Are you looking for a vegetarian taco recipe that is a little bit sweet and a little bit savory? Then check out this recipe for pineapple tacos! These easy pineapple tacos are made with pineapple, sweet cooked onions, green onions, and spicy jalapeño cream cheese.
These pineapple tacos are naturally gluten free, egg free, nut free, and vegetarian friendly. They can also easily be made vegan friendly and dairy free by substituting the cream cheese with vegan cream cheese.
What is in pineapple tacos?
What is in these gluten free and vegetarian friendly pineapple tacos? Here are the main ingredients in these pineapple tacos.
- Corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are used to make these pineapple tacos. You should use small tortillas that are 6 inches in diameter or less. If you prefer flour tortillas to corn tortillas, you can also use flour tortillas.
- Pineapple. The pineapple is the star of the show in these tasty pineapple tacos. We recommend using fresh pineapple rather than canned pineapple for this recipe if possible. However, if pineapple is out of season, or if you cannot find a fresh pineapple, then you can also use canned pineapple.
- Red onion. Some onion is also used in this recipe for pineapple tacos. The onion is cooked alongside the pineapple until it is nice and sweet. You can use either red onion or white onion to make these tacos, but we recommend using red. The color of the red onions looks beautiful alongside the bright yellow of the pineapple.
- Green onion. Some green onion is also sliced and added to these pineapple tacos. The zesty flavor of the green onion serves a nice contrast to the sweet flavor of the red onion and pineapple.
- Cream cheese. Cream cheese and pineapple are a famous pair for a reason! The smooth, creamy flavor of cream cheese perfectly contrasts the sweet, tangy flavor of the pineapple. Some mix-ins are added to the cream cheese to give it even more flavor.
- Jalapeños. Jalapeños are diced into small pieces and added to the cream cheese for these pineapple tacos. If you do not want your tacos to be spicy, you can omit the jalapeños or use a less spicy pepper such as a poblano.
- Honey. Some honey is also added to the cream cheese. The honey gives that cream cheese a nice touch of sweetness that helps it blend in with the pineapple. We love Nature Nate’s honey because it is labeled as gluten free.
How to make pineapple tacos
How do you make pineapple tacos? Here is how to make pineapple tacos.
- Slice the vegetables. The first step is to slice all of the vegetables that need to be cooked. The onion should be sliced into thin strips and the pineapple should be cut into small chunks. If you are using a whole pineapple, you will need to use a high quality kitchen knife to cut the outer skin off the pineapple. We recommend this Victorinox chef’s knife to anyone who is looking for a general purpose kitchen knife.
- Cook the vegetables. After the vegetables have been sliced, it is time to cook the vegetables in coconut oil. The pineapple and onion can be cooked in the same pan, but we recommend keeping the pineapple on a different side of the pan so that the onions do not soak up too much pineapple juice. You can also cook the pineapple in a different pan than the onion.
- Chop the jalapeños. While the other vegetables are cooking, you can prepare the jalapeño cream cheese. The first step of preparing the cream cheese is dicing the jalapeños into small pieces.
- Mix the cream cheese, jalapeños, and honey. After the jalapeños have been diced into small pieces, mix the honey, jalapeños, and cream cheese together until they are thoroughly incorporated.
How to store leftover pineapple tacos
How do you store leftover pineapple tacos? Pineapple tacos can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. If you plan on having leftover pineapple tacos, we recommend storing the components for these tacos separately in the refrigerator. If the tacos are assembled ahead of time, the juices from the vegetables will soak into the tortillas and the tortillas will become soggy.
We recommend storing the jalapeño cream cheese in one container and the vegetables in another container. If you have leftover green onions, we recommend storing them in a ziplock bag with a paper towel. The paper towel will absorb any excess water and prevent the sliced green onions from getting soggy.
How to reheat pineapple tacos
How do you reheat these pineapple tacos? We recommend reheating the vegetables for these pineapple tacos separately from the rest of the tacos. Specifically, the pineapple and red onion should be reheated. The rest of the taco components can be served cold.
For best results, we recommend reheating the pineapple and onion on the stove over medium heat. It should only take a few minutes for the veggies to be heated throughout. You can also reheat the pineapple and onion in the microwave. Cook the vegetables on full heat for 1 – 2 minutes until heated throughout.
Pineapple tacos
Ingredients
- 8 corn tortillas
- 4 stalks green onion
- 1 red onion
- 1 pineapple
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
Jalapeño cream cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 jalapeños
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- Slice the red onion into thin strips and cut the pineapple into thin slices that are around 1 inch in size. If you are using a full pineapple, we recommend slicing the pineapple into thin slices that are half an inch or less thick then cutting those slices into small pieces after. If you are using canned pineapple, we recommend using pineapple rings or slices rather than pineapple chunks.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and melt the coconut oil. Add the onions to one side of the pan and the pineapple to the other side of the pan. Add the salt and pepper to the onions. Cook the pineapple and onions over medium heat for 20 - 25 minutes, flipping occasionally. If you do not have a large pan, you can cook the pineapple and onion in two different pans. Try to avoid getting too much pineapple juice in the onions.
- While the pineapple and onion are cooking, dice the jalapeños into small pieces and slice the green onions into thin slices.
- Mix jalapeños pieces, honey, and cream cheese thoroughly.
- Add a layer of jalapeño cream cheese on the corn tortillas. Top the tortillas with cream cheese with pineapple, onion, and green onion.
Substitutions for pineapple tacos
- Corn tortillas. If you do not like corn tortillas you can use flour tortillas or gluten free flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. You should use tortillas that are around 6 inches in diameter.
- Cream cheese. If you want to make these pineapple tacos dairy free and vegan friendly then you can use vegan cream cheese in place of the cream cheese.
- Honey. If you do not have honey, or if you want to make these pineapple tacos vegan friendly then you can omit the honey. There is no need to replace the honey.
- Red onion. White onion will taste just as good as red onion in these pineapple tacos. We generally use red onions because of their color, but you can use another type of onion in a pinch.
- Jalapeño. If you do not want your tacos to be spicy, you can replace the jalapeño with a sweet pepper or omit the jalapeño entirely.
Other recipes you will love
These pineapple quesadillas are another favorite! These sweet and savory quesadillas are made with pineapple, sweet caramelized onions, black beans, and jalapeños.
This pineapple grilled cheese is another favorite! It is made with many of the same ingredients as here tasty pineapple tacos!
Are you looking for another fun way to use pineapple? Check out this recipe for plantain quesadillas! These tasty quesadillas are made with a mixture of pineapple and fried sweet plantains.
