Pineapple Cupcakes

Moist pineapple cupcakes are soft, sweet, buttery, and packed with tropical pineapple flavor. The classic recipe will turn anyone into a pineapple lover!

Fluffy pineapple cupcakes

These cupcakes are great for tropical theme parties, picnics, summer barbecues, tea parties, birthdays, or as a sweet and simple weeknight dessert.

And there’s no boxed cake mix here.

Making your own pineapple cupcakes from scratch is surprisingly easy, and the results are well worth the extra time.

Top them with pineapple buttercream frosting and watch them all disappear!

Craving pineapple? Make this Dole Whip Recipe

Pineapple cupcake ingredients

You need crushed pineapple, pure vanilla extract, optional egg or flax, white or apple cider vinegar, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and optional oil.

Look for crushed canned pineapple at most regular grocery stores. Or make your own crushed pineapple at home by chopping or slicing fresh pineapple and then pureeing the pieces in a blender or a food processor.

Choose spelt flour, white flour, or gluten free all purpose flour. Oat flour works if you do not mind a dense texture. We have not tried whole wheat flour or pastry flour and do not recommend coconut flour, rice flour, or almond flour in this recipe.

Regular sugar or unrefined coconut sugar are great options for the cupcakes. You may also use granulated xylitol for a sugar free option. If you wish to experiment with pure maple syrup, honey, or another liquid sweetener, let us know how it goes.

Melted coconut oil is our favorite option because it makes the cupcakes taste like Hawaii in a dessert. Sunflower or vegetable oil work too. For oil free cupcakes with a healthy muffin texture and taste, substitute an equal amount of additional pineapple, mashed banana or mango, applesauce, or plain or Greek yogurt.

To create vegan pineapple cupcakes, omit the optional egg and add a flax egg or a fourth cup of water instead. As written, the recipe contains no butter or milk.

We also love these Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

How to make the pineapple dessert

Line a muffin or cupcake tin with liners, or grease each cup very well with oil or spray.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir well to ensure no large pieces of salt or baking soda remain.

Add the crushed pineapple, vanilla, oil, vinegar, and egg or water, and whisk until just evenly combined. To avoid tough cupcakes, do not overmix.

Divide the mixture into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each cup around two thirds of the way full with cupcake batter.

Or as a fun variation, you can make pretty pineapple upside down cupcakes by coating twelve thin sliced pineapple rings with brown sugar. Add a ring to the bottom of each cup (unlined but greased very well) before filling with batter. When you remove the baked cupcakes from the tins, turn them upside down to reveal the sweet caramelized pineapple on top.

Place the pan on the oven’s center rack. Bake for twenty one minutes or until the cupcakes rise and are no longer gummy in the centers. A toothpick inserted into one of the pineapple cakes should come out mostly clean when they are done.

Using oven mitts, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Let the cupcakes cool before adding any icing or toppings so the frosting will not melt.

If you can wait, we recommend letting the cooled cupcakes sit overnight, very loosely covered in a cloth or paper towels, on the counter or in the refrigerator. The liners peel off easily after a day and the cupcake texture will be lighter and fluffier as well.

This recipe makes a dozen standard size cupcakes. If you prefer to bake mini pineapple cupcakes instead of large ones, simply bake the batter in lined mini muffin tins. Decrease the total cooking time to just ten minutes.

Piña colada cupcake recipe video

Above, watch the step by step recipe video

Cupcake decorating tips

The most important advice for decorating cupcakes is to wait for the treats to cool before adding any frosting or fondant. This step ensures the icing will not melt.

I made the pineapple buttercream below and used this 8B Star Decorating Tip.

You can add sliced fresh pineapple after frosting or go with cute flamingo or pineapple toppers from a party or craft store.

Chocolate lovers may wish to top the cupcakes with white or dark chocolate covered pineapple slices.

Or turn the mini pineapple cakes into fancy piña colada cupcakes by topping each with toasted shredded coconut and a sweet maraschino cherry.

For optimal freshness after a day, refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to five days. You may also freeze pineapple cupcakes in an airtight container.

It is best to frost frozen cupcakes after thawing.

Pineapple buttercream frosting recipe

The tropical cupcakes taste wonderful unfrosted or topped with packaged or homemade white, vanilla, coconut, or cream cheese frosting.

Or if you have five minutes, whip up the following simple pineapple buttercream icing:

Beat room temperature 8 ounces of cream cheese or vegan cream cheese with 4 ounces of butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice.

Whip everything together, using hand beaters or a stand mixer, until it achieves a thick and smooth buttercream texture.

Turn off the beaters, and spread the homemade pineapple frosting onto the cupcakes with a butter knife or a spoon.

Or scoop it into a piping or pastry bag fitted with a star decorating tip.

Store any leftover icing in an airtight covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. To make things easier, you can prepare this frosting recipe ahead of time.

The recipe was adapted from my Pineapple Muffins and Carrot Cake Banana Bread.

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