The Best Ever Pineapple Bars Recipe Using Fresh or Canned Pineapple! (2024)

My pineapple bars recipe is sure to be your new any day favorite dessert if you love fresh or canned pineapple and tender shortbread! Canned pineapple works in a pinch, but cut up half of a whole fresh pineapple and get ready to be hooked for life on this sweet and tangy treat!! The layered crust, filling, and topping are divine as-is but amazing with a little bit of a sweet drizzled icing!

Best Pineapple Bars Recipe

OK, this is one of those desserts that I would totally be able to fill up the entire blog page with nothing but me gushing about how wonderful my pineapple bars are!!

This amazing pineapple dessert is not only quick (prep-wise, it takes some time in the oven) and incredibly easy but the recipe is also requested frequently. Bring these luscious pineapple bars to a party at work or a potluck and you will be barred from leaving until everyone knows how to make them!

How To Make Pineapple Bars

To start on the pineapple bars you will need flour, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, sour cream, and pineapple. The confectioners' sugar, half-and-half, and coconut extract are for the optional but highly recommended, drizzled icing.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC/Gas Mark 4) and butter or spray your 9x13 baking pan or dish with non-stick cooking spray. Lining the baking dish with parchment paper is also an option, as you can then lift the entire batch of pineapple bars out for slicing and serving.

Make the Pastry Crust & Crumble Topping

You can make the crust layer using a food processor, stand mixer, or pastry cutter to blend in the cold, cubed butter. Grab what you have and mix the first portion of flour with the sugar, salt, and butter until crumbly in texture.

Withhold one cup of the crust mixture and reserve it for topping the filling layer.

Transfer the remaining pastry crust mixture to your buttered baking dish and spread it evenly across the bottom of the pan. Press down on the crust layer until the bottom of the pan is covered evenly, and until it reaches the corners of the pan.

Bake the crust layer in your preheated oven for 15 minutes while mixing up the filling layer.

Make The Pineapple Filling

For the filling, use a large mixing bowl or your stand mixer bowl. Combine the beaten eggs with sugar, sour cream, salt, flour, and either freshly cut pineapple, canned pineapple chunks, or crushed pineapple. Be sure to drain canned pineapple before combining the filling. *You can reserve the pineapple juice for the liquid in your icing if desired.

Gently stir the filling mixture until well combined.

After your crust has baked, allow it to cool for a few minutes. Spoon the pineapple filling over the cooled crust layer.

Crumble the reserved cup of the crust mixture over the filling and then bake for approximately one hour or until golden on top.

The filling will be soft and gooey but it should not be runny. An inserted knife should come out with some moist crumb on it, but not anything like a doughy texture.

When you remove the baked pineapple bars out of the oven, place the pan on a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.

Make The Coconut Icing

While the pineapple bars are cooling, mix up your coconut icing. Use a small bowl and combine the confectioners' sugar, half-and-half, and coconut extract until smooth.

The icing should be thick enough to drizzle slowly over the pineapple bars, but should not be runny either. Add more confectioners sugar if needed, to thicken - conversely, add more half-and-half if the icing is too thick.

Drizzle the icing over the pineapple bars randomly, cut the bars into squares, serve, and enjoy!

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