Brazilian Cinnamon Pineapple

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I first tried Cinnamon Pineapple last year at a Brazilian steakhouse restaurant on Christmas Day. My first thoughts were, ugh, hot pineapple – that sounds wrong. No! I was the one that was wrong – This sweet, delicious softened pineapple is such a welcome treat either during meat courses or just after as a palate cleanser before dessert.

This Cinnamon Pineapple side dish goes brilliantly with salty meat dishes or is brilliant as a snack on its own. It makes a wonderful addition to this Balsamic and Honey Chicken Salad dish. If you are looking to cut out dairy in your life, you can replace the cheese with fresh pineapple in these Chicken, Rocket and Cheese Falutas.

Of course, it also serves as an delicious dessert, simply served with vanilla ice cream.

Why you will enjoy making and eating this Cinnamon Pineapple?

• This easy snack is super tasty and quick to make.
• Using only a few easy to find simple ingredients, it is a great treat for adults and children alike.
• The amount of sugar can be reduced if you are looking for a healthier snack.

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About Pineapple

There’s no denying this recipe contains butter and sugar, but that doesn’t mean you still won’t get several benefits from eating Pineapple:

Health Benefits of Pineapple

Bromelain – Pineapple is the only known food to contain the enzyme, Bromelain which has anti-inflammatory properties. Bromelain can help tissue healing, aiding recovery from injury and accidents. In turn, this Bromelain can help fight off too much inflammation, potentially supressing the growth of certain cancers and tumours. What a fruit!

Beat off Coughs and Colds – The anti-inflammatory properties of Bromelain amazingly also help off coughs and colds, so get eating!

Pain Relief – Many people who suffer from conditions such as arthritis and osteo-arthritis also add pineapple to their diets, reporting that the Bromelain can help relief pain due to reducing inflammation.

Fibre – Pineapple contains loads of fibre, helping your digestion system.

Healthy Fruit – we are constantly told to eat the rainbow and a variety of fruit and vegetables are important in our diet. Pineapple is low in calories, cholesterol, sodium and fat.

Vitamins – As well as being rich in Vitamin C, you can also find Vitamin A, Manganese, Zinc, Calcium and Phosphorus in pineapples.

Beware though, eating unripe fresh pineapple can cause stomach upsets, so avoid.

Fresh or Canned Pineapple?

This pineapple recipe is best using fresh whole pineapple but tinned pineapple slices can also work. I would avoid the pineapple in syrup as this adds to the calories and is super high in added sugar, but pineapple in juice can work too if well drained and patted dry with kitchen roll before grilling.

How to cut fresh pineapple?

For this recipe, long thin pineapple spears or pineapple wedges work best. Really this is only due to ease of spreading the buttery brown sugar cinnamon glaze on top of the pineapple.

I just cut down the length of the pineapple to remove the outer skin, then cut sliced pineapple, around 1cm thick.

If you want to really cut down the minutes of prep time, you can use a pineapple corer, slicer and peeler. We love ours – Makes preparing pineapple so quick and easy with very little waste!

When is pineapple at its best?

Pineapple is traditionally in season in the UK between December and March. In the US this changes to March through to September in some states.

How to store pineapple?

Before chopping, fresh pineapple should be stored at room temperature where it will last for around 3 days.

Once chopped, store in the fridge in a bowl covered in plastic or wax wraps for up to another 3 days.

If you are only intending on using half of a pineapple, cut the top half off then place on a plate with the chopped side down in the fridge to keep at its freshest.

Ingredients for making Cinnamon Brazilian Pineapple

Pineapple – See above for guidance. I have shown the pineapple chopped into both pineapple rings and pineapple chunks in the method below.

Cinnamon – I use Costco Ground Saigon Cinnamon which is far stronger and pungent than traditional supermarket’s own ground cinnamon. If you are a big lover of cinnamon, then feel free to add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon.

Sugar – Soft sugar is better than granulated as you don’t really want the crunch of granulated. I used soft light brown sugar purely as it looks slightly better than dark soft brown sugar.

Butter – Melted for 30 seconds in the microwave.

Tools you will need

Grill Pan – You can at a push cook your pineapple in the oven grill but you won’t get that same caramelised texture that you will from having your piece of pineapple directly touching the pan.

Pastry Brush – This needs to be a fairly slim one. A sterilised (and unused) paintbrush can also be used for painting your cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Sharp knife or pineapple cutter.

Shallow dish for placing the pineapple in as soon as it is cooked/grilled.

Method for making Cinnamon Pineapple

Full detailed instructions of ingredient amounts are available in the recipe card below:

1. Add together the melted butter, cinnamon and sugar.
2. Mix together until fully combined.
3. Using a small pastry brush, brush the cinnamon sugar mixture onto one side of the pineapple.
4. Place in a preheated grill pan, cinnamon side down and then brush the remaining brown sugar mixture on the side that is face up. Keep the pineapple in a single layer in the grill pan – it is worth it as you have to be on the ball for turning over before it catches and burns.
5. Cook on a low heat for around 3-4 minutes each side until the sugar mixture starts to caramelise. It will be a messy pan, the buttery cinnamon mixture does run about – this recipe is definitely about the taste rather than being a pretty dish. If you have chopped your pineapple quite thickly then cook for a little longer to make sure it is softened all the way throughout the fruit. This will also ensure you are left with really sweet pineapple rather than a tarty centre.
6. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Other Pineapple Dishes that you may enjoy

Honey Balsamic Peaches and Pineapple – This is another recipe that experiments with the taste and texture of fruit. Fruit never needs to be boring!

Cherry and Pineapple Crunch Crumble – An absolute favourite. The crunch of the topping goes so well with the delicious fruit (which in this case comes from a tin).

Apple and Pineapple Eve’s Pudding – With memories of school dinners, Eve’s pudding is so comforting. Serve with ice cream for a real treat!

Tropical Ginger Traybake – Pineapple is such a versatile fruit. In this cake I pair up the juicy pineapple for the tropical fruit with the mild heat of ginger.

Helen is a Blogger, Food Writer, Marketing Manager and Cake Expert. Go here to read the story of Helen and the Costello Family.