Pineapple Salsa

A refreshing, tropical Pineapple Salsa recipe that’s just the right balance of sweet and heat. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare with fresh, juicy produce (and just a few choice spices) and would be perfect for a summer party. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Salsa, With a Tropical Twist

The perfect last-minute side for your 4th of July party! While my classic salsa recipe will always have my heart, this pineapple salsa is simple, refreshing, and perfect for summertime. Perfect for enjoying poolside paired with salty corn chips (and maybe a frozen margarita?). Perfect for enjoying anytime.

Today’s recipe is easy to toss together, all of the work is in preparing (cutting!) the veggies/fruits. As with most salsas, once you start dipping your chips it’s next to impossible to stop. As a bonus for me, Zach won’t touch anything made with onion, cilantro, or tomatoes (am I married to a 5 year old?), so in my house, this pineapple salsa is all mine, no sharing necessary.  

What You Need:

• Pineapple. Make sure you pick a ripe one; here’s a guide on picking the perfect pineapple every time (I always pick mine based on smell!). 
• Bell Peppers. I prefer red and orange peppers to green because they’re slightly sweeter, which works well with the sweetness of the pineapple. I use half an orange and half a red pepper because I like the rainbow of colors, but you can use just red (or just orange!).
• Tomatoes. I went back and forth about including tomatoes in this salsa (I didn’t want them to overpower the pineapple!) but after a little testing it was clear that tomatoes were a must. I recommend Romas, but any ripe red tomato will work. You will want to scoop out the seeds so your salsa doesn’t become too watery.
• Onion. I prefer and recommend a red onion, but white would work as well. 
• Jalapeno pepper. How many you need depends on the size (and heat!) of your jalapenos as well as your own spiciness tolerance. I find I need anywhere from 1-3 jalapenos. 
• Cilantro. I’m sure I have some cilantro-haters out there, but the flavor really ties the salsa together.
• Lime. You just need the lime juice for today’s recipe, and I strongly recommend you use fresh lime. I find that one lime typically yields exactly the right amount of juice for pineapple salsa. If you are going to substitute bottled lime juice, start with a bit less than the recipe calls for and add more to taste.
• Spices. Just a little salt, pepper, and cumin enhance the flavors. I list amounts that I start with in the recipe, but always taste-test and adjust according to your preference.

Rather than using a blender, we’ll be taking the old-school route of dicing our produce, just as I do with my avocado salsa.

Tips

• Cut your produce into teeny-tiny pieces! The smaller the better, just as with my Texas caviar. You want to be able to fit as much variety on each chip as possible, and the best way to accomplish this is tiny pieces. 
• While you can serve pineapple salsa right away, I recommend that you let it sit (covered) in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. This helps the flavors really develop and meld together. Just be sure to stir again before serving!
• Like a little extra heat? Add a bit more jalapeno or a few (just a few!) jalapeno seeds to your salsa.
• Always use fresh lime juice! It just tastes better.
• This recipe may be doubled or tripled.

Storing

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Always stir before serving.

I have personally never canned anything in my life, so unfortunately I am not able to advise on canning (I get this question a lot with my homemade salsa and apple butter, and I’m just not informed enough to say).

More Recipes You Might Like:

• Corn Salad
• Taco Salad
• Caprese Salad
• Broccoli Salad

Enjoy!

Your comments mean a lot to me! If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Pineapple Salsa

A sweet and simple recipe for homemade Pineapple Salsa! Includes a how-to video!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Chilling Time (Recommended): 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings (approximately ¾ cup each)

Calories: 47kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups (500 g) finely diced pineapple I cut mine to be smaller than ½” in diameter. This was about half of a large pineapple for me.
• ▢ ⅔ cup (67 g) finely diced red onion
• ▢ ½ red pepper¹ finely chopped
• ▢ ½ cup orange pepper finely chopped
• ▢ 1-3 Tablespoons finely diced jalapenos remove seeds first (start with 1 and add more to taste)
• ▢ ⅔ cup (75 g) finely chopped ripe Roma tomatoes seeds removed
• ▢ ⅓ cup (16 g) finely chopped cilantro
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon finely ground sea salt plus more to taste
• ▢ Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cumin optional
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed preferred
• ▢ Salty tortilla chips

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well.
  3 cups (500 g) finely diced pineapple, ⅔ cup (67 g) finely diced red onion, ½ red pepper¹, ½ cup orange pepper, 1-3 Tablespoons finely diced jalapenos, ⅔ cup (75 g) finely chopped ripe Roma tomatoes, ⅓ cup (16 g) finely chopped cilantro, ¾ teaspoon finely ground sea salt, Freshly cracked black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• Taste, and add more salt, pepper, and lime juice as needed to taste. Flavor is enhanced if salsa is allowed to sit for an hour or so (in the refrigerator, covered).
  Salty tortilla chips

Notes

¹You can use all red or all orange pepper, I like to use a mix of the two personally because I like the different colors.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (does not include tortilla chips) | Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 793IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

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