Southern Pineapple Casserole (+Video)
Pineapple Casserole is a classic and unique southern side dish. Pineapple, crackers and cheese (yes, cheese!) combine to make the tastiest side dish that is a must-make during the holidays!
A UNIQUE SOUTHERN SIDE DISH
Pineapple Casserole is a classic southern side dish at a lot of holiday meals. Pineapple, crackers and cheese combine to make the tastiest side to ham! If you’ve never eaten this particular dish of Southern Pineapple Casserole before, then chances are, you probably aren’t from the South but I promise it will convert you! It can be used as a side dish or even a dessert.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
If you’ve never heard of pineapple casserole before, you will probably think it is the weirdest combination of ingredients you ever heard of. It’s a traditional Southern dish made with pineapple, cheese, Ritz crackers and in my recipe, we use pineapple Jell-O!
Generally this is eaten as a side dish with ham. It is a sweet dish so you’d think it was dessert but it is served as a side dish. I find most people tend to eat it on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
You can actually prepare this and bake it before you need it then cover and refrigerate. Then just reheat (either in the oven or microwave.) I wouldn’t do it more than a day in advance.
Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated and will last up to 3 days. This can also be frozen. Cover well to protect against freezer burn and it can stay frozen up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- sugar – I’ve never tried this with a sugar substitute but I’m sure it could work.
- pineapple Jell-O – Jell-O brand actually calls it “island pineapple” Walmart has their own Great Value brand of pineapple gelatin. If you can’t find pineapple, you could always go with lemon but pineapple is going to obviously give you the most pineapple flavor.
- corn starch – this is going to help thicken the mixture.
- pineapple tidbits or chunks (in 100% juice) – it needs to be in juice not heavy syrup because you’ll need the juice for the topping.
- sharp cheddar cheese – this is the weird ingredient that throws people off. You do not actually taste the cheese as a separate ingredient. It just cuts the overall sweetness and adds a depth of flavor.
- Ritz crackers – It is traditionally made with Ritz crackers but I’m sure you could make it with club crackers if you prefer those.
- salted butter – if you only have unsalted butter, add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the melted butter. Again, we want a touch of saltiness to cut through the overall sweetness of the recipe (although it won’t be salty at all.)
- reserved pineapple juice – this is used in the topping which is why you have to purchase pineapple tidbits in juice not heavy syrup.
HOW TO MAKE PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8×8-inch baking (2-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium pot over medium heat, whisk together water, sugar, 3 Tablespoons of pineapple Jell-O, and 3 Tablespoons corn starch until thoroughly combined and you get all the lumps out.
Turn heat up to high and let mixture to come to a boil and thicken. Continue to whisk. Once thickened take off heat. Drain pineapple tidbits thoroughly, setting aside 1/2 cup of the juice. Add drained tidbits to the pot and stir.
While pineapple mixture is cooling, begin making topping. In a large Ziploc bag, finely crush Ritz crackers. Add crackers, melted butter and 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice into a medium bowl and stir until combined. It will seem wet.
Add shredded cheese to cooled pineapple mixture and pour into baking dish. Drop and gently spread Ritz cracker topping over pineapple mixture.
Bake in oven for about 30-35 minutes (until topping is golden brown.)
Allow it to cool for several minutes before serving. It is meant to be served warm.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: March 2013
Photos updated and republished: November 2023
Southern Pineapple Casserole (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons pineapple Jell-O
- 3 Tablespoons corn starch
- 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits or chunks (in 100% juice) (not in heavy syrup)
- 1 ½ sleeves (45) Ritz crackers (crushed)
- ½ stick salted butter (1/4 cup), melted
- ½ cup reserved pineapple juice
- 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8×8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, whisk together 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 3 Tablespoons pineapple Jell-O and 3 Tablespoons corn starch until thoroughly combined and you get all the lumps out.
- Turn heat up to high and let mixture to come to a boil and thicken. Continue to whisk. Once thickened, take off heat.
- Drain 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits or chunks (in 100% juice) thoroughly, setting aside 1/2 cup of the juice. Add drained pineapple to pot and stir.
- In a large Ziploc bag, finely crush 1 1/2 sleeves (45) Ritz crackers.
- Add crushed crackers, 1/2 stick salted butter (1/4 cup), melted and 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice into a medium bowl and stir until combined.
- Add 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese to cooled pineapple mixture in pan.
- Then pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
- Spread Ritz cracker topping over pineapple mixture.
- Bake in oven for about 30-35 minutes (until topping is golden brown.)
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- It MUST be pineapple in 100% juice NOT heavy syrup.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Hi Brandie! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It will definitely be on our Thanksgiving table. This recipe stirred up some wonderful memories from my growing up years. My mom used to routinely include pineapple salad as part of our Sunday dinners…. she’d place 2-3 lettuce leaves on a salad plate, then put a pineapple ring with a dollop of mayo and grated cheese on it. SO delicious! I’d really forgotten about it, but what a sweet reminder! She would do the same with pears. I agree that it’s a Southern thing… I’m from South Louisiana. I know Piccadilly used to serve the pineapple salad, as well. Thanks so much for stirring those memories! And your website is my go-to for recipes!
I’ve never seen pineapple jello before, can you use another jello?
Hi Denise, you can find it at Walmart. 🙂 I think they call it “Island Pineapple.” If push comes to shove, you can use lemon or a plain jell-o.
This recipe is “Pure-T” scrumptious !!! The salty /sweet combination is great and who can go wrong with cheese and some Ritz crackers? Lol
Brandie, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made this for our Easter dinner and the whole family raved about it. I have made several different versions of pineapple casserole, but this one is outstanding. It makes a smaller amount and the taste is superb. I was unable to find the pineapple Jello, so I substituted lemon Jello like another reviewer suggested and the taste was spot on. Thank you again for the recipe and the family says now that this is a MUST especially when we have ham.
Claudine in Fort Worth, TX
Hi Claudine! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment. This was a recipe I had worked on for months to get just right. I am so happy you loved it as much as I do!
The pineapple casserole sounds awesome! I am going to make it for Easter. I can’t wait to surprise my family! Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes.
Hope everyone loves it! Thank you Betty and Happy Easter!
Can I make this with crush pineapple
Can this dish be put together the day before, then baked the day of my dinner?
I would like to try this for my family Christmas as we are having spiral ham. If I double the recipe, how long should I cook it for?
I made this for Thanksgiving & it was wonderful! The jello makes all the difference. I knew there was something different and when I found this recipe I knew this was the one! Thanks so much, it’s a favorite now!
I first tasted this casserole at a senior center lunch & really enjoyed it. Never got the recipe. I have now! I am from the MD, Washington, DC & never had the dish, The Mason-Dixon Line is between Pennsylvania & Maryland, geographically speaking. Being a retired “transplant” to TN, I have truly enjoyed this dish at a number of lunches & pot lucks. We do have pineapple Jell-O at local food stores.. I look forward to making my own batch. Enjoyed reading the comments.
This sounds soooo yummy, but I cannot buy Ritz crackers in sleeves here they just come in a box but not in sleeves, how much would I need to crush to make the equalivate to 1 1/2 sleeve ?
There are 30 crackers in a sleeve 🙂
I had this recipe at my church for Thanksgiving! It was awesome! I couldn't figure out who's recipe it was! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I love all your recipes and so does my family. Your site is my favorite site.
God gave you a wonderful gift. Cooking and sharing.
thanks so much, Caroline
Would it be possible to make the pineapple/cheese part, refrigerate it overnight, mix up and add the topping before popping it in the oven to bake? We have SO much going on in the kitchen Easter morning that prepping it before-hand would be awesome, if possible!
The first time I had this it was love at first bite. I could see a tiny edge of a Ritz cracker but couldn't taste the cracker. Just the deliciousness. Thanks for the recipe.
My mom use to make something like this all the time and "yes" cheese taste great with pineapple.
I love pineapple ! I make a pineapple cobbler . Melt a stick of butter in a baking pan , take two cups of self rising flour , two cups of sugar , and milk not to thick nor runny . I take that mixture put in the baking pan over the butter , the I add two large cans of pineapple juice and all . I use one of crushed pineapple and one of chunked . Bake at 350 til nice and brown .I believe I use a 9×13 pan . Enjoy ! Stacey Burns
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, Carrie! ????
I think this is hands-down the best Pineapple Casserole I have ever tasted. There are a few versions out there but your recipe was so unique to the others that I just had to try it. This was even better than my Grandma’s recipe (don’t tell her I said that!) So, so good! Thank you for coming up with your own special spin on these recipes!!
My recipe is also a little different but the basics are the same, pineapple, butter, Ritz, and cheese, (no gelatin). Like you, when I first heard this combo I thought, no way! But, we never have ham, or a family gathering, without this dish. It's amazing! This is the first time I've found it anywhere besides my recipe box. I also take this to potlucks and while occasionally I'll get a 'hater' I always take a copy of the recipe, because I get so many requests. Awesome!
BTW, just stumbled onto your site….great recipes! Thank you!
I just found your recipe again. I'm printing it out this time. I made it for Thanksgiving and we loved it. It was great warm. But guess what. I loved it cold also.
Made this as a side dish to accompany our Easter ham. There were no leftovers of this delicious dish! And to think I almost didn't make it! Wonderful recipe! And lemon jello workS just fine. Couldn't find pineapple jello here in Hawaii (go figure!).
Can you make this ahead of timme
I buy the generic crackers from all do that I like grits you think that is a suitable substitution and if so how many individual crackers are am I going to need Basically asking how many are in a sleeve of Ritz?
I would like to know also and how much is a stick of butter in cups?
1 stick of butter equals 1/2 cup.
From Chicago here and I have never heard of this was before. I can’t believe I waited so long. This was AH-MAZING!!
We’re u able to find pineapple gelatin?
I wouldn’t change a thing. This is so good! The best I’ve ever made.
Delicious!!