This easy Grilled Pineapple recipe is the perfect healthy dessert or flavorful side dish for summer BBQs. It’s cooked with a brown sugar glaze that caramelizes with the natural sugars from the fruit making it tender, juicy, and absolutely delicious.
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Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Glaze
The next time you plan to fire up the grill, go ahead and add the ingredients for this easy Grilled Pineapple recipe to your grocery list. Besides the fresh pineapple spears, you’ll just need butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to create a to-die-for glaze that’s brushed on while cooking. The result is perfectly caramelized pineapple that works as either a healthy dessert or simple side dish.
If you want to get a little fancy, you can experiment with adding different spices to the glaze such as chili powder or cayenne. Or, use one of our suggested topping ideas below to create a seriously incredible dessert.
Ingredients in Grilled Pineapple
- Pineapple - to find a perfectly ripe pineapple, choose one that feels firm with just a little bit of give when squeezed. If they are too soft, the pineapple is likely too ripe. You also don’t want to choose a pineapple that isn’t ripe yet because it will have very little flavor.
- Butter - you can use either salted or unsalted melted butter for this recipe. It depends on whether you like your glaze to have a little bit of salty flavor.
- Brown Sugar - you can use either light or dark brown sugar to make the glaze. The darker the sugar, the more molasses the flavor will be. You could also substitute a portion of the brown sugar for maple syrup.
- Spices - cinnamon adds great flavor to the brown sugar glaze and is entirely optional. You could also substitute ground ginger. If you like your pineapple a little spicy, you could also add a little chili powder or cayenne pepper.
- Lime Juice - I love to serve Grilled Pineapple with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
How to Grill Pineapple
- Cut the pineapple. Using a sharp knife, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Remove the skin by cutting down the sides deep enough to remove the eyes. Slice the pineapple along the outside of the core around each side, then slice each piece into 1" spears. Alternatively, you could core the pineapple and then slice 1” rings.
- Make the brown sugar glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Heat and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Cook the pineapple. Spray the preheated grill with cooking oil, then place the pineapple spears on the grill and brush with the brown sugar mixture. Cook over medium low heat until the pineapple is golden brown. Using tongs, flip each piece over and brush again with the brown sugar mixture. Repeat until all sides are golden brown and slightly caramelized.
- Serve. Once cooked, remove the pineapple from the grill and allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with fresh lime juice if desired. Enjoy!
Grilled Pineapple Topping Ideas
Here are some topping ideas that will transform your Grilled Pineapple into a fancy dessert:
- Whipped Cream: Top your grilled pineapple with a dollop of whipped cream for a sweet and creamy treat.
- Ice Cream: Top your warm grilled pineapple with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sweet and creamy treat.
- Caramel Sauce: Drizzle caramel sauce over your grilled pineapple for an indulgent dessert.
- Coconut Flakes: Toasted coconut flakes add a crunchy texture and tropical flavor to grilled pineapple.
- Honey and Cinnamon: Drizzle honey and sprinkle cinnamon over your grilled pineapple for a warm and comforting treat.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend cutting your pineapple spears about 1” thick so that they are able to retain some of their moisture while getting nice and caramelized on the outside. If they are too thick, they won’t get a chance to warm through to the center.
I absolutely love to eat Grilled Pineapple warm because it’s so juicy and tender. With that being said, cold Grilled Pineapple is absolutely delicious. Especially cut into small dice and served over ice cream or cake with whipped cream.
Yup! If you don’t have a grill or don’t want to fire it up for just one thing, you can make Grilled Pineapple in the broiler. Just repeat the steps above, cooking in a preheated broiler until all sides are golden brown.
For dessert, Grilled Pineapple tastes great with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce, or diced and used inside of cakes. If you want to use this as a side dish, serve alongside just about any grilled meats. It tastes especially good with light meats like pork and chicken, or Asian flavors such as teriyaki sauce.
Storing
- Refrigerator: store Grilled Pineapple in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: you can freeze completely cooled Grilled Pineapple by placing in freezer bags or an airtight container and storing for up to 2 months. Just note that it will soften once it thaws so it’s best used as a topping or ingredient for another dish.
Grilled Pineapple Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole Pineapple
- ¼ cup Butter
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to about 325 degrees F.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the top and bottom off the pineapple. Remove the skin by cutting down the sides deep enough to remove the eyes. Slice along the outside of the core around each side, then slice each pieces into 1" spears.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Heat and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Spray the preheated grill with cooking oil, then place the pineapple spears on the grill and brush with the brown sugar mixture. Cook over medium low heat until the pineapple is golden brown. Using tongs, flip each piece over and brush again with the brown sugar mixture. Repeat until all sides are golden brown and slightly caramelized.
- Once cooked, remove the pineapple from the grill and allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with fresh lime juice if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Pineapple Recipes
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake
- Breakfast Punch
- Hawaiian Pizza
- Tropical Punch
- Asian Beef Kabobs
- More Easy Dessert Recipes
- More Summer Recipes
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This Grilled Pineapple recipe is an easy summer dessert or side dish. It uses a brown sugar and cinnamon glaze to create the most delicious flavors and juicy texture in just a few minutes.
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