Pineapple
In season in the Midwest · up 20% this week
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from March through July, and is sold in stores year-round. This week it's in season in the Midwest — buying it in season usually means better quality and, as the regional prices below show, a lower price.
Per a typical 165g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Pineapple, raw, all varieties).
- 1 SouthwestCheapest $0.88/ea
- 2 Midwest $2.77/ea
- 3 Southcentral $2.83/ea
- 4 Northeast $2.99/ea
- 5 Northwest $2.99/ea
- 6 Southeast $3.91/ea
Buying pineapple in the Southwest saves about 77% versus the Southeast this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Smell the base — a ripe pineapple is fragrant and sweet there, and one with no scent will not improve. It should feel heavy for its size with slightly yielding flesh and fresh green leaves. Pineapples do not get sweeter after picking; they only get softer.
- What a good price looks like
- A whole pineapple is $2.50 to $5 and available all year, cheapest March through July. Under $3 is a good price. Given the 50% yield, precut pineapple at twice the per-pound price is close to break-even on cost and well ahead on effort — one of the few cases where the precut tub genuinely competes.
- What you actually get
- A whole pineapple is 3 to 4 lb and yields about half its weight as fruit — roughly 4 cups cubed from a typical one, serving six. Skin, crown, and core are genuinely half the purchase, which makes the per-pound shelf price misleading against precut.
- How to store it
- Whole at room temperature for a day or two, or refrigerated for up to five days. Once cut, refrigerate in a sealed container and use within four days.
- In the kitchen
- Cut the crown and base off, stand it upright, and slice the skin away in strips following the curve of the fruit. The brown eyes spiral around it, so you can cut shallow diagonal channels along that spiral rather than gouging each one out. Quarter it lengthwise and cut the fibrous core off each wedge as a single strip.
- Getting the most out of it
- Standing it upside down for a day before cutting is a real trick — it redistributes sugar from the sweeter base. Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme that prevents gelatine from setting and tenderises meat aggressively, so use it in marinades briefly, not for hours.
- Hawaiian Lil' SmokiesRecipe by The Recipe Critic~$0.25 / serving 1 in-season
- Cottage Cheese Jello SaladRecipe by The Recipe Critic~$0.41 / serving 2 in-season
- Salmon Tacos with Avocado SauceRecipe by A Couple Cooks~$0.60 / serving 4 in-season
- Pineapple CasseroleRecipe by Well Plated~$0.71 / serving 1 in-season
- Pineapple CasseroleRecipe by Spend With Pennies~$0.78 / serving 1 in-season
- Halloumi Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Aji VerdeRecipe by Cookie + Kate~$0.88 / serving 1 in-season
See all 223 recipes with pineapple →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA National Retail Report. Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Pineapple — FAQ
When can you buy pineapple in season?
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from March through July, and is sold in stores year-round. This week the Midwest has pineapple marked in season.
What's the price of pineapple right now?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of pineapple in the Midwest is $2.77/ea, up 20% from last week. It's cheapest in the Southwest at $0.88/ea.
How many calories and how much protein are in pineapple?
A typical 165g serving of pineapple has about 83 calories, 0.8g protein, 21.6g carbohydrates, 0.2g fat, and 2.3g fiber, per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I make with pineapple?
SeasonSort indexes 223 recipes that use pineapple, each with its cost per serving computed from this week's prices — starting from about $0.11 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.