This pineapple salsa recipe has a delicious combination of sweet and spicy. It can be served with grilled chicken or fish or as an appetizer with chips.
Summertime calls for bright colors and bright flavors! This Pineapple Salsa definitely fits the bill.
I remember when I first heard about fruit salsa, I wondered why anyone would want to put fruit in their salsa (even though tomatoes are technically a fruit).
And then I tried it and I realized that I love it as much as I love fruit in my salads like a Raspberry Parmesan Chicken Salad or a Citrus Salad.
When making this recipe, I remembered seeing a fruit salad in a pineapple bowl, and I knew that this salsa would look gorgeous in a pineapple bowl as well.
How To Make Pineapple Salsa
To make the pineapple bowl, cut about 1/3 of the pineapple off, leaving the stem attached to the larger piece of the pineapple.
Make a cut around the outer edge of the pineapple fruit.
Make cuts through the center. Then, use a metal spoon to loosen and scoop out the pineapple chunks.
Pour the extra juice out of the pineapple bowl so that it is empty. Dice enough of the pineapple to measure one cup. Save the rest for another purpose.
In a small bowl, mix together diced pineapple, diced tomatoes, diced peppers, minced onions, chopped cilantro, lime juice (I love Nellie & Joe’s if I don’t have fresh limes), salt and pepper.
Transfer the salsa to the pineapple bowl.
Store in the fridge or add a small bamboo serving spoon and enjoy!
This pineapple salsa is delicious on everything from tacos to nachos and chicken to fish. Or just scoop it up with some of your favorite tortilla chips.
Recipe Tips
1. If you like your salsa spicy, add diced jalapenos.
2. When using freshly squeezed lime juice instead of the bottled kind, warm the limes in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to get the most juice out of them.
3. For the one cup of diced bell peppers, use any mix of red, yellow, orange and green peppers. The more colorful the better!
4. Serving Suggestions: Serve with chicken, pork, fish, or shrimp, add to rice, spoon on top of tacos. Serve as a side dish salad or as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
5. If you want to double the recipe but only have one pineapple to use for a bowl, you can double the recipe and just keep refilling the pineapple bowl. Or try cutting the pineapple in half so that you have two bowls.
5. What can we use instead of cilantro? Some of my readers have used parsley in place of the cilantro. Or you can skip the cilantro. If you are missing the green color, try adding diced green peppers.
7. Can this recipe be made ahead of time? You can let the salsa sit in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight to let the flavors mingle but keep in mind that the pineapple serving bowl won’t be quite as fresh looking the next day.
8. What kind of onions should I use? I used red onions in this recipe, but you can swap it out with your favorite onion.
9. What else could I add to this pineapple salsa? Try adding minced garlic, diced mangos, diced cucumbers, black beans, diced green onions, or corn.
More Salsa Recipes
Do you love homemade salsa? Here are a few more of our favorite salsa recipes.
Pineapple Salsa Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- whole pineapple to use as the bowl
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1 cup diced bell peppers any combination of red, orange, yellow or green peppers
- 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- 4 tablespoon lime juice about 2 limes or use bottled lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapenos optional
Instructions
- To make the pineapple bowl, cut about 1/3 of the pineapple off, leaving the stem attached to the larger piece of the pineapple. Make a cut around the outer edge of the pineapple fruit and make cuts across the middle too. Use a metal spoon to loosen and scoop out the pineapple chunks. Pour the extra juice out of the pineapple bowl so that it is empty.
- Dice enough of the pineapple chunks to make one cup of diced pineapple to be used for the salsa and save the rest for another use.
- In a small bowl, mix together diced pineapple, diced tomatoes, diced peppers, minced onions, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
- Transfer the salsa to the pineapple bowl for serving.
- Store in the fridge.
Notes
- You can let the pineapple salsa sit for a few hours, or overnight, in the fridge to let the flavors mingle but remember that the pineapple bowl won’t look as fresh the next day.
- This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups. Serving size is 1/4 cup.
Jen says
How would this be without onion? My hubby isn’t a fan… clearly its WAY better with it. LOL
Tonia Larson says
Hi Jen,
It would certainly change the flavor but I think it would still be tasty. There are also a couple alternatives. You could use 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of onion powder to replace the 1/4 cup of diced onion. That way you get the additional flavor without the sharpness and crunch of the fresh onions. Or you can prepare the salsa without the onion, divide it in half, and add 1/8 cup of minced onion to one of the halves and leave the other half without onions.
Warmly,
Tonia
Christine says
Delicious
Wanda LaRose says
I have made this many times ! It is a family favorite. So good with chips and over grilled chicken . I have done chicken and rice bowls and added this delicious.
Tonia Larson says
Fantastic! Thanks for stopping back to leave a review!
marcia says
Can I make this a few days ahead if I am not using a pineapple bowl? It look delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
Tonia Larson says
Hello Marcia,
Yes, it should last 3-4 days in the fridge depending on how ripe your produce is when you make it.
Enjoy,
Tonia
YummyDonut says
I LOVE this recipe!! even the picture is amazing!!!
Jane Snell says
This is absolutely delicious! Would it be possible to water bath can this to enjoy this winter?
Tonia Larson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it as much as we do! I don’t have experience with canning but there is some great information on this website: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can
MrsC says
I made this for a spa party I was attending. The main course was pork tacos. Everyone loved the salsa! Fresh and not overly spicy. I will make again.
Erin says
This is a fave to bring to a pot luck, with chips. It’s also great over grilled chicken! I have made this a few times now! LOVE it!
Christine says
This looks really good please send me the website thank you
Tonia says
Hi Christine,
Which website are you looking for? The pineapple salsa recipe is in the blog post directly above this comment section.
~Tonia
Monica Crawford says
I do tacos and nachos every Tuesday and I made this pineapple salsa to try something different It was so good we put it on the tacos and nachos and used it on both of them the taste was amazing now I make it everyday for lunch good on my salads
Tonia says
That’s fantastic! I’ll have to try it on a salad too!
Lori says
I’m going to make this tonight and take it to work tomorrow with tortilla chips. 😊
Tonia says
Fantastic!!
C Dempz says
The first time I made this salsa, I cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and had an awful time scooping out the pineapple in even pieces – I decided to cut the top of the pineapple off and leave the shell intact – I used my pineapple ring-thing to scoop out the insides and used the pineapple standing upright to display my creation- It worked wonderful!!
TINA C WILDMON says
that is a great idea! Will try it out.
Carol says
You can pack it in hot, sterile pint jars immediately after mixing it. Leave 1/2″ headspace. Process 20 minutes in a hot water bath (at altitudes less than 1000 ft)
Susie says
Would this be a type of salsa that could be canned so you could enjoy even when fruits/ veggies are out of season. Just wondering . It sounds wonderful.
Tonia says
Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with canning.
Patrick says
Made this with some leftover pineapple chunks with a few necessary variations – My pineapple chunks were overripe, so I whizzed them with a stick blender. After adding all the other ingredients it was, not surprisingly, too watery, but really delicious. So I folded in a rinsed and drained can of black beans and pretended that was my intent all along. Tastes great and went well with fish fillets and rice.
This recipe looks to be a great foundation for a lot of other dishes, including seafood, pork or even plain rice.
Thanks!
Edna M says
Made this for a potluck wedding. Huge success. Nothing left
Making again for a golf tournament. Can’t wait for the review.