Pineapple salsa is a fresh & juicy addition to summer gatherings. Or keep some in the refrigerator for quick snacking with a handful of tortilla chips.
It only takes 10 minutes to make. Plus, it’s easy to adjust the recipe to fit your preferences! Vegan & gluten-free.
When the weather is hot, humid, and sticky, I like to break through it with hydrating fruit like pineapple.
And although, you can certainly eat it all on its own, it’s a fun change of pace to use it as a base for salsa.
Tomato salsa is a mainstay throughout the year.
But during warm weather months, fruity dips like this one or peach & black bean salsa come out to play.
They’re terrific on their own with chips. Or use them as a topping on tacos, taquitos, and nachos.
How to make this fruit salsa
To make pineapple salsa, combine the following ingredients in a bowl:
- Pineapple
- Chopped onions
- Minced garlic
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped jalapeños
- Lime juice
- Pinch of salt
Can I use the food processor?
Yes!
If you’d like all of the ingredients to be more uniform in size & perfectly combined, put the ingredients into a food processor instead of a bowl.
Pulse it a few times, stopping a couple times to scrape down the sides for even mixing.
The food processor breaks up the salsa into even smaller bite-sized portions that fit nicely onto tortilla chips.
Just be careful not to over blend. (Nobody wants a salsa smoothie!)
Should I use fresh or pickled jalapeños?
It’s up to you!
Although it’s outside the norm, I usually use pickled jalapeños sold in jars, as opposed to fresh jalapeño. That way, the heat is always uniform.
With fresh peppers, sometimes there’s no heat at all. And other times, just a tiny touch of the tongue will leave a lingering heat.
With jarred jalapeño peppers, the heat is the same – jar after jar. Plus, I always have it on hand in the refrigerator or cupboard.
Or you can split the difference and use quick pickled jalapeños.
Use fresh pineapple
For best results, be sure to use fresh pineapple, not canned.
You can find fresh pineapple that’s already chopped in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores.
But it’s a lot cheaper if you cut your own from a whole pineapple!
For this recipe, I used all of the fruit from one average-sized pineapple.
Just remember to peel it and core it first before cutting it into small to medium-sized pieces.
Let the flavors marry
You can eat this salsa right away.
But the flavors really taste best when they’ve had a chance to marry.
All of that sweet, juicy pineapple mellows the onion. And the garlic finds a way to meander through the salsa.
Plus, the heat intensifies a little.
So this is a good dip to make ahead of time before a vegan potluck, party, or cookout.
Make it at least four hours before serving for best results.
(Although, like I said, it will still be delicious even if you make it right before serving.)
Serving ideas
Pineapple salsa is delicious with any of these dishes.
- Tortilla chips
- Taquitos – baked taquitos with sweet potatoes or vegan taquitos with jackfruit
- Tacos – sweet potato tacos, jackfruit carnitas tacos, spicy black bean tacos, raw tacos, or vegan walking tacos
- Vegan bean burritos or vegan burrito bowl
- Veggie fajitas
- Build-your-own vegan nacho bar
- It also makes a great addition to a tiki party!
Make it your own
Make pineapple salsa your own by tweaking the recipe to suit your flavor preferences.
- Add diced red, yellow, or orange bell pepper for color.
- Use red onion instead of yellow for more bite.
- Add seeded & diced tomato for a classic salsa experience with a twist.
- Throw in drained & rinsed black beans for an extra punch of protein.
- Incorporate a dash of cumin (up to ½ teaspoon) for more of a savory edge.
- Add a splash or two of hot sauce for more heat.
- Spoon in diced avocado for a dose of creamy & fatty goodness.
- Score one half of the pineapple shell carefully. Then use it as a bowl for your pineapple salsa.
10-minute pineapple salsa recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups chopped pineapple chopped small to medium (Roughly 1 pineapple, peeled & cored)
- ½ cup chopped onions chopped small
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup loosely-packed cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped jalapenos fresh or pickled (Or to taste)
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine pineapple, onions, cilantro, lime juice, 1 to 2 Tablespoons of chopped jalapeno (or to taste), and a pinch of salt.* Fully combine all of the ingredients. Taste & adjust with more lime juice, salt, or jalapeno. (Keep in mind that the heat will intensify a little as the salsa sits.)
- You can serve the salsa & eat it right away. However, it tastes best after the flavors have had time to mingle and marry. Cover the salsa & refrigerate for 4 or more hours for the best flavors. Serve with tacos, nachos, or tortilla chips for dipping.
Shell
This looks like something I could eat with a spoon! Perfect for the hot summer days that are around the corner.
Cadry
Yes, tropical fruits are especially good on these balmy summer days!
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe
I love fresh pineapple and this looks like a really refreshing addition to a meal – Actually I think it would be a nice topping for avocado on toast for a really simple way to serve it.
Cadry
What a great idea, Johanna! I eat avocado toast all year ’round, but that sounds like a delicious way to push it into summer flavors.