Pineapple Pico de Gallo

A fun twist on salsa brings you this sweet and spicy pineapple pico de gallo. It’s refreshing and sweet from fresh pineapple combined with spicy jalapeno (or serrano) peppers. With just 6 ingredients, you can whip this up in no time.

Pico de gallo is often served with Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, and tortilla chips. But I’d even top this fresh salsa recipe on burgers, mixed into quinoa or brown rice, or loaded on this Mexican casserole.

This pineapple pico de gallo recipe makes a healthy snack that’s low in calories and virtually fat free. It’s inspired by my mango habanero salsa on the blog, and I highly recommend trying both, if you haven’t already. 😉

Jump to:

• What’s the difference between salsa and pico de gallo?
• Ingredients + Substitutions
• Instructions
• Variations
• Storage
• Expert Tips
• More Delicious Dips
• 📖 Recipe

What’s the difference between salsa and pico de gallo?

Pico de gallo (also known as salsa fresca) is made using fresh ingredients that are roughly chopped and tossed with lime juice.

Salsa also uses fresh ingredients, however, it is most often cooked down and gently mashed or blended.

Ingredients + Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Tomato: I like the robust flavour of beefsteak tomatoes (also known as hot house tomatoes). But roma tomatoes also work very well here.
• Pineapple: Choose fresh over canned or frozen for the best flavour. Make sure to use ripe pineapple for natural sweetness to balance the heat from the jalapeno pepper.
• Onion: White onion is best for its strong flavour and crisp texture and it won’t get too soft after sitting with the lime juice. If you prefer a sweeter flavour, you may use yellow onion, or choose red onion for zesty flavour.
• Jalapenos: You may also use serrano peppers, but I didn’t have any luck finding those in a store near me. I went with two jalapenos and included the seeds and membranes which made this pico nice and spicy. If you prefer a mild spice level, use only one pepper, and/or remove the seeds before finely chopping.
• Fresh cilantro: Adds fresh flavour throughout, and is a classic staple in pico de gallo, but if you’re not a cilantro fan, you may omit or use parsley instead.

Instructions

(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)

To prepare this easy pineapple pico de gallo, just dice and chop your ingredients.

That’s it! Easy peasy lemon (err… lime) squeezy. 😉

Serve with homemade tortilla chips, or grab a spoon and dig in.

Variations

You can change up the fruit choice in this pico de gallo each time you make it for a fun twist. Here are some fun and delicious alternative ideas for you:

• Peach pico – swap the pineapple for diced peaches.
• Mango pico – swap the pineapple for diced mango.
• Strawberry pico – use sliced or diced strawberries instead of pineapple.
• Blueberry pineapple pico – keep the recipe as is, but add half a cup of fresh blueberries to the mix. Or make it blueberry mango!

You can also experiment with different heat levels. Try habanero peppers, jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers, and hot banana peppers, or keep it sweet by using red or yellow bell peppers.

You may also want to check out my sweet and spicy mango habanero salsa.

Storage

Keep any leftover pico in an airtight container in your fridge for 2-3 days. It will get more liquidy the longer it sits, but the flavour is still delicious even after a few days.

These ingredients do not stand up well to freezing.

More Delicious Dips

If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.

Buon appetito

Rosa

📖 Recipe