Here’s How to Cut a Pineapple, Step by Step

It’s not as hard as it looks.

Whether simply sliced for a fruit plate, blended into soft serve, grilled for a salsa, or used to top a pineapple upside-down cake or homemade Hawaiian pizza, fresh pineapple is pretty irresistible. While you can purchase canned or frozen pineapple for many uses, nothing beats the real thing — and buying a whole fruit is much more economical than relying on pre-cut.

You can find fresh pineapple at most grocery stores year-round, but its peak season runs from March to July. Though this spiky fruit might look a little daunting on the outside, you can’t judge a fruit by its cover, and breaking down a pineapple is indeed much easier than it looks. All you need is a cutting board, a sharp knife, and an optional peeler for removing the “eyes” (the little brown spots leftover from the rind on a peeled yellow pineapple).

When shopping for a pineapple, choose one that feels heavy for its size with a sweet aroma. Although some green on the exterior is fine, you’re looking for mostly golden yellow skin, which indicates ripeness; avoid brown pineapples, which will be overly ripe, as well as ones that have bruises, withered skin, or yellowed leaves.

If you’re cutting pineapple for a cocktail garnish or you’d like to leave the inedible rind attached for a fruit plate, you can skip trimming the peel and eyes. Simply trim the top leaves and bottom, slice the pineapple into quarters, core it, then cut into wedges. Otherwise, use this guide to slice up a pineapple like a pro. 

Related: 15 Ways to Prepare Pineapple in Peak Season

Trim the top leaves and bottom

This step helps you create a nice, flat base so the pineapple doesn’t slide around on the cutting board.

Trim the spiky peel

Stand the pineapple upright, and use your knife to trim the spiky peel away from the pineapple flesh.

Remove the eyes with a knife...

Use the tip of your knife to cut out the eyes of the pineapple. The eyes are the slightly indented pieces of rind dotted all over the fruit.

...or a peeler

You can also use the tip of a peeler to remove the eyes.

Clean pineapple and stand upright on the cutting board

If you’d like to make pineapple rings, you can use a corer at this point to core the pineapple, then slice into rings.

Cut into slabs

On each side of the pineapple core (the tough, fibrous center), slice your knife in a downward motion to cut off a large slab of pineapple. You’ll have about four slabs. Trim any remaining flesh around the core.

Cut each slab into chunks or spears

Discard the trimmed core pieces, or use them to make pineapple syrup or to infuse vodka or another liquid.

Related: Move Over, Charcuterie. Fruit Platters Are the Key to an Excellent Party

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