We love this roasted pineapple with brown sugar, butter and a hint of cinnamon. It is a quick side dish that is as good as grilled pineapple any day! Roasting concentrates the sweet pineapple flavor for delicious results. I serve it all the time with ham but it is also great with BBQ pork, breakfast sausage or even over ice cream. For all it’s versatility it is crazy easy to make – you can have it in the oven in five minutes!
I make this easy roasted pineapple side dish all year long but it is most popular at Easter. Every year that I bring it to Easter Dinner people are fighting over the last chunks of sweet, buttery pineapple left in the pan. Our family loves grilled pineapple but this simple oven roasted version has become our go for an easy side dish at holidays and BBQs.
Brown Sugar Roasted Pineapple: Ham’s Perfect Side Dish
I love pineapple with ham but if you roast a ham with pineapple chunks directly on it the enzymes in the pineapple break down the meat. Any leftover ham is not very nice. In our family leftover ham is coveted for breakfasts, ham and bean soups, and even chicken and ham pot pie!
These days I must make this easy roasted as a side dish for ham! It pretty much lets me have my cake and eat it too! And since this roasted pineapple recipe takes about 5 minutes to prep it for the oven I don’t mind making it even during the busiest of holiday meals!
Roasting pineapple chunks at high heat in butter and sugar with a little salt and cinnamon brings out the fruit’s rich sweet flavor perfectly.
Roasted Pineapple Vs. Grilled Pineapple
Pineapple is a fruit that is excellent raw or cooked! Both roasting and grilling reduce the sugars in the pineapple and bring out a rich, caramel flavor in the fruit. With roasting you get a deeper, more even reduction of the fruit and concentration of the flavors. Grilled pineapple results in a slightly more smokey / char flavor.
If you grill the fruit lightly you get more of a seared outside with a warm, but raw inside. You can also do a longer, low/slow grilling of the fruit to get it more cooked.
Generally I love grilling pineapple when I’m doing my pineapple grilled chicken or my grilled hamburgers so the fruit is cooked along with the meat. I use oven roasting when I’m looking to make a side dish or I want a deeper, more caramel flavor.
What to Serve With Brown Sugar Roasted Pineapple
While this is one of my favorite things to serve with ham it also is great for breakfast with sausage and pancakes, served with pulled pork BBQ or hamburgers, and even for dessert by itself or to top ice cream. You have to love a recipe that is so incredibly versatile.
Favorite Pineapple Side Dish Recipes
Other Pineapple Recipes To Love
- Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Pineapple
- Teriyaki Meatballs in Pineapple Sauce
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Easy Pineapple Cake
Brown Sugar Roasted Pineapple
Ingredients
- 4 cups pineapple chunks fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F.
- Cut fresh pineapple into chunks or thaw the frozen pineapple in the microwave until it is mostly thawed. If you are using frozen and thawed pineapple include any juice from the thawing process.
- In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients. Stir by tossing gently until all the pineapple is well coated.
- Pour the pineapple mixture into a large, rectangular baking dish.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring about half way through.
- The pineapple is done when it turns a rich golden and begins to brown but before it starts to blacken.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
MirlandrasKitchen.com is written to share great recipes. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline, we are not registered dietitians and the values provided here should be considered estimates – not exact scientific data.
This recipe was originally published in 2015. It has been updated for content in 2020.
Sue Lau says
This looks so wonderful! I could eat the entire batch over a bowl of ice cream! It has to taste even better than pineapple upside down cake and especially less carbs and flour!
Mirlandra says
Oh my – that must be one of the reasons I love it so. It reminds me of my dad’s favorite cake!
The Food Hunter says
this is a great snack
Mirlandra says
Yes! Kids love it too.
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says
Mmmm, I’m thinking this would be a fun ice cream topping as well!
Mirlandra says
Yep. It really is a versatile recipe.
Sylvie | Gourmande in the Kitchen says
That sounds heavenly, now all I need is some ice cream to serve it with!
Mirlandra says
Thanks, I could not agree more!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
Oh, this looks like such a decadent, tropical treat! And I was right with you on all your suggestions of how to serve it – over ice cream was pretty much topping my mental list! So simple to make – I just love that! 😀
Mirlandra says
Yes – simple. Life should have some simple!
Sarah says
sounds amazing def going to have to try these out. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Mirlandra says
Thank you. I”m so glad you can use it 🙂
Karen says
What temperature are you baking this at? Looks yummy & I’m eager to try it out!
Mirlandra says
Hi Karen,
Good catch! The first line of the recipe got cut off when I put it into the transfer. I have it fixed. The pineapple bakes at 450. Enjoy!
The Katie Show Blog says
Hi Miranda,
This looks amazing! I would love to feature it on my blog as part of a Pinterest Favorites post so keep an eye out for that – I will let you know when it is posted and please email me with any questions or to talk more. I would love to spread this around so that more people can enjoy this treat. Keep up the great work!
Katie
Mirlandra says
Thank you, Katie.
dmdezigns says
Do you think that substituting Earth Balance (a vegan butter substitute) for the butter would work? Would it change the flavor much? Would love to make this at Christmas to go with the ham, but want it to be Vegan so my mil can eat it too.
Mirlandra says
I have never used this butter substitute so I went on their website and looked at the ingredients and their cooking tips. The butter is made up of fats so I think it would give you some of the richness that the recipe is looking for. The company seems confident it is a solid substitute for real butter. My best guess without actually trying it is that you would have a good result. It would not be quite the same but similar I think. My only question is how it will react under oven heat and if you will get a more caramelized result. I say go for it! You always learn something an an experiment and get a great story out of it. I’m sure your MIL will be touched that you tried so hard to make something nice she can enjoy too! Let me know how it turns out. I’m curious now 🙂
Caz Metzinger says
I know it’s Easter and not Christmas but I would give unrefined or refined coconut oil a go. Unrefined would give it a lovely cinnamony tropical flavor. Just melt it before you pop it in with the pineapple.
Mirlandra says
That sounds absolutely wonderful! I buy coconut oil by the five gallon bucket now and use it for everything under the sun! It has been a great deal of fun.
Danielle says
Can this be served cold?
Mirlandra says
I don’t think it is as nice cold because the butter will congeal some. Room temperature or hot would be best. Enjoy!
Jenny says
Do you think it could be made earlier in the day and then reheated at a lower temp? Oven will be at 350 to cook everything else for Easter dinner. Any suggestions?
Mirlandra says
I think that is totally fine! I have sometimes made it a few hours ahead and then left it covered on the counter. Then I just warm it gently in the microwave or oven. Just make sure it does not dry out and you should be fine!
The Better Baker says
I am LOVING this simple recipe. Thanks a million for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck!!
Mirlandra says
I’m glad you are enjoying it! We love it throughout the year but at Easter is is always extra popular!
marie says
Can you use canned pineapple?
Mirlandra says
You can. It will be a different flavor but still nice. Fresh or frozen pineapple are my favorites for this.
Linda says
Have you ever tried this using canned pineapple chunks, and if so would use any of the juice?
Mirlandra says
I have not done it with canned but you certainly can. My suggestion would be to drain it and then use it. Fresh and frozen are still my favorites for this recipe but canned would still be yummy! Happy cooking.
Camille says
Is it kept covered the whole time that it’s baking?
Mirlandra says
I usually do not cover it. The goal is to caramelize the sugar in the fruit and bake some of the water out to intensify the flavor.
terrie says
Hello Miranda, I just made this. Awesome recipe. I threw in a handful of walnuts with the pineapple and it made my ice cream taste like I got it from D.Q. Thank You for sharing.
Mirlandra says
Oh that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Don says
I’m trying with almond pieces I had on hand. This looks delicious
Mirlandra says
oooo that sounds heavenly!
Peggy says
Used this as a filling for acorn squash and it was a perfect compliment. Thanks for a great recipe.
Mirlandra says
That sounds really good! Thanks for sharing 🙂
denise says
just picked a pineapple going to try this this tonight with my roast pork sounds yummy
Mirlandra says
I’m jealous that you got to pick a pineapple! I just get to pick them out at the store 🙂
Becky Safe says
This sounds absolutely delish; especially with ice cream. Im looking for a healthy/low fat/low calorie treat for Christmas as all the kids are into eating healthy. Ran into a woman in Walmart who was buying 15 cans pf pineapple & when I asked what for (not like that), but she mentioned this recipe on Pinterest. I Iooked and omg…but the calories/carbs!!!!
Mirlandra says
This cracks me up! 15 cans! She must have been feeding a LOT of people. When I want to make this a bit on the “lite” side I just cut down the sugar and butter a lot. Even just roasting pineapple with a touch of butter/sugar is amazing because roasted pineapple is the BOMB Diggity! Hope your Christmas was wonderful!
Rox says
I love this recipe! It reminds me of the grilled pineapple I had at a Brazilian restaurant, but I can roast it in my oven! My vanilla ice cream and I thank you!
Mirlandra says
I’m so glad you love it! This is a favorite of ours too. We fell in love with the Brazilian roasted pineapple at Tucanos and now we make it at home in the oven. Over ice cream = heaven…..
Amber says
I really want to try this for today’s dinner! Do u think I could put the mix over my spiral fully cooked ham and let it cook while heating up my ham?
Mirlandra says
Interesting! I slow cook my hams so with that method I would be worried the pineapple would dry out instead of cooking down… If you do want to try it maybe add it closer to the last 30-60 minutes and see how it goes? I like the idea but I’m just concerned that the general temperatures might not work out to get everything done correctly.