The Best Pineapple Curd Recipe

Pineapple Curd that is sweet, creamy, tangy, and looks and tastes like a spoonful of glorious summer! Very easy to make, a delicious alternative to lemon curd, and it pairs well with anything!

Make this easy and creamy pineapple curd to eat on its own, or as a filling for a variety of desserts!

A sweet, perfectly ripe pineapple is one of the best things that I look forward to in Spring and Summer. (Yeah, I’m boring, ha!). BUT, I also have a love-hate relationship with fresh pineapple because of how it makes my tongue itch (thanks Bromelain!). But that (usually) doesn’t stop me from gorging myself with fresh, juicy pineapple every time though.

I got the idea to make this pineapple curd when we got some pineapple recently, and it was some of the sweetest tasting pineapple I’ve had in a long time! Wanting to do something different with the pineapples, I thought I’d try a pineapple curd, for a lovely fruity, tangy spread for breakfast and brunch. I’ve already shared my recipes for lemon curd and passion fruit curd, so pineapple curd seemed like a great idea as well!

What you need to make Pineapple Curd

Pineapple juice

I use my juicer to extract the juice from the pineapple. I have a cold press / masticating juicer, which, from what I’ve read, preserves the nutrients of your fruits more. But you can use any juicer you own.

Another option is to blend the pineapple, and then pass it through a nut milk bag / cheese cloth to remove all the pulp. This way you can squeeze out all the juice, and still use the pulp in smoothies if you like.

Another option is to buy pineapple juice. When I was living in the US, I loved using Dole 100% pineapple juice.

Sugar

The amount of sugar you add will vary depending on the sweetness of the pineapple juice you use. The pineapple I used for this recipe here was quite sweet, so I used less sugar. But if you’re using pineapple juice that’s quite sour, you can increase the amount of sugar.

Lemon juice

The sour lemon juice helps perk up the flavor of the pineapple juice.

Cornstarch

Also known as cornflour is some countries. Cornstarch helps thicken the pineapple curd. I haven’t used other thickening agents in place of cornstarch for this pineapple curd, so I don’t know what would be a good substitute unfortunately.

Eggs and egg yolks

Eggs and egg yolks add a lovely richness to the pineapple curd! They help make the final curd deliciously creamy as well. The cornstarch will act as a buffer to stabilize the eggs, lowering the chance of your eggs scrambling.

Butter

This is an optional ingredient. But it also adds richness to the final curd.

How to make Pineapple Curd

All the ingredients should be measured and ready to go before you start cooking. You will also need,

• A non-reactive saucepan (since you’ll be cooking an acidic liquid)
• Whisks – A large one and a small one
• A sieve / strainer
• Spatula

Place the sugar and cornstarch in the saucepan and whisk until there are no cornstarch lumps. Add the pineapple juice and lemon juice and stir to combine. Whisk the eggs in a heat-proof jug and set aside. The jug or bowl should be large enough to temper the eggs in a later step.

Heat the mixture over medium / medium-high heat. Stir the mixture frequently to make sure that the cornstarch doesn’t thicken and stick to the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil.

When the mixture is boiling, lower the heat, and continue to let it boil / simmer for about 3 minutes, while whisking very frequently. The mixture will be pretty thick and that’s OK!

Remove the mixture from the heat. Add spoonfuls of the hot pineapple mixture into the whisked egg mixture, while continuously whisking the egg mixture (this is to temper the eggs). Add enough of the warm pineapple mix to the eggs to warm the egg mixture. Once the eggs are tempered, add it back to the saucepan with the remaining pineapple mixture and whisk well.

Return the pineapple curd mix back to the stove, and heat over medium heat. Whisk very frequently until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat, while still letting the curd boil. Boil for a further 4 minutes, while whisking constantly.

Remove from the heat, and whisk in the butter until the butter is completely mixed in and emulsified. Scrape the mixture into a bowl / container (a large, shallow container if you want it to cool down faster) and cover it with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is completely touching the whole surface of the pineapple curd to prevent a skin from forming on top.

Once completely cooled, whisk the mixture to make it smooth again and store in an air-tight jar. This will keep in the fridge for up to about 5 days.

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Tips to perfect this recipe

Delicious pineapple juice – The flavor of this curd is tightly dependent on the flavor of your pineapple juice. If the juice is watery with little flavor, it’s not going to yield a good pineapple curd. Sourness can be adjusted with sugar, but flavor, not so much.

Pay attention – This is a very easy recipe. However, it requires your attention. Don’t walk away from the pot while making the curd. The curd could burn, or even curdle.

Whisk – Whisking the mixture will help evenly distribute the heat through the pineapple curd. This will prevent the mixture from curdling, or catching at the bottom of the pot. Even heating guarantees smoother, better results overall.

Use a sieve – After cooking the curd, pass it through a sieve. The sieve will make the curd smoother, especially if the curd has a few small curdled pieces of egg.

Use a non reactive saucepan / pot – I’ve learned the hard way that using the wrong pot to make sweet acidic curds could ruin it all! You’ll end up with a metallic taste in the final curd. And for some reason, I also find that stainless steel pots give my curds an acidic taste, even though they are supposed to be non-reactive. So now, I make my lemon / passion fruit or pineapple curd in a non-stick pot or my hard anodized pot. Glass and ceramic are also good choices.

Why I love this recipe

This pineapple curd is so versatile and incredibly delicious! And very easy to make. I’ve made it many times, and haven’t had it curdle even once. Just follow the tips that I’ve provided to get perfect results every time!

There are plenty of uses for this curd too (aside from eating spoonfuls of it straight from the jar),

• Spread on toast or bagel
• As a filling for crepes
• As a filling for tarts
• In yogurt parfaits
• Topping for ice cream
• Mix with cream cheese to make a cheesecake dip
• As a topping for this no bake cheesecake
• As a cocktail mixer! Make a dessert cocktail with this pineapple curd by mixing it with coconut rum, and a little extra pineapple juice for a modified pina colada.

You can replace the lemon curd in this recipe with this pineapple curd (just add the gelatin mentioned in the recipe), and use is as the swirly topping for the no bake cheesecake bars! This pineapple curd is a sweeter version of a lemon curd.

I also made a fantastic pineapple curd tart that will be on the blog soon too.