What Is Candied pineapple and How Can I Use It?
Candied pineapple is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 45 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- Candied pineapple is fruit simmered in sugar syrup until glossy, intensely sweet, and shelf-stable for months.
- It is a baking ingredient for fruitcakes, holiday cookies, and panettone, not a snacking fruit.
- Dice it small and toss with flour so it spreads evenly and does not sink in batter.
- It is far sweeter and drier than canned pineapple, so the two do not swap one for one.
- Closest substitutes are candied cherries or citron; chopped dried pineapple gives chew with less sugar.
What is candied pineapple?
Candied pineapple is pineapple simmered in heavy sugar syrup until the fruit's water is replaced by sugar, leaving it glossy and intensely sweet with a firm chew. It is sometimes sold as glace pineapple.
It keeps for months because all that sugar locks moisture out and stops spoilage. You buy it in bright yellow rings or in diced cubes, often alongside candied cherries and citron in the baking aisle around the holidays.
This is a baking ingredient, not a fruit to snack on by the bowl.
How to Use Candied Pineapple
Candied pineapple is the workhorse of the holiday fruit-and-nut bake. It studs Christmas Fruit Cookies and the dense, boozy crumb of a Dark Christmas Cake, where its chew and sweetness stand in for fresh fruit that would never survive the long bake.
Dice it small so it distributes evenly and no one bites into a sticky lump. If your kitchen is warm the pieces clump together in the tub; tossing them with a spoonful of the recipe's flour breaks them apart and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.
It carries the candied-fruit load in a Lemon Fruitcake and a proper Italian Classic Panettone, and it chops into cookies or quick breads anywhere you want a jewel of sweetness with a bit of resistance.
Pairing and What to Watch
Candied pineapple belongs with the warm-spice, dried-fruit crowd: candied cherries, citron, raisins, dates, pecans, walnuts, brandy, and cinnamon. A little goes a long way against that backdrop.
The mistake to avoid is treating it like fresh or canned pineapple. It is far sweeter and much drier, so it adds almost no moisture and a lot of sugar; swapping it into a recipe written for canned fruit throws off both. The reverse swap fails just as badly.
The other slip is overloading a batter with candied fruit, which makes a cake heavy and prone to a sunken, greasy middle. Stay close to the amount the recipe calls for.
Substitutes
The closest swaps are other candied fruits used the same way: candied cherries, candied citron, or candied orange peel, matched cup for cup, though each brings its own flavor.
Dried pineapple, chopped, is the next best thing. It is chewy and concentrated like the candied kind but far less sweet, so it works when you want the texture without the sugar hit.
Golden raisins or chopped dried apricots stand in for color and chew in a fruitcake if pineapple is all you lack.
Buying and Storage
Look for pieces that are still soft and pliable, not rock-hard, which is a sign of age or drying out. Diced is the most useful form for baking; rings you will be chopping anyway.
Thanks to its sugar load, candied pineapple keeps a long time. Store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard for up to a year, and longer in the refrigerator.
If the pieces harden, a brief steam or a few minutes soaking in warm water or a splash of brandy softens them back up before you bake.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size unknown (100g)Quick facts
Where to find candied pineapple: Candied pineapple is usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Candied pineapple is a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 菠萝蜜饯
- British (UK) term
- Candied pineapple
- en français
- ananas confit
- en español
- piña confitada
How much does candied pineapple weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
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Related
Fruits and Fruit Juices
Recipes using candied pineapple
There are 45 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Classic Panettone
An Italian Christmas is not complete without this high-domed cylinder of fruit-studded sweet bread.
Vegan Christmas Cake
Vegan Christmas cake packed with candied pineapple, cherries, citrus peel, raisins, and currants, bound without eggs or dairy. A long-baking holiday fruitcake for slicing into thin festive servings.
Christmas Memory Fruitcake
Christmas memory fruitcake steams then bakes a bourbon-soaked, dense old-fashioned fruitcake loaded with Brazil nuts, raisins, candied fruit, figs, and warming spices. Heirloom holiday recipe.
Dark Christmas Cake
Dark Christmas cake is the real, old-fashioned fruitcake: dense with raisins, currants, figs, dates, and almonds, deepened with brown sugar, prune juice, and brandy, then aged in brandy-soaked cheesecloth. Make it now, slice it at Christmas.
Christmas Fruit Cookies
Just like little fruitcakes! I soaked my fruit in the bourbon overnight. Easy recipe to put together and great way to use extra fruit from making my fruitcakes.
Kay's Fruit Cake
No-egg fruit cake loaded with candied cherries, pineapple, dates, toasted coconut, and nuts, bound with sweetened condensed milk and glazed with orange juice and honey.
Jeweled Cookies
Buttery slice-and-bake cookies studded with candied fruit, walnuts, and raisins. Freeze the dough ahead, slice thin, and bake for festive sparkle in every bite.
Festive Fruitcake with Sweet Apricot Glaze
Festive holiday fruitcake loaded with pecans, candied pineapple, dates, golden raisins, and candied citrus peel. Laced with orange liqueur and aged up to three weeks.
Wedding Cake
Traditional wedding fruitcake with candied cherries, pineapple, dates, raisins, currants, citron, and nuts in a spiced batter. Slow-baked at low heat for a dense, rich loaf.
In Love with Chocolate
Heart-shaped chocolate cookies loaded with chocolate chips, topped with melted white chocolate and candied pineapple. A Valentine's Day cookie that's rich, fudgy, and festive.
Fig Fruit Cake
Fig fruit cake with dried figs, candied cherries, pineapple, walnuts, brandy, and unsweetened chocolate. A spiced holiday loaf baked low and slow for dense, sliceable richness.
Curried Fruit & Cream Pizza
Curried fruit pizza topped with apples, pears, banana, grapes, and candied pineapple simmered in curry cream on crispy pizza dough. Sweet, spicy, and totally unexpected.
Fruit Cake with O Nuts
Old-fashioned nut-free fruitcake with candied cherries, pineapple, grape jelly, and warm spices. Baked low and slow in three pans. Safe for nut allergies.
Kc's Fruitcake Drops
Fruitcake drop cookies with brandy, candied cherries, dates, candied pineapple, and nuts. All the holiday fruitcake flavor in a bite-sized cookie that bakes in 12 minutes.
Fantastic Fruitcake
No-flour fruitcake packed with pecans, walnuts, dates, candied cherries, pineapple, and coconut bound with sweetened condensed milk. Baked low and slow in a tube pan.
Rich Christmas Cake
This moist and delicious cake made with currants, raisins and apricots is perfect the for the holiday season!
White Holiday Fudge
Old-fashioned white holiday fudge loaded with brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, candied cherries, and pineapple. A cooked cream fudge that chills overnight and makes over 100 pieces for holiday gift giving.
English Rocks
English rocks cookies packed with candied cherries, candied pineapple, dates, and pecans in a spiced brown sugar-buttermilk batter. A dense, fruity holiday cookie baked low and slow.
Old Fashioned Fruit Cake #4
Old fashioned fruit cake with blackberry jam, fig preserves, watermelon rind preserves, candied cherries, pecans, and cocoa. Baked low and slow in a cast iron skillet.
Russian Cheese Babka
Russian cheese babka (pashka) with cream cheese, cottage cheese, candied fruits, golden raisins, and citrus zest, molded in cheesecloth overnight. A no-bake Russian Easter dessert.
Larry's Tropical Treats
Tropical drop cookies loaded with candied papaya, mango, pineapple, dried apricots, macadamia nuts, and white chocolate chunks. The fruitcake reimagined as a chewy island-style cookie.
White Christmas Fudge
Old-fashioned white Christmas fudge loaded with pecans, walnuts, candied cherries, and candied pineapple. Cooked to soft ball stage for a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Christmas Fudge
Old-fashioned Christmas fudge packed with candied pineapple, candied cherries, almonds, and pecans. Creamy, fruity, and nutty in every square, this holiday candy makes 80 pieces for gifting.
Carole's Christmas Cake
You will be singing Christmas carols after enjoying this decadent cake made with candied cherries and pecans.
Florentine Triangle Jewels
Florentine triangle cookies with a buttery shortbread crust, candied cherry and pineapple topping with almonds, and a semi-sweet chocolate drizzle. A stunning holiday cookie.
Apricot Fruitcake
Traditional fruitcake loaded with dried apricots, golden raisins, candied fruit, almonds, and cherries, aged for weeks for deep flavor.
Divinity & Variations
Old-fashioned divinity candy with holiday, chocolate, and ginger variations. The classic Southern white candy: cloud-light, melt-on-your-tongue texture, made by streaming hot syrup into beaten egg whites.
Christmas Rocks
Old-fashioned Christmas Rocks cookies bursting with candied fruit, dates, figs, pecans, raisins, and currants in a cocoa-spiced batter with a hint of coffee. Dense, chewy, and built to last.
Blond Fruitcake (Fat-Free)
This fat-free blond fruitcake is packed with candied pineapple, dried apricots, and peaches, held together with applesauce instead of butter. Aged in orange liqueur for deep, boozy flavor.
Light Fruitcake
Light fruitcake is the pale, buttery holiday classic: candied pineapple, cherries and citron with golden raisins, pecans and walnuts, brightened with lemon and vanilla, then brandy-soaked and aged for weeks.
No Bake Fruit Cake 2
No-bake fruitcake packed with candied cherries, pineapple, dates, raisins, and nuts, bound with sweetened condensed milk and crushed graham crackers. Refrigerate and slice.
Candied Holiday Fruitcake
This holiday fruitcake recipe may change your mind about fruitcakes. Golden, buttery, and chock full of fruits and nuts make this delicious from the first bite to the last.
Holiday Fruit Cake
Holiday fruit cake bakes candied pineapple, red and green cherries, golden and dark raisins, pecans, and oats into a nutmeg-mace spiced loaf. Wraps and keeps for weeks.
Candied Fruitcake
Jeweled candied fruitcake loaded with dates, candied pineapple, whole cherries, and 2 lbs of pecan halves. More fruit and nuts than batter. A stunning holiday gift cake.
Jewelled Fruitcake
Jewelled fruitcake studded with candied cherries, pineapple, dried apricots, and pecans in a mincemeat batter with sweetened condensed milk. A festive holiday cake.
Baked Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce
Traditional baked Christmas pudding with candied fruits, pecans, molasses, and warm spices, served with brandy sauce. A festive holiday dessert with an optional flambé presentation.
Heirloom Fruitcake
Heirloom fruitcake packs candied cherries, pineapple, citron, dates, raisins and pecans into a spice-laden batter, baked low and slow then aged a month with wine before serving.
Lemon Fruitcake
Southern lemon fruitcake with pecans, raisins, candied pineapple, and maraschino cherries. Light, golden, and lemon-forward, the alternative to traditional dark fruitcake.
Lemon-Pecan Fruitcake
Southern lemon pecan fruitcake with candied pineapple and cherries. A lighter, brighter alternative to dark rum fruitcake, loaded with nuts and citrus.
Bettie's Fruitcake Cookies
Honey-sweetened drop cookies spiked with dark rum and loaded with candied cherries, orange peel, pineapple, golden raisins, and walnuts. All the flavors of fruitcake in a single bite.
Glorious Golden Fruitcake
Make this delicious golden fruitcake to serve as a dessert, or wrap it up nicely as a gift.
Carolina Fruitcake
Very tasty fruitcake, all kinds of candied fruits in the cake, looks great, great flavor! Family and friends enjoyed it
Festive Fruit Cake Cookies
Festive fruit cake cookies loaded with candied cherries, pineapple, raisins, and brazil nuts with vanilla and almond extract. All the flavors of fruit cake in a quick drop cookie.
Fruit Cake Cookies
Fruit cake cookies loaded with candied cherries, candied pineapple, white raisins, and pecans with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Holiday baking in cookie form.
