Sesame Pineapple Salsa Recipe

This fresh pineapple salsa is a fun twist on the traditional tomato salsa you might be accustomed to. Not only is it the perfect topping for our Pineapple Tofu Cutlets, but wait until you try it in a vegan breakfast taco or burrito. This spicy and sweet salsa is also a tremendously refreshing poolside snack all its own served with corn chips.

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You are going to instantly fall in love with this fresh sesame pineapple salsa. From the gorgeous colors to the glorious aromas to the amazing flavors, this chunky salsa made with juicy pineapple is truly a delight for all the senses.

And the best part of this fresh summer salsa? It’s wildly versatile! We’ve served it with our Pineapple Tofu Cutlets, put it on as a topping in a vegan sausage, egg, and potato breakfast burrito, and had it as a snack with corn chips. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

It is such a great recipe for being such a simple recipe. I can guarantee you’ll be making a big batch of this at least once a month if not once a week! The only difficult part of this recipe is waiting for it to be ready while the flavors steep in the fridge. 

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Why You’ll Love This Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa Recipe:

• This delicious salsa is the perfect balance of simple fresh ingredients like ripe pineapple, jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers, red onion, scallions, and sesame oil for a uniquely compelling flavor combo.
• Our pineapple jalapeño salsa recipe is perfect for poolside parties or a topping for bowls, tacos, and salads!
• It’s easily customizable. See our variations below.

Who invented pineapple salsa?

Though the actual inventor is unknown, it is most likely that pineapple salsa, or salsa de piña, was created in some form by pre-Columbian South American and Mexican cultures.

Often associated with the Hawai’ian Islands, the pineapple actually has its origin in pre-Columbian (and BC) South America and Mayan and Aztec Mexico. In fact, the pineapple wasn’t even introduced to Hawai’i until the 1700s, and the first large-scale pineapple cultivation farm there didn’t open until the late 1800s.

Fresh Pineapple Salsa Ingredients

You’ll need just 6 simple ingredients to make this easy pineapple salsa recipe.

• Fresh pineapple chunks – Small diced. “Small diced” is approximately 1/4 – 1/3 inch cubes.
• Red bell pepper – Also small diced
• Red onion – minced
• Jalapeno – seeded and minced
• Scallions – sliced
• Sesame oil – I like to use the “toasted” sesame oil

Substitution Options for This Homemade Salsa

If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the above ingredients, here are our best substitution tips. Remember though, substituting any of the ingredients may lead to a varied degree of difference in the final product. Let us know in the comments if you try any subs and how they work out for you!

For the pineapple: You can use fresh or canned pineapple. You can also get pre-cut fresh pineapple in the produce section of many grocery stores. Another option is to substitute diced mango for the pineapple or do a 50-50 combination of the two. See our “more variations” section below for more combination ideas and options.

For the red bell pepper: You can use any color bell pepper you prefer. You could also use roasted red peppers.

For the red onion: You can also use white or yellow onion in this salsa. They don’t have quite the same pungency as red, but definitely do the trick. You can also use a sweet onion for very mild flavor.

For the jalapeño pepper: You can go milder or hotter with your choice of chile peppers to offset the sweetness of the pineapple. Choose from a poblano pepper to something higher on the Scoville scale like a scotch bonnet or cherry peppers for a spicier salsa.

For the scallions: You can use chives in lieu of scallions. If you really want to switch things up a little, you can use fresh cilantro. For a little green with less intensity, use a little fresh parsley.

For the sesame oil: Feel free to skip it entirely or use your favorite oil.

More Variations

This already simple recipe can easily be made into a wide variety of similar fruit salsas. We’ve added a few here, but if you have something similar, we’d love to hear about it!

• Pineapple avocado salsa – Simply add a diced ripe avocado to the recipe below.
• Strawberry pineapple salsa – Replace up to half the pineapple with fresh strawberries.
• Pineapple cucumber salsa – Replace one-third to half the pineapple with a peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber
• Mango pineapple salsa – Replace up to half the pineapple with diced fresh mango.
• Pineapple corn salsa – Replace about one-third the pineapple with some canned corn. For an extra burst of flavor, roast the corn a little first before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
• Tomato pineapple salsa – Just dice a firm, ripe tomato and toss it in
• Pineapple habanero salsa – You can either replace the jalapeno with a minced habanero, or add the minced habanero in with the jalapeno.

How to Make Pineapple Salsa

This recipe couldn’t be easier to make. The only difficult part might be cutting the fresh whole pineapple. If you’re not used to cutting your own pineapple, we’ve included step-by-step instructions below. Don’t worry, it’s actually very simple.

Step 1: Cut the fruit and vegetables.

Cut the pineapple and all the vegetables according to instructions.

What’s the easiest way to cut a pineapple?

The easiest way to cut a whole, fresh pineapple is as follows:

1. Use a long sharp knife to cut both top and bottom ends from the pineapple
2. Place the pineapple upright with the flat bottom side on the cutting board, and slice the pineapple lengthwise in half
3. Place the exposed side up and find the inner core. Insert the knife at an angle and slice on the edge of the core on each side to remove. Do this for both sides. This will leave a “V” in the middle of each half.
4. Slice the pineapple lengthwise along the bottom of that “V”. If you are serving the pineapple as part of a fruit tray and want to leave the rind for holding, you can just slice the pineapple crossways at this point. If you wish to dice the pineapple or remove the rind, then continue to the next step.
5. Place the knife just above the rind of the pineapple where it meets the flesh. Carefully slice just above the rind to peel the pineapple flesh away and place in a large bowl.
6. From this point where the rind has been removed, you can slice, dice, chop, puree, etc the skinned pieces. 

Step 2: Toss the fresh salsa ingredients together.

Place all the ingredients except the sesame oil in a medium  bowl. Toss gently with a silicone spatula.

Step 3: Finish with the sesame oil.

Slowly drizzle the sesame oil evenly over the contents of the bowl, and stir all the ingredients well again to mix the oil all around.

Step 4: Refrigerate to really bring out the flavors.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for all the flavors to really meld together.

How to Serve This Jalapeno Pineapple Salsa Recipe

There truly is no shortage of how to serve this spicy pineapple salsa. You can just eat it with a spoon from the bowl, and it’s really delicious all on its own, but we thought we’d offer a few other suggestions for serving as well.

• This pineapple jalapeño salsa pairs perfectly with our Pineapple Teriyaki Tofu Cutlets served over a pile of rice with a drizzle of spicy teriyaki mayo
• Try it in a vegan sausage and egg breakfast taco or burrito for a truly great combination of flavor.
• It’s also great served as a fresh party appetizer with your favorite tortilla chips and margaritas – an amazing twist on traditional salsa!

How to Store Leftover Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa

In the refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days. The flavor components continue to build for the first couple of days. But I don’t recommend keeping this salsa longer than 5 days.

We do not recommend freezing this salsa.

How to Tell If Fresh Cut Pineapple Salsa is Bad

The first thing you’re going to want to look for is any severe discoloration or break-down of the pineapple.

Second, look for any “fizzies”. When fresh salsa, tomato or fruit, starts to ferment and turn the liquid will turn more acidic and start to create small fizz bubbles on the side.

Lastly and obviously, if there is any distinctly visible mold or noticeable bad odor to the salsa, throw it away immediately.

More Vegan Pineapple Recipes

• Vegan Pineapple Teriyaki Burger
• Teriyaki Pineapple Tofu
• Seitan Ham with Pineapple Mustard Glaze
• Vegan Pineapple Stuffing

I am so excited for you to try this simple sesame pineapple salsa recipe! 

I also can’t wait to hear how you tried! In a burrito? As a snack? With our Tofu Cutlets? 

When you try it, don’t forget to leave a review and star rating in the comments section below. It helps more people like you find our recipes!