How To Cut A Pineapple The Quickest And Easiest Way | One Good Thing by Jillee

While those containers of pre-cut fruit from the grocery store sure are convenient, they definitely aren’t cost-effective! They also tend to have a short shelf-life, which can result in more of your money going to waste if you’re not careful!

I’m not necessarily a whiz with a kitchen knife, but I can confidently cut most produce items on my own. The only thing I’ve preferred to buy pre-cut recently is pineapple because that’s one thing that I just didn’t feel confident about tackling blindly!

But I recently sat down and learned how to cut a pineapple, and I’m happy to report that it’s not nearly as difficult as I had imagined. And since pineapples are currently in season, and I love fresh pineapple in fruit salad, it’s a perfect time to learn how to cut one! :-)

How To Choose A Good Pineapple

The peak season for pineapples runs from March to July, and are harvested at peak ripeness so that they arrive at the store ready to eat! But if you want to guarantee your pineapple will be ready to eat that day, here are a few tips:

• Pick up a fresh pineapple and smell the bottom of the fruit. If it smells like ripe pineapple, it’s ready! If it smells somewhat fermented, it’s probably past its prime, and if it doesn’t smell much at all, it’s probably not quite ripe yet.
• The skin and leaves should have some shine on them, and the skin should feel firm with a slight amount of give.

Once you’ve picked the perfect pineapple and brought it home, all you need to do is cut it up! Luckily for us, it’s not as complicated as you might think.

How To Cut A Pineapple

You’ll need:

• Whole pineapple
• Sharp chef’s knife
• Paring knife
• Stable cutting board

Step 1 – Remove The Top & Bottom

Lay the pineapple on its side, then use your sharp knife to slice off the top and bottom ends of the pineapple.

Step 2 – Remove The Skin

Next, stand the pineapple upright on one of the cut ends. Starting from the top, carefully cut the skin away from the pineapple. Follow the natural curve of the fruit to preserve as much flesh as possible, and continue cutting away the skin until you’ve removed all of it.

Step 3 – Remove The Eyes

If larger “eyes” remain in the pineapple, cut them away with a small paring knife. Use shallow diagonal cuts to remove them.

Step 4 – Remove The Core

Next, you’ll remove the core of the pineapple. You can do this a couple of different ways depending on whether you want to end up with pineapple chunks, spears, or rings.

For pineapple chunks or spears:

• With the pineapple still standing on one end, cut the pineapple in half through the center.
• Cut each half lengthwise into 4 pieces, then cut the fibrous core away from each piece.

For pineapple rings:

• Lay the pineapple on its side, and carefully cut it into round discs of whatever width you want.
• Use a small, round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to remove the core from the center of each piece.

Step 5 – Cut Into Pieces

Once you’ve removed the core using either of the methods above, cut the remaining pineapple flesh into pieces if desired. You can also leave it as rings or spears if you want!

How To Store Cut Pineapple

Cut pineapple will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. If stored in an airtight container in your fridge, it will stay fresh a few days longer, about 3-5 days in total.

You can also freeze cut pineapple to keep it fresh for up to 12 months. Just put it in a freezer-safe bag and remove as much air as possible before placing it in the freezer.  Frozen pineapple is great for smoothies!

Don’t Know How To Cut Something? Ask Alexa!

• If you have an Alexa enabled smart speaker in your kitchen, you can get instant help with cutting just about anything!
• Just enable the Chop Chop skill, then say “Alexa, start Chop Chop.”
• If you have an Echo Show or an Echo Spot, you’ll be able to watch video tutorials about cutting and slicing all sorts of fruits and vegetables.
• They also have an audio version if your Alexa speaker doesn’t have a screen.
• Learn more about the Chop Chop skill here.

Do you avoid buying certain things because you’re not sure how to cut them?

Print

How To Cut A Pineapple

Buying whole produce is always cheaper than buying the pre-cut version, and that's especially true with pineapple! I'll show you how to cut a pineapple quickly and easily here.

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Jill Nystul

Cost $0

Equipment

• Sharp chef’s knife
• Paring knife
• Stable cutting board

Ingredients

• 1 whole pineapple

Instructions

• Lay the pineapple on its side, then use your sharp knife to slice off the the top and bottom ends of the pineapple.
  
• Next, stand the pineapple upright on one of the cut ends. Starting from the top, carefully cut the skin away from the pineapple. Follow the natural curve of the fruit to preserve as much flesh as possible, and continue cutting away the skin until you’ve removed all of it.
• If larger “eyes” remain in the pineapple, cut them away with a small paring knife. Use shallow diagonal cuts to remove them.
  
• Next, you’ll remove the core of the pineapple. For pineapple chunks or spears, with the pineapple still standing on one end, cut the pineapple in half through the center. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 pieces, then cut the fibrous core away from each piece.

  For pineapple rings, lay the pineapple on its side, and carefully cut it into round discs of whatever width you want. Use a small, round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to remove the core from the center of each piece.
  
• Once you’ve removed the core using either of the method above, cut the remaining pineapple flesh into pieces if desired. You can also leave it as rings or spears if you want!
  

Notes

How To Store Cut Pineapple

Cut pineapple will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. If stored in an airtight container in your fridge, it will stay fresh a few days longer, about 3-5 days in total.

You can also freeze cut pineapple to keep it fresh for up to 12 months. Just put it in a freezer-safe bag and remove as much air as possible before placing it in the freezer.  Frozen pineapple is great for smoothies!