How to Cut a Fresh Pineapple

2 Pineapples growing out in a pineapple patch.

5 from 3 votes

Learning How to Cut a Fresh Pineapple in under 5 minutes is going to pave your way to discovering many delicious tropical recipes like ourHawaiian Luau Rice, Tropical Maja Blanca and Tutti Fruitti Kale Salad and Citrus Honey Dressing to name a few.

Prep Time4

Cook Time0

Total Time4

Course: Appetizers/ Snacks

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 46kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Cost: $2.75

Equipment

knife

Ingredients

4.5 cups pineapple ripe and fresh (Whole Medium Pineapple)
fresh toasted coconut, lime juice, chili powder, etc. or just plain optional garnishes or just eat plain

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Choose a ripe and juicy pineapple.
Gather a cutting board and a heavy-duty sharp knife.
Cut the top off the pineapple and set aside(maybe for some of your recipes or gatherings you can use the top of the pineapple for a fun table scape decoration)
If the bottom of your pineapple is uneven or not flat, cut that off now.
Place the pineapple upright on the cutting board and trim off the pineapple scales. Turn your pineapple and continue to cut off all of the scales, keeping as much of the fresh pineapple as possible to reduce waste.
Next, trim the eyes on the edges of your pineapple with a sharp knife.
Hold your pineapple upright and carefully cut into 4 segments downward.
Use your knife to remove the core from the 4 segments.
Next, decide how you would like to cut your pineapple. If you want to grill your pineapple slices, you may want to cut them in long slices. On the other hand, if you are making a recipe calling for chunks, you may want to cut each of the 4 segments into 3 long slices and then cut each long slice into chunks.
For our Hawaiian Luau Rice recipe, we first lay the flat side down of each of the 4 segments. First, we slice into thin slices.Next, we turn the pineapple slices the other way and then make thin slices. (See the video for the demo)
Enjoy! Try it with some fun garnishes like toasted coconut, lime juice, chili powder or just plain.

Notes

A ripe and juicy pineapple with smell like a sweet and delicious pineapple when you sniff the bottom of the pineapple.

Pineapples can get softer and the color changes after it is picked but it is only a sweet as the day it was harvested.

If the pineapple smells fermented or like vinegar or alcohol, then it might have gone bad. A heavier pineapple is a good indicator of a juicy pineapple.

You can store an uncut whole pineapple at room temperature for 1-2 days and can be kept longer whole and unpeeled in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Peeled and sliced or chopped pineapple can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. However, you can freeze cut and peeled pineapple in a freezer safe sealed container or freezer bag up to 3-5 months.

Nutrition