This Pineapple Side Dish is SO good with ANY Mexican or BBQ dinner! Fresh cut pineapple is marinated in a sweet citrus cilantro marinade. The flavors combine perfectly, making a fresh and bright side dish!
Ingredients
This is a pretty simple recipe. You only need 5 ingredients.
Tips on How to Pick a Ripe Pineapple
Here are 4 pro tips to help you pick the sweetest, ripest pineapple at the store:
- Use your nose! Give that pineapple a big whiff. If the smell of sweet pineapple is coming thru it’s thick spiny skin then you are in luck. You have found a nice ripe one.
- Give it a little squeeze! If the fruit has a very tiny give and is not rock hard, then you are in business. This is a good one.
- Take a good look! The fruit will change colors on the inside AND the outside as it ripens. If the outside has a nice yellow glow from top to bottom, you can bet the inside is nice and ripe. Just make sure the pineapple is not starting to turn orange. At that point it is over-ripe.
- Give it a tug! Pull gently on the very top leaves of the pineapple. If the leaves pull out with very little effort, it’s ready to go.
If you have fresh pineapple leftover you can pop it in the freezer and make these amazing Frozen Pineapple Margaritas!
Step by Step Picture Guide
Start by cutting your fresh pineapple, you can also watch the video in the recipe card:
- Cut the top and bottom from the pineapple and discard, (about ½ inch each).
- Now cut the spiny skin from the outside, working top to bottom, discard the skin. Make sure you cut off all the brown “eyes” on the pineapple flesh.
- Cut the golden flesh from the core, again working from top to bottom, you will see the round hard core in the center.
- Finally cut each wedge into ½-1 inch pieces, if any of the core is still attached to the wedges, remove that and discard.
Now make the glaze by whisking together the honey, orange juice, lime zest and juice, and finely chopped cilantro.
Place the pineapple in a large bowl and pour the glaze over top. Toss it all together.
Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 6 hours, up to 24 hours. I recommend you stir it once or twice through the marinating process.
Recipe Tips
- Pick a ripe pineapple using the tips above. But, if you find yourself with an under-ripe pineapple this is an excellent recipe to add sweetness!
- Use all fresh ingredients to get the best flavor.
- Trust me, cilantro and pineapple are amazing together.
- You can eat this pineapple side dish right away, but it is SO much better if you can let it marinate for a couple hours.
Related Recipes
Throw together an amazing Mexican Dinner with these dishes and a side of Fresh Cilantro Pineapple!
Fresh Pineapple with Citrus Cilantro Glaze
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups fresh pineapple cut into ½-1 inch pieces (about 1 medium sized pineapple)
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest pro tip: zest your lime before you cut it or squeeze the juice
- 2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Peel, core, and chop the fresh pineapple into ½-1 inch chunks.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the honey, orange juice, lime juice, lime zest, and cilantro.
- Pour the citrus herb glaze over the fresh cut pineapple and stir to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 6-24 hours, stirring the pineapple at least one time while it is marinating.
- Serve as an amazing side dish that is refreshing and sweet!
Notes:
- Use your nose! Give that pineapple a big whiff. If the smell of sweet pineapple is coming thru it’s thick spiny skin then you are in luck. You have found a nice ripe one.
- Give it a little squeeze! If the fruit has a very tiny give and is not rock hard, then you are in business. This is a good one.
- Take a good look! The fruit will change colors on the inside AND the outside as it ripens. If the outside has a nice yellow glow from top to bottom, you can bet the inside is nice and ripe. Just make sure the pineapple is not starting to turn orange. At that point it is over-ripe.
- Give it a tug! Pull gently on the very top leaves of the pineapple. If the leaves pull out with very little effort, it’s ready to go.
If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.
Jennifer
Super fresh and yummy! Even the kids enjoyed it.
Susie
Thank you for trying it!!! It’s a great side dish for Mexican food
Soniya
Me and my family are a big fan of pineapple 🍍🍍! You are correct about picking up the correct or ripe pineapple from store 🙂 can’t wait to try this delicious combination!
Susie
You are going to love this! The cilantro and pineapple make a great combo
Alyssa
I love the idea of adding cilantro. So fresh tasting!
Susie
They make a great combo! Perfect for summer
Renee @ The Good Hearted Woman
I’ve sweetened tart pineapples up with a brown sugar glaze a couple of times, but this sounds so much better! I will have to try it next time. Thanks!
Susie
Definitely give it a try
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
I love pineapple so this type of refreshing, healthy dessert is just what i want for the summertime. BTW – I was on a pineapple farm in Costa Rica and learned that they don’t harvest the pineapple until they are READY TO EAT – which means that the more yellow a pineapple is — the older and LESS SWEET it is. I always thought it was the other way around, but the greener — the better, which can be tough to do since the pineapples take 3-5 days to travel to the U.S.
Susie
Hmm, that is good to know. All my research says that if it is yellow on the outside than the pineapple is dark golden and sweeter on the inside. Ill have to do some more investigating.
ali randall
We eat pineapple all summer long but I never thought of adding a citrus dressing or even cilantro. This is something I need to try. Yum!
Susie
It definitely dresses it up, especially if you are entertaining.