Looking for a fun, fresh party appetizer? This colorful pineapple salsa recipe will be a big hit. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and 100% delicious.
Perhaps pineapple salsa sounds crazy at first glance, but it’s not when you think about it. Tomatoes are technically fruit, too, and they’re also sweet in flavor. If you don’t believe me, I dare you to give this pineapple salsa a try!
I originally adapted this recipe from my mango salsa recipe, and shared it in my cookbook. In the book, I called this recipe “pineapple pico de gallo” because its texture is more similar to traditional pico de gallo.
Unlike my favorite red salsa, you’ll dice the ingredients instead of blitz them together in a food processor. In fact, the smaller you dice the ingredients, the better your salsa turns out.
I’ve been craving this pineapple salsa lately, so I thought I’d share it on the blog, too. Salsa for everyone!
Watch How to Make Fresh Pineapple Salsa
Pineapple Salsa Ingredients
Pineapple salsa is easy to make with basic fresh ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need from the store:
- Pineapple: Fresh ripe pineapple, not canned or frozen (they’re way too watery).
- Red bell pepper: Bell pepper adds some extra crunch and complementary sweetness.
- Red onion: Onion’s pungent, savory flavors balance out the sweetness of the pineapple and bell pepper. I love the contrast of the purple color with the yellow pineapple and red bell pepper.
- Jalapeño: Jalapeño also helps counter the sweeter flavors, and offers some spice that makes this salsa irresistible!
- Cilantro: No salsa recipe is complete without fresh cilantro. If you dislike cilantro, I still think you’ll appreciate the end result since the cilantro is fairly minimal.
- Limes: Sour lime juice brings it all together. If you’ve ever made salsa that tasted lackluster, it probably needed another burst of acidity.
How to Select Fresh Pineapple
Look for a pineapple with nice green leaves. It should yield slightly when you give it a squeeze, but not have any mushy spots. Lastly, give it a sniff at the base—it should smell lightly sweet.
If your pineapple is perfect when you bring it home from the store but you won’t be making salsa for a few days, store it in the refrigerator.
In a hurry? Buy pre-cut fresh pineapple from the produce department and dice it up yourself. It’s more expensive this way, but quicker.
Uses for Pineapple Salsa
- Serve it with tortilla chips as a party appetizer, perhaps alongside guacamole or avocado dip and traditional red salsa or salsa verde.
- Serve it on tacos. (Recipe coming tomorrow!)
- Serve it with any fresh, Mexican-themed meal.
- Serve it on lettuce (aji verde would make a great dressing) or treat it like a salad and eat it straight out of the bowl—it’s that good.
Craving more fresh salsas? Here are a few of my favorites:
You’ll find even more Mexican recipes here. Please let me know how you like this salsa recipe in the comments!
Fresh Pineapple Salsa
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 ½ cups 1x
- Category: Salsa
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: Mexican
This fresh pineapple salsa recipe will be a big hit at your next party! It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and 100% delicious. It’s easy to make, too. Recipe yields 3 ½ cups; double it if you’re serving a crowd (1 extra-large pineapple should be just right).
Ingredients
- 3 cups diced fresh pineapple (about 1 medium)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup chopped red onion (about ½ small onion)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 medium jalapeño*, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 ½ limes), or more if needed
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium serving bowl, combine the pineapple, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. Add the lime juice and salt, and stir to combine.
- Season to taste with additional lime juice (for zing) and/or salt (for more overall flavor) if it doesn’t taste amazing just yet.
- For best flavor, let the pico de gallo rest for 10 minutes or longer before serving. It’s best served fresh but keeps well, chilled, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Recipe originally published in my cookbook, Love Real Food.
*Spice level note: I would say that this salsa is well-balanced as written. If you’re worried about the spice level, though, use half of the jalapeño and be sure to remove the ribs and seeds. If you want spicier salsa, add up to two peppers, to taste.
Change it up: Pineapple alternatives include diced mango, strawberries, cucumber, melon, or, of course, tomatoes (the bell pepper is optional in those variations).
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Cassie Thuvan Tran
This looks amazing! Imagine serving this salsa with plantain chips. Now I kind of regret pushing that idea because I might try the combination and become unhealthily obsessed! ;) You have such amazing recipes, Kate! My co-food coordinator of our Food Science club at our university made your crispy falafels for our meeting today and they were a massive success! Nothing left on the trays. Thanks so much for the wonderful content!
Kate
Oh, that’s an interesting idea! Thanks for sharing, Cassie.
Rebecca
I made this and it turned out great. I did another Batch this time I added, cucumber, mango, white onion (instead of red), for bellpeppers I used Red, orange and yellow. Definitely was good.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Rebecca!
Sarah | Well and Full
I used to be skeptical of the idea of fruit in salsa, but now I’m a total fan!! I can’t wait to try this recipe :)
Kate
Hooray! Let me know what you think, Sarah.
Cyndi
I love pineapple. Making this for sure. What do you think of the addition of black beans with this? I love your cookbook. Always my go to book. ♥️
Kate
Sure! I like it as is, but black beans could be nice. I’m happy you are loving the cookbook! Thanks for your support.
Shirlee
Have not made recipe yet very happy to be receiving emails from you recipes look like they will be great thank you
Kate
Please let me know what you think as you try them!
Rachel Aggerton
Yum! This looks INCREDIBLE. I never would’ve thought of this one on my own but I totally trust you. Will be making this tonight and serving alongside lentil tacos. Your photography is impeccable and your culinary skill shines through your writing. Keep it up, Kate (and cookie, of course).
Kate
Oh that combination sound delicious! let me know what you think, Rachel. Thanks so much for sharing!
Kiki Simpson
Kate, I have been following your blog for a year or more now and I love your creativity and your recipes. I always know that I can rely on your recipes to give a great result – except that I like a bit more spice than you! Thanks for all you do… I know how time consuming this all is since I have started my blog! And this pineapple salsa has the perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty… I just added more spice – usung a habanero pepper seeds and all! I like how the habanero goes with the sweetness of the pineapple or mango!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kiki! I’m happy you are enjoying the blog and can trust the recipes Good luck on your blog.
Sarah Rosenblatt
So fresh, great flavors! Put this on the halloumi tacos and it was delish. Glad I have leftovers, but they won’t last long!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for trying another one, Sarah!
Genevieve
I made this tonight and ate it with some roasted sweet potatoes with blackened seasoning, and some bbq sauce. I loved the combination of sweet and savory, and will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Genevieve!
Mary
Refreshing and flavorful. Made this to accompany the Halloumi tacos and it was delightful. Makes an abundance so it’s been nice to enjoy with tortilla chips as a snack.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Mary!
Kathy
Yummy! The perfect amount of heat and man, that pineapple makes for a great salsa. I used this with the halloumi tacos, the one thing I would say is to make sure to drain the pineapple well, it became liquidy and made a mess on the plate, but other than that it’s delicious.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Kathy!
Amber
I love this salsa, I use it in the Halloumi tacos and I used some of it as a pizza topping. My fresh pineapple was bad, so I used canned, but I just drained it overnight in a colander to get rid of the extra moisture. It turned out delicious.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you were able to still make the salsa work.
Cindy
Easy and so yummy! I serve it with cornbread and sour cream alongside vegan chili. It works for us.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Cindy!
Mandi siegfried
I was craving this from the one time I’ve made it before so I brought it to a 4th get together. Everyone loved it and it didn’t last long. I’ll make them an extra batch next time :) thank you, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Mandi!
Connie Huff
I made this last night for my book club and used it as a topping for beef carnitas. It was a huge hit and everyone wants the recipe.
FYI – owning a pineapple corer saves tons of time!!!
★★★★★
Michael McConville
Made salsa using the recipe, except the jalapeno and it was delicious! Got lots of compliments and will add the jalapeno at some point as I am the only one who likes it on the hot side.
★★★★★
Charlotte
Very easy and delicious! Paired very well with seared tuna tacos!
★★★★★
Natalie
Loved this!
★★★★★
max
Made this recipe with Mango instead of Pineapple and Sriracha instead of Jalepenoes and it was great. Put it on fried trout fish tacos with lima crema and cabbage. Thank You!
★★★★★
Taylor
This salsa is to DIE for. I made it for the first time today and my husband was eating it straight out of the bowl on a spoon! Awesome recipe, thank you!
★★★★★
Joe Cannon
I made your pineapple salsa recipe and it’s delicious. The only thing is I can’t taste the Jalapeño, so I’ll add another until it burns me a little. Thanks for the recipe, I’m trying it on fish tacos tonight.
★★★★★
R G
Very good! After reading the beginning of this post, I was expecting there to be tomatoes. But I’m not crazy about them, so this was perfect for me.
Kate
Wonderful, RG! Thanks for sharing.
Kevin Collis
We made this a couple days ago for chicken tacos and was good back then, but WOW we used the last of the leftovers on bratwursts tonight and was one of the most incredible meals I’ve had. Only tick I would make is to definitely add more jalapeño, or maybe even substitute for a habanero. Just my personal opinion because I LOVE sweet vs spicy combos.
★★★★★
Shilpa Shah
SHILPA
June 16,2020
I made this recipe. It was awesome but I wanted to know what preservative can be added to store it longer without fridge in India’s weather, thanks
★★★★★
R
Made it for the office potluck dinner and it went down a treat with some tortilla chips, a lot of people asked for the recipe! Only thing I added was a touch of black pepper cause I love it with pineapple :)
★★★★★
Janie
Great recipe! Served with grilled Artic Char and we loved it. Only change was I used pickled jalapeños (homemade) and parsley instead of cilantro.
Will make again!! Thanks!
PS Too many comments that have not made your recipe dilutes the usefulness of the comments section…..of course it looks delicious!!
★★★★★
Charla Knapp
Wonderful! Used fresh ripe mango & Pineapple served with Tostito chips and couldn’t stop eating it! Would like to top baked salmon with it if there’s any left over
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Charla! I appreciate it.
Florindo
Really really good! Had it with crab cakes and then alone with tortilla chips. Sooo good. I need more jalepeno next time
★★★★★
Nilsa
Made a pernil (roast pork shoulder) as is the traditional main dish for the New Year meal in Puerto Rico. Thr next day, I made your pineapple salsa and put it on the pulled pork in soft shell tacos, along with arroz con gandules. Delicious! So quick and easy to make. Already had all the ingredients at home. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Nelly
Kate, this salsa turned out to be hassle free and yummy. Thank you for sharing this.I make this all the time now. I am going to be sharing this on my blog for my plantbased taco recipe but I will be linking the salsa recipe to you and credit you as well. Hope that’s ok.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Nelly!
Monika
Made this to go over our carnitas tacos tonight – it was so delicious! We ended up adding it to our pinto beans and rice as well. Glad I made enough for tomorrow too. :) Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Sharon G.
Easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Sharon!
Trudy
This recipe is delicious! I made it for a birthday party and received raves.
Kate
How fun! Thank you for your comment, Trudy.
Kimberly Spanulo
Could you still add tomatoes in you wanted?
Hajnalka
I think this salsa is so wonderful on freshly grilled fish!
Tuna steaks, swordfish, or mahi fillets.
Thank you for this
JuneAloha
It was sooooooooooooooooooo delicious! Thank you always for giving us wonderful recipes:)
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, June!
Kari
So good!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kari!
Marlene Skoglund
Way to much cilantro, it kills the flavor of everything else. Other that its a great and tasty recipe.
★★★★
Janice
This was so good! Tried with grilled chicken tacos. Am thinking of trying fresh peaches the next time!
★★★★★
Karen
I made this fresh pineapple salsa, it was a total hit! Next time I’ll double the jalapeno.
★★★★★
Amy
Can I make this the day before, or should it be made day-of for a bbq?
Dawn Grove
Could this salsa be canned?
Kate
This was not designed for canning, sorry!
Linda B
Just made this and it’s AWESOME! And, since I follow WW, this is ZERO POINTS!! It’s my new favorite thing.
★★★★★
Mara
Totally delicious as-is, though I doubled the amount of jalapeño to add extra kick. Brought to a party and it got absolutely destroyed, everyone loved it
★★★★★
Linda
Does it matter what kind of container to store this in
Was going to store in a covered stainless steel bowl,or is a plastic container better to keep it longer?
Kate
Hi, As long as it’s sealed, you should be ok.
Samantha
Made this for a large group to go with shrimp tacos! Everyone loved it!! So good!
★★★★★
Sheryl
This recipe is so refreshing, had it with sweet and sour pork belly ribs, cobs of corn baby potatoes. Yum will use it again and again. Thank you, love your recipes. Sheryl.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Sheryl!
Kat
“If you dislike cilantro, I still think you’ll appreciate the end result since the cilantro is fairly minimal.” There is NOTHING minimal about cilantro if you dislike it and would not touch the dish or toss it out. If you like cilantro that is fine use it however you want but if you dislike the flavor you will pretty much always dislike it which is partly due to genetics. And that rare percentage that has that gene it tastes revolting and smells like a mix between soap and musty rotting leaves for compost. You can delete my post I will not be upset and would actually prefer you did and I wanted you to know why some hate it so much. But after saying that your I made your pineapple salsa, chunky avocado salsa and pico de gallo (all without cilantro but I use parsley in place of it) this morning and when friends came over this evening not a bit of any of them were left and they were all very good especially using the fresh ingredients.
★★★★
Brittany
I made this tonight in advance of the Super Bowl tomorrow. We’ll put it on pulled pork tacos and also with chips. It’s SO GOOD right away. I can’t wait to taste it tomorrow! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Arika
This was delicious! My husband and aunt made it to go with tacos for friends that came over and it was a hit, thank you for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Arika! I appreciate your review.
Debbie
Made this today to go with Lime Chips. And will use it tomorrow to go over Talapia with Pineapple rice. I love fruit salsas, and I love fresh. This is a winner!
A. Cawthon
Love the recipe but…
only had 1 cup of pineapple. I made up the difference with diced peaches. Great taste and I got to use everything I chopped prior to finding out I ran out of a major ingredient.
Linda
Excellent (ALL of YOUR recipes ARE)! THANKS!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Linda! I appreciate your review.
Julia
I read the note about not using canned pineapple too late. I saw where you said it would be too watery, so I put two cans of pineapple chunks in a colander over the sink, and heavily salted it with kosher salt (as you would zucchini). I then let that set while I made the rest of the recipe (omitting the salt in the recipe). Then, I rinsed the pineapple well, patted it dry (chopped it up a little more) and threw it in. It was perfect! Not too watery, and everyone loved it.
Thanks for another great recipe. There are so many poor recipes online, and I feel like I can trust yours.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it worked! Thank you for sharing, Julia.
Ken
Refreshing salsa that would definitely be good with chips. We had it with halloumi tacos. Good stuff.
★★★★★
Lana
Hi: Interested in the Pineapple Salsa recipe. I have food allergies therefore I would need a substitution for the lime—allergic to citrus!! Any suggestions?
Kate
Hi! You could omit or replace with apple cider vinegar, but may be more potent. Let em know how you try it!
Lesley
Hi Kate, we love, love, love this recipe! I’ve made it a couple of times now. Added a little passata to it to the second time around for a touch of tomato base and turned out great as well.
Thanks for sharing, I’m a huge fan.
Lesley
Kate
Great to hear, Lesley!
Camille
I was making tacos with a bunch of youth and we had access to a pineapple so we made this recipe. It was a hit with the 13-16 year old crowd! I loved it too, but I’m pretty easy to please. Getting good reviews from a crew of teens is much more of a compliment than from me XD
★★★★★
Kate
Love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Camille.