Pineapple Delight Recipe

Deliciously Creamy Pineapple Delight is a nostalgic dessert that's perfect for summertime!

My Aunt Daphne has been making Pineapple Delight for summertime family get togethers for years. I love all things pineapple and this dessert is so, so good! This is one of those recipes where the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts so to speak. I don't know if it's the subtle crunch from the graham crackers, the tang from the pineapple or the  luscious whipped cream make it a light but it's just incredible.

When I graduated from high school, she made this pineapple dessert for the party.  Knowing it was my favorite, she handed me my very own container to save for later!

This recipe is a riff on her classic.

I am using a yummy Bourbon Caramel Syrup from Torani and serving the Pineapple Delight in these beautifumartini glasses. Another way I am dressing up the original is by using grilled pineapple instead of canned. If you're in a rush, scroll down for our short cut tips.

🧂 Ingredients

• graham crackers
• butter
• pineapple
• salt
• ground cinnamon
• Torani Bourbon Caramel Syrup OR Caramel Syrup
• whipping cream
• granulated sugar
• brown sugar

The Torani Bourbon Caramel syrup adds a a really delicious flavor base for this pineapple delight recipe. There's no alcohol in it, so it's fine for kids, but if you prefer, you can use Caramel Syrup instead. 

How to Prepare a Pineapple

1. Start with a sharp knife. Remember more accents happen with dull knifes!
2. Remove the "crown" - the leafy top and cut away the bottom.
3. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise.
4. Then, chop each half into about 4 thick spears and remove the tough skin and discard.
5. Remove the any brown 'eyes' as you go.
6. Next, remove the tough core in the center and discard.
7. Now you should have about 8 spears ready to use.
8. Store pineapple in an airtight containerin the refrigerator. It will last about 3-5 days.

How To Grill Pineapple

1. Start with fresh pineapple, cut into spears.
2. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness and minimize the bitterness.
3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
4. Lightly spray your grill with cooking spray.
5. You can sprinkle a little sugar onto the pineapple, however, salt will help neutralize the bitterness of the fruit, making it seem sweeter.
6. Cook the pineapple spears over indirect heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
7. Note: for beautiful grill marks, give the spears a quarter turn after about a minute or so on each side.

🔪Instructions

This is meant to be a brief overview of the recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 325-degrees F.
2. Crush the graham crackers either with a rolling pin or pulse them in the food processor. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the crumbs.
3. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup of melted butter. After that, press the crumbs into an 8x8 pan.
4. Reserve ½ cup of graham cracker crumbs for the topping.
5. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325-degrees F.
6. While the graham cracker crust cools, grill the pineapple.
7. Sprinkle the pineapple spears lightly with ground cinnamon and salt. (The salt helps mellow the bitterness of the pineapple).
8. Grill the spears for 2 minutes per side over medium-high heat, then remove and let cool.
9. Finely dice the pineapple or pulse it in the food processor. Drain off any excess juice (great to save for cocktails!)
10. In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of syrup until stiff peaks form to make whipped cream.
11. Using a spoonula, gently fold ½ cup brown sugar and the chopped pineapple into the whipped cream.
12. Once the base is completed cooled, add the pineapple mixture to the baking dish.
13. Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top.
14. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

📖 Variations

Because we test all our recipes, we recommend that you make them once just as it is without substitutions or changes. Sometimes variations can go awry. Making our Pineapple Delight recipe as we have tested it will yield the best results. If you really want to get creative, here are some ideas for variations that might work well. (Please note, we have not tested these variations).

• Add 1 cup toasted coconut on top instead of additional graham cracker crumbs.
• Substitute grilled peaches for the pineapple. Cinnamon and caramel also taste wonderful with peaches.

Shortcut Version

Here's how to make this incredible dessert a little quicker:

1. Instead of fresh grilled pineapple, use 14-ounces of crushed pineapple, drained. You won't get the same flavor profile, but it will save you time.
2. You can substitute whipped topping such as Cool Whip instead of making your own whipped cream as well.

🍴 Serving Suggestions

Serving Pineapple Delight in gorgeous Martini Glasses glasses is a fun way to dress it up. I grilled some extra pineapple pieces and added them to the glasses. Another great topping would be a sprinkle of toffee chips.

😋 Similar Recipes

If you're having a cookout, this is a great make-ahead dessert, too! You might also like these easy recipes for your get together:

• Grilled Teriyaki Beef Kabobs
• Rainbow Veggie Kabobs
• Spicy Grilled Chicken

Not ready to make pineapple delight yet?

Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!

Pineapple Delight

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5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pineapple delight

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Calories: 2822kcal

Author: Ang Paris

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 2-½ cups graham crackers about 18 crackers
• ½ cup salted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the Pineapple

• 2 cups fresh pineapple
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Whipped Cream

• 1 tablespoon Torani Bourbon Caramel Syrup OR Caramel Syrup
• 8 oz whipping cream
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Instructions

For the crust

• Preheat the oven to 325-degrees F.
• Crush the graham crackers either with a rolling pin or pulse them in the food processor. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the crumbs.
• Combine the graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup of melted butter. After that, press the crumbs into an 8×8 pan.
• Reserve ½ cup of graham cracker crumbs for the topping.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325-degrees F.

For the Pineapple

• While the graham cracker crust cools, grill the pineapple.
• Sprinkle the pineapple spears lightly with ground cinnamon and salt. (The salt helps mellow the bitterness of the pineapple).
• Grill the spears for 2 minutes per side over medium-high heat, then remove and let cool.
• Finely dice the pineapple or pulse it in the food processor. Drain off any excess juice (great to save for cocktails!)

For the Whipped Cream

• For best results, place your bowl and beater in the freezer for 10 minutes before making whipped cream.
• In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the whipping cream, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of syrup.
• Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Take care not to overbeat the whipped cream or it will turn into to butter.

Putting the Dessert Together

• Using a spoonula, gently fold ¼ cup brown sugar and the chopped pineapple into the whipped cream.
• Once the base is completed cooled, add the pineapple mixture to the baking dish.
• Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top.
• Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Shortcut Version:

Here’s how to make this incredible dessert a little quicker:

• Instead of fresh grilled pineapple, use 14-ounces of crushed pineapple, drained. You won’t get the same flavor profile, but it will save you time.
• You can substitute whipped topping such as Cool Whip instead of making your own whipped cream as well.

How to Prepare a Pineapple

1. Start with a sharp knife. Remember more accents happen with dull knifes!
2. Remove the “crown” – the leafy top and cut away the bottom.
3. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise.
4. Then, chop each half into about 4 thick spears and remove the tough skin and discard.
5. Remove the any brown ‘eyes’ as you go.
6. After that, remove the tough core in the center and discard.
7. Now you should have about 8 spears ready to use.
   Store pineapple in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last about 3-5 days.

How To Grill Pineapple

1. Start with fresh pineapple, cut into spears.
2. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness and minimize the bitterness.
3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
4. Lightly spray your grill with cooking spray.
5. You can sprinkle a little sugar onto the pineapple, however, salt will help neutralize the bitterness of the fruit, making it seem sweeter.
6. Cook the pineapple spears over indirect heat for 2-3 minutes per side.

Note: for beautiful grill marks, give the spears a quarter turn after about a minute or so on each side.

For best results, be sure to check our Tips and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help your delicious recipe come out perfectly.

Nutrition

Calories: 2822kcal | Carbohydrates: 470g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 101g | Saturated Fat: 56g | Cholesterol: 638mg | Sodium: 4314mg | Potassium: 524mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 409g | Vitamin A: 3810IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 314mg | Iron: 5.7mg

Please Note: I am not a registered dietician. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe? Pin It for Later!Mention @jugglingactmama or tag #jugglingactmama!

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