Have you ever tried Pineapple Stuffing?
I had never heard of it until I married my husband. It is a mainstay of all the holiday dinners that my sister in law hosts.
I really do love stuffing. I love the classic version with herbs, celery and onion. I love Sausage, Fig and Cranberry Stuffing. I love stuffing with apples and walnuts or roasted chestnuts and sausage. I love it with white bread and wheat bread and rustic bread and cornbread. (And I will eat it in a box and I will eat it with a fox…lol!)
But, I had never had Pineapple Stuffing. I was intrigued, but it made sense. After all, my sister in law served it with ham, and pineapple and ham are a classic combination, one that I love.
So, I took a nice sized serving and nestled it right next to my sliced ham.
I remember taking my first bite. It was sweet and buttery and pineapple-y. It tasted great with the saltiness of the ham. But, I had never had a stuffing like this one. It was like…dessert!
This is a stuffing that my stuffing averse daughter willingly puts on her plate, the stuffing that my son asks for seconds. (Actually, my son loves all kinds of stuffing, so that doesn’t really count.) But everyone loves it.
It’s kind of like the sweet pineapple slices placed all over a ham, that have been drenched in glaze and caramelize in the oven while the ham bakes, except it’s the stuffing version of that. There’s usually two pans of this stuffing and I don’t think I’ve ever seen leftovers.
And then, one year, my sister in law asked me if I could make the stuffing. The person that normally makes it wasn’t going to be able to do it. (Ok, no pressure.)
So she sent me the recipe and just said to triple or quadruple it. When I got the recipe, I realized why everyone loves it. It’s all butter, sugar, eggs, pineapple and bread. What’s not to like? It’s like a cross between pineapple cake and bread pudding.
When I quadrupled the recipe and realized I needed a dozen eggs, 4 cups of sugar and a pound of butter…I thought I’d better take a smaller serving for myself the next time :/ Stuffing is always a splurge, let’s be honest, but this trumped that.
This post is heavily inspired by that stuffing, but I decided to take a more savory route and while on that path, see if I could reduce, even if only a little, any of my guilt in eating it.
So, I started in a classic way, sauteing chopped celery and onion in a little less butter than the original recipe. I cut the sugar in half and added a little more bread to soak up the flavors.
I added fresh parsley. I went through a few trials changing up ratios of sugar and butter and bread before I achieved my goal.
My final trial resulted in a nicely balanced sweet and savory stuffing that still had plenty of sweetness to be reminiscent of the original recipe, but a stuffing where I could taste all of the flavors of onion, celery and pineapple.
The stuffing stays perfectly moist but has wonderful crispy edges where the bread cubes get toasty. It is a perfect choice to pair with ham or pork dishes.
Here’s the thing though…my taste testers liked every. single. trial. They love the original and they loved every version I made of that original. I was stumped as to which recipe I should post, which version would be the ultimate version?
I think what it comes down to is that pineapple stuffing is simply a winning concept. Personal preference will dictate which will be your favorite. You can add or subtract sugar. Add or subtract butter. Change the quantity of bread you add for a more moist or more dry stuffing.
I’m going to give you the recipe for my sweet and savory version of Pineapple Stuffing, the one that I set out to conquer for this post.
Aaaand, I’m going to give you the quantities for the original sweet version that is a long standing tradition with my husband’s family (see notes for those.) Either way, sweet and savory or just sweet, it’s stuffing, right? So, the answer is always, “Yes,” isn’t it?
I think it is :)

Pineapple Stuffing
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons 3 ounces unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery about 2 medium stalks
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion about 1 small onion
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, in it's own juice, not heavy syrup, drained
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf, Italian parsley
- 8 slices sturdy white bread sliced into cubes
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 11 x 7 baking dish or 2 quart casserole with cooking spray.
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Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add celery, onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until softened. Set aside to cool.
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Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl until combined.
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Add drained pineapple and parsley and stir to combine.
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Add slightly cooled celery/onion/butter mixture and stir to combine.
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Add bread cubes and gently toss with a large spoon, bringing the wet mixture from the bottom, up and over the bread repeatedly until all bread cubes are evenly coated. Try not to mash or smash the bread cubes while doing this step.
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Lightly spoon the stuffing into prepared baking dish. Evenly distribute in the pan, but do not pack it down.
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Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes covered. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden brown, an additional 25-30 minutes.
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Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
*I drained the pineapple in a sieve pressing down gently a few times to squeeze out additional juice. You don't have to press it until it's bone dry, just until it's not dripping lots of juice.
*You could also try fresh pineapple, but you may need to add some pineapple juice or veg/chicken broth if it's not a juicy pineapple.
*I used kosher salt, if you use table salt, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon, or to taste.
*If you use salted butter, reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste.
*Make sure to use a sturdy white bread. Pillowy light bread will not hold up well to all of this moisture, especially since we are not using stale or toasted bread.
*UPDATE 12-25-16: 1 slice of bread cut into about 1" squares= about 1 heaping cup of fresh bread cubes. I did not pack it into the cup, I just lightly place them.
*If your stuffing is in a dish where the foil will rest on top of it while baking, go ahead and give the foil a little spray with cooking spray to help prevent the stuffing from sticking.
*For the original sweet stuffing, use 1 stick (4 ounces) salted butter (melted), 1 cup sugar, 4 eggs, 1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple, drained and 5 slices cubed white bread. Mix together and bake in prepared pan, uncovered, at 350 for about 1 hour.
The Merchant Baker Copyright © 2016
D-uh – I’m confused… How much butter do you use for the savory version? I don’t know what 6 Tablespoons 3 ounces means! Does 6 tablespoons = 3 ounces? Could you please tell me how many tablespoons in total? Thank you!
Genevieve, sorry about that. Something strange happened in the recipe card and my parentheses disappeared. You just need 6 Tablespoons (which is equal to 3 ounces.) Hope that clears it up!
You’re wonderful – thank you! Can’t wait to make this tomorrow, and apologies for the last minute question when I’m sure you’re busy today, too. Happy Thanksgiving, Ramona.
No problem! I’m here to help! Just glad I got back to you in time! :) Happy Thanksgiving, Genevieve!
I am Definitely going to try the Pineapple Stuffing Recipe.
I also like your Perfect Brown Rice Instructions.
I also struggled to find the perfect way to cook Brown Rice..
I actually have a plastic Rice Cooker to use in the Micro Wave.
After much research, I finally Succeeded.
The only thing I would add to your Instructions is to use Organic Brown Rice.
A little more expensive, but there is definitely a difference.
Also Professional Chefs always use Day old rice for their Recipes.
They put the cooked rice in the freezer for 30 minutes to make the rice fluffy.
I use to put my cooked rice in the Refrigerator overnight. I found I don’t need to do this since I now use Organic Brown Rice. I love all your posted Recipes.
Thanks for your tips, Ken! I hope you enjoy the pineapple stuffing, too!
Hi Ramona, Your recipe sounds great! But I’m the kind of person who likes to tweak things. I’m thinking of adding a cup of diced ham. And using brioche or Hawaiian sweet bread/rolls and omitting the sugar. Plan to make it for a Christmas potluck will let you know the results next month. And thanks for the bread calculation.
Hey Patti, I’m a tweaker too! That’s how this recipe came into creation. I have to say, I’m loving your idea to add ham. At the end of the day, whether one of my recipes becomes a favorite as is or simply inspires a reader to create their own perfect version, I’m just happy to share the joy of cooking, baking and creating delicious food for family and friends. I’ll be waiting to hear how it comes out, but by the sounds of it, it’s going to be a winner!
Ooooooh, I’m so excited that I found this recipe! I’m making a ham for Thanksgiving this year and was looking for new side dishes. I came across Pineapple Stuffing, which immediately excited me since pineapple goes so wonderfully with ham. However, every single recipe I found was the EXACT same thing. It sounds fantastic, buuuut too desserty for a main side dish. Then I stumbled across your savory version and am SO incredibly excited to make it. Yay!! Thank you ❤
You are so welcome, Cheryl! I hope you enjoy it!
This was amazing. Added dried cranberries and chopped pecans.
I made some for our dinner today also. Brilliant idea to add the cranberries and pecans! I’m noting that down to try the next time! Glad you enjoyed it :)
What kind/brand of bread do you use if it’s a sandwich bread? If it’s a hearty bread, is it a sourdough loaf, challah, or Italian loaf?
Just look for a hearty white. There are different brands out there like Pepperidge Farms or Trader Joe’s white Canadian bread.I wouldn’t use the other choices you mention. Just pick a white bread that feels weighty and a bit firm when you pick it up. Don’t worry to much about it being perfect. I think you’ll find something that will work out fine!
Thanks Ramona! Can’t wait to try.
Is it ok to bake this a day ahead and warm up for serving?
Lorraine, I personally like to serve stuffing after it’s just been baked. I like the little bit of crispness that the fresh baked stuffing has on the top and sides. You could make the onion and celery portion ahead and cut the bread ahead of time. Then the next day, finish off the recipe so that it’s fresh baked. If you really are pressed for time, we’ve definitely had leftovers and heated them up the next day and still enjoyed it. If it’s dried out at all, which I don’t think it will, but if it does, you could always use the leftover pineapple juice (from draining the pineapple) to moisten it just a little before heating.
Hi,
This looks wonderful and I am going to make it with Gluten free baggett bread. How much bread do you think I should use?
Would a loaf be equivalent to five pieces of regular thick bread?
Have a Merry Christmas and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks for your time,
Mary Beth
Okay, so first I assume you’re making the original sweet version stated in my notes, right? That’s the one that needs 5 slices. I haven’t measured the bread slices cubed,
but a quick internet search states that 1 slice of bread is about 1/2 cup cubed.So,using that calculation, that would mean 5 slices equals about 2 1/2 cups of cubed bread.(I just tried this and it was not accurate. Please see new note where I measure a cut slice of bread for you. 1 slice ended up being a heaping cup of cubed bread. See the new note in the recipe.) We usually triple or quadruple that recipe for a crowd and bake it in two pans. If you’re using my sweet and savory version, it calls for 8 slices, which would equal about 4 cups of cubes. Of course, it’s all going to depend on how large you cut your cubes. Larger cubes means less fits into a cup. For either recipe, you just want to make sure your bread is nice and moist so that it doesn’t dry out during baking. Good luck! I hope it works out for you!In case you didn’t see my other update above…I just sliced 5 slices and they measured a heaping 5 cups. This is without packing them into the measuring cup and slicing about 1″ squares.
Hi Ramona! I was just wondering if it is 5 slices of bread, or 5 cups. I’m making this to go with our Christmas ham. Happy holidays!
Hi Teri, If you’re using the original sweet version that’s in my notes, you’ll need 5 slices of bread. Not 5 cups. Make sure it’s a sturdy white bread. If you make my sweet and savory version as written in the recipe, you’ll need 8 cups of sturdy white bread. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if you need a larger batch. Happy holidays!
Quick update…I just sliced 5 slices and they measured a heaping 5 cups. This is without packing them into the measuring cup and slicing about 1″ squares.
It’s a tradition in my family too. We LOVE it! I may try your savory version to have with our leftover ham. If I don’t make the original on Easter, my family would not be happy!
I understand! I’m not sure if I’ve committed a high crime with my husband’s family by posting a different version! lol!
I’m intrigued! This would be a perfect side dish to go with our Easter ham!
What an interesting dish, Ramona! I have never heard of pineapple stuffing… until now :) But it does weirdly sound delicious. I’ll have to give it a go!
I hadn’t heard of it either until I married my husband. Long standing tradition with his family. It’s a nice vegetarian option. I made it a little healthier than the original, but it’s still a splurge.
Thank you for sharing BOTH versions! This sounds like a keeper!
You’re welcome!
Okay, I had to pin. This looks and sounds amazing!!!
Thanks for the pin, Sandra!
Thank you so much for sharing both recipes. Your version sounds like perfection to me!
Now I need to make a list…because this will be on our table Sunday! : )
I think this will also be served for Mother’s Day Brunch.
I always enjoy your posts.
Thank you,
GApeach
Awww, thanks! You’re a peach ;) I’m excited that it made the cut for Sunday’s meal! I hope you enjoy it!