How To Cut Pineapple: The Easiest Way to Slice and Dice

If you are like me you will absolutely love eating pineapple that has been freshly cut. You just can’t beat the freshness and flavor of this tropical fruit over the canned fruit. Knowing how to cut and prepare this tropical fruit is really easy once you follow the steps below. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps of cutting a pineapple the best way. We will also examine a few other ways to cut a pineapple, including creating a visually stunning pineapple boat.

Slicing a pineapple is a breeze: trim both ends, peel from top to bottom, then quarter it by slicing around the core. Dice the quarters and save or juice the core as desired.

That’s the simple technique in a few words, now keep reading for the step-by-step guide with accompanying videos for this technique along with many other techniques explained in full below.

In this article, we will cover the following:

Basic Pineapple Cut Method: Fastest and Easiest!
Pineapple Spiral Method: Slower but preserves more flesh and less waste.
Pineapple Boat Method: Requires some practice, but the results are eye-catching.
Pineapple No Knife Method: A really simple way to open a pineapple without a knife using just your hands.

Read on and let’s delve into these methods.

Method 1: Basic Cut For Removing Skin and Dicing Pineapple

Watch the video then follow the step-by-step guide below for the basic pineapple cut.

This is the fastest and easiest method to remove the skin from the pineapple. The total time taken is under 4 minutes.

1. Begin by choosing a ripe pineapple; if uncertain, consult the guide How To Pick A Ripe Pineapple and How To Ripen A Pineapple Fast and Easy. Gather a chopping board and a sharp knife.
   
2. Position the pineapple in a horizontal upright position and remove the crown and base.
   
3. With the pineapple upright, cut close to the skin downwards until you reach the base. Repeat this until you work your way around the whole pineapple.
   
4. Shave any small amounts of green skin off the pineapple until all green skin has been removed.
   
5. Eliminate any remaining eyes. Utilize a small, sharp knife to delicately eliminate the circular eyes. Cut at a slight angle under each eye, ensuring minimal waste. Carefully examine for any remaining eyes.
   
6. Finally, cut the pineapple into rings or chunks as per your preference.

This technique can result in some waste since it involves cutting deeper into the fruit as you peel the skin.

This leads us to the second method which takes a bit more skill and is longer to carry out but results in less wastage. It is called the Spiral Method.

For the differences between fresh pineapple and canned pineapple please read this article: Differences Between Canned Pineapple and Fresh Pineapple. We also show you the nutritional differences.

Method 2. Spiral Method For Removing Pineapple Skin

This is the best method for ensuring you keep as much of the edible pineapple available. It takes a little longer and requires some skill, but is easy to master.

Take a look at the video below to see the Spiral Method for Removing Pineapple skin then read the step-by-step guide that follows.

The spiral method for cutting the skin off a pineapple is slower, taking about 7 minutes, but yields the most fruit.

1. Make sure you have a fresh ripe pineapple, a sharp knife, and a chopping board.
   
2. Lay the pineapple on its side on the chopping board. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice off the crown (top) and the base (bottom) of the pineapple. This will create flat surfaces for stability.
   
3. Stand the pineapple upright on the chopping board.
   
4. Carefully make a cut from the top of the pineapple to the base of the pineapple, staying as close as possible to the outer skin.
   
5. Repeat this process until all of the skin is removed.
   
6. Ensure you remove any green fragments of skin that are still remaining on the pineapple.
   
7. Find an eye at the bottom of the pineapple. You will notice the eyes line up in a spiral pattern around the pineapple from bottom to top. Carefully cut a v groove and work the knife beside the eye and upwards in a spiral motion. Leave as much flesh around the eye as possible.
   
8. You should be left with a very attractive-looking pineapple without brown eyes, which is sure to be an eye-opener on any occasion.

The above picture shows this spiral cut in action. But there are so many other attractive pineapple cuts so let’s take a look at a very popular one on YouTube which is the Pineapple Boat Cut.

If you are wondering about the differences between pineapple and apple then you need to take a look at this article: Pineapple vs Apple

Method 3: Pineapple Boat Cut For An Attractive Display

The pineapple boat method is a great way to serve up your pineapple pieces attractively. Take a look at the video below to see this method in action. It takes less than 5 minutes from start to finish once you have mastered the method.

In the next method, we look at opening a pineapple without a knife. We prove if this is possible or not by actually trying it for ourselves.

Method 4: How To Open A Pineapple Without A Knife

This method takes on 2 minutes and the results are amazing. I didn’t think it was possible to do this and I had seen some videos on YouTube that said that it wasn’t possible unless you scoured the pineapple beforehand with a knife. But after trying it for myself I can say it definitely is possible and easy enough.

Here is the method below and be sure to watch the video above as well.

Let’s make opening a fresh, ripe pineapple a hands-on and enjoyable experience:

1. Begin with a fresh, juicy pineapple and place it on a trusty chopping board.
   
2. Now, here comes the fun part: give the pineapple’s base a good, solid bang on the chopping board about 10 times. This might seem a little odd, but it’s all part of the adventure.
   
3. Lay the pineapple on its side, and let’s get ready to roll.
   
4. Roll the pineapple back and forth, putting some gentle downward pressure with your palms. The more rolls, the merrier!
   
5. As you keep rolling, you’ll start to notice a delightful change – the pineapple will become soft to the touch. When you press it, it should give way with a welcoming softness.
   
6. Now, the real treasure hunt begins. Select one of those knobby eyes near the base of the pineapple, and it’s time to put your thumbs to work. Gently dig in around the eye.
   
7. Once you’ve dug in, give that eye a little tug. It should come out, bringing with it a triangular piece of the delicious pineapple flesh.
   
8. There you have it – your first sweet reward! Now, all that’s left is to savor and enjoy that juicy piece.
   
9. Ready for more? Great! Repeat this process, working your way around and up the pineapple, unearthing those succulent, eye-shaped gems as you go.

Now you’re all set to enjoy your ripe, fresh pineapple in a unique and engaging way. Happy munching!

Conclusion

The best and fastest way to remove the skin from a pineapple is by using the basic traditional cut. The spiral cut is also good but takes a little longer and requires more skill making it slower. The end result of the spiral cut is a pleasing artistic-looking pineapple with maximum flesh.

The no-knife hack to open a pineapple is fun to try and the boat cut is another attractive way to dish up your pineapple.

Now that you have plenty of diced-up pineapple you might consider freezing some of it. You might like to check out our article: Can Pineapple Be Frozen to find the very best way to freeze your pineapple pieces.

Did you know you can also grow pineapples in Florida? Check out this article: How To Grow Pineapples in Florida to see how.