This Pineapple Pico de Gallo is a tropical twist on a classic fresh tomato salsa. It's quick, easy, and perfect for summer! Serve it with tortilla chips as an appetizer, in tacos or burritos, or as a side with anything from the grill!
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Why You'll Love This Pineapple Pico de Gallo
Tropical twist - Pineapple is not what you find in your normal pico de gallo but it's a fun tropical twist on the classic fresh salsa. If you've had mango salsa before, definitely give this one a try too! It's packed with fresh ingredients and a ton of flavor!
Sweet and spicy - The combination of sweet pineapple, fragrant cilantro, and spicy jalapeño works so well in this pineapple salsa. All the flavors together bring out the sweetness of the pineapple, and if you like classic salsa fresca, you'll love this version! It's fun, different, and great for summer!
Quick and easy - This recipe comes together really quickly and requires very basic ingredients. You can make it ahead of time or right before serving. The recipe is also easy to multiply for a bigger crowd or cut in half to make a smaller batch.
Delicious appetizer, condiment, or snack - My favorite way to serve this salsa is an appetizer or as a healthy snack with tortilla chips. You can also add it to tacos (Try it in my Shrimp Tacos!), burritos, and rice bowls or serve it as a side for roasted or grilled meats, chicken, fish, or seafood.
Ingredients
- Pineapple - The better the pineapple, the better the salsa. Always choose a pineapple that's more yellow/orange than green, with no visible brown or wilted leaves. A good, ripe, fresh pineapple should smell sweet on the bottom. If it doesn't, it's not ripe enough. If it has a fermented smell, it's too ripe and will go bad soon. A pineapple that is too green is also not ripe enough and won't be very sweet.
- Roma tomatoes - You can use any tomatoes you have for this salsa, but Roma tend to be the best option because they are large, which makes them easy to dice and they keep their shape well.
- Red onion - This is the best choice for this pico de gallo, but you can also use shallots, spring onions, or white onion if necessary.
- Cilantro - Fresh cilantro adds a ton of flavor to this salsa. Dried cilantro can do the job when absolutely necessary, but it won't give it the same amount of flavor a fresh herb would. If you're not a fan of cilantro, you could potentially use fresh parsley, but it will change the flavor a lot.
- Jalapeño pepper - You can keep the seeds in or remove them, depending on your heat preference. I usually like to remove them.
- Fresh lime juice - Fresh limes are always your best option and will add the most flavor. You can use bottled lime juice when in a pinch, but try to go for ones that are made with real lime juice and not concentrate.
Variations and Substitutions
- No heat - If you don't want the salsa spicy at all, you can add finely diced green bell pepper instead of jalapeño peppers for the same look and flavor without any of the heat!
- Extra spicy - If you want to make it spicier, include the jalapeño seeds in the salsa or swap it for serrano pepper. If you want to make it even spicier, use a habanero pepper!
- Different fruit - You can make a similar salsa with mango or you can mix the two. I have a separate post for Mango Pico de Gallo you can check out!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- To dice the pineapple, remove the top and bottom of your pineapple and cut along the skin, removing all of it while trying to cut off as little pineapple as possible.
- Cut around the middle core and dice the pineapple into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Cut your tomatoes into quarters and remove the seeds. Dice them into similar sized small pieces as the pineapple.
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- Add the chopped pineapple, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno to a large mixing bowl.
- Add lime juice, sea salt, black pepper, and tajin (if using).
- Toss everything gently together to mix.
- Serve the pico de gallo with tortilla chips as an appetizer or in tacos, burritos, bowls, salads, or as a side with protein.
How to Dice a Pineapple
- Peeling a pineapple - To peel and dice the pineapple, place your pineapple sideways on a cutting board and cut off the top and bottom. Next, stand the pineapple upright on one of the flat sides. Slice the peel off in strips going from top to bottom, making sure not to slice off too much of the pineapple with it. If you slice off too little, you might be left with a few "eyes" in the pineapple where you can still see the peel. They are hard to chew and should be removed.
- Removing the "eyes" from a pineapple - You can either pull them out with your fingers if there are only a few or carefully cut them out using a sharp knife. They're always in diagonal lines, which means it's easy to remove more of them in one cut. Line up your knife on one side of the "eyes" and slice in a 45-degree angle along the side of them, and repeat on the other side of them to cut them out.
- Slicing and chopping a pineapple - Set the pineapple upright and cut along the middle tough part from top to bottom on one side, turn the pineapple, cut again, and repeat on all sides. The middle part of a pineapple is very tough, so it should always be removed. Next, simply slice the pineapple into thin slices and then dice it into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the easier the salsa will be to scoop and eat.
Serving Suggestions
- Appetizer or a snack - Serve the pico de gallo with tortilla chips or crackers as an appetizer, starter, or as snack. It's perfect for when you just want something light and refreshing to snack on!
- Mexican dishes - Add it to steak tacos, fish tacos, enchiladas, nachos, or any Mexican-inspired dishes. It's also delicious in burrito bowls and any dishes with shrimp, pork, or steak!
- Bowls and salads - Spice up any rice bowls or salads with a couple of tablespoons of this salsa!
Storing and Make-Ahead Options
This salsa is best served right away. In general, it's true that if you let any salsa sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, all the flavors will marinate and blend together nicely, but this one releases a lot of water once you add salt and lime juice, so it's important to keep that in mind.
Making it ahead: If I know I'm going to serve it in a few hours instead of immediately, I'm going to store the salsa in the fridge without the salt and lime and then add those right before serving.
You can store the finished salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, you'll just have to spoon it into a different bowl for serving to avoid the extra water the pineapple and tomatoes released. There's nothing wrong with it, the tomatoes will always release lots of water after you add salt to them.
FAQs
Pico de gallo, also known as Salsa Fresca or fresh salsa, is a type of salsa made with fresh, uncooked tomatoes and other vegetables. Or, in this case, pineapple.
Yes but I recommend not adding the lime juice and salt the night before. It will draw out the water out of the tomatoes and pineapple and will turn very watery. Add the salt and lime right before serving.
Yes! It's basically a finely diced salad made with fresh fruits and vegetables you use as a side so it is very healthy and good for you!
Other Fresh Salsa Recipes
If you're looking for more salsas, definitely check out the recipes linked below! The Chipotle-inspired roasted corn salsa is especially my favorite! You can either serve these with tortilla chips or in tacos, burritos, or bowls. To see all appetizers, check out the Appetizers category.
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Have you tried this Pineapple Pico de Gallo? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Print📖 Recipe
Pineapple Pico de Gallo
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Pineapple Pico de Gallo is a tropical twist on the classic fresh salsa. Try it with tortilla chips or in tacos!
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple, peeled, core removed, diced into small bite-sized pieces
- 4 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed, finely chopped (2 cups)
- 1 cup packed finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (remove seeds or leave them in based on heat preference)
- 2 limes, juiced (approx. 3 tbsp juice)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Tajin (optional)
- Tortilla chips for serving (optional)
Instructions
- To dice the pineapple, remove the top and bottom of your pineapple and cut along the skin, removing all of it while trying to cut off as little pineapple as possible.
- Cut around the middle core and dice the pineapple into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Cut your tomatoes into quarters and remove the seeds. Dice them into similar-sized small pieces as the pineapple.
- Add the chopped pineapple, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno to a large mixing bowl.
- Add lime juice, sea salt, black pepper, and tajin (if using).
- Toss everything gently together to mix.
- Serve the pico de gallo with tortilla chips as an appetizer or in tacos, burritos, bowls, salads, or as a side with protein.
Notes
Storing: Once you add the juice and salt, the tomatoes will release a lot of water so I recommend adding them right before serving. If you're planning to store the salsa and serve it in a few hours instead of right away, I recommend storing it without the lime juice and salt. It's ok to be stored with them, it will just release a lot of water. The salsa will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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Ann says
This pico de gallo recipe was delicious! The pineapple was the perfect add, both taste wise and for some additional color!