Soft Pineapple Bars — In need of a tropical pineapple dessert? Look no further than these pineapple bars! There’s an abundance of pineapple chunks in every bite, which are surrounded by a custardy, creamy filling!
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Ultra Tender Pineapple Bars
This easy pineapple dessert is made in one bowl, without a mixer, and even though they’re layered bars, they’re not fussy.
The crust and crumble topping are made from the same mixture to save time. It’s not always possible to make both the crust and topping from the same mixture, but if it is, I use the double-duty approach.
I love being able to sink my teeth into the pineapple pieces and I relish the texture.
Surrounding the pineapple chunks is a custardy, creamy filling that’s made using an egg, sugar, flour, and McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract. I grew up watching my mom and grandma bake with McCormick’s Vanilla. Cookie dough and beater licking just wasn’t the same without it!
The pineapple bars are tender, delicate, and the firmer crust, in contrast with the soft, custardy interior, and the crumble topping make for so many great textures in each bite.
The bars are a perfect springtime or summery dessert and would be a great Mother’s Day or Easter treat. What I wouldn’t give to have these show up on a breakfast-in-bed tray with a pot of coffee, along with a mimosa or two!
I can dream, right?
Pineapple Bars Ingredients
To make this super easy dessert with canned pineapple, gather the following:
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Egg
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Canned pineapple chunks
A Note About the Amount of Vanilla
I’ve always adored vanilla and use it liberally. And then some.
Many of my recipes call for 1 tablespoon of vanilla and I’m frequently asked if I meant a teaspoon. No, I meant a tablespoon.
Pineapple and vanilla are just made for each other and it helps accentuate the tropical vibe.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Pineapple Bars
This is such a simple canned pineapple dessert recipe. Here’s an overview of how the bars are made:
- Make the buttery crust: Combine the flour, butter, sugar, and salt and use two forks (or a pastry cutter) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
- Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture, and press the rest into an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
- Make the pineapple custard filling: Stir together the sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract, and more flour.
- When the crust is out of the oven, top with pineapple chunks and then pour the custard mixture on top.
- Return the pineapple bars to the oven and bake until the edges and top are set.
Recipe FAQs
I used canned pineapple in this easy pineapple recipe, but I’m sure you could use fresh or frozen, although I haven’t tried.
Readers have reported success with doubling this pineapple dessert recipe and baking it off in a 9×13-inch baking dish. I haven’t tried it myself though!
Yes! If you keep the bars covered, as time passes the topping becomes softer, less pebbly, and looks less like a true crumble topping due to the overall moisture level in the bars from the juicy pineapple. Juicy beats dry any day!
You can likely freeze these pineapple bars for later, although there are never any left over for me to do so!
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Tropical Escape Soft Pineapple Crumble Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
For the Filling:
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup sour cream, plain or vanilla Greek yogurt may be substituted
- 1 ½ teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- one 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained (fresh or frozen could likely be substituted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
Make the Crust:
- To a large bowl, add the butter, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and optional salt. Using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry ingredients until a sandy mixture with peas-sized buttery bits forms.
- Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture; set aside.
- Transfer remaining mixture into prepared pan and using your fingertips or the back of a spatula, lightly press crumbs evenly into pan to form a crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes. While crust bakes, make the filling.
Make the Filling:
- In a large bowl (same one used to make the crust mixture is fine) add the egg, 1/2 cup sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract, 1/4 cup flour, and whisk until smooth; set aside.
- Remove crust from oven and top evenly with pineapple chunks. About 90% of the surface area will be covered with pineapple; chunks will be very close to each other but not quite touching.
- Carefully and evenly pour the sour cream mixture over the pineapple, making sure to get it into the corners.
- Evenly sprinkle the reserved crust mixture over the top to create the crumble topping.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until edges and top are set.
- Place pan on top of a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Bars will keep airtight at room temp for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. If you keep them covered and as time passes, the topping becomes softer, less pebbley, and looks less like a true crumble topping due to the overall moisture level in the bars from the juicy pineapple.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Pineapple Desserts:
The Best Pineapple Upside-Down Cake — So soft, moist & really is The Best! A cheery, happy cake that’s sure to put a smile on anyone’s face!
Pineapple Poke Cake with Pineapple Glaze — This pineapple cake is an easy, from-scratch poke cake recipe! It’s screaming with pineapple flavor from the crushed pineapple in the cake and the pineapple juice in the glaze.
Angel Pineapple Lush Parfaits — This is a 4-ingredient, no-bake dessert that’s ridiculously easy, you don’t need a mixer, and you don’t have to turn your oven on. It’s fluffy, light, airy, and refreshing.
Pina Colada Seven Layer Bars — I combined my love of pina coladas and seven layer bars into a fast, easy, no-mixer dessert that tastes like the tropics.
This post was brought to you by McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract. The recipe and opinions expressed are my own.
These will haunt me until I surrender… Unfortunately I am the only
Pineapple LOVER in the household… Any substitution suggestions (until I get the house to myself for a weekend).. I figure I could have them made and eaten in that time ;)
You could likely use most any chunky fruit…like mango chunks, strawberries, peaches (fresh or frozen on any of those) and just bake until done!
I made these this afternoon and had to hold myself back to wait the one hour of cooling time to dig in! Oh my! So delicious and so different!
These pineapple bars were SO easy to make. I DID add a layer of shredded coconut flakes over the pineapple…and instead of reserving some of the shortbread for the topping, I used it all for the bottom crust. I made a brown sugar and walnut streusel topping instead.
This is the first recipe I’ve made from your blog Averie, and I can’t wait to try more of them!
Thanks for trying these, Debbi, and what you said about unique and different, YES! I totally agree. They’re unlike many of my other bars and set up so nicely with that filling… hard to describe. It’s custardy, but not overly, and we just loved these. Your idea of the brown sugar and walnut streusel topping instead and using all the crust mixture as crust, and then with the coconut, you sound like you totally know what you’re doing in the kitchen and are very creative! That’s wonderful! Please LMK what else you try from my site!
I adore pineapple upside down cake and lemon bars…and this looks like the perfect combo of the two! Really scrumptious! Can’t wait to try!
If only your daughter read every word of your blog… You’d have the best Mother’s Day breakfast in bed ever! Using pineapple to create sweet buttery bars is such an awesome idea. It makes me miss our Hawaii family vacations where we’d sip pineapple smoothies and watch hula shows and watch the deep rosy sunsets over the ocean. Maybe an extra bar or two would make me feel a little better! ;)
Wow your vacays sound amazing and that you remember them for a lifetime is the best! One day I hope I can somehow put my entire blog into a book and give it to my daughter. She’ll have every recipe I ever made and the stories!
That’s the sweetest idea, and your daughter will really appreciate it! I really hope you do. It’s so special to share something with our families, especially something that they remember and were a part of too. One of the best ways to bond!
I recently rediscovered my love of pineapple. These bars look like quite a treat! There’s just something about a custardy filling and shortbread crust.
Laura knowing what I know about your tastes, you would LOVE these bars. They’re delicate, custardy, full of citrus flavor, creamy, and that’s all contrasted with the shortbread crust. I think you’d love them!
I made these last night and they were so good, and I usually can’t eat pineapple. I used crushed instead of chunks and I added coconut flakes. There is only half of it left already.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad that half of it was gone the first day. That means it was a successful recipe :) And so glad you are able to eat the pineapple in this recipe. And I bet coconut would be great in them (I kept it out purposely b/c so many people don’t like it and then I get all kinds of questions but yes, I know it would be so good!)
I love how gooey and buttery these are — a total tropical dream, since we aren’t all lucky enough to experience the Aruba beaches ;) the pineapple chunks look so heavenly, too!!
Thanks for the comments today and the linkup the other day with your bars you made :) I have a feeling knowing that you really like lemon desserts that you’d be into these pineapple bars!
Loving all the pineapple in these beautiful bars, Averie. The pineapple I had in Mexico was out of this world, I’m sure you can imagine how juicy and sweet it was! Probably have some just like it in Aruba. Pair a couple of these with a tall glass of your pineapple sangria and it certainly would feel like vacay!
Either pineapple sangria or a pina colada, wouldn’t matter…LOL :) The pineapple down there is yes, so sweet. It’s almost like candy! Nothing like American grocery-store pineapple, that’s for sure. Boy, I miss it! I am so glad you had a great trip! xo
These are brilliant Averie! I don’t think I’ve ever seen pineapple bars before and they sound amazing! They look insanely delicious! I love anything pineapple and your pictures are gorgeous as always – love this – pinning :)
Thanks for pinning! :)
I am loving the flavors here!
I can’t figure out where to use that last 1/4 cup of flour…. is it supposed to go into the custard part?
Yes it does go with the custard part. I rewrote it to make it more clear. Hopefully that clears it up now :)
Step 6.
In a large bowl (same one used to make the crust mixture is fine) add the egg, 1/2 cup sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract, 1/4 cup flour, and whisk until smooth; set aside.
These make me so happy just looking at them! I want a few of these babies right now! Yum!
Thanks, Sommer :)
Thanks for the comment and tweet – you’re the best! :)
I have a feeling I’ll be dreaming about these bars tonight, Averie! They look crazy good and they make me think of tasty tropical drinks with pineapple and rum. One of these bars with one of those drinks would be perfect. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
These looked so good/1 I went in to make up a batch but I am out of Pineapple ! Sooooo Made them up with mandarin oranges instead and put pineapple on the list. They re in the oven now…
Oh wow, mandarin oranges, what a fun twist! I bet they’re great. LMK how they turned out!
These sound amazing! I’ve never paired pineapple and vanilla together, but you’re making me think about it. I think the clincher though was the “one bowl no mixer” line. That just called out to me as dishes are my enemy! I could use a bit a tropical vacation over here :)
Dishes are my enemy too! And yes to one bowl no mixer whenever possible!
Probably I will substitute pineapple for another fruit. I love pineapple but my body does not tolerate it:( Great recipe!
I’m sure you know this, but there are enzymes you can take to help you digest pineapple. It’s a pretty common issue that I learned about from my naturopath years ago. Sorry to be the bearer of (old) news if you already knew this or it’s not relevant :)