How to Dehydrate Pineapple
Dehydrating pineapple is a great way to reduce waste and save it for later. It’s a delicious snack with no added sugar that tastes like candy. Learn how to dehydrate pineapple in the dehydrator or the oven in this handy guide.
Once you learn how to dehydrate pineapple, you’ll always be able to make a fresh supply of chewy, tangy, tart, naturally sweet, and completely natural candy! There are so many ways you can enjoy dried pineapple. You can eat it just the way it is, and it’s delicious! If you like experimenting, there are endless options to try.
Dehydrated pineapple can turn your morning oatmeal into a tropical treat. You could add it to homemade trail mix or granola or use it in baked goods like bread or muffins. And it makes a great garnish for fancy cocktails.
And, shhhh, it turns out that the top-secret ingredient in my neighbor’s ribbon-winning carrot cake is dried pineapple! I might share that recipe one day, so stay tuned.
This tangy dried fruit is also delicious on its own. I love taking it with me on the go for a mess-free snack. It contains just the right amount of natural sugar for a quick energy boost.
Whatever you do with your dried pineapple, it’s a sweet treat well worth making. This article shows how easy it is to dehydrate pineapple at home using two simple methods.
Why You Need This Recipe
- It’s a healthy, shelf-stable treat the whole family can enjoy. Dehydrated fruits in general are a delicious sweet snack. See my related list of the best gluten-free and dairy-free snacks.
- Pineapples can be expensive when they’re not in season or if they’re imported. Preserving pineapples this way is a cost-saver, and you can enjoy the tangy taste year-round.
- Dried pineapple is a mess-free, tasty and healthy snack. It’s perfect for adding some sweetness to a lunchbox, taking it on the trail, or just as a quick snack on the go.
What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
Dehydrating pineapple is so easy. You’re set if you have a ripe pineapple or even a can of pineapples and a dehydrator or oven! Here are some notes on the equipment you’ll need.
1. A Dehydrator or Oven
If you love dehydrated pineapple and other dehydrated foods as I do, a dehydrator is an excellent investment. Choose a medium or large sized one to get the maximum number of dehydrator trays.
But if you don’t have one, it’s okay; an oven will do the trick! Ideally, you’ll have an oven that will accommodate a low temperature for the drying process.
2. A Serrated Knife
Use a serrated knife to peel the pineapple and slice it into thin slices. Just be careful! Fresh pineapples have hard skins, which can be tricky to cut. Use a solid cutting board when slicing a whole pineapple
3. Storage Containers or Ziploc Bags
You can keep dehydrated pineapple for several weeks if you keep it in an airtight container in cool, dry conditions.
Because it’s such a delicious snack, you could divide it into snack-sized portions, store it in Ziploc bags, and grab one when you’re on the way to work, school, or the gym.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Dehydrating pineapple is super simple. You won’t need anything fancy to do it, and it only has one ingredient: fresh or canned pineapple!
Pineapple
Both fresh and canned pineapple are suitable for drying or dehydrating. Canned pineapple comes peeled and cored, so it makes it really easy. All you need to do is open the can, drain it, and slice it. Canned pineapples are also always ripe. The drawback is that they don’t always taste as good as fresh pineapple.
If you’re using a whole fresh pineapple, you’ll have to cut the tough skin off and core the fruit before you slice it into rings to dehydrate. You can also use a pineapple corer, although I find them difficult to use.
When choosing a fresh, ripe pineapple, the skin should be yellowish-brown, and the fruit should be mold-free. Pineapples should have glossy, fresh leaves, and the skins should be yellowish-brown. If you smell the pineapple at the base and it smells fruity and sweet, it’s ripe and ready! If it is scentless, it may be unripe.
Here are a few extra tips:
- Follow the instructions in your food dehydrator manual for the best results. If your pineapple slices are thicker than ½-inch, they could take up to 14 hours to dry. Keep checking on the slices until they’re pliable but not sticky or too moist.
- OVEN instructions: Preheat your oven to 175°F. Slice the pineapple into ½-inch thick rings. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Carefully lay the slices or cut pineapple pieces out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in an even, single layer. Place the baking sheet into the oven for 6 to 8 hours. You can also use the lowest temperature on your oven, but it may extend the time to remove all the excess moisture.
- Pineapples become sweeter when you dry them, so expect a sweet burst of tropical flavor, and don’t be tempted to add additional sweetener.
- You can slice your pineapple slices as thick or thin as you want them. The thicker the slices are, the longer they will take to dry. The thinner the slices, the crispier they will become.
Recipe FAQs
If you seal your homemade dried pineapple well, it should keep for around 2 to 4 weeks stored in the pantry or even longer in the fridge. However, I’d recommend making extra because dried pineapple is so tasty; it usually doesn’t last that long!
Keep your dry pineapple at room temperature in an air-tight container in cool location away from direct sunlight. You can also store it in a glass jar with a lid. For long-term storage, consider using a food saver device that will suck the air and any moisture condensation out of plastic container.
Yes, in moderation. All dried fruit has vitamins and fiber but also has natural sugars. Even though you don’t add sugar to the fruit, it still contains a significant amount of natural sugar. Compared to conventional snack foods, dehydrated pineapple is pretty healthy, as long as you consider it a treat and not something you can eat all day long, even though that could be tempting!
No, you don’t! Pineapple is one of the easiest foods to dehydrate. Some fruits tend to discolor or deteriorate during drying, so you have to blanch them. Pineapples may lose some color, but they shouldn’t turn too brown.
It’s natural for your dried pineapple to turn brown. Food manufacturers often add a preservative called sulfur dioxide to dried fruits to preserve the color. But, there are some health risks to consuming or breathing sulfur dioxide.
You may try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to your pineapple before drying to help preserve its yellow color. But, don’t be surprised if it turns a little brown during the drying time.
Yes, but it’s going to take a lot longer than if you try to dehydrate slices or rounds. If you have pineapple chunks, you may try slicing them in half so they won’t take as long to remove the moisture.
More Dehydrator Recipes You Might Like
- Dehydrated Watermelon
- Healthy Seed Crackers
- How to Dehydrate Green Beans
- Carrot Juice Pulp Crackers
- Homemade Beet Powder
- How to Dehydrate Carrots
- How to Dry Beets
Don’t Miss These Pineapple Recipes
How to Dehydrate Pineapple
Dehydrating pineapple is a great way to reduce waste and save it for later. It’s a delicious snack with no added sugar that tastes like candy. Learn how to dehydrate pineapple in the dehydrator or the oven in this handy guide.
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 ripe pineapple
Instructions
- Remove the pineapple skin and core it, or drain the canned pineapple thoroughly.
- Slice the pineapple into ½-inch thick rings.
- Carefully lay the slices out onto the dehydrator sheets in a single layer, leaving enough space between each piece to ensure they dry evenly. See notes for oven instructions.
- Place the sheets into the dehydrator for 6 to 8 hours.
- Start checking on your pineapple every 30 minutes after it’s been in for around 6 hours.
- Once your pineapple is dried, turn the dehydrator off and allow it to cool completely.
- Store your tasty treat in a cool, dark environment in an airtight container.
Notes
- Follow the instructions in your dehydrator manual for the best results. If your pineapple slices are thicker than ½-inch, they could take up to 14 hours to dry. Keep checking on the slices until they’re pliable but not sticky or too moist.
- OVEN instructions: Preheat your oven to 175°F. Slice the pineapple into ½-inch thick rings. Carefully lay the slices out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in an even layer. Place the baking sheet into the oven for 6 to 8 hours.
- Pineapples become sweeter when you dry them, so expect a sweet burst of tropical flavor, and don’t be tempted to add additional sweetener.
- You can slice your pineapple slices as thick or thin as you want them. The thicker the slices are, the longer they will take to dry. The thinner the slices, the crispier they will become.
- Dehydrated pineapple will be dry but pliable when it’s properly dried. It won’t be sticky but can be crispy if you slice it very thinly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Snack
- Method: Dehydrator
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 75
- Sugar: 14.9 g
- Sodium: 1.5 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.8 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 0.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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I absolutely love pineapples. Fresh or dehydrated, any way they are amazingly tasty. I love your easy going down to the facts blog. I’m interested in long term storage of pineapple. How long do you think these can last if vacuum sealed? Waiting for your reply.
They will last many many months if dehydrated all the way and vacuum sealed.
I love, love, love dehydrated pineapple!!!