This pineapple Pico de Gallo is a unique and fun spin on your favorite Mexican salsa. It has all the tangy, sweet and spicy flavors you’re looking for, but taken to the next level.
Best of all, it is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan too! Team it up with your my other favorite avocado Pico de Gallo, some tortilla chips, tacos or any of your favorite Mexican dishes.
I love hosting house parties and having people over, and I'm almost always on the hunt for dips, condiments and salsas that come together quickly.
My corn Pico de Gallo is a hit every time I make it, and I usually team it up with my mangoes and Tajin, a big bowl of Papitas con Chile and some cucumber with Tajin sticks.
Jump to:
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Ingredients For the Pineapple Pico de Gallo
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Pineapple Pico de Gallo
- 💭Top Tip
- How to Store the Leftover Pineapple Salsa
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve Pineapple Pico de Gallo
- Recipe FAQs
- More Mexican Recipes
- Pineapple Pico de Gallo
What's So Great About the Recipe?
I’ve tried quite a few versions of the classic Pico de Gallo- mango Pico de Gallo, cabbage Pico de Gallo and even a nice cucumber Pico de Gallo, but this pineapple version truly has my heart.
The tomatoes and pineapple bring in some incredibly fruity and tangy flavors, which is well balanced with the salty, spicy and pungent flavors from the other ingredients.
Ingredients For the Pineapple Pico de Gallo
You’ll need just a few ingredients to make this pineapple Pico de Gallo.
Tomatoes: Choose fresh, juicy and plump tomatoes. You can use Roma tomatoes or even some cherry tomatoes if you have them at hand.
Pineapple: Fresh pineapple is the star ingredient in this pineapple Pico de Gallo salsa recipe.
Red bell pepper: This one's optional, but you can also add a red bell pepper to bring a nice pop of color. I added it when I made my watermelon Pico de Gallo and it turned out super yum!
Red onion: A chopped red onion adds a nice crunchy texture to this fruity salsa.
Jalapeños: Spicy jalapeno peppers add that much needed kick of heat to balance out the flavor from the sweet pineapple. I would highly recommend using fresh jalapenos as opposed to the pickled variety.
Lime juice: A squeeze of fresh lime juice is another absolute must in every fresh salsa recipe.
Cilantro: Some chopped fresh cilantro can lend the pineapple salsa a nice pop of color.
Seasonings: I used the classics- salt, pepper and a bit of sugar to season the salsa. You can also use a homemade Tajin spice mix.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Red onion has a much more pungent flavor which works well along with the other ingredients in the recipe. If you don’t prefer using it, you can use a white onion instead. Refer to my post about how to choose onion for salsa and Pico de Gallo for an in depth run-down of how to choose the right onions and tomatoes.
- If you don’t have jalapenos or are just looking to bring in a bit of a flavor variation, you can use serrano peppers or habanero peppers and turn it into a nice habanero salsa.
- To tone down the spice level, bell peppers can also be a great choice.
- To add some extra flavor, swap the regular salt for infused salt like jalapeno salt or lemon infused salt.
How to Make Pineapple Pico de Gallo
Step 1: Cut the pineapple and red bell pepper into small chunks. Remember to use ripe pineapple to make this salsa fresca.
Step 2: Combine the fresh diced pineapple with the other ingredients in a mixing bowl, ensuring everything is finely diced, ideally the same size.
Step 3: Mix everything together.
Step 4: Let the fresh pineapple Pico de Gallo sit in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and allow the flavors to develop before you serve it.
💭Top Tip
You could also use up some of your leftover pineapple from the recipe, and make a nice jalapeno pineapple salsa. This pineapple recipe works wonderfully when you’re hosting and serving an assortment of salsas and dips.
How to Store the Leftover Pineapple Salsa
This recipe comes together in just under 10 minutes, which is why I would highly recommend making it fresh. If you really want to prep the Pico de Gallo with pineapple ahead of time, skip adding the salt, pepper, sugar and lime juice, and mix them in towards the end.
You can store the fruit salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator. That said, it is best to store your salsa and Pico de Gallo for no more than 3 days. And if you’re wondering if you can freeze Pico de Gallo, I’ve put down a detailed post about it too!
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- I like to manually chop all the ingredients that the recipe calls for using a sharp, serrated knife. If you like your salsa to be slightly less chunky, you can blitz everything together in a food processor.
- Remember to wear gloves while handling the spicy peppers that you’re using. You can also choose to core and remove the center of the peppers if you want to dial down the heat.
- If you want the salsa to have some juiciness, you can choose to leave the center of the tomatoes in, or else just remove them before you begin the chopping.
- You can also add a drizzle of olive oil into the mix if you want to. I like using my lemon infused olive oil when I want a bit of extra tangy flavor.
How to Serve Pineapple Pico de Gallo
You can enjoy your homemade Pico de Gallo in a ton of different ways. Here are some ideas to get you inspired.
With a Snack
This pineapple Pico de Gallo is a healthy snack that you can team up with your tortilla chips and nachos and serve at your next Cinco de Mayo party. I usually pair it with my Mexican roasted potatoes and whip up my apples with Tajin or Tajin nuts on the side.
Like a Traditional Salsa
This Mexican Pico de Gallo has the perfect sweet pineapple and spicy jalapeno flavors, which makes it a great choice to be served as a salsa to go with any of your party foods or to serve as an appetizer.
Pair it with a nice avocado lime Crema dip or some Salsa Macha.
With Mexican Food
This Pico de Gallo is the perfect accompaniment to practically any Mexican recipe you’re trying out. You can team up this chunky salsa with your fish tacos, or on top of chicken that’s been grilled or baked.
I love making this as a side to go with my Elote casserole or Migas con Huevo and using it as a topping on my Mexican baked potatoes.
Recipe FAQs
This salsa is usually made using a whole pineapple, but you can also choose to use a pre-cut pineapple to cut down the prep time. You’ll need about 1 ½ cups of diced pineapple for this recipe.
While it is best to use fresh ingredients when it comes to making fresh fruit salsas, you can make do with canned pineapple too. Just make sure you drain the liquid and use only the chunks for that perfect pineapple flavor.
More Mexican Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this pineapple Pico de Gallo or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pineapple Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 cup Roma tomatoes diced
- 3 cups pineapple diced
- 1 cup red onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper chopped
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- 2 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
- Cut the pineapple and red bell pepper into small chunks. Remember to use ripe pineapple to make this salsa fresca.
- Combine the fresh diced pineapple with the other ingredients in a mixing bowl, ensuring everything is finely diced, ideally the same size.
- Let the fresh pineapple pico de gallo sit in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and allow the flavors to develop before you serve it.
Notes
- I like to manually chop all the ingredients that the recipe calls for using a sharp, serrated knife. If you like your salsa to be slightly less chunky, you can blitz everything together in a food processor.
- Remember to wear gloves while handling the spicy peppers that you’re using. You can also choose to core and remove the center of the peppers if you want to dial down the heat.
- If you want the salsa to have some juiciness, you can choose to leave the center of the tomatoes in, or else just remove them before you begin the chopping.
