Glazed Grilled Pineapple Slices are an easy delicious summer side dish. With a buttery caramelized brown sugar glaze, it's ready in 15 minutes.
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Grilling fruit will bring out all the hidden flavor and sweetness; pineapple is no exception. Plus, making pineapple spears or rings and a few pantry ingredients is ultra simple.
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.
Grilled pineapple will go with almost any meal, and even the leftovers are great.
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.
This recipe is featured in Memorial Day Recipes, Fourth of July Recipes, and Labor Day Recipes roundups.
👨🍳How to grill pineapple slices
- Trim a fresh pineapple into rings or spears.
- Mix the glaze and dip or brush on the pineapple slices or spears.
- Grill directly on well-oiled grates flipping every 3-4 minutes until the nice color and grill marks. Usually 6 to 8 minutes total. A grill pan may be used.
🥣Making 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.
🍍Learn about 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.
How to Pick a Fresh Pineapple
1) The pineapple’s top (the crown) should be vibrant with no wilted, brown, loose, or falling-out leaves.
2) 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.
3) Smell the bottom of the pineapple, which is the sweetest spot on the fruit and should smell fragrant,
4) The color should be vibrant with some yellow-gold color around the eyes and 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.
5) 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 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
1) Cut off the crown and bottom.
2) Stand the pineapple up and cut away the peel off in strips, deep enough to remove the eyes.
3) If making rings, use a corer to remove the core. For spears, you can core first or time after cutting spears.
❓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.
Grilled pineapple is the perfect side dish for grilled grilled chicken breasts, grilled pork chops, or grilled strip steaks—serve it on the side or on top of a grilled burger. Also, it makes an outstanding dessert when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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.
Store in the refrigerator after being grilled for 3-4 days. Serve cold or warm briefly in the microwave.
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🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
I like to start with a "cored" pineapple to save time and work. But trimming a whole fresh pineapple works well.
Preheat the 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
Grilled Pineapple Slices with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 fresh pineapple
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
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.
Your Own Private Notes
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.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published July 28, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Susan Hamilton
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
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
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
Easy and delicious, also used strawberries and grapes