Pineapple Stuffing
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This baked pineapple stuffing is the side dish that makes a holiday ham dinner. Soft bread, sweet crushed pineapple, butter, and eggs bake up pillowy in the middle with golden, buttery edges. It's on our table for Easter, Christmas, and any time there's a ham in the oven!
We always have ham for our holiday dinners, and pineapple stuffing has been part of the spread for as long as I can remember. The inside is soft and moist, almost like bread pudding, and the edges get brown, crisp, and a little chewy. It's buttery and sweet, and it goes with salty, smoky ham in the most incredible way.
Once you try it, there's no going back. It just isn't a holiday ham dinner unless this baked pineapple casserole is on the menu!
Why You'll Love This Pineapple Stuffing
- It's the perfect side for ham. The sweet pineapple and rich butter balance the saltiness of the ham.
- It only takes 6 ingredients, and you probably have most of them already.
- It's easy to make ahead, which makes holiday cooking so much less stressful.
- Everyone loves it. Even people who are skeptical about "pineapple stuffing" go back for seconds!
What Is Pineapple Stuffing?
Pineapple stuffing is like a cross between a bread dressing (like you'd have with your Thanksgiving turkey) and a bread pudding. It's made from cubes of soft bread, but it's also sweet, rich, and buttery. Some people call it pineapple casserole or pineapple bread pudding.
It's most often served as a side dish with baked ham, but it's also delicious with pork, turkey, and even lamb.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post has the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're baking.
- Unsalted butter: Let it soften so it creams up light and fluffy. I prefer unsalted butter for consistency, since different brands of salted butter contain different amounts of salt. If you only have salted butter, leave out the added salt.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the stuffing and helps it brown.
- Kosher salt: Balances the sweetness.
- Eggs: They hold everything together and give the stuffing its soft, custardy center.
- Crushed pineapple: Use canned crushed pineapple packed in its own juice, and add the juice too! It makes the stuffing extra sweet and extra moist.
- Soft bread: My favorite is plain, soft white bread, like my homemade soft white bread. Potato bread, brioche, and Hawaiian rolls work well too. Anything soft and just a little sweet is perfect.
How To Make Pineapple Stuffing
Step 1: Cream the Butter, Sugar, and Salt
Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and cream them together with an electric mixer until they're very pale and fluffy. This takes about 5 minutes on high speed.
Step 2: Add the Eggs
Whip in the eggs one at a time, letting each one mix in fully before adding the next. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.
The mixture should look really soft and fluffy, like this.
Step 3: Fold in the Pineapple and Juice
Add the whole can of crushed pineapple, juice and all.
As you fold the pineapple in, the mixture will probably start to look a little curdled. This is totally ok! There's a lot of liquid compared to the butter, and water and fat don't like to mix. It all comes together as the casserole bakes.
Step 4: Add the Bread
Cube the bread or tear it into 1-inch pieces with your hands, then fold it into the butter and pineapple mixture.
Step 5: Bake
Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 1.5-quart baking dish and bake until it's bubbly and golden. Get ready, because your whole house is going to smell incredible!
Helpful Tips
- Cream the butter and sugar really well. Five full minutes gives the stuffing its light, fluffy texture.
- Don't drain the pineapple. The juice is what keeps the stuffing so moist.
- Don't worry if it looks curdled before baking. It will bake up beautifully.
- It will sink a little as it cools. It puffs up with steam in the oven and settles as the steam escapes. If you'd like it to hold its shape more, bake it a little longer, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't dry out.
- For a bigger crowd, bake a doubled or tripled batch in separate 1.5-quart dishes, and keep the bake time the same.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- To make ahead: Assemble the stuffing, cover it, and refrigerate it unbaked for up to 2 days. Bake it right before serving. Or bake it fully and reheat it.
- To store: Wrap baked stuffing tightly and keep it in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
- To freeze: Cover it tightly with foil and freeze for at least a month.
- To reheat: Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 350°F until hot in the center, about 20 to 30 minutes for a full dish straight from the fridge. An instant-read thermometer should read 165°F. Single servings can be microwaved for 1 to 2 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I drain the pineapple?
No! Add the whole can, juice and all. Crushed pineapple packed in pineapple juice is exactly what you want. The juice keeps the stuffing moist and sweet.
Can I use fresh pineapple?
It's worth a try! Fresh pineapple won't have the juice from the can, so if the mixture seems drier than you'd like, add a little pineapple juice.
Can I use salted butter?
Yes. Just leave out the added salt.
Can I leave out the sugar?
You can, but it won't taste the same, and it may not brown in the same way.
What size baking dish should I use?
I use a 1.5-quart baking dish. To double or triple the recipe, use separate 1.5-quart dishes and keep the bake time the same. If you bake it all in one large dish, it will take longer, so keep an eye on it until it's hot all the way through.
Can I make it gluten-free?
I haven't tested it, but readers have had success with gluten-free bread. Choose one with a soft texture and a flavor you like.
Can I bake it as muffins?
Yes! Divide the mixture evenly among the cups of a greased muffin pan. They'll bake faster than a full casserole, so start checking early.
What else can I serve it with?
Ham is the classic pairing, but it's also wonderful with roast pork, turkey, or lamb.
Serve It With
And for dessert, try my pineapple upside down cake, coconut macaroons, or carrot cake cupcakes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, , softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- 4 (176 g) eggs, , large
- 20 ounces (566.99 g) crushed pineapple, in its own juice
- 5 slices (140 g) soft bread*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly mist a 1.5-quart baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and cream together with an electric mixer until very pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes on high speed).
- Whip in the eggs, one at a time, allowing each one to fully incorporate before adding the next.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, and fold in the pineapple and it's juice.
- Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces and fold it into the pineapple mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour, or until bubbly and beginning to turn golden.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Author
Have a question about this recipe? Ask AI:
Can you make this recipe ahead of time
Absolutely- just follow the instructions given under the heading "CAN PINEAPPLE STUFFING BE MADE AHEAD?"
Well I'll be damned... this was actually fantastic. Little sweeter than I would've liked on it's own, but ham and sweet go hand in hand and together, they're just oh so very good together. Only had salted butter on hand so I used that and omitted the added salt, and it might be a bit saltier than the recipe calls for but it tasted buttery and delicious in the way a great pineapple upside-down cake would. Really, it could practically be served as dessert on its own. Definitely a keeper for any big ham dinner events I have in the future, sincere thanks!
I’m nervous to use the pineapple juice from the can in this recipe. I am also excited if it makes it a bit custardy?! Easter is in two days. Most recipes like this drain the juice first. Can you provide me some reassurance and insight? Thanks!!!
How can I reassure you? What exactly is it that you're nervous about? I want to help as best I can.
Most of us are probably Dole brand Crushed Pineapple, so if you've got that in the 20 oz. can (the 'standard' size), then you should be on the same page as the rest of us. It's really a great recipe as-is, coming from someone who was blown away after stumbling across it and trying it, myself. The liquid is exactly right, and although I can't necessarily attest to it being 'custardy' since I don't really know that consistency well, it's very much like a bread pudding in texture and not super far off in flavor. Hopefully that helps, and regardless, it's delicious.
Sounds great. Happy Easter!
Had a ham in the freezer that I made today. Initially, the family turned up their noses at the idea of pineapple stuffing. Then they tasted it. No leftovers! Huge hit. Thank you for this unique dish. I will never serve ham without this again.
Oh I love hearing that! Thanks for the awesome feedback, I'm so happy you enjoyed!
Great recipe
Hi, Allie,
I’ve made this recipe and commented before. I have many recipes pinned on Pinterest and this recipe has been re-pinned many, many times! One question - do you think the taste of this casserole would be affected very much if I used vegan butter and gluten free bread? I have a daughter who is vegan and must eat gluten free, although she will eat eggs occasionally.
Hey Jeanie! I haven't tried so I can't say for sure, but I definitely think it's worth testing! As long as the gluten-free bread and the vegan butter both have a good flavor then I think the end result should be good too. Good luck, I hope you're pleased with the result!
Allie, I made this for Christmas dinner and I just want to let you know that it worked with vegan butter and gluten free bread. There wasn’t a bite left!
Great to know! Thanks so much for sharing I'm sure this info will be useful to other readers!
I made this today to go with our Easter ham. Absolutely delicious. This will be on the menu for future holiday meals. Thanks for sharing
My pleasure Jeanie! I discovered this about 25 or 30 years ago, and we have not had an Easter dinner without it since. I'm so happy you like it too!
I have tried this recipe thinking that it might be nice to include with my Easter dinner. It was over the top delicious! I am thinking that it would make a great dessert rather than a dinner casserole. The idea Which someone mentioned of using raisin bread sounds very interesting!
Thank you for the great recipe.
My pleasure Junie! I'm so happy you liked it!
I made mine with Hawaiian bread and brioche mixed, fantastic. Threw in some ham chunks and cut up peppers for more flavor and texture
That sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed!
This was such a hit on Easter that my husband requested it again for Mother's Day with his grilled ham steaks. This time I'm using home baked raisin bread at hubby's suggestion. Should be amazing!
That does sound delicious! So glad you like the recipe- thanks so much for the positive review!
This is amazing!!! If I double the recipe should I cook for two hours instead of one? Wonderful recipe! ?
If you double the recipe you can probably just bake it in two separate pans and keep the bake time as is. Good luck!
I plan on making this for Easter & would like to know how many Hawaiian rolls are equivalent to one slice of bread? Thank you kindly!
They come in all different sizes- so you'll want to look at the weight on the package and figure it out from there.
Can you make the Pineapple Stuffing in a crock pot?
I'm sure you probably could but I wouldn't know what the cook time should be without having tested it.
Okay I am making this for part of my take along food to an Easter dinner.
I am loving the idea.
Hope you enjoy Carol! Happy Easter!
I made this recipe years ago...and am so happy to see it written down. Your method of assembling is different, and I'm looking forward to trying it again! Thank you also for letting me know you have an Oatmeal/Raisin cookie recipe. It is fantastic. Thank you!
My pleasure Joan! Hope you enjoy this one as well!