Glazed Grilled Pineapple Slices are an easy, delicious summer side dish. With a buttery caramelized brown sugar glaze, it's ready in 15 minutes.
🍍Ingredients
Pineapple—fresh
Butter
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
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Featured comment from Sue:
"Fantastic!! Easy to make and delicious. Had some plain and some with a little scoop of vanilla bean Halo ice cream."
Grilled pineapple will go with almost any meal; even the leftovers are great. Great taste with the caramelized brown sugar and butter. Even the pineapple hater will love it, and you will get great results even if you skip the glaze.
Grilling fruit will bring out all the hidden flavor and sweetness; pineapple is no exception. Making pineapple spears or rings and a few pantry ingredients is simple.
👨🍳How to Grill Pineapple—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Start with a "cored" pineapple to save time and work. But trimming a whole fresh pineapple works well.
2. Be sure to clean and oil the grill grate well. Works well on a gas or charcoal grill.
3. Mix melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
4. Cut the pineapple into rings about ¾ inches. You can use pineapple spears instead if you wish.
5. Dip into the glaze covering all sides and place directly on the grill.
6. Flip in 3-4 minutes. Total grill time of 6-8 minutes.
7. Serve hot as a side dish or with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🥣Making the pineapple glaze
The glaze is just melted butter with some brown sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter and mix the other ingredients.
You can substitute honey for brown sugar using 2 teaspoons of honey to replace 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
Related Recipes
Once you try the grilled pineapple, check out these other great grilled side dishes. Grilled Peaches will go with ice cream, just like the pineapple. Or grilled vegetables like Grilled Stuffed Tomatoes: Italian Style or Grilled Carrots with Honey Glazed will help round out the meal. And Grilled Biscuits are always a big hit.
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How to serve grilled pineapple
Grilled pineapple is the perfect side dish on your gas grill for grilled chicken breasts, grilled pork loin chops, or grilled stripling steaks—serve it on the side or top of a grilled burger. Also, it makes an outstanding dessert when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How to store leftover grilled pineapple
Store in the refrigerator after being grilled for 3-4 days. Serve cold or warm briefly in the microwave or on a well-oiled grill.
❓FAQs
Not a good idea. It is thinner and softer, so it will tend to fall apart on the grill before you get the caramelized glaze.
Yes, honey is a little sweeter, so for the one tablespoon of brown sugar, use ⅔ of that, which is two teaspoons of honey.
Yes, place it under a broiler and flip it as needed. Or, if you have an inside electric grill or griddle, it will work. On the stovetop, use a grill pan over medium heat.
🍍How to Pick a Fresh Pineapple
Let's talk pineapple first. You can pick up whole fresh pineapple or buy a precut cored, which is much easier. I don't recommend canned pineapple since the slices are thin.
- The pineapple’s top (the crown) should be vibrant with no wilted, brown, loose, or falling-out leaves.
- Feel the fruit for firm skin with a slight give; you don’t want fruit that feels spongy or has soft spots. It should also be heavy.
- Smell the bottom of the pineapple, which is the sweetest spot on the fruit and should smell fragrant,
- The color should be vibrant, with some yellow-gold color around the eyes and the base of the fruit. A ripe pineapple can be green, but you can't tell, so avoid green pineapples. There should usually be more yellow than green, with no white or brown coloring.
- The “eyes” of the pineapple are the roundish skin segments that cover the pineapple. The larger, the better, they should be mold-free, and flatter is better. They get bigger and flatter with ripening.
How to store a fresh pineapple
Generally, you will keep a fresh pineapple at room temperature for a few days. You can extend that by refrigerating it in a perforated plastic bag.
Once prepared, the pineapple will store well for 2-3 days.
How to cut a pineapple
- Cut off the crown and bottom.
- Stand the pineapple up and cut away the peel off in strips, deep enough to remove the eyes.
- If making rings, use a corer to remove the core. For spears, you can core first or time after cutting spears.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Grilled Pineapple Slices with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 fresh pineapple
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat grill on high. If grilling something else, a lower temperature. Be sure to clean and oil the grill grate well. Works well on a gas or charcoal grill.
- In a bowl with a relatively flat bottom, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a microwave. About 25 seconds should do it. Mix in 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Cut the pineapple into rings about ¾ inches. You can use pineapple spears instead if you wish.
- Dip into the glaze covering all sides and place directly on the grill.
- Flip in 3-4 minutes. Total grill time 6-8 minutes.
- Serve hot as a side dish or with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Be sure the grill is well-cleaned and oiled.
- You can substitute honey for brown sugar. 2 teaspoons of honey will equal 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
- Your time on the grill will vary by the surface temperature. About 3 minutes per side on high, a few more minutes if medium.
- You can use rings about ¾ inches thick or wedges.
- You may use a grill pan if you want or just on the grates. Either way, a good coat of oil is needed.
- Cook until changing color and nice grill marks.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published July 28, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Christine says
The grilled pineapple with a scoop of vanilla would make a great dessert. They are very sweet, so they didn't go great with the somewhat sweet Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken we had for dinner tonight.
Susan Hamilton says
I grilled this alongside precooked kielbasa last night. My anti-pineapple skeptic friend devoured it! Next time, to avoid the crazy flare up I had, after the grill is medium-hot I'll turn off one side & place the pineapple there. I cooked each side 5 minutes.
I've got to say...the whole meal was delish!
Sue says
Made this tonight and the first time I had grilled pineapple. Fantastic!! Easy to make and delicious. Had some plain and some with a little scoop of vanilla bean Halo ice cream. Happy 4th of July to me! Thanks for the recipe!
Sheila says
I was looking for a healthy and yet delicious dessert and I ended up with your post. This looks really good with combined with vanilla ice cream. Thank you for this awesome idea. Will be serving this on our next family get together.
Leslie says
Easy and delicious, also used strawberries and grapes