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Precut pineapple chunks and rings are super convenient, but there’s something special about buying a whole pineapple. Until it hits you: You don’t know how to cut a pineapple. Look, you’re not alone, and we’re here to help. Handling a pineapple isn’t simple; it can make the most dextrous of us feel a little clumsy. But with these tips on smart pineapple butchering, you’ll get one from market crate to fruit plate in no time at all.
Before we talk knife skills, a word on pineapple selection: Peak pineapple season typically runs March through July; finding a good one hinges on its ripeness when you buy it. Unlike some fruits, pineapples will not continue to ripen after being plucked, so choose wisely. Seek out fruit with a yellow rind, rather than green—a signal the flesh, packed with vitamin A and vitamin C, will be sweet and juicy. Give the bottom of the fruit a good sniff: It should smell pleasantly sweet. Gently squeeze the fruit: Does it give a little? Good.
Now, get that ripe-and-ready tropical fruit to the kitchen and follow our step-by-step guide to cutting a fresh pineapple. Soon you’ll be just a blender away from a homemade piña colada. Or how about arranging those perfectly cut rings in a pan to garnish a glistening pineapple upside-down cake? (Sorry, canned fruit, you’ve been sidelined until winter).
How to Cut a Pineapple
Lay the ripe pineapple on its side on a clean cutting board. Grab a sharp chef’s knife (not a serrated knife, which may release too much liquid). Hold the pineapple steady with your non-cutting hand and slice downward about ¼-inch into the rind to remove the spiky top of the pineapple. Spin the fruit 180 degrees and slice off the bottom of the pineapple in the same manner, mindful not to lose too much flesh on either side. You’re creating a flat, even base so your pineapple will remain steady as you continue to cut.
Stand the pineapple upright. Steady the pineapple with your non-cutting hand. Starting from the top, slice downward about ¼-inch inward from the rind, following the curvature of the fruit. Repeat, following the shape of the pineapple, turning as needed, until all the peel is removed.
At this point, you’ll have a relatively clean, cylindrical pineapple, but let’s do a little manicuring before we move on. Grab your paring knife and gently slice off any “eyes,” dark spots, or patches of rind that remain. You won’t want to eat those as is—but they can be used, along with the discarded rind and pineapple core, to make tepache, a Mexican fermented pineapple drink.
Are you looking to make chunks, spears, or wedges? Continue to step 5A. Are rings more up your alley? Skip to step 5B.
Keeping the pineapple upright, find the core (i.e., the fibrous dark yellow circle that runs through the center of the pineapple) and move your knife to the outer edge of it. Slice straight down, from top to bottom, to remove one big pineapple lobe. Set lobe aside. Turn pineapple a quarter-turn and slice down again, effectively cutting around the core. Turn the pineapple once more and repeat, then repeat one last time to cut off the final piece. You should have four large sections of pineapple flesh, plus the tough core. Discard the core or save it for another purpose.
Working with one section at a time, slice each primal pineapple cut into chunks, spears, or wedges. If you’re making something like pineapple salsa, this is a great time to cut the pieces even smaller, into a dice.
Once you’ve peeled your pineapple and removed any eyes, lay the pineapple on its side and begin to slice it into circles (you should target ¼-to-⅓-inches thick for, say, a cake).
Working with one circle at a time, use a small paring knife to carefully cut out the core. Or if you have a small round cookie cutter, grab that; it’s an excellent tool for quickly turning your pineapple rounds into pineapple rings. Discard the cores or save them for another use.
About special equipment
For this tutorial, the only essential tools are a couple of knives and a cutting board. But, for several reasons, you may want to invest in a pineapple corer: If you plan on breaking down pineapples frequently, or a bunch all at once—or if gripping and wielding a knife puts too much strain on your hands or wrists. Maybe you just want the job done more quickly?
A good pineapple corer makes hollowing out the fruit easy—especially useful if you want to use the pineapple shell for a drink or buffet presentation. You can cube the pineapple and pile it back into the empty shell for a fruit spread. Using a corer will save you a few minutes of prep time, but keep in mind you’ll be leaving extra pineapple flesh around the edges—if it’s a waste-free pineapple breakdown you’re after, stick to a knife.
About hacks
So you’ve seen the viral pineapple hack on TikTok and want to know if it actually works. The truth? Yes, but only sort of. A brief explainer for those not in the know: The “how to cut a pineapple hack” garnered over 870,000 likes and involves giving the fruit a few good thwacks and rolls before plucking out the individual “magically loosened” spikes with your bare hands. The big however here is that your pineapple must be impeccably ripe or you’ll never get those spikes out cleanly or without a lot of effort. Even if it is ripe, you’ll lose a lot of juice in the process. It’s a fun party trick (and maybe even a survival skill) but not practical for everyday pineapple consumption.
Pineapple storage tips
Once you’ve butchered your pineapple to perfection, pack the fruit into an airtight container. Eat the chunks raw, make a fancy fruit salad on the fly, or explore various pineapple recipes, both sweet and savory. Try some blackened shrimp and pineapple tacos; roast the wedges in a honey-orange syrup and top with crème fraîche and toasted nuts; or make a really good Hawaiian pizza.
Fresh cut pineapple will keep in the fridge 2–3 days. But if you get more volume than you can handle from your fruit-slicing session, you can totally freeze pineapple for later use. To do so, cut the pineapple in whatever form you’re most likely to use it. Lay the pieces (in chunks, rings, or whatever form you have) in a single, even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for a few hours. Once solid, transfer the pineapple pieces to a freezer bag.
Frozen pineapple blends nicely into slushies, smoothies, and, oh yeah, one more thing:
