Pineapple Cucumber Salad
Published Jun 17, 2026
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Pineapple cucumber salad is a refreshing and easy summer side dish with fresh pineapple, cucumber, spicy jalapeños, cilantro, and lime. Toss everything together in minutes and chill it before serving.
Zesty Cucumber Salad With Pineapple
This pineapple cucumber salad looks pretty delicious, and even better, it only takes 5 ingredients to make. Summer is the season for fresh pineapple, jalapeño-everything, and crunchy cucumbers from the garden. Chop and toss everything in fresh lime juice with cilantro (or mint), and you’ll have this refreshingly tropical cucumber salad.
Make extra and save those leftovers! You can chop the ingredients extra fine to make a fresh pineapple cucumber salsa to serve with tortilla chips, or spoon it over fish tacos or grilled salmon.
Why This Pineapple Cucumber Salad Is the Best Side Salad
- Bright and crunchy. The contrast of sweetness, tang, and crunch puts a fresh spin on classic cucumber salad.
- Make it year-round. This crisp and juicy pineapple cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for grilled dishes, Tex-Mex meals, and picnics.
- Only 5 ingredients. Other variations of this salad call for ingredients like honey, but I wanted an extra fresh version that relied on just the brightness of the lime juice for the dressing.
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients in this pineapple cucumber salad are simple, so each one counts. Refer to the recipe card for the exact recipe amounts.
- Pineapple – This recipe calls for fresh pineapple, and not canned. Canned pineapple is too sweet and less crisp than fresh.
- Cucumber – I use Persian cucumbers, but seedless English cucumbers also work. If you’re not using organic cucumbers, peel them and discard the skins.
- Jalapeño – Removing the seeds from the fresh jalapeño peppers helps tame the heat. Thinly slice the peppers afterward. I always wear gloves when handling chili peppers, which is optional, but recommended! You can reduce the amount of jalapeño for a milder salad.
- Limes – Fresh limes, zested and then squeezed for their juice. I don’t recommend bottled lime juice.
- Cilantro – If you aren’t a fan, substitute cilantro with freshly chopped parsley. Fresh mint or even basil also works nicely here.
Optional Add-ins
If you wanted to jazz up this salad even further, you could also add:
- Honey, whisked into the lime juice
- Olive oil for a richer dressing
- Thinly sliced red onions
- Crumbled feta
- Red chili flakes (if you really like it hot!)
- Tajin seasoning
Choosing and Cutting a Fresh Pineapple for This Salad
Please, folks, use fresh pineapple for this cucumber salad. Do NOT use canned, crushed, or otherwise, or your salad will be overly sweet and mushy. Choose a ripe pineapple by lightly tugging on one of the leaves. If the leaf pulls free easily, the pineapple is ripe. Once you have your pineapple, here’s how to cut it:
- Trim both ends. Using a sharp knife, chop off the leafy top, then the bottom end of the pineapple.
- Cut away the skin. Next, stand the pineapple upright. Carefully trim away the rough outer skins on all sides.
- Chop the pineapple. Finally, slice the pineapple into quarters, and trim the tough, whitish core from each piece. Chop the rest of the pineapple into bite-sized pieces.
You can also buy pre-cut pineapple from the store if you don’t feel like trimming it yourself. Just, again, anything but canned.
Tips for Making This Salad
- Zest first, then juice. It’s much easier to zest the limes before you juice them. Use a microplane or the small holes of the box grater.
- Zhoug it up. My shortcut whenever I have it in the fridge is to stir 1-2 tablespoons of homemade zhoug sauce into the pineapple and cucumber. This spicy sauce already contains jalapeño and cilantro, so I’ll just squeeze in some fresh lime, toss, and chill the salad as usual.
- Drain the cucumber. If your cucumber is especially watery, toss the slices with salt. Leave them to rest for 5 minutes to draw out excess water, then drain and add the cucumber to the salad as usual.
- Deseed the jalapeño peppers. The seeds are where the heat lives, so removing them takes the edge off. You can substitute jalapeños with serrano or poblano peppers, if needed.
- Make it mild. On the other hand, if you’re sensitive to spice, I’d suggest skipping the chili peppers altogether and using sweet yellow or red bell peppers instead.
What to Serve With Pineapple Cucumber Salad
Pair this spicy cucumber salad with a pineapple margarita and any of the following easy meal ideas.
- Appetizers: Serve alongside beef empanadas or coconut shrimp and add a quinoa black bean salad on the side.
- Grilled mains: Freshen up a meal of grilled shrimp, beer-marinated grilled chicken, or grilled mahi mahi.
- Tex-Mex: The zesty flavors in this salad pair well with elote, tacos, birria, and fajitas.
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Pineapple Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ripe pineapple
- 1 English cucumber, or Persian cucumbers
- 2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
- 2 limes, zested and juiced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the pineapple. Clean and peel the pineapple, and cut it into bite-sized chunks.
- Prepare the cucumber. Peel your cucumber, then cut it into half moons.
- Combine and season the salad. Combine the chopped pineapple and cucumber slices in a large bowl. Add lime juice, lime zest, jalapeños, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Toss the salad to combine well. Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust as needed.
- Serve. Cover and refrigerate the pineapple cucumber salad to chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh pineapple. Do not use canned pineapple.
- Jalapeños are spicy. If you want less heat, you can remove the seeds. This will make them milder.
- If your cucumber seems extra watery, sprinkle the slices with a little salt and let them sit for 5 minutes. The salt will draw out excess moisture. Pat the cucumber slices dry with paper towels before adding them to the salad.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make a Pineapple Cucumber Salad
- Prepare the ingredients. Clean the pineapple and cut it into bite-sized chunks. Meanwhile, slice the cucumber into half moons. Add both to a large bowl.
- Season the salad. Next, squeeze the lime juice over the cucumber and pineapple. Add the lime zest, sliced jalapeños, cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. Toss everything together so it’s well-combined.
- Chill. Place the salad into the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
Storing Leftovers
Store this pineapple and cucumber salad in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir it gently before serving to redistribute the dressing.
