Homemade Pineapple Juice – Refreshingly sweet and tangy with just the right amount of tartness, this drink is made from natural, fresh pineapples. It’s super easy to whip up, and every glass is loaded with nutrients. This drink is a tropical delight! 🏝
I couldn’t let summertime pass by without sharing my ultimate homemade juice recipe. You’re going to find yourself serving this juice for breakfast, lunch, backyard parties, dinner, basically anytime you need something fresh to wash down a tasty meal. It’s that refreshing.
Besides tasting great, this beverage is quite healthy. What are the benefits of drinking pineapple juice? It’s an immune system booster with lots of vitamin C and has anti-inflammatory properties. Seriously, what’s not to love about this golden tropical beauty? 💛
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
- Pineapple – One or two fresh, juicy pineapples will make plenty of refreshing juice for your family.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- For instantly cold pineapple juice, keep your pineapple in the refrigerator before juicing it. You can keep it in there whole or chopped.
- 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.
- 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
While pineapples are packed with nutrients for our body, it is still advisable to drink pineapple juice in moderation. Pineapples are pretty sweet, which means a daily glass of juice could cause you to overload on sugars and calories.
Mango and banana are two of my favorite pairings, but pineapple juice also goes great with all kinds of citrus fruits. Try mixing fresh pineapple juice with orange, grapefruit, strawberry, blueberry, or lime juice. 😋
You don’t have to toss it, that’s for sure! Use pineapple pulp in smoothies, cakes, or to top your yogurt and granola in the morning. The pulp maintains that tangy pineapple flavor and will give you a good dose of fiber. Did you know you can even save the peel of the pineapple to make pineapple peel tea?
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
- Pineapple Salsa
- Carrot Pineapple Cake
- Pineapple Cucumber Salad
- Rum Raisin Pineapple Ice Cream
- 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.
Pineapple Juice
Ingredients
- 1 medium fresh pineapple (about 4 cups)
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar, or more according to taste (optional)
- ½-1 lemon, juiced (optional)
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Using a long, sharp knife, slice off the bottom of the pineapple, cut off the top, then cut off the thick outer layer. (See note #1)
- Lay the pineapple on its side, slice it, remove the peel, and chop the pineapple flesh into chunks.
- Next, add the chunks to a food processor or blender, together with water and sugar (if using).
- Blend until a smooth puree with no chunks of fruit in the mix.
- Strain the juice using a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Be sure to press out all the juice from the cheesecloth.
- Adjust the taste and thickness of your juice with more water or sweetener.
- Serve immediately with ice cubes, and garnish with pineapple, lemon, or mint.
Tips & Notes:
- The pineapple skin and core have more flavor and enzymes than the pineapple flesh. You can wash the pineapple really well and blend the chopped peel and core in the juice, too.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Granny Pat says
I also put the “peel” in a large bowl and cover with water and leave in the fridge overnight. It makes a “lighter” but tasty refreshing drink.
Imma says
Good to know that, Thanks for sharing:)
Helena says
I love this recipe
Imma says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Much love!!!
Lallie says
Thank you for sharing more beautiful n delicious recipes
I love pineapples ,I did leave out sugar ,because of diabetes.
Wellington says
Can’t wait to try it sounds delicious
Mona says
Great can’t wait to try it .
ImmaculateBites says
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you !
Constance Dunn says
Thanks so much for this recipy. I love pineapple but I’m allergic to it. My grandauter loves it so I’ll try this recipy for her.
ImmaculateBites says
Aww. This is one lucky granddaughter! She will definitely love it!
The Book of Food says
My favourite ! 😀
peter smith says
I personally wouldn’t sweeten it – good pineapple is easily sweet enough
I don’t understand why you strain the fibre out of it
Apart from that using a blender looks far easier than cutting slices and eating them like that – messy
Try adding organic turmeric and ginger – works wonders for my arthric knees and feet – brilliant stomach soother too