If you ever tried looking for a pineapple filling and ended-up not finding it, I say just make it. It is so quick, easy and budget friendly. This Homemade Pineapple Filling is thick, with just the perfect level of sweetness, but best of all, it is budget friendly and convenient to have a home ready for use whenever you need it. It is so easy to make that as long as you have 3 of the main ingredients, you can make it anytime. Crushed pineapple, sugar and cornstarch (for thickener) is all you need, I am assuming you already have salt available to you. The lemon juice and vanilla extract are option, but if you have them, use it. The lemon juice adds tartness to balance the sweetness of the filling. It also helps thicken the sauce.

This Homemade Pineapple Filling is so easy to make with only few ingredients needed. It’s thick with just the right thickness and more chunks of pineapple bits in every spoonful. Use it for pie or tart filling, for making crumb bars, or for toppings for cakes. You will love this! 

I tried and tried but I was not able to find a pineapple filling in the grocery where I usually shop. Either I just cannot find it but it’s somewhere there or it just doesn’t exist.  So I decided to end my search and took action. I made my own pineapple filling and I wished I did not waste my time finding one in stores because this ended up to be amazing. Of course I couldn’t compare because I never tried store bought version (assuming they exist) but it is not only me saying this. Some readers who have tried this love it too, so take our word for it and join the club. 

This is a simple and quick pineapple filling that can be used for Cake, Tart, Pie and Piña Colada Crumb Bars. It is not as thick, heavy and sweet as regular jam like Strawberry Jam, Blackberry Jam or Raspberry Jam, but it does have really nice texture and taste. I used canned crushed pineapple for this recipe making it even easier to make. I haven’t tried using fresh pineapple, but I think that would work fine too, with minor adjustment in amount of sugar and cooking time. Let’s get started!

About This Recipe

• Ease in Making the Recipe: This is a very easy recipe. This is more of cooking than baking which makes it even easier. Less ingredients and simple steps. The most that you will do is to cook the pineapple mixture and wait for it to thicken. You will need to stir it from time to time to avoid sticking to pan, that’s about it. The most of the work will be done by your stove. It’s a teamwork, only you are doing less but benefiting more. 
• Ingredients: This is a shortcut version because it uses canned crushed pineapple. This makes the process a LOT faster and easier, and because caned is available all year round, you can make it any time of the year even if the pineapple are not in season. I am not really a fan of cutting pineapple. This is one recipe that I would recommend using canned over fresh fruit. With the canned, you are already sure that it is sweet so the amount of sugar you add is consistent every time you make it. With fresh pineapple, it will vary depending on how sweet the pineapple. The cooking time will vary too. The more ripe hue pineapple, the less time you need to cook it. Again with canned, the cooking time is fairly the same. I said fairly because it will depend on the level of heat that you use. Once you make it once or twice, you’ll immediately know it by heart. I like to simmer mine in medium low heat but then again, we could all have different measure of what medium low heat is and whether you are using stove top or convection. You get what I mean. 
• Texture, Taste & Flavor: It has the right (maybe perfect) thickness and consistency. Not too watery, not too sugary and you can reallly taste and see bits and pieces of pineapple. There’s more pineapple than sugar sysrup in this filling and that make this better than store-bought, that is if you can find one 🙂 The sweetness is just right, not too sweet. If you want it sweeter, you can add more sugar just pay close attention to cooking time as it can thicken and burn easily.
• Make-Ahead: Definitely Yes! This keeps long in the refrigerator because of the amount of sugar in it. Consider the sugar the preservatives. This is a small batch, only 1 can of pineapple which is more than enough for my small batch baking. Small pie, tart, crumb bars and cake. This recipe is very forgiving, double or triple it as you wish. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your preference. The more sugar, the sweeter it will be and the sticker and thicker it will be.

Ingredients:

• 1 (20-ounce) can crushed Pineapple
• 1/2 cup granulated Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract – optional

Instructions:

1. Cook the Pineapple Mixture: In a large sauce pan, mix together crushed pineapple (including the juice), sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 35 – 40 minutes or until the pineapple mixture has reduced and thickened. Add the vanilla extract and stir. The longer you simmer the mixture, the thicker it will get. I find 40 minutes is the best for a balanced thickness. Adjust to your preference.
2. Cool: Set aside to cool completely before using as a filling. This is a MUST. It will get thick as it cools down.

Recipe Note:

• I have not tried using fresh pineapple but I think it will work as well but you have to adjust the sugar depending on how sweet the pineapple. The sweeter the pineapple, the lesser sugar you will need. You might also need to increase the cooking time until the pineapple totally soften and the sauce thickens. This recipe is the quick version because you do not need to peel and cut the pineapple.

Are you ready for some hands-on practice? Check out my Piña Colada Crumb Bars and put this amazing and simple homemade pineapple filling to use.

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