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Dehydrate Pineapple – Fresh or Canned

Love pineapple? Try dehydrating pineapple it to give a whole new way of enjoying the deliciously sweet fruit and make it shelf-stable! You can use fresh or canned pineapple and have this sweet treat for months to come!

Dehydrated pineapple slices that look like flowers.

Pineapples are one of my favorite fruits to dehydrate because, like drying lemons or strawberries they take very little prep work and store well.

This will also be a fun dehydrating project for your kids to try over the summer to learn how to dehydrate themselves! It will give them a great sense of accomplishment to learn those skills!

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How to pick a good pineapple

Picking fruit can be hit or miss, but here are some good tips for picking the perfect pineapple.

  • Pineapples should look good, not tired.
  • The leaves should be green, not brown and old looking
  • They should have a slight give to the body, but not so much that you punch through with a little pressure.
  • Pineapples should give off a smell of being sweet and fruity. No smell means no good.
  • They should feel heavy for their size.

Some folks say pulling a leaf out means it’s ready, but that isn’t as good of an indicator as the above.

Equipment

  • Dehydrator
  • Knife – I prefer a good bread knife, but use what works best for you.
  • Cutting board

Ingredients

  • Fresh pineapple
  • Canned pineapple in water or 100% juice
Pineapple being cut on a wooden cutting board.

Directions

For fresh pineapple:

  • Cut under the crown about an inch, straight across.
  • Cut the bottom about 1″ in to make a flat surface.
  • You can use a pineapple slicing and coring tool at this point if you’d like.
  • Run the knife from top to bottom along the edge, shaving a section off the skin as you go.
  • Rotate to the next section.
  • You can go back to remove any eyes if necessary.
  • Cut into very thin slices (1/4″ or less) for crispy whole sections or into spears and then small slices for bite-sized pieces.
  • Season if desired.
  • Place onto dehydrator mesh sheets for best results.
  • Dry at 135°F/57°C or lower until dry and leathery for wedges or dry and crispy for thin slices.

For Canned Pineapple

  • Open and drain cans into bowl
  • Set the juice aside to freeze, drink or use to marinate meat, or even as a pretreatment for fruit stop oxidation.
  • Rinse pieces if you desire
  • Cut pieces in half to help for a more efficient drying time. While the rings may not cut well, and will dry, you’ll get a faster drying time by cutting.
  • Place onto dehydrator sheets with mesh for best results
  • Dry at 135°F/57°C or lower until dry and leathery for wedges or dry and crispy for thin slices. These slices may be a bit tacky to the touch from the extra sugars, but should not be sticky.

Darcy’s Tips:

  • I use a apple coring tool that does not slice pineapple because I prefer to slice as thinly as I need. I can choose to core just the pieces I want or the whole pineapple.
  • Pineapples can be slick with juice and sugars. Wear a good cutting glove if you’re worried about your knife skills or some nitrile gloves to keep a grip on the fruit.
  • Don’t toss the juice!! Most commercially canned pineapple is done in 100% pineapple juice. Drink or freeze it to use later in marinades or baking/cooking.
Before and after shots of dehydrating pineapple on Cosori dehydrator trays.

Why dehydrate canned pineapple?

There are a few reasons to dehydrate canned pineapple. You’ll want to experiment for yourself if you find these worth it for you.

  • Access – you may have readier access to it than trying to find the perfect pineapple, especially with the price and the work it entails.
  • Fiber – canned pineapple has less fiber to work through when chewing for those who have problems with it. It does present its own problem with being extra chewy because of the sugars, the fiber isn’t as rough to get through for those with dentures, etc.
  • Bromelain reaction – those sensitive to bromelain may experience tingling, irritation, and itching when eating fresh pineapple. This is greatly reduced with canned pineapple. It is thought that heat applied to the fresh reduces the effects. According to the University of Alaska’s study, you may also wish to dehydrate pineapple at 160°F/70°C to inhibit bromelain. It will decrease Vitamins A & C with the higher prolonged heat.

One drawback to dehydrating canned pineapple in a food dehydrator is that it won’t get crispy the way fresh will because of the increased level of sugars from the pineapple juice it is canned in commercially. Home-canned pineapple may be less susceptible if you can with water instead of juice.

Jars of different seasonings to use with dehydrated pineapple

Seasonings for Dried Pineapple

Dehydrating pineapple alone is a wonderfully sweet treat. But try sparking your tastebuds with any of these spices and seasonings to elevate the flavor to amazing!

  • Curry powder
  • Taijin (try my DIY chili lime seasoning!)
  • Cayenne pepper (any pepper powder will work – experiment with your favorite)
  • Cinnamon
  • Cinnamon + cayenne
  • Worchestershire powder – be very light with this seasoning until you know how you like it. The salty/umami flavor is perfect to balance out the sweetness, but it can be overwhelming.
  • Molasses powder – one of my favorite ways to make pineapple is to grill it with a little brown sugar syrup that I found on Alton Brown’s website. The molasses powder mimics the brown sugar taste.
  • Molasses powder + ginger or molasses powder + taijin or molasses powder + chili powder – all take on the sweet + spicey flavor that will go well with pineapple.
  • Salt and or pepper. Both offer something to balance the sweet.

Store

Pineapple is best stored with a moisture absorber in an airtight container. I do not recommend an oxygen absorber for it. Pineapple will store for about a year (though your mileage may vary).

Use

  • Snack on it! Use to make tropical oatmeal.
  • Rehydrate in some warm water and bake as you would fresh. It will not contain the same juicy quality, but it will work!

Other Fruit You Might Like to Dehydrate:

Frequently Asked Questions About Pineapple

Why does my tongue tingle after eating pineapple?

You may have an enzyme sensitivity to Bromelain in fresh pineapple and the stem. It can be somewhat alleviated by consuming canned pineapple, as heat negates the enzyme.

Can I use the juice from canned pineapple?

Most canned pineapple is canned in 100% pineapple juice, so yes! Drink it, freeze it to use in marinades or recipes later!

Are pineapple skins edible?

Useable, yes! Brew to make a tea or ferment to make Tepache.

Is pineapple core edible?

Yes! Especially after dehydrating or brewing, they can be used to powder and make an ingredient for rubs. If offers a tenderizing effect for meats.

Dehydrated pineapple slices that look like flowers.

Dehydrate Pineapple

Make a sweet treat from fresh or canned pineapple that is great for snacking or even when baking! It's super easy to do and your kids will love doing it themselves!
5 from 1 vote
Print PIN THIS! Rate
Course: Preserved Food, Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Drying time: 18 hours
Total Time: 18 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 17kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • Pineapple

Instructions

For Fresh Pineapple:

  • Cut under the crown about an inch, straight across.
  • Cut the bottom about 1″ in to make a flat surface.
  • You can use a pineapple slicing and coring tool at this point if you’d like.
  • Run the knife from top to bottom along the edge, shaving a section off the skin as you go.
  • Rotate to the next section.
  • You can go back to remove any eyes if necessary.
  • Cut into very thin slices for crispy whole sections or into spears and then small slices for bite-sized pieces.
  • Season if desired.
  • Place onto dehydrator mesh sheets for best results.
  • Dry at 135°F/57°C or lower until dry and leathery for wedges or dry and crispy for thin slices.

For Canned Pineapple

  • Open and drain cans into bowl
  • Set the juice aside to freeze, drink or use to marinate meat, or even as a pretreatment for fruit stop oxidation.
  • Rinse pieces if you desire
  • Cut pieces in half to help for a more efficient drying time. While the rings may not cut well, and will dry, you’ll get a faster drying time by cutting.
  • Place onto dehydrator sheets with mesh for best results
  • Dry at 135°F/57°C or lower until dry and leathery for wedges or dry and crispy for thin slices. These slices may be a bit tacky to the touch from the extra sugars, but should not be sticky.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container with a moisture absorber for up to a year.

Video

Darcy’s Tips

Darcy’s Tips:

  • I use a apple coring tool that does not slice pineapple because I prefer to slice as thinly as I need. I can choose to core just the pieces I want or the whole pineapple.
  • Pineapples can be slick with juice and sugars. Wear a good cutting glove if you’re worried about your knife skills or some nitrile gloves to keep a grip on the fruit.

Seasoning Ideas:

  • Curry powder
  • Taijin (try my DIY chili lime seasoning!)
  • Cayenne pepper (any pepper powder will work – experiment with your favorite)
  • Cinnamon
  • Cinnamon + cayenne
  • Worchestershire powder – be very light with this seasoning until you know how you like it. The salty/umami flavor is perfect to balance out the sweetness, but it can be overwhelming.
  • Molasses powder – one of my favorite ways to make pineapple is to grill it with a little brown sugar syrup that I found on Alton Brown’s website. The molasses powder mimics the brown sugar taste.
  • Molasses powder + ginger or molasses powder + taijin or molasses powder + chili powder – all take on the sweet + spicey flavor that will go well with pineapple.
  • Salt and or pepper. Both offer something to balance the sweet.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 17kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.1g | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutritional information is an estimation only. Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use 1/4 of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as 1/4 dried.

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One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    Such a fun snack I use all fresh never out of a can and my pineapple🍍rings came out amazing.

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