This quick and easy Grilled Pineapple with honey, lime juice, and cinnamon is the perfect dessert for summer dinners or backyard parties!
Grilled Pineapple
Pineapple is delicious, but if you want something quick and simple for dessert this summer, try grilling it. This healthy Grilled Pineapple is made with just 5 ingredients! An excellent treat and also great in sweet and savory dishes, and you can top everything from ice cream, banana nice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese to burgers with it. For another summer fruit you can throw on the grill, try these Grilled Peaches with Honey and Yogurt, and all my grilling recipes are here if you want to cook outside more this summer.
Why You’ll Want to Grill Pineapple All Summer
- Easy Marinade: The pineapple marinade only uses four ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand.
- Quick: Brush the honey-lime sauce on the fruit right before grilling – no need to wait for it to marinate.
- Healthy: Pineapple is loaded with vitamin C and manganese and has some fiber.
- Versatile: While this sweet grilled pineapple works great as a dessert, it also pairs well with savory food.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does grilling pineapple make it sweeter?
Yes, grilling pineapple makes it taste sweeter than raw pineapple since the heat caramelizes the natural sugars.
Is it better to grill fresh or canned pineapple?
Fresh pineapple grills better than canned. However, if pineapple isn’t in season, use canned fruit packed in pineapple juice, not syrup.
What’s the best way to cut a pineapple to grill?
Below is how I cut a pineapple for grilling:
- Cut the outer skin off the pineapple with a sharp knife.
- Slice the pineapple into half-inch-thick pieces.
You can core the pineapple if you want, but there’s no need. Once you grill the fruit, the core gets softer and is OK to eat, or you can eat around it.
How do you keep pineapples from sticking to the grill?
It’s essential to spray your grill or grill pan with oil to prevent pineapple from sticking.
How do you marinate pineapple?
My favorite way to marinate a ripe pineapple is with this easy marinade:
- Honey: You can use whatever honey you have, but dark honey has a more intense flavor.
- Olive Oil: All you need is a teaspoon of oil.
- Lime Juice: The tartness of the fresh lime pairs well with the sweetness of the fruit.
- Cinnamon for a warm and complex flavor.
How to Grill Pineapple
- Pineapple Marinade: Whisk the honey, oil, lime juice, and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Prep the BBQ: Heat the grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high. Lightly coat the grill grates with oil spray.
- Grill the Pineapple: Brush the pineapple circles with the marinade and place it on the grill. Cook, turning once and basting with the remaining marinade, for three to four minutes on each side. It’s ready when it starts to caramelize and is tender, golden and grill marks appear.
What to Serve with Grilled Pineapple
- Dessert: Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt with pineapple and fresh mint.
- Pizza: Are you a Hawaiian pizza fan? Take it up a notch with grilled pineapple.
- Side Dish: Serve it on the side with protein, like this cumin pork tenderloin, blackened salmon, ham, or teriyaki chicken. Add rice pilaf, black bean-avocado salad, or grilled corn.
- Burgers: Make a teriyaki burger, like these shrimp or beef burgers, with grilled pineapple and pineapple teriyaki sauce.
- Salsa: Dice it and add it to salsa and eat with tortilla chips.
- Stir Fry: Throw some pineapple in your favorite stir fry.
How to Store Grilled Pineapple
If you have leftovers, it’ll last about 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat it in the microwave until warm, or eat it cold.
Variations
- Spicy Grilled Pineapple: Add cayenne pepper for some heat.
- Spices: Swap cinnamon for chili powder.
- Citrus: Substitute lemon or orange juice for lime.
- Sweetener: Use agave syrup, maple syrup or brown sugar instead of honey or use sugar-free alternatives.
More Pineapple Recipes You’ll Love
- Pineapple Chia with Cottage Cheese
- Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice
- Piña Colada Popsicles
- Pineapple Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese
- Cranberry-Pineapple Sauce
Grilled Pineapple Recipe
Equipment
- grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 8 pineapple slices, 1/2 inch thick (from 1 pineapple)
For the marinade:
- 2 tbsp dark honey
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ice cream, optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, lime juice, and cinnamon and whisk to blend. Set aside.
- Heat the grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat.
- When hot, lightly coat the grates with oil spray.
- Lightly brush the pineapple with the marinade.
- Grill turning once and basting once or twice with the remaining marinade, until tender and golden, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Serve warm.
So easy and ammmaZZING! I love this glaze and can’t believe how so few ingredients have such complex flavor. Thank you Gina, I’m late to the party but so glad I found you.
We grilled a very, very sweet pineapple yesterday, cut in strips. It was phenomenal with nothing on it.
But I know this would be good for a pineapple that’s not ripe to perfection, given Gina’s reputation and commitment to testing. Still, I’d prefer to save calories if I can (or have another piece 🤣).
Followed the recipe exactly. Threw it on the grill after corn, ribs, and potatoes were done. Added a sweet note to grilled lunch. Yum.
This looks great! I love pineapple and grilled just kicks it up a notch! I would to see a video of how you cut the skin off the pineapple. I have one of those pineapple coring tools, which works great, but I think with this recipe you’ll definitely want the core left. Thanks, Gina!
I have made this twice. Exactly to the recipe. It’s absolutely delicious! Even the one leftover slice I ate cold the next day!
This was so easy to make and so yummy with ice cream. I am a disaster in the kitchen, so this will be a go to dessert. I made it using my Optigrill (indoor grill)
Made this recipe. Served over yoghurt and topped with mint. Delicious.
Pingback: Le guide du BBQ sans viande – Chic Tonique
Pingback: Delicious Dishes You Never Thought to Grill - NutrishMish
Pingback: Make Your BBQ Healthier with 8 Simple Fixes
I grill my pineapple before I put it on my pizza. I use BBQ sauce instead of red saucell then add the pineapple, ham slices or chunks, sweet onion sliced thin into rings, then top with a blend of grated Swiss, provolone, Romano and mozzarella cheese. This pizza is to die for!!
WOW!! We made this last night with your spice rubbed pork tenderloin. All I can say is WOW!! We will definitely be making this again!!
I love grilled pineapple. I prefer turbinado sugar to honey since the sugar caramelizes and gives the pineapple a nice texture and depth of flavor. The first recipe I used was Nigella Lawson's from Forever Summer. She made a chocolate rum dip to go with hers. I didn't use rum, but the chocolate was delicious. I used great quality dark chocolate, and since the flavors are so intense, you don't need a lot of chocolate.
Skinnytaste's recipe with lime juice would be perfect on a teriyaki grilled chicken breast and avocado for a chicken sandwich. Red Robin has a chicken "burger" like this, and it's amazing and low fat–other than the avocado which is so good for you. Grilled pineapple would also be amazing with coconut sorbet.
Made this tonight. OMG,so good!Will do this again for sure!
I use red pepper flake instead of the cinnamon for a big kick!
Made this Christmas Eve – wonderful. Thanks for the share.
I just threw it all in a bowl and added LOTS of olive oil and a bunch of lime juice and cinnamon sugar (barely any sugar), and a hint of honey and tossed it all together in a marinating container- yum 🙂
oh- and paprika!
We made kabobs with this recipe, alternating the pineapple with spiral cut ham and grilling. Yummmmmm….
Yes, wow! amazing right!
I stumbled upon this recipe about a month ago and decided to try it that same day. I doubled the marinade amount and added 1 tsp of chili powder, which blended perfectly with the other ingredients. I cooked the coated whole pineapple slowly over charcoal and hickory chips, allowing the glaze to set before rotating and basting. This delicious treat complimented our dinner of smoked salmon, baked sweet potato, and lightly steamed kale. Thank you for sharing your recipe!-JL in S.C.
Those photos are breathtaking!!
It was great taste ! i was made it as soon as it was possible. u can see the photos in my LJ post:
http://dimcky.livejournal.com/51633.html
thank you for idea!
SO yummy! Made this for a block party and went through more pineapples than I ever imagined…people wanted seconds and thirds! delicious as a dessert with ice cream, but very nice alongside grilled tilapia and rice, too!
OMG! YUM! The only bad thing about it was it would've tasted really good with some ice cream. Delish!
Hi I recently made this recipe and loved it!
Yum, I just did something very similar using Lite Coconut Milk (Trader Joe's) with cinnamon and a little raw sugar. So delish!
This sounds so perfect with ham steaks or chicken sausage or grilled chicken- a nice change from the standard grilled veggies!
this was the lovely end to a lightish dinner that I fixed for my mom, my aunt & I. We ate on the back patio, enjoying the hummingbirds who seemed to be very interested in what we were doing. thanks!
This was a HUGE hit at my cook-out today! Yummy!
BadMama- glad you liked it!
Any indoor grill would work as well!
Never had pineapple on a burger, interesting!
Gina, oh you must try it! I sometimes put a little Teriyaki sauce on my burger, along with the pineapple. So so good!
PS….. It's also great on an ham and swiss sandwich.
This sounds fantastic! I was looking for something healthy for our cookout tomorrow night and am going to give this a shot. I can't wait to see how the char grill flavor boosts the pineapple. Yum!
Grilled pineapple is wonderful on a burger instead of a tomato!!!! I loved grilled pineapple!!!
I made this tonight in my George Foreman. I used dark agave, I cut the lime juice down to 1/2 tsp added a pinch of salt, a couple drops of vanilla and a tsp of smart balance for flavor. My son didn't like it, my daughter liked it but said it was too sour but I thought it was phenomenal! It was nice to come across this recipe in my inbox today because I made thin pork chops that I marinade with tamari and sprinkle a little adobo and some rosemary for only about a half an hour. They went perfectly together.
Hey. I just wanted to stop by to let you know that this last week i hit my 20 lb weight loss goal!!!! I largely attribute this to weight watchers, but I honestly don't think that i could have successfully done weight watchers without your recipes. I love love love to cook, and i don't settle for food thats anything less that delicious. Please keep doing what you're doing! Also, you should totally write a cook book. I would buy it a million times over.
This looks amazing! So pretty with the grill marks. I love pineapple, so this sounds delicious!
Hm. Could you do this on a George Foreman grill instead of a gas grill or a charcoal grill?
Sure, about 3 minutes on each side.
Grilled pineapple also goes well with mascarpone cheese! I LOVE grilled fruit. So healthy and delicious!
I have to try this…looks Delicious!
we love grilling pineapple, but have never put anything on it. sounds delicious.
You could use any honey or even agave!
This looks amazing! I think I'll be serving this at my fourth of July BBQ coming up. It's sure to be a hit!
Simply delicious!
delish!!! grilled pineapple was so good!!
We just grilled pineapple the other day … but only sprinkled with cinnamon. This marinade looks amazing.
One word of caution… be careful when you flip the pineapple so as to not lose the slices through the grates on the grill {oops!}.
What is the difference between dark honey and light honey? I'd like to make this tonight but I don't want to run into town to get dark honey if I don't have to. I doubt my neighborhood store has dark honey.
http://www.erinlanders.com/2013/10/09/difference-between-light-honey-and-dark-honey/
apparently the difference is in how "bold" the taste is as light honey tends to be more mild in flavor than dark honey
No need to core it unless you want to. Great with yogurt too!
That looks great! Maybe a silly question, but you don't need to core the pineapple?
We have been grilling pineapple for years!! The flavors are delish. Like the idea of adding cinnamon & lime juice. Can't wait to give it a try.
This looks AMAZING!!! I actually never had grilled pineapple before and have been dying to try it. I think I might this weekend.
And BTW I made your BLT pasta salad for a party last week and it was a HUGE hit! Love your recipes!
That grilled pineapple looks wonderful! I bet the cinnamon is a great flavor addition.
I love grilled pineapple! What a great summertime dessert!
I absolutely love the sound of this! So yummy looking.
Ooh! Sounds awesome!
That reminds me of grilled mangoes that I made once. If I remember correctly, I just squeezed some lime on the mango and grilled it… or maybe grilled it and then squeezed lime on it. Dang! I can't remember but it makes for an amazing dessert.