Homemade Pineapple Juice – Immaculate Bites

Picking the Right Pineapple for Pineapple Juice

There’s only one rule I follow in choosing the best pineapple for juice, and that is to use your nose. Smelling its base can tell how ripe and fresh a pineapple is. If a pineapple doesn’t have much of a smell, it may have been harvested too early, or it just might not be very sweet. Keep searching. On the other hand, if you find one with a strong, sweet pineapple aroma, you’ve got a winner. 🏆

Recipe Ingredients

1. Pineapple – One or two fresh, juicy pineapples will make plenty of refreshing juice for your family.
2. Sugar – Pineapple is pretty sweet as is, but you can add a couple of tablespoons of table sugar to sweeten it up even more. If you like purely natural fruit drinks, you can omit the sugar.
3. Garnishes – Lemon, mint, or pineapple chunks all make pretty (and tasty) garnishes for this juice.

How to Make Pineapple Juice

Cut the Pineapple

• Cut the Ends – Using a long, sharp knife, start by slicing off the top and bottom of the pineapple.
• Peel – Next, cut off the thick outer layer (the peel).
• Slice – Lay the pineapple on its side and slice it, coring each slice as you go.
• Chunks – Finally, chop it into chunks.

Make the Juice

• Puree – Toss the pineapple chunks in a food processor or blender, together with the water and sugar (if you’re adding it). Blend it all until you have a smooth puree with no chunks of fruit.
• Strain the juice using a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Be sure to press or squeeze out all the juice from the fruit fiber.
• Taste Test – Give it a taste and adjust the sweetness and thickness by adding more water or sugar.
• Serve immediately over ice and garnish with pineapple chunks, lemon slices or wedges, or mint leaves.

Recipe Variations

1. Make my all-time favorite pineapple juice cocktail: a pina colada! Combine your fresh pineapple juice with coconut cream, milk, and a healthy dose of rum and lime juice to turn this recipe into a homemade tropical cocktail.
2. Blend your pineapples with cooled ginger tea instead of plain water to make pineapple ginger juice. The added spicy flavor of the ginger is so delicious.
3. Turn plain old pineapple juice into pineapple lemonade with just a few extra ingredients. Add a generous dose of lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of lime juice, and you’ve got a tropical lemonade that will help you beat the summer heat. ☀️

Tips and Tricks

1. For instantly cold pineapple juice, keep your pineapple in the refrigerator before juicing it. You can keep it in there whole or chopped.
2. Use a sharp knife to cut up the pineapple, otherwise, removing the skin will be a real challenge. A sharp knife will be helpful if you need to cut out any leftover pineapple eyes.
3. If you’re in a tropical climate (or have a greenhouse), you can plant the pineapple top in your garden to start growing your own pineapple! It’s really that easy.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can easily make this juice a day ahead. Just follow the instructions and store the juice in a covered pitcher in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve fresh pineapple juice cold, preferably poured over ice cubes. Pineapple juice in the fridge should stay good for three days if stored in a pitcher with a lid.

You can freeze pineapple juice too. Store it in an airtight container, leaving at least ½ inch of headspace at the top of the container, so the juice has room to expand as it freezes. It will keep for three months. When ready to use it, simply defrost it in the fridge the night before serving.

FAQs

What Goes with Pineapple Juice

I love a cold glass of pineapple juice with plantain chips and mango salsa. It is my number one favorite summer snack.

That said, pineapple juice would go great with any meal with a tropical flair. I also like pairing this juice with Jamaican curry shrimp, jibarito, or Cajun Stuffed Chicken. 🤤

More Fabulous Pineapple Recipes to Try

1. Pineapple Salsa
2. Carrot Pineapple Cake
3. Pineapple Cucumber Salad
4. Rum Raisin Pineapple Ice Cream
5. Pineapple Chicken

Conclusion

Take advantage of the summer bounty and put this pineapple juice recipe on your weekly rotation! What is your favorite fruit juice? Drop a comment below, and let me know your favorite variations.

Watch How To Make It

This blog post was originally published in August 2019 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.