve again, enjoy it cold or warm it in the microwave. I don’t recommend freezing it, because the texture of the pineapple won’t hold up when thawed.
Grill Pan v. Outdoor Grill
You can grill pineapple either on an indoor grill pan (yes, cheating) or an outdoor grill. Both have their pros and cons!
- An indoor grill pan is great if you don’t have a grill or don’t feel like venturing outside.
- An outdoor grill is great if you love that charred look and flavor.
- A grill pan is great because it collects and saves all that saucy caramel deliciousness instead of letting it fall through the grates.
- When using an outdoor grill, you may want to grill the pineapple on a piece of foil to save those juices.
Serving Suggestions
- On burgers. Use it as a topping for your favorite burger! I love it on Air Fryer Burgers, Hawaiian Chicken Burgers, or Grilled Turkey Burgers!
- As an appetizer or side dish. Serve your Grilled Pineapple as-is next to any of your favorite summer recipes. Try Honey Balsamic Grilled Chicken, Sweet and Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken, Steak Kabobs, Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs, you name it.
- In an entree. Chop it up and use it in Ham and Pineapple Rice, Chicken Chow Mein, or Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef.
- As a pizza topping. Dice it up and use it as a topping on Grilled Pizza.
- In dessert. Yep. This pineapple is delicious served warm next to a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
More Pineapple Recipes You’ll Love
Grilled Pineapple
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 small pineapple (or half a large pineapple) cut into spears or rings
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼-½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (depending on your tastes)
Instructions
- See my tips and video for How to Cut a Pineapple here. Cut into spears or rings (rings are great for burgers!).
- Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Lightly grease with non stick spray.
- Toss pineapple pieces in a large zip top bag and add brown sugar and cinnamon (use more or less according to your tastes). Seal and toss to coat well.
- Grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, until light golden brown and tender. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving — the sauce will become thicker as it cools.
- Serve warm with ice cream or on burgers.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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CHRISTINE says
Thanks, Ashley! Grilled last night, perfect recipe and sooooo good!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Christine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!