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Fresh and easy pineapple salsa adds the perfect balance of sweet and spicy to all your favorite Mexican meals! Loaded up with fresh pineapple, tart lime, spicy jalapeno and onion this salsa pairs perfectly with chicken and fish. Or serve up in a bowl with some tortilla chips for a summer time snack or appetizer.
All about this Pineapple Salsa…
- Fresh ingredients: this salsa is loaded up with fresh fruits, tomatillos, jalapeños, and cilantro. Which gives this salsa a refreshingly crisp flavoring.
- Sweet & Spicy: the combination of sweet, tart pineapple with the spice of the jalapeno and green chiles gives a wonderful blend of sweet & spicy to pair with all your summer dishes.
- Pairs with Chicken & Fish: while this salsa is great for snacking on with tortilla chips it also pairs wonderfully with some grilled Mexican Chicken for some street tacos, or fish tacos.
Ingredients Needed:
Notes on some ingredients:
- Pineapple: use fresh pineapple, not canned.
- Tomatillos: these are Mexican green tomatoes that you find in the market with a paper husk on. Remove the husk and wash off the tomatillos to get rid of the stickiness. They have a tart, mild flavoring that is used for making green salsas.
- Water: use as much as needed to thin out the salsa to get the desired consistency.
How to make (step-by-step):
- Step 1: Roast the pineapple, jalapeno, onion and tomatillos in the oven under the broiler. This softens up the tomatillos and jalapeno, and gives a lovely flavor to our pineapple salsa.
- Step 2: Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until no large pieces remain. Add water as needed to get desired consistency.
Expert Tips:
- Always cook your tomatillos prior to using in salsa. In this recipe we are roasting them. If you prefer to use the stovetop you can also boil them, which is the method used in the salsa verde recipe.
- Customize! One of the best things about making your own homemade salsa is that you can customize the flavorings and the heat. You can always use a different pepper instead of jalapeno. Some other options would be a Serrano pepper or an Anaheim pepper. You may also opt to use less or more lime juice, salt, cilantro.
- The water is to thin it out, use as much or as little as you need. Due to there not being ingredients that create a lot of juice such as regular salsa using red tomatoes, this recipe calls for water to thin it out. Once you blend the ingredients you will notice that the salsa is rather thick. Which makes it difficult to dip chips into. So add the water, as much as needed to get the consistency you prefer.
Pineapple Salsa: FAQS
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This salsa is best served within several days of making.
This recipe is not written or approved for canning. To be safe for canning the salsa would need vinegar or additional acid added to it.
This salsa can easily be served as an appetizer with some chips. Or it can be served alongside any main dish for a sweet and spicy salsa option.
More Salsa recipes:
Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos husks removed and chopped into quarters
- 1 jalapeno deseeded and membranes removed
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- 1/2 white onion roughly chopped
- 1 (4.5 ounce) diced green chiles
- ½ cup cilantro
- juice from 1/2 a lime
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spread the chopped tomatillos, jalapeno, pineapple, and onion on the baking sheet.
- Place under the broiler and bake for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds until all ingredients are combined and no large chunks remain.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Serve cold. Can be stored for up to 2 weeks.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published June 13, 2018. Updated June 1, 2022 with new images and information. Recipe is unchanged.
Photography by the talented @ModernFarmhouseEats.
Instead of water could you add pineapple juice or nectar?
Absolutely! The water is just to thin it out to get the right consistency. I think using either of those other options is great and will add a little more sweetness to the salsa!
Perfect! Wouldn’t change a. single. thing.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Do you use fresh pineapple or can it be canned?
I have only made this with fresh pineapple. I’m not sure how canned pineapple would work since it has a bit of a different texture and sweetness to it. If you try, please let me know!
Is it possible to can this recipe?
My (adult)children say this is their new ‘favorite food’….so I made it for a community event and served it to about 200 people. Raves and requests for the recipe all around. It’s amazing – mild, slightly smoky very complicated taste in a simple and easy recipe. I did add up to 1/4 cup of sugar.
I love this recipe! I made it and it was delicious!
I love this salsa thank u for sharing
I love this pineapple salsa. There’s a Mexican restaurant here in oklahoma that serves this and it was super yummy. Could never find the recipe. Till I found your web site. Thank you for sharing. Plus can I store this in a sealed tight jar in pantry? Thanks your fan ann cerrone
Hi Ann! I’m so glad you like the recipe. And no, this salsa needs to be stored in the fridge to keep it fresh.