Pineapple Delight Recipe

Deliciously Creamy Pineapple Delight, or pineapple lush, is a nostalgic dessert that's perfect for summertime!

My Aunt Daphne has been making Pineapple Delight for summertime family get-togethers for years. I love all things pineapple and this dessert is so, so good! This is one of those recipes where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts so to speak. I don't know if it's the subtle crunch from the graham crackers, the tang from the pineapple, or the luscious whipped cream that makes it light but it's just incredible.

When I graduated from high school, she made this pineapple dessert for the party. Knowing it was my favorite, she handed me my very own container to save for later!

This recipe is a riff on her classic easy dessert. I am not using marshmallow fluffy or whipped topping, however, scroll down for my Aunt Daphne's classic recipe.

🧂 Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this great recipe:

• graham crackers
• butter
• pineapple
• salt
• whipping cream
• granulated sugar
• brown sugar

🔪Instructions

This is meant to be a brief overview of the recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Crush the graham crackers either with a rolling pin or pulse them in the food processor. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the crumbs.
3. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup of melted butter. After that, press the crumbs into an 8x8 pan.
4. Reserve ½ cup of graham cracker crumbs for the topping.
5. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325 degrees F.
6. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream.
7. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the sugars and chopped pineapple into the whipped cream.
8. Once the base is completely cooled, add the pineapple mixture to the baking dish.
9. Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top.
10. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

📖 Variations

Because we test all our recipes, we recommend that you make them once just as it is without substitutions or changes. Sometimes variations can go awry. Making our Pineapple Delight recipe as we have tested it will yield the best results. If you really want to get creative, here are some ideas for variations that might work well. (Please note, we have not tested these variations).

• Instead of graham crackers, you could also use crushed vanilla wafers.
• Add 1 cup of toasted coconut on top instead of additional graham cracker crumbs.
• Instead of pineapple, use fruit cocktail. (Be sure to drain first).

Shortcut Version

Here's how to make this incredible dessert a little quicker:

• Use 14 ounces of crushed pineapple, drained.
• You can substitute whipped topping such as Cool Whip instead of making your own whipped cream.

🍴 Serving Suggestions

Serving Pineapple Delight in gorgeous martini glasses is a fun way to dress it up. I grilled some extra pineapple pieces and added them to the glasses. Another great topping would be a sprinkle of toffee chips.

😋 Similar Recipes

If you're having a cookout, this is a great make-ahead dessert, too! You might also like these easy no-bake recipes for your get-together:

• no bake strawberry cheesecake bars
• banana icebox cake
• tiramisu cups

Not ready to make pineapple delight yet?

Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!

Pineapple Delight

Sweet pineapple, whipped cream, and graham crackers are the most delicious (and easy!) summertime dessert!

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pineapple delight

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 servings

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Ang Paris

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Ingredients

For the Crust

• 2-½ cups graham crackers about 18 crackers
• ½ cup salted butter melted
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the Pineapple

• 2 cups fresh pineapple chopped (if canned, be sure to drain the liquid)

For the Whipped Cream

• 8 oz whipping cream
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

For the crust

• Preheat the oven to 325-degrees F.
• Crush the graham crackers either with a rolling pin or pulse them in the food processor. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the crumbs.
  2-½ cups graham crackers, 1 teaspoon salt
• Combine the graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup of melted butter. After that, press the crumbs into an 8×8 pan.
  ½ cup salted butter
• Reserve ½ cup of graham cracker crumbs for the topping.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 325-degrees F.

For the Whipped Cream

• For best results, place your bowl and beater in the freezer for 10 minutes before making whipped cream.
• In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the whipping cream, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of syrup.
  8 oz whipping cream
• Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Take care not to overbeat the whipped cream or it will turn into to butter.

Putting the Dessert Together

• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the sugars and the pineapple into the whipped cream.
  2 cups fresh pineapple, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
• Once the base is completed cooled, add the pineapple mixture to the baking dish.
• Sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top.
• Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Shortcut Version:

Here’s how to make this incredible dessert a little quicker:

• Instead of fresh grilled pineapple, use 14-ounces of crushed pineapple, drained. You won’t get the same flavor profile, but it will save you time.
• You can substitute whipped topping such as Cool Whip instead of making your own whipped cream as well.

How to Prepare a Pineapple

1. Start with a sharp knife. Remember more accents happen with dull knifes!
2. Remove the “crown” – the leafy top and cut away the bottom.
3. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise.
4. Then, chop each half into about 4 thick spears and remove the tough skin and discard.
5. Remove the any brown ‘eyes’ as you go.
6. After that, remove the tough core in the center and discard.
7. Now you should have about 8 spears ready to use.
   Store pineapple in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last about 3-5 days.

How To Grill Pineapple

1. Start with fresh pineapple, cut into spears.
2. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness and minimize the bitterness.
3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
4. Lightly spray your grill with cooking spray.
5. You can sprinkle a little sugar onto the pineapple, however, salt will help neutralize the bitterness of the fruit, making it seem sweeter.
6. Cook the pineapple spears over indirect heat for 2-3 minutes per side.

Note: for beautiful grill marks, give the spears a quarter turn after about a minute or so on each side.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 707IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

Please Note: I am not a registered dietician. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe? Pin It for Later!Mention @jugglingactmama or tag #jugglingactmama!

Aunt Daphne's Classic Pineapple Delight

• 1 cup milk
• 1 container cool whip topping
• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 bag mini marshmallows
• graham cracker crumbs

1. Heat the milk on the stove and stir in the mini marshmallows until they melt taking care not to boil. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
2. Once cooled, fold the drained pineapple into the cream mixture.
3. In a 9x9 pan, add the graham cracker crumbs to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the pineapple mixture on top.
5. Sprinkle a few more crumbs on top.
6. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.