Make the best Homemade Spicy Pineapple Sauce using a few ingredients in under 20 minutes. Slather it on baked ham, grilled chicken, veggies, fish, or shrimp for a sweet, savory, and spicy kick (vegan, gluten-free).

Here are some more pineapple recipes that I make at home using this summer fruit – Pineapple Banana Smoothie, and Kerala Style Pineapple Pachadi.

About Spicy Pineapple Sauce

This Homemade Spicy Pineapple Sauce is a delicious versatile sauce made using fresh pineapples and a few more simple ingredients.

It is sweet, tangy, spicy, and savory, all at the same time, and can be used in a variety of ways.

This pineapple sauce recipe is vegan and gluten-free and can be easily halved, doubled, or tripled as per your requirements.

Slather it over your holiday ham, grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp or use it to make rolls, sandwiches, etc, it’s going to perk up their taste.

Ingredients

Pineapple – You will need chopped pineapple and pineapple juice to make this recipe.

I prefer using fresh pineapple but if it’s not available, then you can use drained and rinsed canned pineapple too.

I also make Pineapple Juice at home but you can choose to use canned juice if you prefer.

Lemon Juice and Zest – Lemon juice and lemon zest add to the tanginess and make the sauce refreshing and flavorful.

Garlic – Garlic is one of those ingredients that instantly adds so much flavor to a simple recipe. You can peel the garlic beforehand and store it in the fridge so that it comes in handy whenever you want to use it in everyday cooking.

Red Pepper Flakes – To compensate for the sweet and tangy taste, add some spicy flavor with red pepper flakes. Adjust the quantity depending on how spicy you want it to be.

Rice Vinegar – Rice vinegar adds an earthy tanginess to the sauce. You can replace it with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Sugar – Brown sugar gives a nice dark color to the sauce and also enhances the sweetness.

Cornstarch – Cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce.

How To Make Pineapple Sauce

Preparation

Peel a medium-sized ripe pineapple using a sharp knife and chop the flesh into small cubes. To save time, you can buy already peeled and chopped pineapple. If using canned pineapple, then drain and rinse it before chopping.

Make pineapple juice. Skip if using canned juice.

Peel and chop the garlic.

Gather the remaining ingredients.

Make The Sauce

Add 2 cups (350 g) of cubed pineapple and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic to the jar of a blender or a food processor and blend to make a coarse mixture.

Note – Do not blend the pineapple too much. We are looking for a coarse texture here.

Add the pineapple mixture to a heavy bottom pan.

Add ½ cup pineapple juice, ¼ cup rice vinegar, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 6-8 minutes on medium heat. Stir a few times in between.

Mix 2 tablespoon cornstarch in ¼ cup water to make a thin slurry and add it to the pan.

Cook uncovered until the sauce thickens (3-4 minutes), stirring frequently.

Remove the pan from heat and let the sauce cool down to room temperature.

Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator and use as desired.

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations

You can add the following ingredients and give a twist to this delicious Pineapple Sauce

Cranberry – Add fresh or frozen cranberries while cooking the sauce to give it a very unique tangy taste. This Pineapple Cranberry Sauce is one of my fav variations of the classic recipe.

Habanero – Add some finely chopped habanero peppers in the sauce to give it a very nice spicy kick.

Jalapeno – You can replace habanero with Jalapeno peppers as well.

Mango – Pineapple Mango Sauce is a great variation of this classic recipe. Add a few cubed ripe mangoes along with pineapple to make this sauce.

Rum – Adding rum to my sauces is one of my fav things to do. It changes the taste a lot and gives a very earthy taste to the resultant sauces. Do try.

You can also replace pineapple juice with orange juicy for a citrusy sauce.

Usage Ideas

Pineapple Sauce is very versatile and can be used in many ways. Here are some of my favorites

Use it as a dipping sauce for appetizers like Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges, Vegetable Spring Rolls, etc.

It is a great glaze for baked chicken breast, pork, fish, ham, and shrimp. You can also brush it over grilled veggies like green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.

Thin it down a little with water and use it as a salad dressing.

Use it as a topping for hotdogs, meatballs, or tacos.

Slather it over sandwiches, rolls, etc.

Storage Suggestions

You can make this sauce in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.

If after refrigerating the sauce thickens, you can warm it in the microwave.