Discover what you can use freeze-dried pineapple for. This versatile pantry staple is packed with flavor and nutrition. From quick and easy snacks to gourmet meals, here’s how to incorporate freeze-dried pineapple into your everyday life and emergency preparedness plans. Perfect for busy families and those seeking food storage solutions.
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When I first began my venture into building food storage, I was met with a dizzying array of choices, among them freeze-dried and dehydrated produce. I didn’t have a ton of money to spend and had to give some serious consideration as to what I should buy.
I decided to buy canned, dehydrated, and freeze-dried versions of fruits and vegetables that I used most often and/or were next to impossible to grow in the Phoenix climate. Pineapple met both those criteria. I buy mine from Thrive Life, which has it in three different sizes, including a small snack pack.
What are the nutrients and calories?
I only buy my pineapple from Thrive Life, and when I see only “pineapple” in the ingredients list, I know there’s no extra preservatives and no added sugar. That’s a huge plus for me!
Whatever brand you buy, check the label first to make sure you aren’t getting anything more than just pineapple.
What can I use freeze dried pineapple for?
Rehydrate before using in these recipes
- Add it to oatmeal cookies! Yummm! You can rehydrate it first or just add a half cup or so directly from the can.
- Add it to Oatmeal Pecan Bars! Double yummm!
- Rehydrate the freeze-dried pineapple, and use it in a sweet-and-sour sauce for chicken or pork.
- Add some pineapple to a chicken veggie stir fry, and some cashews!
- Add to your favorite bran muffin mix.
- Mix in a half cup or so with zucchini bread batter!
- Rehydrate a cup or two. Drain and add to butter and brown sugar for a tart-yet-sweet topping for Pineapple Upside Down Cake (or muffins).
- Mix a bit of freeze-dried pineapple in with cream cheese for a bagel topping.
- Mix up some pineapple cocktails for a luau!
- Toss it into a salad, either rehydrated or not. The crunchy texture is a nice addition to a salad of greens.
- Rehydrate half a cup or so and sprinkle it over vanilla ice cream.
- Add it to yogurt. It tastes great with vanilla Greek yogurt.
- Use it for a tropical-tasting smoothie.
- Use it instead of fresh or canned pineapple in any recipe with “Hawaiian” or “tropical” in the title!
- Sprinkle rehydrated freeze-dried pineapple over pizza, along with some chopped ham or bacon!
- Add rehydrated and well-drained pineapple to chicken or tuna salad.
It’s okay to not rehydrate for recipes like these
- Include it in a snack mix with other dried fruit, nuts, freeze-dried yogurt, and mini chocolate chips. Surprisingly, pineapple and chocolate go very well together, my friend!
- Add a cup or two to a super simple party punch recipe: equal parts lemon-lime soda and citrus juice.
- Add it to any granola recipe.
- Toss some pineapple in a bowl of breakfast cereal.
- In any recipe where you don’t mind a little fruity crunch!
- Eat it straight out of the can for a healthy, no-sugar-added treat!
What does dried pineapple taste like?
My kids love a good, juicy pineapple any day of the week, but the freshest ones aren’t always available. Freeze-dried pineapple has a light, sweet taste and a nice crunch and is ready whenever you are! Even better, there’s no waste—no inedible core, no prickly outer skin, no spiky stem—just chunks of pineapple ready to eat or include in a recipe. Here are more ideas for using freeze-dried fruit in everyday cooking and food storage.
Recipe: Tropical Protein Bowl
It really is true that you begin to lose muscle mass once you get past 30 years old, and that loss only accelerates the older you get. When my doctor told me that I needed more protein in my daily diet, a lot more, I searched for ways to get it. After all, you can only eat so many eggs per day, and those are only 6 grams of protein each,
So, I began making high-protein bowls with cottage cheese and freeze-dried pineapple! I’ve experimented with different variations and have included them in my recipe.
- 1 cup cottage cheese (Any variety. If you need low-fat, then use low-fat cottage cheese. I follow a Keto/carnivore diet, so I go with full fat. This is 25 grams of protein.)
- 1 scoop protein powder (With this flavor combination, I prefer vanilla and love this brand’s protein powder and collagen powder. Most protein powders are 25 grams per scooop.)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup freeze-dried pineapple (No need to rehydrate first.)
- 1/3 cup freeze-dried mango (Optional, no need to rehydrate first.)
Add any of these mix-ins to suit your mood, your taste, your food plan:
- Lily’s sugar-free white chocolate chips
- Coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
- Coconut
Stir together the cottage cheese and protein powder. If it’s too sticky, add a small amount of half-and-half or almond milk. Mix in the pineapple and any other optional ingredients you like.
This is enough for a filling meal and will be at least 50 grams of protein.
How do you rehydrate it?
Freeze-dried pineapple is so delicious right out of the can! It’s a little crunchy, a little sweet, and it’s tempting to eat a whole package! However, in some recipes, a fruity salsa, for example, you’ll want to rehydrate it.
There will be rehydrating instructions on the packaging, but it’s simply a matter of mixing together equal amounts of cool water and the pineapple. Let it sit for several minutes until the fruit is tender. Drain well.
Tips for Using Freeze-dried Pineapple in Recipes
This is a versatile form of a favorite tropical fruit and in many recipes, you can just toss it in without rehydrating.
But if you’ll be using this in a baking recipe, chicken salad, or any other recipe where you don’t want any extra moisture, drain well with a colander and then use paper towels to gently squeeze out any excess water.
Depending on the brand you buy, your pineapple may be a little more on the crunchy side versus chewy. Either way, for something like a smoothie where want a creamy consistency, rehydrate the pineapple before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freeze-dried fruit will begin to absorb any moisture in the air, and this will affect flavor, color, and texture. When I open a can of freeze-dried pineapple for snacking or in a recipe, I store the remainder in a canning jar. You don’t need an oxygen absorber, and the pineapple will remain fresh for several months, at least.
The nutrients are very nearly the same. About 40-50 calories per half cup, 10-14 grams of carbohydrate grams, and a nice big dose of Vitamin C, about 40-50 milligrams. As with most freeze-dried food, virtually no nutrients are lost in the freeze-drying process.
This is a tasty dilemma, and one that’s easily solved! Mix that pineapple powder in ice cream, yogurt, smoothies, my Tropical Protein Bowl, and even a stir fry recipe where you want a little of that tart/sweet flavor.
Related Freeze-Dried Food Content
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Final Thoughts
Most of us can’t grow pineapple in our backyards, so having a supply of freeze-dried pineapple on hand is a great way to add a new dimension to your food storage pantry, but it’s so good, I think you’ll find many other ways to enjoy it! Learning how to use freeze-dried pineapple is simple; they’re a super versatile and tasty product that I recommend.
What freeze-dried foods do you like to use? Please share with me in the comments!
