Pineapple Salad

Looking for a delicious and healthy salad recipe? Try this grilled pineapple avocado salad that is the perfect side dish for grilled meats. With charred and caramelized pineapple, juicy blueberries, wholesome avocado, crunchy pistachios and a tangy Pineapple White Balsamic Vinaigrette, you will have a tasty and refreshing summer salad.

Best of all, it’s easy to make this pineapple salad and its packed with flavor and nutrients. Get the recipe now and impress your guests with this tasty and nutritious salad!

Pineapple White Balsamic Vinaigrette

grilled pineapple and blueberry salad in bowl on table with avocado

Refreshing Summer Fruit Salads

We love a good salad for dinner or a side. Whether they are filled with hearty veggies, filling meat, cheese or grains, salads offer so much variety.

There is something special about a refreshing summer salad filled with fruit that is our absolutely favorite though! Here are some of our most loved salads, in addition to this fantastic grilled pineapple salad, that are the perfect addition to your next backyard grill out!

Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese & Berry Salad – This vegetarian salad is filled with fresh strawberries, raspberries, tangy red onions and nut crusted goat cheese for a delicious meal or side.

Steak & Blueberry Balsamic Salad – This hearty salad is filled with grilled steak, fresh blueberries, bleu cheese and toasted pine nuts, all finished with a homemade blueberry balsamic salad dressing.

Grilled Peach Salad – Another great vegetarian salad on the grill! This salad has warm sweet grilled peaches, honey goat cheese, spiced pecans and red onions for amazing flavor.

Fruit & Quinoa Salad – This salad makes the perfect healthy side dish. It is full of wholesome quinoa, fresh fruit and tossed with a light citrus poppy seed dressing for wonderful flavor and texture.

mixed greens with grilled pineapple, blueberries, avocado and pistachios

Grilling Fruit

As you can see, we like grilling fruit. While these salad would all be great with perfectly ripe fresh fruit that doesn’t touch the grill, grilling the fruit adds an added layer of flavor and complexity.

We grill pineapple because it enhances the fruit’s natural sweetness and caramelizes its sugars, resulting in a delicious smoky flavor. Grilling also adds a unique texture to the pineapple, giving it a slightly crispy exterior while keeping the inside juicy and tender.

Grilled pineapple is versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes, from sweet to savory. It’s commonly used in salads, desserts, and as a topping for burgers or pizzas. We love it on this Grilled Pineapple & Guacamole Turkey Burger.

Grilled Pineapple & Guacamole Turkey Burger

How to Grill Pineapple

Here’s a step-by-step guide to grilling fresh pineapple

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.

Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, and then remove the skin by slicing down the sides of the pineapple with a sharp knife.

Cut the pineapple lengthwise into 4 quarter and slice off the core from each piece.

Cut the pineapple into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Brush each slice with a little bit of oil, such as avocado or coconut oil, to prevent sticking.

Place the pineapple slices on the grill and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until grill marks appear and the pineapple is slightly charred.

Remove the pineapple slices from the grill and let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

Can I smoke pineapple?

If you have your smoker running and don’t want to fire up a separate grill, you can absolutely smoke the pineapple instead of grilling it. You will just need to significantly increase your cooking time. Instead of 6-8 minutes on the hot grill, you will want to smoke it for around 30-45 minutes at lower temperatures on your Traeger smoker.

While you might not get the same caramelized grill marks on the fruit, you will be trading them for the deep smoky flavor, while still bringing out the sweetness in the pineapple.

ingredients for pineapple salad on table

Making Pineapple Avocado Salad

While your pineapple is grilling, assemble your salad by adding mixed greens, fresh blueberries and pistachios to a large salad bowl.

Be sure not to place the hot pineapple directly on your salad or you will quickly wilt your greens. When it has cooled a bit, add the grilled pineapple and top the salad with your homemade pineapple vinaigrette. Enjoy!

grilled pineapple salad with vinaigrette poured over it

Pineapple White Balsamic Vinaigrette

I am obsessed with this homemade pineapple vinaigrette that is the perfect compliment to the grilled pineapple salad.

It is made with pineapple juice, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and fresh shallots. It’s fresh, it’s tangy and it’s oh so good! The shallots add a nice crunch and zing to the otherwise sweet salad.

Store bought dressing substitution

If you are in a rush or simply don’t like making homemade salad dressing, a jar of store-bought dressing from the store will work too. Try to grab one from the refrigerated section for the freshest option.

Lemon, poppy seed, or white balsamic are all good options. Just add a few thinly sliced shallots to the salad that you will be missing from the homemade vinaigrette.

Grilled Pineapple salad topped with white balsamic shallot vinaigrette

Vegan Salad Recipe

This salad doesn’t have any meat or dairy and therefore is vegan in most ways. The salad dressing does contain honey, which some vegans don’t consumer.

If you want to make this a fully vegan salad option for guests at your next dinner party, swap out the honey for granulated sugar. Just be sure to increase the sugar by 50% if using granulated sugar, as it isn’t a 1:1 swap.

salad topped with pineapple, fruit and pistachio nuts

Dairy Free Salad

It’s not often that I don’t add some goat cheese or feta to a fresh summer salad, but this salad had so much flavor and texture going on, that it truly didn’t need anything else. That’s not to say it wouldn’t be equally great with some soft cheese if you’d like, but it really doesn’t need it.

The avocado provides the healthy fat that is also filling, as well as the nuts and fruits that fill you up with fiber. If you are looking for an amazing dairy-free salad, you’ve got to try this grilled pineapple salad ASAP!

Grilled Pineapple salad with sliced avocado and blueberries in bowl

Tropical Summer Flavors

If you are currently basking up the warm sun after the long winter and looking for some tropical flavors, grill up this pineapple salad with a nice steak or smoked chicken breast. Enjoy it with a Pina Colada or Spicy Margarita Recipe and soak in every drop of summer with great food, friends and drinks!

smoked chicken breast

grilled pineapple salad served on table with fork

Notes

*Lemon, poppy seed, or white balsamic store bought dressings are all good substitutions. Just add a few thinly sliced shallots to the salad that you will be missing from the homemade vinaigrette. This salad makes two entrée salads or serves 4-6 as a side dish.