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Pineapple Casserole

A North American classic, this wacky concoction of fruit, cheese, and crackers might seem strange, but it is totally worth it.

Pineapple casserole on a stack of three white plates
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A North American classic, this wacky concoction of fruit, cheese, and crackers might seem strange, but it is totally worth it. Bake this for your next potluck, or just as a side dish for your next big dinner!

For more fun ways to use pineapple in recipes why not try making a Pineapple Cheese Ball? Or a Cream Cheese Pineapple Pie!

Pineapple casserole on a stack of three white plates

Pineapple Casserole

Though you won’t really find any instances of pineapple casserole outside of North America, it is one of those dishes that absolutely has its place in the modern kitchen.

Made up of super simple pantry ingredients, this is the kind of thing that you can whip up on short notice to bring to a family event without embarrassing yourself.

It should be savory, sweet, crunchy, and super cheesy all at once, making it super tasty, despite its weird medley of ingredients.       

Pineapple casserole ingredients in small white bowls

What To Do If You Can’t Find Ritz Crackers

Ritz crackers are one of the most reliable and dependable crackers out there for pretty much any purpose. Capable of providing nearly endless crunch, as well as a good amount of rich, oily goodness, Ritz crackers are the perfect substance to crumble all over your casserole.

However, if you can’t find the wonderful Ritz crackers no matter how hard you try, you can always substitute a few alternatives instead.

Ritz crackers are basically just butter cracker, so any other kind of cracker labeled as a butter or oil cracker would work perfectly here.

This means things like Club Crackers will work here, but you could also add your own fat.

Mixing in some butter or lard into some crumbled up Saltines, for example, would give you pretty much the same texture and flavor.

Pineapple casserole ingredients in a clear bowl unmixed

How To Easily Tell When Your Casserole Is Cooked

This casserole might be a little bit tricky to tell when exactly it has finished cooking.

While you could certainly just watch the Ritz crackers and pull them out when the crackers look suitably browned, you might have turned your oven on too hot, resulting in the interior of the casserole still being too cold.

Instead, keep an eye around the edges of the casserole, and watch for any bubbling liquid. If the whole thing is suitably heated through, not only will the top be nice and crusty, but the interior will be bubbling, and the cheese will have melted and turned gooey.

Another great test is to reach in with a big spoon and lift out a chunk and see if it is gooey, melty, and steaming, but that would probably ruin the texture of the rest of the casserole, so it would probably be best to avoid that.

Pineapple casserole in the pan cooked with a nice brown topping

Different Ways To Serve Your Pineapple Casserole

This dish is definitely among the more esoteric North American delicacies out there. While it was originally designed to take advantage of the rising popularity of canned pineapples, it is also just generally really weird, considering it is a mixture of pineapple, flour, and cheese, all topped with crackers.

However, this unique blend of acidity, cheese, and crunchy topping makes this strange casserole a surprisingly versatile dish.

You could serve it as a side dish for a larger meal, like for example a big ham dinner, or you could serve it entirely on its own!

It could even do quite well as a dessert, so long as you don’t mind your desserts having a touch of cheese and savoriness alongside the sweetness.   

Pineapple casserole on a large spoon lifed out of the casserole dish

Alternative To Cheddar That Works Great In Pineapple Casserole

Cheddar cheese is a great, dependable cheese to use in this recipe, as not only does it add a ton of salty flavor to the dish, but it helps bind everything together into an ooey, gooey slice.

If you’re not a fan of Cheddar, though, why not try a few cheese alternatives?

  • Mozzarella

Mozzarella might not be the most flavorful of cheeses out there, but one thing that is really contributing if you add it to this casserole is an absolute ton of meltiness. If you use this cheese, expect every bite to be packed with stringy, gooey cheese.

  • Oaxaca

Oaxaca cheese is a lot like mozzarella, in that it is super melty and stringy. Oaxaca is a lot more flavorful, though, and is the usual cheese used in things like quesadillas in Mexico.

  • Monterrey Jack

Monterrey Jack is another cheese a lot like Cheddar, in that it doesn’t melt super well, but it is able to contribute a ton of its own flavor when grated and mixed together really nicely.

Looking for more delicious Side Dish recipes? Try these out:

Creamy Corn Pudding

Popovers

Homemade Texas Toast

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

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A North American classic, this wacky concoction of fruit, cheese, and crackers might seem strange, but it is totally worth it.

Pineapple Casserole

A North American classic, this wacky concoction of fruit, cheese, and crackers might seem strange, but it is totally worth it.
5 from 1 votes
Pineapple casserole on a stack of three white plates
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Calories
278
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients
 

  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • One 20oz can pineapple tidbits (drain and squeeze out all juice)
  • One 20oz can crushed pineapple (drain and squeeze out all juice)
  • cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
  • 1/4 cup butter (melted)
  • 40 Ritz crackers crushed (or other butter type cracker)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square or about 1½ quart baking dish.
  • In a medium bowl add the flour and sugar and mix together. Add in the pineapple and cheddar cheese and stir well to combine evenly. Pour this into your prepared greased baking dish.
  • In a separate medium bowl crush the crackers and pour the melted butter over top and stir.
  • Sprinkle the cracker mix on the top of the pineapple mixture.
  • Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cracker crumbs are golden brown on top and the casserole is heated through.
  • Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
  • This is a dish that is good as a side or as a dessert depending on your preferences.

Recipe Notes

This dish goes great with a ham dinner as a side.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 278kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 317mg, Potassium: 42mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 390IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 176mg, Iron: 1mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

Site Index Casserole Pineapple Side dish

Reader Interactions

Comments & Recipe Tips Share a tip or comment!

  1. Uma says

    This is an awesome recipe! Everyone looks at it a little suspiciously before they try it, but once they try it, It disappears! It wanted something different for my Easter table and this recipe certainly looked different. Now I serve it at every holiday (just made it again for Thanksgiving)! I live any excuse to make this casserole. Thanks for sharing the recipe!5 stars

  2. Deb says

    This sounds interesting! A must try.
    Before I do, I’m guessing it was an error that the second can of pineapple was listed. Should I only need one can?

    • g says

      there is 1 can of tidbits, and 1 can of crushed so you will need both 🙂

  3. Lynda says

    This sounds delicious! However, I am gluten free. Can I use almond flour? will need to find GF butter crackers as well but shouldn’t be a problem
    Thanks so much

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