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    Home » Appetizers

    Tiki party ideas + Vegan bacon wrapped pineapple

    Updated: Dec 29, 2024 · Published: Jul 3, 2017 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 20 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    Seitan bacon wrapped pineapple on bamboo covered plate with parasols.

    It’s tiki time! Today I’m sharing tiki party ideas + a recipe for seitan bacon wrapped pineapple. It’s an easy vegan appetizer for your next party.

    Cadry holding pineapple wrapped in seitan bacon with bamboo skewers. Tiki party ideas.

    You know what they say about necessity… It was the mother of tiki parties.

    My landlocked state is severely lacking in tiki bars. Grass skirts, torches, coconut cocktails, and leis are MIA in IA.

    It’s too bad, because tiki bars are loads of fun – so kitschy and festive.

    I have fond memories of visiting the now defunct vegan tiki bar, No Bones Beach Club, in Seattle last summer.

    However, for tiki fun closer to home, ingenuity is required.

    Tiki torch in yard.

    Tiki parties owe their lineage to tiki-themed restaurants of the 1930’s like Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber.

    I’ve written about Trader Vic’s before, when sharing my recipe for vegan crab rangoon. (The non-vegan version was first created at that Bay area restaurant.)

    But tiki really hit its heyday when mid-century modern became a thing in the mid-twentieth century. It’s what happens when Hollywood kitsch meets a Polynesian island paradise.

    Ashley making tropical cocktails with Moscow mule mug.

    My friend, Ashley, is a fan of tiki bars as well. So she decided to take matters into her own hands and throw a tiki party at her house.

    We put our heads together on tiki party ideas for the menu.

    She invited 20 to 30 friends, bought a lei for every guest, which was given to them at the door, and some kitschy cocktail mugs to keep things festive.

    She also cored whole pineapples, and then put the shells into the refrigerator or freezer to use as additional glasses.

    (She says that the hard bit down the center is a great place for sticking cocktail parasols. Plus, it takes up some space inside of the pineapple itself. Otherwise, that could be one very large beverage!)

    Moscow mule mug with fruit skewer & parasol.

    Ashley made Blue Hawaiian & Mai Tai cocktails.

    She also gave her usual Moscow mule mugs an Island vibe with two fruity spins on that ginger beer classic – pineapple cilantro Moscow mule & mango Moscow mule.

    Strawberry & pineapple fruit skewers on plate.

    Because tiki parties first became a thing in the 50’s and 60’s, the menu should feel inspired by that period with plenty of items on a stick or stabbed with a toothpick.

    Ashley made a couple of fruity salsas & skewers.

    I made a big batch of potato salad. (Link to recipe in menu below).

    I put dollops into individual cups for easy serving. Then I finished each potato salad cup with a pinch of paprika, salt, and chives for garnish.

    I also made a batch of seitan bacon wrapped pineapple. More on that in a second!

    Tiki party menu

    Vegan potato salad in cups for serving, bowls of salsa in background.
    • Strawberry avocado salsa
    • Pineapple salsa
    • Fruit skewers with pineapple, mango & strawberries
    • Vegan potato salad
    • Seitan bacon wrapped pineapple
    Cadry holding platter with seitan bacon wrapped pineapple.

    Other tiki party menu ideas

    • Vegan crab rangoon
    • Peach & black bean salsa
    • Fried squash blossoms
    • Vegan ceviche
    • Vegan fish tacos with chipotle crema
    • Grilled vegetable skewers
    • Grilled banana splits

    Seitan bacon wrapped pineapple

    Overhead cocktail parasols & seitan bacon wrapped pineapple with bamboo skewers.

    If you’re a fan of smoky & sweet things like pizza with vegan pepperoni and pineapple, you’ll love seitan bacon wrapped pineapple. The bacon gets a bit of crunch and chew from a long baking time.

    For the party itself, I actually fried the appetizers. But as I discovered later, baking them in the oven is so much easier.

    I’ve made other seitan bacon wrapped appetizers in the past like vegan bacon wrapped dates. In those instances, I’ve always just wrapped the dates well ahead of time and fried them just before serving.

    What I didn’t consider this time around is that pineapples are juicy. And they release liquid when left to sit.

    Unfortunately, I wrapped the pineapple spears with seitan bacon a couple of hours before the party. Then they were juicy by the time I needed to fry them.

    Things are easier to fry when they’re dry (better browning and less splattering). So that was less than ideal.

    Plus, pineapple is more slippery than dates. It can be hard to keep the seitan bacon from sliding off in the hot skillet.

    So after the party, I perfected the recipe by doing an oven method instead.

    I recommend wrapping the pineapple just before baking. Blot the seitan with a dry towel before wrapping, so that the vegan bacon is able to crisp and brown.

    Seitan bacon wrapped pineapple on parchment paper covered baking sheet.

    Wrap the seitan bacon around the pineapple chunks. Then lay them flap side down on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

    Pop it in the oven when guests start arriving. They’ll be ready to serve once everyone has their parasol-laden cocktails in hand.

    Close up seitan bacon wrapped pineapple on small round plates with platter in background.

    Before serving, I like to carefully remove the toothpick and flip the appetizers over, so that the brown flap is showing. Then I spear them with something a little more festive.

    Serve them on a platter covered with a bamboo sushi mat.

    Seitan bacon wrapped pineapple on bamboo covered plate with parasols.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Seitan bacon wrapped pineapple on bamboo covered plate, parasols in background.

    Vegan bacon wrapped pineapple

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 4 votes
    Get your tiki party going with these festive, smoky sweet appetizers. Seitan bacon is wrapped around pineapple and baked until it has a bit of crispness. Spear with a festive toothpick & serve! Makes 12 seitan bacon wrapped pineapple bites.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Polynesian, Vegan
    Keyword: finger food, party food, starter

    Ingredients

    • 1 fresh pineapple cored & thick outer peel removed
    • 8 ounces seitan bacon I used Upton’s Naturals*
    • Oil spray

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dry slices of seitan bacon on clean towel.
    • Cut the fresh pineapple into long spears, about ½ inch thick. Wrap slices of seitan bacon around the spears, and then cut the pineapple spears to the correct size. You want a little bit of pineapple poking out beyond the seitan bacon. Poke each bacon slice with a toothpick to secure it into the pineapple.
    • Line the seitan bacon wrapped pineapple on the baking sheet with the flap of the bacon facing down. (That way when it bakes, it will seal shut.)
      Spray the bacon with oil spray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bacon has some crispness and is brown on the bottom.
    • Remove from oven. If desired, remove toothpicks, and carefully flip each seitan bacon wrapped pineapple over to reveal the browned flap underneath. Secure with a more festive toothpick and move to a serving platter.
      The pineapple will be very hot. So wait a few minutes before serving.

    Notes

    *I used Upton’s Naturals seitan bacon, which comes with about 12 slices to a package. If you use different seitan bacon, you may have more or less than you need for this recipe. Also, some seitan bacon is a little longer/wider in size (like Herbivorous Butcher seitan bacon), and so you may want to cut it down to an appropriate size.
    For even more caramelized seitan bacon, after oiling, dredge the seitan bacon wrapped pineapple in brown sugar before baking.
    If you’re short on time, these can be fried. Bring a non-stick skillet to a medium high heat with organic canola oil (or other high heat oil) lightly covering the bottom. Fry for 3-5 minutes, moving occasionally, so that they’re evenly browned.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 8g | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 29mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 13.1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.6mg

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

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      5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Meg @ This Mess is Ours

      February 04, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      This all looks so delicious! Wish I could cheers with you ladies with one of those Moscow Mules!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        February 06, 2020 at 5:46 am

        I do too! Thanks for the delicious cocktail recipe!

        Reply
    2. Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite

      July 10, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      Love tiki parties and anything Hawaiian themed really! It’s our go to vacay spot and holds a special place in our heart. I think I’ll just make life one giant tiki party!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 13, 2017 at 1:56 pm

        That sounds like a great plan, Sophia! I’d love to make it to Hawaii someday. I’ve never been there, but all of the pictures look magical.

        Reply
    3. The Vegan 8

      July 10, 2017 at 11:28 am

      This tiki party idea is fantastic! It looks like it was a lot of fun and all the food looked so good and especially those bacon wrapped pineapple. I love sweet, salty and smoky combos! Love your dress, too, so adorable!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 13, 2017 at 1:15 pm

        Thank you, Brandi! I am a big fan of salty, sweet, and smoky too. Such a great combination! I bought the dress just for the party. Hopefully I’ll find another excuse to wear it soon!

        Reply
    4. Alisa Fleming

      July 09, 2017 at 8:27 pm

      What an adorable idea! My husband has a friend who just loves tiki anything. This would be such a neat type of party to hold the next time we see him.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 13, 2017 at 1:13 pm

        Oh, that’s a great idea, Alisa! I’m sure he’d really get a kick out of that.

        Reply
    5. Ginny McMeans

      July 07, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      You are so cute and your party looks really fun! I can just taste those lovely little bites.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 13, 2017 at 1:12 pm

        Thank you, Ginny! Who doesn’t love a theme party? They are extra festive.

        Reply
    6. Nicole Dawson

      July 06, 2017 at 12:51 pm

      Sounds like such a fun party! I love all those ideas.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 07, 2017 at 10:42 am

        Thanks, Nicole! It was a good time!

        Reply
    7. Susan

      July 06, 2017 at 1:33 am

      Looks like so much fun! I am 1000% in favour of cooked pineapple, so those bacon and pineapple wraps sound great.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 07, 2017 at 10:41 am

        Phew! I could see people being divided on the topic of cooked pineapple in the way that some people are turned off by cooked celery. I’m glad you’re onboard.

        Reply
    8. Dianne

      July 05, 2017 at 2:58 pm

      5 stars
      This looks like such a fun theme for a party! The bacon wrapped pineapple looks so good!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 07, 2017 at 10:40 am

        Thanks, Dianne! A themed party always makes things a little more festive. Plus, it’s a good excuse for a new dress! 😀

        Reply
    9. Shell

      July 03, 2017 at 2:23 pm

      5 stars
      Cad, this looks like so much fun! It reminds me of our 50 state themed parties back in the day. We didn’t have the delicious cocktails back then, but I know we had a ton of fun. I love your dress, the decorations and the great party food!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 03, 2017 at 4:18 pm

        Thanks, Shell! You’re right, this has a lot of elements of our old 50 state themed parties. We were ahead of our time! I found the dress by searching “tropical dress” on Modcloth. It will be fun for future beach-y vacations too.

        Reply
    10. Becky Striepe

      July 03, 2017 at 1:15 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness, this looks like such a fun party! I need that bacon-wrapped pineapple STAT.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 03, 2017 at 4:11 pm

        Thanks, Becky! With all of the fun & fruity cocktails, this party would have been right up your alley!

        Reply

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